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The Democratic Party is finally saying the quiet part out loud: “Biden should not have run again.”

Revelations about President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and his administration’s alleged cover-up have returned to the national conversation ahead of next week’s release of CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson’s book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., a 2024 presidential campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden, and considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, acknowledged on Wednesday that Biden should not have run for a second term. 

And Beto O’Rourke, one of Biden’s 2020 Democratic primary competitors and the former congressman from Texas, joined the criticism this week, accusing Biden’s re-election campaign of failing future generations of Americans. 

REP RO KHANNA TEES UP 2028 RIVALRY DURING POINTED SPEECH IN JD VANCE’S HOME STATE

Former presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke (left) and potential 2028 presidential candidate Rep. Ro Khanna said President Joe Biden should not have run for re-election in 2024.  (Getty Images)

When pressed by Martha MacCallum on “The Story” on Wednesday about campaigning for Biden in 2024, Khanna said he hadn’t had the full picture of Biden’s health and mental acuity ahead of his disastrous debate performance, but he admitted, “We should be honest as a party that we made a mistake.”

DEM RISING STAR EYES VANCE AS KEY LONG-TERM THREAT: ‘NEEDS TO BE DEFEATED’

“I do think it’s important that, given what has come out, that we take accountability,” Khanna said. “Obviously, he should not have run,” Khanna said. 

Responding to a series of interview clips from early 2024, when Khanna affirmed Biden’s intention to run for re-election and described the president as “fully coherent,” Khanna said he had been telling the truth. 

“Of course, I didn’t have the full picture,” Khanna added. 

Khanna was a campaign surrogate for Biden in 2024 before he dropped out of the race.  (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

O’Rourke took Khanna’s call for Democratic accountability a step further on “Pod Save America” this week, calling Biden’s decision to run for re-election in 2024 a “terrible mistake.”

“Just to be clear: Biden should not have run again. And to be even more clear: He failed this country in the most important job that he had,” O’Rourke said. 

“In fact, the entire rationale for his presidency the first time, and the rationale he tried to sell us on for his attempt to run for re-election, ‘Only I can stop Donald Trump.’ And he failed to do that, and it’s not just you and me, but our kids and grandkids and the generations that follow that might have to pay the price for this. We might very well lose the greatest country that this world has ever known,” O’Rourke said.

Former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke speaks to attendees during a “Our Fight, Our Future” rally at The Millennium bowling alley on October 2, 2024, in Austin, Texas (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

An excerpt from Tapper and Thompson’s book released by Axios this week revealed that Biden’s declining health was “so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election.”

In hindsight, Khanna and O’Rourke agreed that Democrats should have had an opportunity to launch their own presidential bids. And now that President Donald Trump has returned to the White House, and an already crowded field of potential 2028 Democratic candidates are mulling presidential campaigns, they said it’s important to take accountability for 2024. 

“Obviously, there should have been an open primary. And, I don’t think that’s very difficult that Democrats should just be straight up that he should not have run, now that we have all the facts. There should have been an open primary. I think to move on and move forward, it’s important to take accountability and be straightforward with the American people,” Khanna said.

O’Rourke said America’s future could be in the balance “in part because of the decision that Biden, and those around him, made to run for re-election instead of having an open primary where the greatest talent that the Democratic Party can muster could be on that stage to have a competition of ideas, and track-record and vision and really excite, not just Democrats, but the people of this country who did want change. I mean, if anything was clear coming out of 2024, they wanted change.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., was a campaign surrogate for President Joe Biden in 2024.  (Getty Images)

The once-2020 Democratic presidential candidate, who is 52 years-old, said the Democrat’s Biden failure creates a credibility problem. 

“I think that credibility problem is going to persist up until when Democrats say, ‘We f—ed up, and we made a terrible mistake,'” O’Rourke said. 

Despite O’Rourke’s comments this week, he said in an email to supporters through his voting rights organization, Powered by People, last February that, “Donald Trump is the single greatest threat to our democracy. Our best chance to defeat him is to support Joe Biden in this election.”

“Amy and I voted for him in the Texas primary . . . and are looking forward to voting for him again in November,” he added. “This president has done an extraordinary job of improving our economy, confronting the climate crisis, reducing childhood poverty and fending off the very worst of Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s mounting attacks on our most fundamental freedoms.”

Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan defended his former boss this week, while acknowledging that Biden’s disastrous debate performance was shocking.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Another young Democrat and Biden’s former National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, continued to defend his former boss at Politico’s Security Summit on Thursday, dismissing an allegation that Biden had forgotten his name, and defending his leadership as commander-in-chief. 

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“What happened in that debate was a shock to me,” Sullivan admitted. “I think it was a shock to everybody.”

A Biden spokesperson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report. 

Former President Joe Biden lashed out against special counsel Robert Hur over a report in which he described the longtime lawmaker as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

The part of Hur’s report that most angered Biden was the suggestion that the then-president could not remember when his son, Beau, died. However, new audio obtained by Axios sheds light on Biden’s lapses in memory.

In February 2024, Biden and several high-profile Democrats — as well as media personalities — attacked Hur. During a press conference on Hur’s report, Biden said, “There’s some attention paid to some language in the report about my recollection of events. There’s even a reference that I don’t remember when my son died. How in the hell dare he raise that?”

Audio from then-President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur reveals that he, and not the special counsel, brought up Beau Biden’s death. (Getty Images)

CONSERVATIVES REACT TO LEAKED BIDEN AUDIO ON SOCIAL MEDIA: ‘THIS IS PAINFUL’

Then-Vice President Kamala Harris slammed Hur in February 2024, saying his report was “gratuitous, inaccurate and inappropriate.” She also suggested that it was “clearly politically motivated.” Harris recalled Biden’s alleged sharpness at the time, noting that Hur’s interview took place on Oct. 8, 2023 — just one day after Hamas’ attack on Israel. Harris said she was “in almost every meeting” with Biden and that he was “in front of and on top of it all.”

Reps. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., and Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., grilled Hur when he testified on Capitol Hill in March 2024. Both lawmakers attempted to get Hur to say that his report “exonerated” Biden — which he did not do. Then–Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., also criticized the special counsel, suggesting that Hur knew his description of Biden would “ignite a political firestorm,” something Hur denied.

Former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. Hur investigated U.S. President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and published a final report with contentious conclusions about Biden’s memory. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

JONATHAN TURLEY: BIDEN NOT THE ONLY LOSER REVEALED BY SHOCKING HUR AUDIO

Former Obama advisor David Axelrod also criticized the report, calling it a “shiv the special counsel stuck into the Biden reelection campaign,” according to CNN.

On Friday, Axios published a bombshell report that included audio recordings from Biden’s interview with Hur, something the previous administration refused to release. The audio includes long pauses in which Biden struggled to recall the dates of several major events, including when President Donald Trump was elected to office for his first term, his son’s death or his exit from office as vice president.

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Since his report was released, Hur has seen two key moments of vindication aside from Friday’s report. The first came when the transcript of his interview was released in March 2024. At the time, the White House refused to release the audio, citing fears of AI deepfakes. Hur appeared to receive further vindication when Biden had his disastrous debate against then-candidate Trump in June 2024. Less than a month after the debate, Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Harris.  

President Donald Trump spent his 17th week as commander-in-chief visiting the Middle East, marking his first major overseas trip of his second term. 

The president left Washington, D.C., Monday for Saudi Arabia, followed by a visit in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 

The president’s trip comes amid the continuing war between Israel and Hamas, ongoing U.S.-Iran negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, and his plans to broaden his first administration’s Abraham Accords, which normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and Arab League nations such as the United Arab Emirates. 

TRUMP CONDEMNS ‘INTERVENTIONALISTS,’ PITCHES ‘MORE HOPEFUL FUTURE’ IN MIDDLE EAST SPEECH

Trump arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, early Tuesday morning, with the nation sending fighter jet escorts to welcome Air Force One to the ground and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greeting Trump on the tarmac, which was adorned with a lavender-colored carpet.

