Curiously, former first lady Michelle Obama hasn't been seen in public in recent weeks, raising questions for some as to what's going on behind the scenes.
However, according to Fox News, former President Barack Obama wished his wife a happy birthday as the former first lady turned 61 this week.
Michelle Obama will reportedly not attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Sunday, nor was she seen at the late President Jimmy Carter's funeral last week.
Many have observed her absences from key events and wonder what's going on. Not surprisingly, her off-the-grid status is also sparking a fair number of conspiracy theories.
Former President Obama took to Instagram to wish his wife a happy birthday, praising her and confessing that he feels lucky to be able to spend his life with her.
"You fill every room with warmth, wisdom, humor, and grace – and you look good doing it. I’m so lucky to be able to take on life's adventures with you. Love you!" Barack Obama wrote.
Interestingly, the former first lady responded to her husband's birthday wishes with a short and sweet response.
"Love you, honey!," she wrote in an X reply to his post.
Love you, honey! ❤️😘 https://t.co/fiQaCYmQ02
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 17, 2025
Fox News noted that Michelle Obama is reportedly skipping Trump's inauguration because she can't contain her "disdain" for the former and soon-to-be president.
The outlet noted:
The former first lady repeatedly took jabs at Trump while on the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris and during her speeches at the Democratic National Convention in August. In one speech at the DNC, she accused Trump of spreading "racist lies" and opposing her husband's political career because of his race.
While Michelle will not be in attendance at Trump's inauguration, former President Obama is scheduled to attend Monday's inauguration along with former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and their spouses.
Many users across social media chimed in on Michelle Obama's response to her husband's birthday message.
"Are you trying to stay relevant? This is why you two talk to each other on social media," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Love that you won’t be at the inauguration Michelle Obama! You have always been low class and you’ve proven it once again. Happy birthday!"
Fresh off an electoral beating, Democrats quickly mobilized to snuff out a "tone deaf" proposal to reduce the work week for Capitol Hill staffers to 32 hours.
The Congressional Progressive Staff Association sent a letter to congressional leaders this week complaining of "demanding and intensive" conditions and suggesting a shorter week to reduce turnover on the Hill.
"Whether by drafting and analyzing legislation, meeting with impassioned advocates, communicating with constituents and the media, or smoothly administering office operations, D.C. staff are often required to manage a cascade of sensitive and challenging projects at any given time," the association wrote. "Staffers routinely work long hours at a level of rigor that regularly leads to burnout."
Few Democrats jumped to embrace the proposal, which comes as many Americans are working longer hours to keep up with soaring costs.
Even Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma.), a champion of the hard left, dismissed the demands for a shorter week as a "terrible idea."
“But do understand most of my staff hasn't seen a 32-hour work week in months and months and months, because they come in and work for the American people, hour after hour after hour," she said.
Economic woes helped fuel Donald Trump's re-election in November, leaving Democrats adrift as many conclude the party has lost touch with regular Americans.
Democrats, reluctant to further damage their party's brand, quickly distanced themselves from the progressive clamor for lighter hours.
"Why not be bold and ask for a 0-hour workweek? I wonder how blue-collar Americans would feel about white-collar workers demanding a 32-hour workweek,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-Ny.) wrote.
Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (Vt.) proposed standardizing a 32-hour work week for Americans last year, but the proposal has gained little traction.
In their letter to Congress, the Congressional Progressive Staff Association suggested their reduced hours would help build momentum for applying the same standards across the U.S. economy.
But they retracted the proposal within 24 hours as backlash came in.
“The letter failed to make two things clear: First, that progressive congressional staff are dedicated to serving the American people no matter how many hours it takes to get the job done,” the Congressional Progressive Staff Association (CPSA) said.
“Second, that there are well-known, longstanding workplace issues that deserve Congress’s immediate attention if it wishes to effectively serve the people.”
Donald Trump has a list of priorities ready to be executed on day one of his second term, as the American people look to the 47th president to deliver on his mandate of change.
After four years of Joe Biden's liberal presidency, Trump is inheriting a historic influx of illegal aliens, a major war in Europe and an inflationary economy that has crushed working Americans. To repair the damage, Trump has some 100 executive orders ready to be signed on his first day.
The list of topics covered by Trump's executive order blitz is extensive - from January 6th pardons to a potential lifeline for TikTok, which is facing an imminent ban.
Perhaps Trump's most dramatic domestic proposal is the deportation of millions of unlawful aliens living in the country. While some have balked at the scope of trump's mass deportation plan, the president-elect says there is no "price tag" for upholding national security.
“It’s not a question of a price tag,” Trump told NBC in his first post-election interview. "It’s not — really, we have no choice.”
Trump has also said he will target birthright citizenship, which grants automatic citizenship to anyone born on U.S. soil. Critics of the policy argue it has been exploited by illegal aliens to get a foothold in the country through their children - i.e., "anchor babies" - but defenders claim birthright citizenship is enshrined in the Constitution.
Trump's immigration agenda faced vigorous opposition during his first presidential term, and further legal challenges are certain in the months and years ahead. But in a sign of a possible shift, Democrats - reeling from an electoral thumping - have voted to advance the Laken Riley Act, which requires immigration officials to detain aliens suspected of certain crimes.
