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White House Addresses Trump Health After Viral Photos Spark Speculation

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White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed concerns over President Donald Trump’s health during a briefing on Thursday after photographs of his hand appearing bruised and his ankles appearing swollen went viral.

“I know that many in the media have been speculating about bruising on the president’s hand, and also swelling in the president’s legs. So in the effort of transparency, the president wanted me to share a note from his physician with all of you today,” began Leavitt before reading from the note:

In recent weeks, President Trump noted mild swelling in his lower legs. In keeping with routine medical care and out of an abundance of caution, this concern was thoroughly evaluated by the White House Medical Unit. The president underwent a comprehensive examination, including diagnostic vascular studies. Bilateral lower extremity venous Doppler ultrasounds were performed and revealed chronic venous insufficiency, a benign and common condition, particularly in individuals over the age of 70.

Importantly, there was no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease. Laboratory testing included a complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, coagulation profile, D-dimer, B-type, natriotic, peptide, and cardiac biomarkers. All results were within normal limits. An echocardiogram was also performed, and confirmed normal cardiac structure and function. No signs of heart failure, renal impairment, or systemic illness were identified.

Additionally, recent photos of the president have shown minor bruising on the back of his hand. This is consistent with minor soft tissue irritation from frequent handshaking, and the use of aspirin, which is taken as part of a standard cardiovascular prevention regimen. This is a well-known and benign side effect of aspirin therapy, and the president remains in excellent health.

“Which I think all of you witness on a daily basis here,” added Leavitt. “So the president wanted me to share that note with all of you. I’m happy to take further questions on it. We will provide the memorandum from the president’s physician to all of you, as we always do.

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Pam Bondi Fires Jeffrey Epstein Prosecutor

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On Wednesday, Attorney General Pam Bondi fired Maurene Comey, a prosecutor with the Southern District of New York who had prosecuted deceased financier and child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.

Comey, a senior trial counsel, is the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired in 2017.

“The reason for her firing was not immediately clear. She did not immediately respond to phone calls and an email seeking comment,” Politico said. “Comey, who had worked in the U.S. attorney’s office for nearly a decade, prosecuted both Jeffrey Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.”

Maurene Comey worked at the SDNY for almost a decade.

Maurene Comey’s termination at the DOJ comes amid an investigation into her father, who posted an image of seashells on a beach arranged to say  “86 47.” Though “86” is restaurant industry lingo for refusing service to a patron or kicking them out of an establishment, many conservatives insisted Comey was calling for the president’s death. Last week, The New York Times reported that the Secret Service had tracked the former FBI director after the incident.

The Justice Department last week released a memo concluding there was no evidence suggesting the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender kept a “client list” to blackmail high-profile individuals. The memo also found no evidence to suggest foul play in Epstein’s death, which had previously been ruled a suicide.

The memo spurred fierce backlash from many Trump supporters, who had long called on the government to release material on Epstein that they argue would expose wrongdoing at the highest level of elite circles.

Trump has brushed aside calls to reveal more information about the Epstein case and has shown increasing frustration when asked about it over the past week.

“You mentioned past supporters when you were talking about the Epstein issue. Does that mean that you’re effectively disowning any supporters who are now calling—” a reporter asked Trump in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

Trump cut off the question and added, “I’ve lost a lot of faith in certain people, yeah, I’ve lost. Because they got duped by the Democrats.”

In a lengthy social media post, which included references to the president’s previous claims about the 2017 Russian election interference probe, Trump blamed Democrats for creating what he called a “scam” and “hoax.”

“Scams and Hoaxes are all the Democrats are good at – It’s all they have – They are no good at governing, no good at policy, and no good at picking winning candidates,” Trump said. He added, “Their new SCAM is what we will forever call the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax, and my PAST supporters have bought into this ‘bullshit,’ hook, line, and sinker. They haven’t learned their lesson, and probably never will, even after being conned by the Lunatic Left for 8 long years.”