President Donald Trump arrives on Air Force One at King Khalid International Airport Royal Terminal in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025.  (Alex Brandon/The Associated Press)

Upon his arrival to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Trump was also met with a mobile and operational McDonald’s truck. 

The president, during a speech in Riyadh shortly after meeting with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, vowed to continue America’s partnership with the Saudi Arabian government, but also called for peace in the Middle East, urging the region to pursue economic development rather than Iran’s “self-destructive” path. 

“If the responsible nations of this region seize this moment, put aside your differences and focus on the interests that unite you, then all humanity will soon be amazed at what we will see here in the geographic center of the world, and the spiritual heart of its greatest faiths,” Trump said.

“Before our eyes, a new generation of leaders is transcending the ancient conflicts and tired divisions of the past, and forging a future where the Middle East is defined by commerce, not chaos; where it exports technology, not terrorism; and where people of different nations, religions, and creeds are building cities together, not bombing each other,” he added.

Trump’s speech came after he and Salman signed several economic agreements totaling $600 billion in trade deals. The agreements could help create up to two million U.S. jobs, Trump said.

Several of the agreements tracked with previously stated ambitions by both Washington, D.C., and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, particularly when it comes to defensive deals. 

President Donald J. Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images)

SAUDIS DEPLOY MOBILE MCDONALD’S FOR TRUMP’S TRIP TO THE KINGDOM

But as for Iran, Trump, during his Saudi Arabia speech, also warned the Islamic Republic of a “massive maximum pressure” campaign if it did not come to a nuclear agreement with the U.S. 

“As I have shown repeatedly, I am willing to end past conflicts and forge new partnerships for a better and more stable world, even if our differences may be profound,” Trump said. “If Iran’s leadership rejects this olive branch… we will have no choice but to inflict massive maximum pressure, drive Iranian oil exports to zero.”

“Iran can have a much brighter future, but we will never allow them to threaten America and our allies with terrorism or a nuclear attack,” Trump said. 

Trump had announced a 60-day time frame to reach an agreement with Iran over its illegal atomic weapons program. The first U.S. negotiating session with Iran commenced April 12. 

President Donald J. Trump speaks with Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad al Thani as he departs the Al Udeid Air Base for Abu Dhabi on May 15, 2025, in Doha, Qatar. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff met with Iranian officials for a fourth round of nuclear talks over the weekend. 

TRUMP HITS IRAN’S POCKETBOOK AS HE DANGLES A CARROT IN MIDDLE EAST SPEECH

The nuclear talks were “difficult but useful,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the closed-door negotiations, offered more, describing the talks as being both indirect and direct, The Associated Press reported.

An “agreement was reached to move forward with the talks to continue working through technical elements,” the U.S. official said. “We are encouraged by today’s outcome and look forward to our next meeting, which will happen in the near future.”

The Trump administration has said the flawed 2015 Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, did not prevent Iran from building an atomic bomb. 

Trump, throughout his visit, made stark warnings to Iran — verbally, and through sanctions. 

Just shortly after dangling a carrot of a “brighter future” for Iran, the Treasury Department gave a taste of Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign and sanctioned more than two dozen firms operating in Iran’s illicit international oil trade. 

TRUMP HITS IRAN’S POCKETBOOK AS HE DANGLES A CARROT IN MIDDLE EAST SPEECH

Trump said Iran has the nuclear “proposal.” 

“But more importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad — something bad is going to happen,” the president said. 

Next, the president traveled to Qatar, where he signed a series of agreements with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha.

Trump and his motorcade were greeted by dozens of mounted camels after his plane landed in Qatar Wednesday morning as he continues his four-day trip to the Middle East. 

The agreements there involved a purchasing agreement by Qatar for Boeing aircraft, as well as letters of intent and “joint cooperation” between Qatar and the U.S. The emir also signed an intent agreement to purchase MQ-9 drone aircraft.

President Donald Trump is greeted by Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani as he arrives on Air Force One at Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, May 14, 2025.  (Alex Brandon/AP)

Al Thani said he had a “great” conversation with Trump prior to the signing ceremony Wednesday, adding that the agreements have elevated the U.S.-Qatar relationship to “another level.”

The president then met with U.S. service members at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, and cited “substantial pay raises” for U.S. troops in his 2026 budget. 

“You are without a doubt the greatest fighting force in the history of the world,” Trump said. “And as your commander-in-chief, I’m here to say that America’s military will soon be bigger, better, stronger and more powerful than ever.” 

Next, the president traveled to the United Arab Emirates for his final stop — a visit that marked the first time a U.S. president has traveled to the nation in nearly 20 years, following President George W. Bush’s trip in 2008.

The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the tallest building in the world, was illuminated in red, white and blue in honor of President’s historic UAE visit. 

Trump visited the Grand Mosque, a rare visit for a U.S. president, and was gifted the UAE’s highest civilian honor, the Order of Zayed, by UAE’s President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

President Donald Trump is presented the Order of Zayed, the UAE highest civilian distinction, from UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Thursday, May 15, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.  (AP/Alex Brandon)

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The president wrapped up his visit to the United Arab Emirates with a visit to the Abrahamic Family House, which encompasses a mosque, a church, a synagogue, and a forum, and served as a community for inter-religious dialogue and peaceful co-existence.  

As of this week, Trump has signed 148 executive orders since his inauguration in January, including a whopping 143 within his first 100 days as president, dwarfing the number of executive orders signed by his predecessors stretching back to at least President Franklin D. Roosevelt. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton, Morgan Phillis and Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. 

EXCLUSIVE: The top tax-writer in the House of Representatives is arguing that President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” will be “big” for American taxpayers as well – including seniors.

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., and other Republicans on the panel spent months negotiating behind closed doors on how to enact Trump’s tax policies.

Among those is an added $4,000 deduction for Americans aged 65 or older. Seniors with income of less than $75,000 as single filers, and less than $150,000 as joint filers, would be eligible for the full deduction, which then would begin to phase out.

“So, that’s on top of their guaranteed deduction, and that’s per person . . . anyone who has total earnings of $75,000 a year or less is going to be made completely whole, so all the low-income and middle-income seniors on Social Security will be paying zero on Social Security in the long run,” Smith told Fox News Digital, while adding of others, “most of them will be paying much less.”

ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION

President Donald Trump is pushing Republicans to pass his “big, beautiful bill” (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Republicans are using the budget reconciliation process, which lowers the Senate’s threshold for passage from 60 votes to 51 for certain pieces of fiscal legislation, to advance a vast bill full of Trump’s priorities on taxes, immigration, energy, defense and the national debt.

Because the House already operates under a simple majority, reconciliation allows the party in power to pass sweeping legislation while sidelining the other side, in this case, Democrats.

Trump has directed congressional Republicans to permanently extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), as well as implement new policies eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and retirees’ Social Security.

But the law that established the reconciliation process, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, also specifically forbade direct changes to Social Security via the process.

Smith said Republicans’ had added $4,000 tax deduction as a way to make them “completely whole.”

BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, R-Mo., is helping craft the tax portion of the bill. (Tom Williams)

Rather than seeing that tax relief month-to-month, however, Smith said it would come in people’s yearly tax returns.

He argued that it was more beneficial for lower-income seniors as well, giving added relief to those whose incomes were too low to pay Social Security taxes in the first place.

“Under the rules of reconciliation, you cannot touch Social Security directly. What we did is to make sure that they get . . . tax relief for any senior who makes less than $75,000 per year,” Smith said. “It’s not that we didn’t want to do it, it’s that it cannot be done under the rules of reconciliation, or you wouldn’t qualify for the 51-vote threshold over in the United States Senate.”

“But the tax relief they will receive is an added tax cut, and that will make up for what they have paid in Social Security tax.”

The White House also endorsed Smith’s plan despite its departure from Trump’s initial campaign pitch.

“The one, big, beautiful bill not only delivers permanent tax cuts and bigger paychecks, but it secures a historic tax break for seniors on Social Security,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said. “This is another promise made, promise kept to our seniors who deserve much-needed tax relief after four years of suffering under Bidenflation.”

The $4,000 tax deduction, which would be in effect from the 2025 through 2028 tax years, would be on top of the higher standard deduction that people above age 65 already receive. 

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It would not be a tax credit, reducing tax liability directly regardless of tax brackets. A deduction reduces taxable income and is dependent on the taxpayer’s rate.

But for single seniors making up to $75,000, and married seniors making less than $150,000, qualifying for the $4,000 deduction, it would likely provide some relief for millions of taxpayers across the country.

“It’ll be a wash of what their Social Security tax would’ve been,” Smith said, adding later in the interview: “Failure’s not an option. We’re going to get this done.”

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, is once again calling on his colleagues in the House to impeach President Donald Trump, saying the president has “devolved American democracy into authoritarianism.” 

“I pen this communique with a heavy heart, driven by a conscience that will not allow me to ignore my well-founded, strong pre-election condemnation of Donald John Trump as a threat to American democracy that has now become our reality,” Green wrote in a letter urging his colleagues to impeach the president.

Green argues that, contrary to what many believe, there does not need to be a constitutional crisis in order to impeach a president.

Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, was removed from the House chamber for disrupting Trump’s speech.  (REUTERS/AP)

HOUSE DEMOCRAT ANNOUNCES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP

On Thursday, he filed H. Res. 415, “Impeaching Donald John Trump, President of the United States, of high crimes and misdemeanors.”

In the articles of impeachment, Green claims that Trump has engaged in authoritarian rule, violated due process, denigrated federal judges and ignored court orders, including ones from the Supreme Court. He also claims that Trump condoned “untruthful statements” against the Court’s opinion regarding the deportation of accused MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Trump gives his joint address to Congress and is interrupted by Rep Al Green protesting his cuts to multiple government programs. March 4th (AP)

TOP HOUSE DEMS SAY THEY’LL JOIN GOP TO QUASH TRUMP IMPEACHMENT EFFORT

“An authoritarian does not have to commit a codified statutory offense to be impeached. The constitutional law that authoritarian President Trump would have Congress use to impeach a federal judge for ruling against him (Article II, Section 4 of the United States Constitution) is the same law that has been used, and can be used, to impeach him again for making his threats to democracy a reality,” Green wrote in the articles of impeachment, He then vowed to “use that law again.”

Green is the second member of Congress to issue articles of impeachment against Trump in the president’s second term. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Mich., also called for Trump’s impeachment, but he later withdrew the bill after getting backlash from party leadership. Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., reportedly called the bill “idiotic,” according to Axios. However, Nadler was previously a sponsor of the measure.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony of Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., May 6, 2025. (REUTERS/Kent Nishimura/File Photo)

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In his letter, Green made it clear that he was not afraid to “stand alone” against Trump.

“I encourage all members to vote with their conscience. As for me, I stand where I have stood on impeachment, which is a question of conscience, even when the odds are against me — it is better for me to stand alone than not stand at all — it won’t be the first time,” Green wrote.

Green has never been silent about his opposition to Trump, even making multiple attempts to impeach the president during his first term. In March 2025, he was removed from Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress after he heckled the president. He was eventually censured for the protest.

With the Supreme Court hearing its first case Thursday relating to nationwide injunctions – federal district court judges issuing rulings that affect the entire country – several proponents of a plan to end the practice are speaking out. 

Senate Judiciary Committee member John Kennedy, R-La., said it appears to be a case of the “tail wag[ging] the dog,” in that it is the judiciary’s job to adjudicate the law, not create it.

“When Congress makes a law, the federal judges are supposed to follow it. When the president exercises his power under Article II, judges are supposed to follow it, so long as it’s lawful,” Kennedy said.

“They can’t just overturn it because they don’t agree with it, and that’s what a lot of these federal judges are doing.”

SEN JOHN KENNEDY: WHY SCOTUS SHOULD SEIZE OPPORTUNITY TO ELIMINATE UNIVERSAL INJUNCTIONS

Sens. Tommy Tuberville, left, John Cornyn, center, John Kennedy, right (Getty)

In a Fox News Opinion piece this week, Kennedy noted “universal injunctions” have been around since the 1960s, when judges began enjoining the government from enforcing certain policies against “anyone, anywhere” – adding they let a judge say “sayonara” to laws, regulations or even whims of a president they don’t like.

Kennedy noted that there have only been 27 such injunctions from JFK through Y2K. 

A review showed none was lodged against Presidents George H.W. Bush or Bill Clinton – but began to creep in during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations.

With nearly 100 rulings against President Donald Trump in his one-and-an-eighth terms, Kennedy said some judges seem to want to “rewrite the Constitution every other Thursday, to advance some social or economic agenda that they can’t get by the voters: But the law is the law.”

“And a universal injunction was created out of whole cloth. There’s no statutory basis for a universal injunction,” the Louisianan said, echoing the analysis in his op-ed.

Given his penchant for often colorful and probing questions of judiciary appointees, Kennedy was also asked how an unfavorable ruling from the Supreme Court could affect nominee choices and further politicize the process.

“All the nominees in front of us are going to be asked about universal injunctions, I can tell you. And if they try to dodge and bob and weave and run like a hound on the treeline, when it’s my turn to question them I’m not going to let them. I’m not asking how they would rule in a particular case, but I want to know what they think the legal basis is for a universal injunction, because there is none: I want to hear what they had to say.”

Sen. Tommy Tuberville – who joined Kennedy and others in supporting Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley’s Judicial Relief Clarification Act (JCRA) to end the practice – said such “woke” judges should consider retiring their robes.

SENATOR WARNS OF ‘UNCONSTITUTIONAL OVERREACH’ AHEAD OF SCOTUS SHOWDOWN

“President Trump campaigned on a promise to deport dangerous criminals and won in a landslide. In just four months, he has already delivered the most secure border in American history,” Tuberville told Fox News Digital.

“Unfortunately, we have radical left judges who are allowing their personal beliefs to supersede the will of 77 million Americans who voted for President Trump and his agenda,” the former Auburn football legend added.

“If a judge wants to make political decisions, they should run for office. Otherwise, they should focus on upholding the Constitution and enforcing the law.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also said he supports the JCRA, calling nationwide injunctions “a real problem.”

“[A] single federal judge can essentially stop a popularly elected president dead in his tracks by a temporary restraining order, which doesn’t just deal with the parties in front of the judge, but literally the whole nation.”

“If the Supreme Court doesn’t do it in the context of this birthright citizenship case, then Congress needs to continue to pursue this via Senator Grassley’s bill and other means.”

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While the case argued Thursday involves an injunction with regard to the interpretation of birthright citizenship in the law, Cornyn said that the court will determine the scope of that particular order, but that the idea of nationwide injunctions is being abused.

For his part, Grassley previously told Fox News Digital that such injunctions “are an unconstitutional abuse of judicial power.”

Despite a flurry of polling so far this year indicating the Democratic Party’s favorability sinking to record lows, veteran Democratic strategist and pundit James Carville remains optimistic, as he points to recent ballot box victories by his party.

“You can’t discount people winning elections,” Carville told Fox News Digital this week.

Carville spoke the day after a new survey from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research was the latest to spell trouble for the Democratic Party, six months after they suffered setbacks up and down the ballot at the hands of now-President Donald Trump and Republicans.

The Democratic Party has been in the political wilderness since last November’s elections, when Republicans won back control of the White House and the Senate and defended their fragile House majority. And Republicans made gains among Black and Hispanic voters as well as younger voters, all traditional members of the Democratic Party’s base.