Trump Tells Lawmakers He Plans To Fire Jerome Powell ‘Soon’

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By Federalreserve - https://www.flickr.com/photos/federalreserve/54004811346/, Public Domain,

President Trump reportedly indicated to Republican lawmakers that he plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

According to Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Trump asked a group of Republican lawmakers if they think he should fire Powell, and they all agreed he should.

“Fox has confirmed that President Trump asked a group of House Republicans if he should fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell,” Pergram wrote on X. “Fox is told that that lawmakers agreed he should be fired.”

Pergram added that a source said Powell’s firing will be coming “soon.”

Trump has been vocal on not being pleased with Powell. While speaking to reporters at the White House on Tuesday, he said the chairman is doing a “terrible job.” When asked if he’d appoint him to another term, the president answered, “You must be kidding!”

However, President Trump later refuted claims that Powell is on the chopping block during a Wednesday White House meeting, saying it’s “highly unlikely.”

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This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

GOP Congressman Says He Doesn’t Trust Trump’s DOJ

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A Republican Congressman says he does not trust President Trump’s Justice Department…

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju joined anchor Boris Sanchez on Tuesday to discuss the state of play surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein case on Capitol Hill when they interviewed GOP Rep. Tim Burchett (Tenn.)

“Yeah, this is through a procedural vote, Democrats moving to force this vote to put Republicans on the record. If this were to succeed, it would have required that all documents related to Epstein be on a publicly accessible database within 30 days. That did not happen,” Raju explained, adding:

This came after the Senate and bipartisan Senate vote did succeed last week calling for the release of those Epstein files. But that separate bill has been stalled in the Senate committee. So it’s unclear exactly whether Congress will assert itself and force this issue. But the Republicans are divided about this. Republican leaders want absolutely nothing to do with this matter.

The speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, told me yesterday that he is going to defer to the White House on this. John Thune, the Senate majority leader, has not taken really any position on this at all. But members on the right flank of the House GOP and Senate GOP are the ones in particular who are raising the most concerns, including Congressman Tim Burchett, who just told me moments ago, he does not believe what the Justice Department is saying.

An amendment demanding that President Donald Trump’s administration release all files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was shot down by Republicans on the House Rules Committee on Monday.

The amendment, which was introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), was rejected by every Republican present during the vote except Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who voted with Democrats in favor of demanding that the Trump administration release the Epstein files.

Khanna’s amendment would have required U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to “retain, preserve, and compile any records or evidence related to any investigation, prosecution, or incarceration of Jeffrey Epstein,” and to “release and publish any records or evidence” on a “publicly accessible website” within 30 days.

Raju then played a clip of his exchange with Burchett, beginning with him asking, “Should there be investigation or special counsel investigation?”

“I don’t know. I’m not an attorney. Find them guilty and hang them publicly. I mean, that’s not over the top either. I’m ready. I’m over it. It disgusts me. I’m big on clarity and transparency, and that’s a good reason people don’t trust government, either party,” Burchett replied.

“But you don’t believe what the Justice Department is saying?” pressed Raju.

“I don’t know. No, I don’t. I think I don’t. I don’t trust them,” Burchett concluded.

“And that reference to the Justice Department memo that said that Jeffrey Epstein was indeed murdered and that there was no client list here, or that he was not murdered and that there was no client list, as some of those on the folks on the far right have suggested here. But there’s also no indication, Boris, that there will be an investigation into this on Capitol Hill. The Senate, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jim Jordan, told reporters earlier today that he has confidence in President Trump and his handling of this matter,” concluded Raju.

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On Tuesday, Rep. Tim Burchett just formally called on Oversight Chair James Comer to allow Ghislaine Maxwell to testify in front of Congress on the Epstein situation.

Supreme Court Rules On Education Department Layoffs

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Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The Supreme Court cleared the way for the Education Department to fire half of its workforce on Monday, a move that advances President Donald Trump’s plans to dismantle the department.

The high court’s decision in McMahon v. State of New York was issued 6-3 along ideological lines.