ON THE RISE: NEW POLL INDICATES TRUMP’S APPROVAL RATINGS EDGING UP

Then-Vice President Kamala Harris delivers her presidential nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Aug. 22, 2024. The latest public opinion polls indicate the Democratic Party sinking to new favorability lows. (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)

According to the survey, only about one-third of Democrats are very or somewhat optimistic about the future of the Democratic Party. That’s a steep decline from last July, when around six in 10 Democrats said they were optimistic. The survey, conducted May 1-5, points to an increase in optimism among Republicans, with 55% more optimistic about the future of the GOP, up from 47% last summer.

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Since Trump’s return to power earlier this year, an increasingly energized base of Democrats is urging party leaders to take a stronger stand in pushing back against the president’s sweeping and controversial agenda during the opening months of his second administration. And their anger is directed not only at Republicans, but also at Democrats they feel aren’t vocal enough in their opposition to Trump.

And that’s fueled the plunge in the Democratic Party’s favorable ratings, which have hit historic lows in several recent surveys.

The Democrats’ ratings stood underwater in the most recent Fox News national poll at 41% favorable and 56% unfavorable in a survey conducted April 18-21.

That’s an all-time low for the Democrats in Fox News polling. And for the first time in a decade, the party’s standing was lower than that of the GOP, which stood at 44% favorable and 54% unfavorable.

The figures were reversed last summer, when Fox News last asked the party favorability question in one of its surveys.

The Democratic Party’s favorable ratings were well in negative territory in a Pew Research national survey — 38% favorable, 60% unfavorable — conducted in early April and at 36% favorable, 60% unfavorable in a Wall Street Journal poll in the field a couple of weeks earlier.

And national polls conducted in February by Quinnipiac University and in March by CNN and by NBC News also indicated the favorable ratings for the Democratic Party sinking to all-time lows.

Confidence in the Democratic Party’s congressional leadership sunk to an all-time low, according to a Gallup poll conducted early last month.

The confidence rating for Democrats’ leadership in Congress stood at 25% in the survey, which was nine points below the previous low of 34% recorded in 2023.

And the semi-annual Harvard Youth Poll, which was released late last month, indicated that approval ratings for Democrats in Congress among Americans aged 18-29 nosedived.

“I don’t doubt any of that’s true,” Carville told Fox News. “But there’s one thing: We’re winning elections left and right as we’re talking about how the Democratic number or image is low.”

John Ewing, Jr., the Democrat-aligned mayoral candidate in Omaha, Nebraska, seen here shaking hands with voters on May 8, defeated the Republican-aligned longtime mayor to become the city’s first Black mayor.  (Megan Nielsen/Omaha World-Herald via AP)

John Ewing, Jr., a Democrat, this week ousted a longtime Republican mayor in Omaha, Nebraska, a blue dot in a reliably red state. Ewing will become Omaha’s first Black mayor.

Last month, the Democrat-aligned candidate comfortably defeated the Republican-aligned candidate in a Wisconsin state Supreme Court election. The high-profile and expensive campaign grabbed plenty of national attention and outside money.

Democrats have also performed very well so far this year in special elections, including flipping red state Senate seats in Iowa and Pennsylvania.

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In addition to looking back, Carville also pointed ahead to November’s gubernatorial election in Virginia, where Democrats hope to win back the governor’s office in Richmond.

“Let’s see what’s going to happen in Virginia,” said Carville, who first grabbed national attention for his work as a lead strategist on former President Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign.

And Carville predicted that “we’re going to win that.”

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett sparred with U.S. Solicitor General John Sauer Thursday, pressing him on whether the Trump administration would follow federal court precedent. The exchange quickly became one of the day’s most talked-about moments and could reignite criticism of Barrett from Trump allies.

The back-and-forth took place Thursday during oral arguments in a case related to President Donald Trump’s effort to end birthright citizenship with a specific focus on whether lower courts should be able to block executive actions from taking effect nationwide. 

Justice Barrett, a Trump appointee, grilled Sauer about the administration’s stance toward lower court rulings, which followed similar lines of inquiry from her colleagues on the bench. 

“I want to ask you about a potential tension,” she began, before stopping to correct herself. “Well, no, not a potential tension, an actual tension that I see in answers that you gave to Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Kagan.”

JUSTICE KAGAN SNAPS AT TRUMP LAWYER IN MAJOR CASE: ‘EVERY COURT HAS RULED AGAINST YOU’

President Donald Trump, alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, left, and Secretary of Commerce nominee Howard Lutnick, right, speaks to reporters as he signs an executive order to create a U.S. sovereign wealth fund in the Oval Office of the White House Feb. 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

Barrett then asked Sauer if the Trump administration “wanted to reserve its right to maybe not follow a Second Circuit precedent, say, in New York, because you might disagree with its opinion?” 

“You resisted Justice Kagan when she asked you whether the government would obey” such a precedent, she said.

Sauer responded, “Our general practice is to respect those precedents. But there are circumstances when it is not a categorical practice, and that is not …”

Barrett interrupted, asking if that is the Trump administration’s practice or “the long-standing practice of the federal government?” 

Sauer replied that it is “the long-standing policy of the Department of Justice.”

“Really?” she asked. 

SUPREME COURT TAKES ON BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP: JUSTICES SEEMINGLY SPLIT ON LOWER COURT POWERS

“Yes, as it was phrased to me, we generally respect circuit precedent, but not necessarily in every case,” Sauer said. “Some examples might be a situation where we are litigating to get that circuit precedent overruled and so on,” he added later. 

“That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about this week,” Barrett stressed, pointing to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling that Trump’s birthright citizenship order is unconstitutional. 

“And what do you do the next day, or the next week?” she asked.

“Generally, we follow this,” Sauer said, which provoked a somewhat incredulous response from the justice.

“So, you’re still saying generally?” she asked him. “And you still think that it’s generally the long-standing policy of the federal government to take that approach?” 

Protesters demonstrating against President Donald Trump’s during the early months of his second presidential term, and President Donald Trump signing an executive order at the White House. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Thursday, May 15, on a case involving Trump’s birthright citizenship executive orders. (Getty Images)

The remarks sparked divided political reactions on social media, with Democratic strategist Max Burns noting, “Trump Solicitor General D. John Sauer tells Justice Amy Coney Barrett that Trump ‘generally’ tries to respect federal court decisions but he has the ‘right’ to disregard legal opinions he personally disagrees with. Coney Barrett seems to be in disbelief.”

“John Sauer just said the quiet part out loud: unless the Supreme Court tells them directly, Trump’s team might ignore lower court rulings,” said Seth Taylor, a 2024 DNC delegate. “That’s not governance – that’s constitutional brinksmanship.”

“Amy Coney Barrett (ACB) is proving once again she may the the worst SCOTUS pick ever by a Republican,” conservative commentator and podcast host Cash Loren said on social media. 

“She has a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court. … Yet you can hear her disdain for the Trump administration.”

100 DAYS OF INJUNCTIONS, TRIALS AND ‘TEFLON DON’: TRUMP SECOND TERM MEETS ITS BIGGEST TESTS IN COURT

Demonstrators hold up signs during a protest against President Donald Trump at the Washington Monument in Washington April 5, 2025.  (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Earlier this year, Barrett sided with three of the Supreme Court’s liberal justices and Chief Justice John Roberts in rejecting, 5-4, the Trump administration’s request to block billions in USAID money for previously completed projects. 

The decision sparked fierce criticism from Trump supporters, who have attempted to label Justice Barrett an “activist” justice and someone who has been insufficiently loyal to the president who tapped her for the high court. 

Others have pointed out her track record as a reliably conservative voter and the fact the court has lifetime appointments to allow justices to ostensibly act without undue political interference. 

Trump later said he had no knowledge of the attacks against her, telling reporters, “She’s a very good woman.” 

“She’s very smart, and I don’t know about people attacking her. I really don’t know.” Trump added. 

The court ruling could come in a matter of days or weeks. But it will likely hinge closely on the votes of two Trump appointees, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Barrett, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley told Fox News Friday. 

Overall, he said of the hearing, “it got pretty sporty in there.”

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“There were some lively moments, at least lively for the Supreme Court,” he said, before noting the justices to watch are Gorsuch and Barrett.

“Justice Barrett is probably the greatest concern right now for the Trump administration,” Turley said. 

Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., recently claimed that widely-criticized negotiations with Qatar over a $400 million Air Force One temporary replacement gift began under the Biden administration – not after President Donald Trump took office.

“What no one is talking about is [that] this same 747 has been in negotiations for a year,” Mullin said on CNN Wednesday.

“The Biden administration is the one that started these conversations. It didn’t start underneath the Trump administration – why? Because we need a back-up for Air Force One.”

Mullin said there is no current backup plane for Air Force One, which is about 40 years old. A recent backup was retired from service due to “structural issues,” the senator said.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR ‘IMMEDIATE’ ETHICS PROBE OF QATARI PLANE GIFT TO TRUMP

“The fact is, this conversation started with Qatar with Biden a year ago,” he said.

Mullin had been privy to a recent conversation with the Qataris when the information about the Biden administration’s reported role was gleaned, according to a spokesperson.

Mullin said he would give the media “a pass” for not knowing about the reported Biden-era negotiations with the Doha government.

Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani dismissed the controversy in an interview with Fox News’ “Special Report,” noting that his country had originally purchased the plane from “an American company”—Boeing.

“I don’t see a point out of this [debate],” al-Thani said, adding it is a “really unfair accusation that Qatar is trying to buy influence.”

For his part, Trump has pushed back on claims of corrupt intent in potentially accepting the gift from Doha on behalf of the U.S.

He rejected allegations from Democrats like Rep. Ritchie Torres of New York, who complained to the Government Accountability office that the deal is a “flying grift” and violates the Constitution’s Emoluments Clause prohibiting public officers from accepting presents or titles from royalty or foreign governments.

TRUMP TEASES ‘VERY, VERY BIG ANNOUNCEMENT’ AHEAD OF MIDDLE EAST TRIP, CARNEY SAYS HE’S ‘ON EDGE OF MY SEAT’

“The Boeing 747 is being given to the United States Air Force/Department of Defense, NOT TO ME!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 

“It is a gift from a nation, Qatar, that we have successfully defended for many years. It will be used by our government as a temporary Air Force One, until such time as our new Boeings, which are very late on delivery, arrive.”

Trump also said it would be foolish not to acknowledge the U.S.’ cost savings in the interim.

Trump said the plane would be given to the Pentagon, not himself – while Mullin and other defenders argued there was no such kerfuffle when the U.S. accepted the Statue of Liberty as a gift from the French government in the 1870s.

In the Mullin interview, CNN host Jake Tapper said Congress had authorized that particular gift.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin also gave the U.S. a large teardrop-shaped sculpture memorializing the murdered Americans. 

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President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with former President Joe Biden at Trump’s inauguration. (Getty)

It currently sits at the Cape Liberty cruise port in New Jersey – in sight of Ground Zero – but Putin’s name was scrubbed from it by Bayonne officials after he invaded Ukraine.

Fox News Digital reached out to a representative for Biden for comment.

Former President Joe Biden joked that he was a “young man” during an October 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur over his mishandling of classified documents, newly released audio shows.

Axios released audio on Friday from Biden’s interviews with Hur in which the then-president appeared to struggle to remember when his son Beau died, when he left office as vice president, what year President Donald Trump was elected to his first term or why he had classified documents that should not have been in his possession.

In addition to Biden’s memory lapses, the recordings showed him slurring his words and muttering when speaking to Hur.

BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW

Transcripts of the interviews — conducted on Oct. 8 and 9, 2023 — were released on March 12, 2024.

On the first day of the interview, Hur stressed the importance of answering truthfully and urged Biden to make his best effort to recall the events in question, which the prosecutor acknowledged happened years ago.

“I’m a young man, so it’s not a problem,” Biden, now 82, jokingly responded.

“Okay, great. Glad to hear it,” Hur replied. 

BIDEN REPEATEDLY SAYS ‘I DON’T REMEMBER’ REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN NEWLY RELEASED HUR INTERVIEW AUDIO

Former President Joe Biden addresses the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House on November 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Hur, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, said in his report, released on Feb. 5, 2024, that he declined to bring charges against the president, in part, because a jury would find him a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” The report acknowledged that the documents were “willfully” obtained by Biden during his time as vice president and as a senator.

“I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president, and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation,” Biden said when questioned by Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy days after Hur released his report. 

The special counsel’s report, in addition to Biden’s gaffe-prone public appearances, amplified pressure from Republicans who said he lacked the mental fitness needed to serve as president.

President Joe Biden speaks during the Greek Independence Day in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on April 4, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Democrats and Biden’s White House initially criticized Hur for his report, insisting the then-president was “sharp” and that the special counsel was politically motivated.

Later in 2024, during Biden’s re-election campaign, Democrats urged him to drop out of the race over his performance in the June presidential debate against Trump, citing his age and mental acuity. Biden formally dropped out of the presidential race in July and finished his term. His vice president, Kamala Harris, was defeated by Trump in November’s general election.

FIRST ON FOX: House GOP allies of President Donald Trump are moving to use the power of Congress to punish former FBI Director James Comey for his now-deleted “86 47” Instagram post.

Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, chairman of the 189-member-strong Republican Study Committee (RSC), is introducing a resolution alongside Rep. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., to condemn Comey for “incitement of violence against President Donald J. Trump.”

Pfluger and Lee’s three-page resolution calls the post “disturbing” and “urges the relevant authorities to take every relevant action to ensure that Mr. Comey is never again permitted to serve as an employee of the federal government.”

ANTI-ABORTION PROVIDER MEASURE IN TRUMP’S ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ COULD SPARK HOUSE GOP REBELLION

James Comey’s controversial Instagram post has been hammered by Republicans ((Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images))

It also asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to not only investigate the matter, but also make the findings of its investigation known to both the relevant House committee and the American public.

Comey posted a photo of seashells forming the numbers “86 47” on the beach on Thursday.

It ignited a social media firestorm, with Trump allies and other Republicans immediately accusing the former FBI director of calling for Trump to be killed.

Comey later deleted the post and followed it with a statement that he opposed all violence.

“I posted earlier a picture of some shells I saw today on a beach walk, which I assumed were a political message. I didn’t realize some folks associate those numbers with violence,” Comey said. “It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told the Associated Press that Comey is now under investigation by the Trump administration.

U.S. President Donald Trump fired Comey as FBI director during his first term. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Pfluger and Lee’s resolution noted that Comey had made the post while Trump was on a diplomatic visit to the Middle East, which they argue ran the risk of “jeopardizing the President’s security and invigorating our nation’s enemies abroad.”

They also pointed out that there had been two known attempts on Trump’s life last year during the 2024 election – including the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally, where the president was shot in the ear.

Lee, notably, was on the House task force investigating the Butler rally shooting.

“Having failed in his attempts to take down President Trump as one of the main architects of the Russia collusion hoax, Comey has now resorted to the unthinkable: calling for violence against our Commander-in-Chief,” the RSC chairman told Fox News Digital.

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

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“That someone who once held one of our nation’s most sacred positions of law enforcement would incite such dangerous rhetoric is not just alarming—it’s disqualifying and un-American. This resolution demands the accountability and transparency the American people deserve, ensuring Comey never again holds a position of public trust.”

Lee told Fox News Digital in a statement, “As a former federal prosecutor and judge, I take this seriously. When a former high-ranking law enforcement official invokes language associated with elimination—”86″—in a public post referencing President Trump, it raises legitimate concerns under federal statutes that prohibit threats against presidents and incitement to violence.

Fox News Digital made multiple attempts to reach Comey and his representatives but did not hear back by press time.