It arose from a lawsuit brought by 20 Democrat-led states, who asked the court to halt the Education Department’s plans to lay off half of its employees and eventually shutter altogether.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Fired State Dept Bureaucrats Reportedly Uniting To Sabotage Trump ‘Regime’

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The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A recent report revealed that current and former USAID and State Department officials are using their expertise in undermining authoritarian regimes abroad against President Donald Trump.

NOTUS reporter Jose Pagliery reported that “Some of the democracy-building experts President Donald Trump fired this year from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the State Department are now reapplying the skills and knowledge they built up over decades to undermine Trump’s power.”

One anonymous current federal official warned to NOTUS, “Take it from those of us who worked in authoritarian countries: We’ve become one.” He added, “They were so quick to disband AID, the group that supposedly instigates color revolutions. But they’ve done a very foolish thing. You just released a bunch of well-trained individuals into your population. If you kept our offices going and had us play solitaire in the office, it might have been safer to keep your regime.”

“Former officials” reportedly told the news outlet that they are “holding workshops on a tactic called ‘noncooperation.’ They’re building a network of government workers willing to engage in even minor acts of rebellion in the office. And they’re planting the seeds of what they hope could become a nationwide general strike.

“Some in the informal network of Trump opponents are sharing an old CIA pamphlet with allies who still work in the government: It’s called ‘Simple Sabotage,’” the reporter added.

This community, NOTUS reported, “is composed of diplomats and human rights activists who were once on the U.S. government payroll encouraging Latin American dissidents to fight dictators and supporting African independence movements. They were involved to varying degrees with an ultimately successful uprising in the Middle East.” 

One group that NOTUS cited was “DemocracyAID,” which has no formal website or legal entity so far, but is “already hosting invite-only workshops with federal employees who hear about them from friends, vetting each person before they’re allowed into a trusted circle and teaching them case studies, like the Danish underground insurgency against Nazi occupation.”

Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly condemned such efforts in a statement to NOTUS, saying, “It is inherently undemocratic for unelected bureaucrats to undermine the duly elected President of the United States and the agenda he was given a mandate to implement.”

A senior State Department official told Fox News Digital, “The State Department is not aware of these reports but always takes our national security seriously. We will continue to take every precaution to protect the State Department from internal and external threats.”

The NOTUS report comes on the heels of a separate alarming report from Axios that revealed a concerning swath of Democrat lawmakers’ constituents encouraging political violence.

Democrat lawmakers say their voters are enraged at the lack of ability to counter President Donald Trump‘s agenda, with some sounding the alarm that they could potentially resort to “violence,” Axios reported Monday.

The outlet says it spoke to over two dozen House Democrats to measure the temperature of the Democrat base and what it uncovered was red-hot anger and a desire to circumvent the rule of law.

“We’ve got people who are desperately wanting us to do something… no matter what we say, they want [more],” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) told the outlet.

Axios noted that most of the lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough… [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,” one such lawmaker said.

Another said their constituents are convinced that “civility isn’t working” and that they should prepare for “violence… to fight to protect our democracy.”

READ NEXT: Supreme Court Allows Trump Admin To Proceed With Mass Layoffs Amid Legal Challenges

Report: Democrat Lawmakers Left Stunned As Some Constituents Suggest They ‘Storm The White House’

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The threat of political violence is reaching a fever pitch.

Democrat lawmakers say their voters are enraged at the lack of ability to counter President Donald Trump‘s agenda, with some sounding the alarm that they could potentially resort to “violence,” Axios reported Monday.

The outlet says it spoke to over two dozen House Democrats to measure the temperature of the Democrat base and what it uncovered was red-hot anger and a desire to circumvent the rule of law.

“We’ve got people who are desperately wanting us to do something… no matter what we say, they want [more],” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) told the outlet.

Axios noted that most of the lawmakers spoke on condition of anonymity.

“Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough… [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,” one such lawmaker said.

Another said their constituents are convinced that “civility isn’t working” and that they should prepare for “violence… to fight to protect our democracy.”