Leaked audio from a 2023 interview between then-President Joe Biden and Special Counsel Robert Hur surfaced on Friday, revealing significant memory lapses and cognitive challenges. 

The audio recordings, obtained by Axios, depict Biden struggling to recall key dates, including the year his son Beau died and the year Donald Trump was elected president. 

The audio leaks have intensified criticisms over Biden’s mental fitness and prompted reactions from conservative commentators and political figures on social media site X.

BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW

Audio leaks from the Biden-Hur interviews have intensified criticisms over Biden’s mental fitness. Biden had issues remembering his son’s death while struggling to answer other questions. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk called for further scrutiny toward Democrats, writing X, “Nobody can listen to it without concluding that every Democrat working with Biden HAS to have known he was completely feeble as a commander in chief.”

Fox News contributor Guy Benson called the audio “Painful.” 

“I couldn’t keep listening. The smears of Hur and the defenses of Biden look even worse,” Benson said. 

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones III called for accountability, writing on X, “We need a Biden commission. The entire cabinet and White House staff must be sworn under oath.”

Former NYPD inspector Paul Mauro commented on the administration’s reluctance to release the audio, saying, “This is painful…No wonder Biden’s DOJ wouldn’t release it.”

HUR TRANSCRIPT CONFIRMS BIDEN MEMORY LAPSES, CONTRADICTS PRESIDENT’S CLAIM ABOUT EXCHANGE OVER SON’S DEATH

Robert Hur investigated U.S. President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and published a final report with contentious conclusions about Biden’s memory. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Fox News contributor and radio host Hugh Hewitt highlighted the national security implications, stating, “Do not blame the president for aging quickly and poorly. But everyone involved in the cover-up put the country at risk because what we knew, all of our country’s enemies knew. They probably knew much of what we, the citizens, didn’t. The 25th failed.”

Jake Schneider with the White House Rapid Response team emphasized prior warnings about Biden’s fitness, writing on X, “We tried to tell you. We literally spent years trying to tell you. Please stop acting shocked that Biden was senile, incompetent, and unfit for office.”

Conservatives react to leaked Biden-Hur audio on social media. With some reactions saying “This is painful” or that “this is the biggest scandal in the US” ( Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Ambassador and Chief of Protocol to the U.S. Monica Crowley labeled the situation the “BIGGEST SCANDAL IN U.S. HISTORY.”

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Brit Hume, Chief Political Analyst for the Fox News Channel reminded everyone, saying “As you read this thread, recall all the crap Biden partisans said about Robert Hur at the time.”

Former President Joe Biden early last year dismissed Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report that sparked additional concern about his mental acuity, just months after he was interviewed about his mishandling of classified documents.

Axios on Friday released audio from Biden’s October 2023 interviews with Hur. In the recordings, Biden seemed to struggle to remember when his son Beau died, when he left office as vice president, what year President Donald Trump was elected to his first term, or why he had classified documents that should not have been in his possession.

The recordings not only showed Biden’s memory lapses, but also slurring his words and muttering when speaking to Hur. Transcripts of the interviews — conducted on Oct. 8 and 9 of 2023 — were released on March 12, 2024.

In February 2024, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy was the first to question Biden about Hur’s report on his mental fitness.

BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW

Then-President Joe Biden addresses the Classroom to Career Summit in the East Room of the White House on November 13, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Something the special counsel said in his report is that one of the reasons you were not charged is because, in his description, you are a ‘well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,'” Doocy said to Biden at a press conference on Feb. 8, 2024.

Biden responded: “I’m well-meaning and I’m an elderly man and I know what the hell I’m doing. I’ve been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don’t need his recommendation—”

Doocy then asked Biden how bad his memory was and if he could continue as president.

BIDEN REPEATEDLY SAYS ‘I DON’T REMEMBER’ REGARDING CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS IN NEWLY RELEASED HUR INTERVIEW AUDIO

Then-President Joe Biden speaks to the National Action Network Convention remotely from the South Court Auditorium of the White House on April 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

“My memory is so bad I let you speak,” Biden told him.

Hur, who was appointed by then-Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate Biden’s handling of classified documents, said he declined to bring charges against him, in part, because a jury would find him to be a “sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,” despite the acknowledgment that the documents were “willfully” obtained by Biden during his time as vice president and as a senator.

The special counsel’s report, in addition to gaffes seen during Biden’s public appearances, amplified pressure from Republicans who said he lacked the mental fitness needed to serve as president.

Then-President Joe Biden speaks during the United Auto Workers union conference at the Marriott Marquis on January 24, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

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Democrats and Biden’s White House initially criticized Hur for his report, repeatedly insisting he was “sharp” and that the special counsel was politically motivated.

Later in 2024, amid Biden’s re-election campaign, Democrats called on him to drop his candidacy over his performance in the June presidential debate against Trump, citing his age and mental acuity. Biden, now 82, ended his presidential campaign in July but finished his term, and his vice president, Kamala Harris, was defeated by Trump in November’s general election.

Leaked audio shared by Axios from President Joe Biden’s 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur has re-ignited serious questions about his mental sharpness, especially as he struggled to remember when his own son died and when Donald Trump was elected president.

In one moment, Biden tries to recall the death of his son, Beau: “My son. Is either been deployed or is dying. And so… What was happening though?”

“What’s much about dying? May 30, 2015, he died,” said Biden. “May 2015. I think it’s 2015. I’m not sure the months are, but I think that was it.”

BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW

Prominent liberals defended Biden’s “strong mental acuity” after Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report called out the leader’s “poor memory.” (Nicole Neri/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Beau Biden passed away from brain cancer on May 30, 2015, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He was 46.

In the audio, Biden also mixes up the year of Trump’s 2016 victory: “Trump gets elected in November of 2017. 2016. 2016. So… That’s when we left office, January of 2017. But that’s when Trump gets sworn in manually.”

The fumbling recollections are part of a six-hour interview that Hur used to support his conclusion that Biden’s memory was “significantly limited.”

The White House kept the audio under wraps at the time as critical moments in Biden’s own life and in recent American history appeared to be completely out of reach for the former president.

AXIOS REPORTER PUSHES BACK ON BIDEN’S DENIAL OF MENTAL DECLINE, SAYING WHITE HOUSE INSIDERS DISAGREE

WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 12: Former special counsel Robert K. Hur testifies before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, 2024 in Washington, DC. Hur investigated U.S. President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and published a final report with contentious conclusions about Biden’s memory. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The conversation, part of a two-day interview in October 2023, led Hur to describe Biden as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”

On Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle Friday night, host Laura Ingraham put it bluntly: “This is the biggest scandal that I remember in recent political history: that this man was allowed to continue as the commander in chief of the world’s greatest superpower.”

President Joe Biden speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Panelist Francey Hakes added, “I’m not sure Joe Biden was capable of ordering dinner for himself, much less ordering airstrikes or anything else the commander in chief might have to do.”

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As Ingraham said later in the segment, “We still don’t really know who was making the tough calls. It obviously wasn’t the man we heard on that tape.”

Former President Joe Biden, in newly leaked audio of his interview with special counsel Robert Hur, admitted he likely kept a classified document related to Afghanistan after he left the vice presidency for “posterity’s sake.” 

Biden first said he didn’t recall why he had the document when asked about it by Hur, who told him it was found in the library of his lake house. 

“I don’t know that I knew,” that he had the document, Biden answered, “but it wasn’t something I would have stopped to think about.” 

Hur noted that Bob Woodward and Jules Witcover both wrote about the document in their books about him, asking if he wanted to hang onto it because it might be the subject of reporting or “history.”

BIDEN STRUGGLES WITH WORDS, KEY MEMORIES IN LEAKED AUDIO FROM SPECIAL COUNSEL HUR INTERVIEW

“I guess I wanted to hang on to it for posterity’s sake. I mean, this was my position on Afghanistan. I’ve been of the view from a historical standpoint that there are certain points in history, world history, where fundamental things change using technology,” he said. 