A third lawmaker described some of the messages from people online as “crazy ****,” saying that some told them to “storm the White House and stuff like that.”

Another lawmaker compared Democrat voters to the “Roman coliseum,” saying, “People just want more and more of this spectacle,” the lawmaker said.

Other constituents have insisted that lawmakers take on the risk themselves, with one lawmaker saying they were told they should be willing to get “shot.”

“What I have seen is a demand that we get ourselves arrested intentionally or allow ourselves to be victims of violence, and… a lot of times that’s coming from economically very secure White people,” another lawmaker said.

A seventh lawmaker recounted a meeting they had with constituents that laid bare the desire for escalation.

“I actually said in a meeting, ‘When they light a fire, my thought is to grab an extinguisher,'” the lawmaker detailed. “And someone at the table said, ‘Have you tried gasoline?'” they added.

The concerning report highlights the recent rise in political violence. (RELATED: Report: Suspected Minnesota Lawmaker Assassin Vance Boelter Captured)

In June, a man assassinated two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses while posing as a law enforcement official. Vance Boelter, 57, was captured in Sibley County after a two-day manhunt. He allegedly killed Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, early Saturday morning at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis before allegedly shooting State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack.

Netanyahu Surprises Trump With Formal Nobel Peace Prize Nomination

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President Donald Trump attends the National Prayer Breakfast, Thursday, February 6, 2025, at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley.)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that he had sent a letter to the Nobel Prize Committee to nominate President Donald Trump for the peace prize.

Trump and Netanyahu met at the White House on Monday to discuss developments in the Middle East.

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during their joint press conference, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2017, in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Leslie N. Emory)

While speaking to reporters, Netanyahu spoke about the relationship between Israel and the U.S.

“I want to express the appreciation and admiration not only of all Israelis, but of the Jewish people and many, many admirers around the world, for your leadership, your leadership of the free world, your leadership of a just cause, and the pursuit of peace and security,” he said. “The president has an extraordinary team, and I think our teams, together, make, an extraordinary combination to meet challenges and seize opportunities.

“But the president has already realized great opportunities. He forged the Abraham Accords. He’s forging peace as we speak, in one country and one region after the other,” Netanyahu continued. “So, I want to present to you, Mr. President, the letter I sent to the Nobel Prize committee. It’s nominating you for the peace prize, which is well-deserved.”

Trump accepted the letter, saying he was unaware of the nomination and thanking the prime minister.

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This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Musk Trolls Trump Over Epstein Case As Feud Escalates

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UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Détente is over…

Elon Musk reignited his very public, and very messy, feud with President Donald Trump, announcing plans to launch a third major political party just hours after Trump signed the $3.3 trillion One Big Beautiful Bill Act into law.

But Musk didn’t stop there.

By early Monday, the billionaire tech mogul was back to openly mocking the president following new reporting on the Department of Justice’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s death.

On X, the platform he owns, Musk posted a meme titled “The Official Jeffrey Epstein Pedophile Arrest Counter.” The image read “0,” with Musk captioning it:

“What’s the time? Oh look, it’s no-one-has-been-arrested-o’clock again …”

The DOJ and FBI concluded their joint probe into the disgraced financier’s 2019 death, reaffirming the official narrative that the child sex offender died by suicide and that there’s no evidence of a blackmail scheme or a so-called “client list.” The two-page memo, first reported by Axios late Sunday, noted that no further arrests are expected.

According to the memo, surveillance footage revealed no unauthorized access to Epstein’s cell, aligning with the medical examiner’s determination of suicide. The administration is also releasing footage showing no movement in Epstein’s section of the jail the night of his death.

But millions remain skeptical.

Dr. Michael Baden — a former New York City chief medical examiner hired by Epstein’s brother — disputes the ruling. Baden said several fractures in Epstein’s neck, including to the hyoid bone and thyroid cartilage, were “extremely unusual” in suicide cases and more consistent with homicide. He also said he had never seen injuries like Epstein’s in his 50 years of investigating prison deaths.

Despite that, the DOJ insists the matter is closed.

Musk himself added to the speculation last month, claiming in a now-deleted tweet that Trump was implicated in the Epstein files.

“[Trump] is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public,” Musk wrote.

He followed with: “Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.”

Trump has vigorously denied any involvement with Epstein’s nefarious activities, insisting, “I was never on Epstein’s Plane, or at his ‘stupid’ Island.”

Responding to Musk’s Epstein files claim, the president reposted a statement from Epstein’s former lawyer David Schoen, who insisted Epstein had “no information to hurt President Trump.”

While Trump’s name does appear in Epstein’s flight logs, no documented evidence of impropriety has emerged. Trump has acknowledged a past friendship with Epstein, which he says ended in the mid-2000s.

Unlike last month’s spat, Trump hit back immediately at his former ally.

In a post Sunday, the president called Musk’s behavior “off the rails,” accusing him of becoming a “TRAIN WRECK over the past five weeks.” He slammed third parties as agents of “Complete and Total DISRUPTION & CHAOS” and said the U.S. system isn’t built to accommodate them.

“We have enough of that with the Radical Left Democrats, who have lost their confidence and their minds!” Trump wrote.

Trump turned up the heat over the weekend, threatening to revoke Musk’s government contracts — a bold strike at the heart of his rival’s wallet.

So far, Ghislaine Maxwell remains the only person convicted in connection with Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. She is currently serving a 20-year sentence.

Paramount Settles ’60 Minutes’ Lawsuit With Trump

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Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

CBS parent company Paramount announced on Tuesday that it would pay President Donald Trump $16 million to settle his lawsuit against the company over a 2024 interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris.

The $16 million “includes Mr. Trump’s legal fees and costs and that the money, minus the legal fees, will be paid to Mr. Trump’s future presidential library,” according to a Paramount statement obtained by the New York Times,

Paramount will also “release transcripts of ’60 Minutes’ interviews with eligible U.S. presidential candidates after such interviews have aired, subject to redactions as required for legal or national security concerns,” according to the Times, which reported that the settlement would not include an apology to Trump.

While Paramount will pay at least $16 million as part of the settlement, Fox News reported that the total amount of money “could reach north of $30 million” in total.

“There is an expectation that there will be another allocation in the mid-eight figures set aside for advertisements, public service announcements, or other similar transmissions, in support of conservative causes by the network,” according to the network.

Sources close to the situation told Fox News Digital that CBS has agreed to update its editorial standards to install a mandatory new rule. Going forward, the network will promptly release full, unedited transcripts of future presidential candidates’ interviews. People involved in the settlement talks have referred to this as the “Trump Rule.” 

“With this record settlement, President Donald J. Trump delivers another win for the American people as he, once again, holds the Fake News media accountable for their wrongdoing and deceit. CBS and Paramount Global realized the strength of this historic case and had no choice but to settle. President Trump will always ensure that no one gets away with lying to the American People as he continues on his singular mission to Make America Great Again,” a spokesperson for Trump’s legal team told Fox News Digital. 

“The settlement will include a release of all claims regarding any CBS reporting through the date of the settlement, including the Texas action and the threatened defamation action,” parent company Paramount said in a statement.

In his lawsuit, Trump accused the company of interfering in the 2024 presidential election after it deceitfully edited a teaser for an interview with Harris in a way that made it look as though the then-vice president had given a different answer to a question.

In May, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump’s team had rejected a $15 million settlement offer and wanted “more than $25 million,” along with an apology from the company.

Trump confidently declared the case against CBS a “winner” in April.

“They cheated and defrauded the American People at levels never seen before in the Political Arena. Kamala Harris, during Early Voting and, immediately before Election Day, was asked a question, and gave an answer, that was so bad and incompetent that it would have cost her many of the Votes that she ended up getting,” Trump posted on Truth Social ahead of mediation, going on to accuse the newsmagazine of perpetrating a fraud on the American people.