“So, there are a lot of things that I think are fundamentally changing how international societies function, and they relate a lot to technology.” 

After the 80-year-old continued on that subject for a while, Hur interrupted him to get back to the topic of the document. 

“No, I’m sorry, that’s why I wanted it,” Biden answered. “It had nothing to with Afghanistan.” 

One of the former president’s lawyers then interrupted Hur to say, “For the purposes of a clean record,” he wanted to avoid “getting into speculative areas,” mentioning that Biden at first answered the question about the document by saying he didn’t recall why he had it. 

At that point, Hur answered, “I think we should take a break.” 

Former President Joe Biden  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In other sections of the audio, Biden seems confused, asking what year his son, Beau Biden, died, and what year he left the vice presidency.

HOUSE JUDICIARY SUES GARLAND FOR BIDEN AUDIO THAT HUR SAYS SHOWS HIM AS ‘ELDERLY MAN WITH A POOR MEMORY’

The audio, related to an investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents while vice president, came out after more than a year of congressional lawmakers demanding its release amid questions about the former president’s memory lapses and mental acuity. 

The House Judiciary Committee sued Attorney General Merrick Garland in July for the audio recordings, stressing the importance of the “verbal and nonverbal context” of Biden’s answers that could be provided by the audio recordings, especially considering Hur opted against charging Biden after the interview, partly because Biden was viewed as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Hur opted against charging Biden after the interview, in part, because Biden was viewed as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” (Getty Images)

The committee argued at the time that the audio recordings, not merely the transcripts of them, are “the best available evidence of how President Biden presented himself during the interview.” 

That lawsuit was filed before Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race in July after he struggled in a June debate with Trump. 

Biden had exerted executive privilege over the audio recordings while president. 

Hur, who released his report to the public in February 2024 after months of investigation, did not recommend criminal charges against Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents, and he said he would not bring charges against Biden even if he were not in the Oval Office. 

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Those records included classified documents about military and foreign policy in Afghanistan and other countries, among other records related to national security and foreign policy that Hur said implicated “sensitive intelligence sources and methods.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to Biden for comment. 

What’s dicier these days?

Flying into Newark Liberty Airport? Or finding yourself near the front gate of an ICE detention center in Newark?

To the mind of famous bandleader Raymond Scott – you’re in for “Bumpy Weather Over Newark” either way. That’s one of Scott’s most famous compositions. It ranks right up there with “Powerhouse” and the scores to 120 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons.

A trio of House Democrats scuffled with federal law enforcement officers last week at Delaney Hall in Newark. It’s possible they could face discipline from the House for the fracas. Or worse.

REPUBLICANS STRUGGLE WITH TRUMP’S MIXED SIGNALS ON ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’

Fox is told that arrests could be in the offing for Reps. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J. (Getty Images)

Fox is told that arrests could be in the offing for Reps. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., Robert Menendez Jr., D-N.J., and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.

“What happened on May 9th was not oversight. It was a political stunt that put the safety of our law enforcement officers, our agents, our staff, and our detainees at risk,” said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to a House hearing Wednesday. “The behavior was lawlessness. And it was beneath this body.”

Noem should know something about that. She served in the House for eight years. On her way into the hearing, Noem said that an investigation is underway.

“I think that arrests are still on the table for this,” said Homeland Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin on Fox. “If it was a typical U.S. citizen and they tried to storm into a detention facility that’s housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested. Just because you are a Member of Congress or just because you’re a public official does not mean you are above the law.”

Democrats argue they did nothing wrong. They had a right, under the law, to request an inspection of the facility. That comports with their oversight responsibilities. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., assessed videotape of Democrats tangling with federal agents. He determined that wasn’t oversight.

“It looked like a battery to me,” said Johnson.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., saw it differently.

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) speaks during his press conference at the U.S. Capitol on April 28, 2025, in Washington, DC.  (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

“There is zero basis to hold any Member of Congress accountable,” said Jeffries. “No videos have been produced suggesting that they’ve engaged in any inappropriate activity. And if those videos existed, certainly they would have been put into the public domain by now. Those videos haven’t been released because they don’t exist.”

Chatter about possible arrests or sanctions for the Democrats rattled around Capitol Hill all week. McIver and her aides bowled past a wall of reporters en route to the Noem hearing Wednesday.

“Are you worried about being arrested potentially?” asked yours truly.

McIver’s aides pushed arms and hands holding microphones out of the way.

“Excuse me! Excuse me!” ordered McIver, never breaking stride.

“The Speaker has talked about censure, Ms. McIver. Do you have any response to that?” I asked.

The Congresswoman disappeared behind a doorway to the House Homeland Security Committee, never responding.

TRUMP PUSHES TAX HIKES FOR WEALTHY AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE LOOMS

Colleague Dan Scully tried valiantly to get McIver to comment on Thursday. But no dice.

“(Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey) Alina Habba said she was going to announce an investigation. Was there any sort of deal made between you and what happened over there? Do you care to comment on that at all?” asked Scully.

Silence from McIver.

“Has anyone from DOJ reached out to you?” asked another reporter.

Crickets.

“Congresswoman, do you regret shoving officers? Did you think you would get away with that?” asked another scribe.

Nada.

“Do you have any comment at all?” queried Scully.

It’s doubtful that even the resourcefulness of TV’s MacGyver could have pried loose any response from McIver.

Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., introduced a resolution to strip McIver, Menendez and Watson Coleman of their committee assignments.

“Keep your hands off of Members of Congress,” warned Jeffries.

Yours truly followed up with Jeffries at his press conference Tuesday.

“What happens if they were to go and arrest these Members, or if they would try to sanction them in the House first?” I asked.

“They’ll find out,” replied Jeffries.

“What would you do?” I followed up.

“They’ll find out,” repeated Jeffries.

“What resource?” I countered.

“They’ll find out,” he said again.

“Doesn’t that broach…?”

“They’ll find out.”

“Does that go against…?”

“That’s a red line,” said Jeffries.

“What’s the red line?” I asked.

TWO PLANES DO ‘GO-AROUNDS’ TO AVOID MILITARY HELICOPTER NEAR REAGAN WASHINGTON NATIONAL AIRPORT

“It’s a red line. It’s very clear. First of all, I think that the so-called Homeland Security spokesperson is a joke. It’s a joke. They know better than to go down that road. And it’s been made loudly and abundantly clear to the Trump Administration. We’re not going to be intimidated by their tactics,” said Jeffries. “There are clear lines that they just dare not cross.”

An arrest of these lawmakers would spark a firestorm on Capitol Hill. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution generally shields lawmakers from charges – so long they as they are conducting official Congressional business. A lawmaker isn’t off the hook if they shoot someone. But the Founders were mindful of how politically-motivated arrests could undercut the work of Congress. So, they crafted what’s known as the “Speech or Debate” clause to inoculate lawmakers when conducting business.

“They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place,” reads the provision.

“I don’t think that’s Speech and Debate clause,” said Johnson about the rhubarb in Newark. “We have to set a standard here. You cannot have Members of Congress pushing law enforcement officials around and that’s exactly what everybody saw on the videotape.”

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wondered how a prosecution might short-circuit Congressional prerogatives and privileges.

“I think it’s a sign of weakness to instill fear,” said Pelosi. “It does definitely step on the Speech or Debate Clause.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wondered how a prosecution might short-circuit Congressional prerogatives and privileges. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

One Democrat involved in the Newark skirmish said prosecution wouldn’t surprise her.

“The rule of law means nothing to them,” said Watson Coleman. “I think the majority of this country will see that this is not American. This is not upholding the Constitution.”

House Republicans would like to censure the triumvirate of New Jersey Democrats who were at Delaney Hall. Censure is one of the official modes of discipline in the House, just short of expulsion. That requires a vote on the House floor. The House voted to censure Rep. Al Green, D-Tex., after he hectored President Trump during his speech to a Joint Session of Congress in March.

Like all things, it’s about the math. And Fox is told the House likely lacks the votes to discipline the Members or oust them from committees.

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As for criminal charges? Those remain to be seen. But actually arresting a Member of Congress would undoubtedly trigger some “Bumpy Weather Over Newark.”

And a political firestorm in Washington, DC.

The Supreme Court on Friday decided in favor of an appeal by a group of Venezuelan migrants who asked the high court to halt their deportation under the Alien Enemies Act (AEA). 

The decision, similar to others it has made in the past on the matter, revolved around the alleged illegal immigrants not having enough time to reasonably file a challenge to their deportations. Two justices, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, dissented.

President Donald Trump has been using the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to try and speed up the deportation processes of illegal immigrants, but the Supreme Court’s Friday ruling presents another blow to those attempts after the court ruled against the Trump administration in their effort to remove men already in immigration custody in a northern region of Texas.

SUPREME COURT BLOCKS NEW DEPORTATIONS OF VENEZUELANS IN TEXAS UNDER 18TH CENTURY ALIEN ENEMIES ACT

Suspected gang members arrive in El Salvador by plane, including 238 members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 23 members of the MS-13 gang. (El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

“Under these circumstances, notice roughly 24 hours before removal, devoid of information about how to exercise due process rights to contest that removal, surely does not pass muster. But it is not optimal for this Court, far removed from the circumstances on the ground, to determine in the first instance the precise process necessary to satisfy the Constitution in this case. We remand the case to the Fifth Circuit for that purpose,” the ruling from the court reads. 

The court did not rule on Friday on whether the AEA was lawful, but rather sent the matter back to the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

“To be clear, we decide today only that the detainees are entitled to more notice than was given on April 18,” the Supreme Court’s ruling said.

Last month, the Supreme Court lifted a lower court’s order barring the government from deporting migrants under the AEA. However, that decision also made clear that anyone the government wants to deport must be given proper notice. A few weeks after that decision, the Court halted deportations of illegal immigrants in Texas that the Trump administration was trying to proceed with under the AEA.

ALITO BLASTS ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ SCOTUS MOVE TO HALT TRUMP’S VENEZUELA DEPORTATIONS: ‘LEGALLY QUESTIONABLE’

Decisions on six emergency appeals dealing with challenges to President Donald Trump’s executive actions are forthcoming, including several tied to the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal immigrants. (AP)

The Supreme Court’s Friday decision to once again halt deportations by the Trump administration comes a day after the High Court’s justices heard oral arguments in a case on birthright citizenship, which is also tied to whether federal judges can use their power to block the president’s executive actions nationwide. Several lower court federal judges have sought to stop the Trump administration from rapidly deporting illegal immigrants under the AEA.

Including the birthright citizenship case, there are five other pending emergency appeals dealing with challenges to Trump executive actions.

Those include cases related to temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelan migrants, immigrant parole programs, independent agency member firings, DOGE access to Social Security Administration data and federal workforce-reduction efforts — the last of which was filed on Friday afternoon.

A number of Trump administration initiatives are before the Supreme Court on emergency appeals. (Fox News)

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“THE SUPREME COURT WON’T ALLOW US TO GET CRIMINALS OUT OF OUR COUNTRY!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform after news of the ruling.

The president followed up with a subsequent post on the platform, as well.

“The Supreme Court has just ruled that the worst murderers, drug dealers, gang members, and even those who are mentally insane, who came into our Country illegally, are not allowed to be forced out without going through a long, protracted, and expensive Legal Process, one that will take, possibly, many years for each person, and one that will allow these people to commit many crimes before they even see the inside of a Courthouse,” he wrote. 

“The result of this decision will let more CRIMINALS pour into our Country, doing great harm to our cherished American public. It will also encourage other criminals to illegally enter our Country, wreaking havoc and bedlam wherever they go. The Supreme Court of the United States is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do. Sleepy Joe Biden allowed MILLIONS of Criminal Aliens to come into our Country without any ‘PROCESS’ but, in order to get them out of our Country, we have to go through a long and extended PROCESS. In any event, thank you to Justice Alito and Justice Thomas for attempting to protect our Country. This is a bad and dangerous day for America!”

Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content.

Here’s what’s happening…

-Trump wraps momentous Middle East trip with economic deals, Syria sanctions relief and warning to Iran

-Handful of Republicans sink Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ in key House committee

-Trump appointee Barrett challenges admin on nationwide injunctions, surprises and delights liberals

Trump Hits Back at ‘Obnoxious Jerk’ Bruce Springsteen

President Donald Trump slammed Bruce Springsteen as being “highly overrated” on Friday after the rocker called his administration “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous.”

“I see that Highly Overrated Bruce Springsteen goes to a Foreign Country to speak badly about the President of the United States. Never liked him, never liked his music, or his Radical Left Politics and, importantly, he’s not a talented guy — Just a pushy, obnoxious JERK, who fervently supported Crooked Joe Biden, a mentally incompetent FOOL, and our WORST EVER President, who came close to destroying our Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Springsteen tore into Trump on Wednesday during the first of a series of concerts in Manchester, England…READ MORE

Bruce Springsteen performs during the first night of his ‘The Land of Hopes and Dreams’ tour at Co-op Live on May 14 in Manchester, England. (Shirlaine Forrest/Getty Images)

White House

DEMOCRATS GRILLED: Democratic presidential hopefuls grapple with Biden’s legacy as 2028 race begins

‘IT’S TIME’: Trump wants to meet Putin ‘as soon as we can set it up’ to discuss Ukraine war

‘QAT’ A DEAL: Trump secures deals with 3 Middle Eastern nations in first major trip of second term

U.S. President Donald J. Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court on May 13, 2025, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Getty Images)

World Stage

AFGHANS ALIENATED: Afghans for Trump group feels abandoned after administration revokes refugee protections

WORLD COURT SCANDAL: ICC prosecutor behind Netanyahu arrest warrants steps aside amid sexual misconduct probe

LIFE OR DEATH: Zelenskyy speaks with Trump, allies after Russia peace talks broker no ceasefire

‘POLITICALLY MOTIVATED’: Israel turns tables on UN official claiming ‘genocide’ in Gaza with basic questions

Israeli UN Ambassador Danny Danon issues a scathing letter in response to U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher ‘s remarks before the Security Council. (Getty Images)

Capitol Hill

‘SERIOUS QUESTIONS’: House GOP targets another Dem official accused of blocking ICE amid Delaney Hall fallout

‘TAIL WAGGING THE DOG’: Nationwide injunction opponents lament judges ‘rewriting the Constitution every other Thursday’

Across America

CHARGES DISMISSED: Federal magistrate judge dismisses trespassing charges against 98 arrested in new military zone

U.S. soldiers take measures at the Mexican border after the Department of Defense signed a new order declaring 110,000 acres of land on the Mexican border as a National Defense Area at the request of US President Donald Trump in New Mexico, United States on May 08, 2025. (Can Hasasu/Anadolu via Getty Images)

‘KING OF KINGS’: Kennedy Center expands family-focused religious programming, starts with free kick-off event

Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.

Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to meet face to face with U.S. Secret Service officials in Washington, D.C. for an interview about his “86 47” post, two sources briefed on the meeting told Fox News.

Comey is under investigation for an Instagram post showing seashells arranged on a beach to read “86 47.”

“Cool shell formation on my beach walk,” he wrote in the since-deleted post. Some have interpreted the post to mean “86” – get rid of –  “47” – Donald Trump, the 47th president.  

Former FBI Director James Comey is expected to meet face to face with U.S. Secret Service officials in Washington, D.C. for an interview about his “86 47” post, two sources briefed on the meeting told Fox News. (Mark Reinstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

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The U.S. Secret Service is leading the investigation at this point, but the FBI and Department of Justice could take a larger role if necessary, Fox News is told.