Concerning the economy, Trump has proposed sweeping tariffs to protect Americans' jobs and a drastic increase in domestic oil production to ease inflation. Trump has more broadly promised to undo Biden's climate agenda, including draconian regulations on emissions that would force automakers to sell electric vehicles.
On the foreign policy front, Trump has laid out an expansionist vision with calls to purchase Greenland and take back the Panama Canal. Trump has not ruled out using the military to achieve these goals.
At the same time, Trump - who has often touted "no new wars" during his first term - is eager to resume the role of peacemaker with a negotiated settlement in Ukraine, where a bloody conflict has grinded on for almost three years with Biden's backing.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release deal this week, ending 15 months of war.
Many have credited the 11th hour agreement to pressure from Trump and anticipated changes in foreign policy under his administration.
Biden, throughout his four years, used the muscle of the federal government to push a radical cultural agenda targeting parents and their kids.
Trump has pledged to reverse course, using the executive pen to undo the creep of transgenderism and its impact on women's sports - an issue that resonated with many Americans in the last election.
Among his more controversial "day one" promises, Trump has said he will pardon many of the people charged over the January 6th Capitol riot. However, Trump has said he will look at cases individually, with non-violent offenders most likely to receive a pardon.
Jill Biden has been a loyal supporter of her husband throughout his political career, but she wasn't quick to say "yes" when he proposed to her.
The couple met a few years after Biden's first wife, Neilia, and baby daughter Naomi died in a tragic car accident. Jill Biden was a college student when she was introduced to the young senator Biden by his brother, Frank.
It took some convincing for Jill Biden to accept Joe Biden's proposal, as she would later recall. A free-spirited young woman, Jill - who was recently divorced - was reluctant to sacrifice her career ambitions by becoming a politician's wife.
"Being Joe's wife would mean a life in the spotlight that I had never wanted," she wrote in her 2019 memoir. "I was a college student when we'd first met, and I liked living under the radar. Joe lived with constant public visibility."
Eventually, after five proposals, the couple married in 1977 at the Chapel at the United Nations in New York. With time, whatever doubts Jill had about marrying a politician faded away as she took on the role of an adviser.
When Democrats tried to convince Biden to challenge George W. Bush in 2004, Jill made her feelings known.
"As I walked through the kitchen, a Sharpie caught my eye. I drew NO on my stomach in big letters, and marched through the room in my bikini. Needless to say, they got the message," she recalled.
Jill Biden fell under greater scrutiny throughout her husband's presidency, with some labeling her a shadow president as Joe Biden frequently showed signs of cognitive decline.
In a notorious moment last summer, Jill complimented her husband for knowing "all the facts" after a televised debate against Donald Trump. But Democrats, horrified by Biden's feeble debate performance, turned on him and began pushing for Biden to end his re-election campaign.
As pressure mounted on Biden to quit, Jill was vehemently opposed, telling Vogue that the family would not allow a single night to define Joe's entire presidency. But in the end, Biden gave in to the pressure and bowed out.
In an exit interview with the Washington Post, Jill expressed "disappointment" in Nancy Pelosi (D-Ca.), a longtime friend of the family who led the successful effort to force Biden off the ticket.
“I don’t know. I learned a lot about human nature,” Jill said, adding, “I think that’s all I’m going to say.”
A beloved Old Hollywood actress has been identified as one of the victims in the Los Angeles wildfires.
Dalyce Curry, 95, met a horrifying fate in the Eaton Fire that has devastated neighborhoods north of Los Angeles including Altadena.
The retired actress was an extra in iconic movies like The 10 Commandments, Blues Brothers and Lady Sings the Blues.
Altadena, home to a thriving middle-class black community, was where Curry lived - and where first responders found her remains Sunday evening.
Curry's granddaughter, Dalyce Kelley, had dropped her off at home around midnight last Tuesday. Little did she know it would be the last time she saw her grandmother - known to loved ones as "Momma D" - alive.
The Eaton fire broke out hours before, as high winds and dry conditions turned Los Angeles into an inferno.
The next morning, Kelley awoke to a text alert that the power had gone out at her grandmother's house. When she went to check on her, she was met with a police barricade.
An officer said her grandmother's house was gone in the blaze and told her to check a local shelter at the Pasadena Civic Center, but Curry was nowhere to be found.
Eventually, Kelley was escorted to her grandmother's Altadena residence Friday by a National Guardsman. What she found was an utter ruin.
"It was total devastation,' Kelley told ABC7. "Everything was gone except her blue Cadillac."
After days of anxiety, the coroner shared the sad news that Curry had perished in the fire.
"About an hour ago the coroner confirmed her remains were found at the property," Kelley wrote on Facebook.
The Eaton fire has engulfed 14,000 acres in the week since the blaze began, with the flames 35% contained as of Tuesday. The Pacific Palisades fire, the largest of the wildfires, is 18% contained.
The wildfires have killed at least 24 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, including many historic, irreplaceable homes, as whole neighborhoods have been turned to scenes of Biblical devastation. The disaster has also left thousands without power and vulnerable to looters.
As Curry's family mourns the loss of their beloved "Momma D", they are remembering her as a woman full of life.
"She was very active, you would not think she was 95," granddaughter Loree Beamer-Wilkinson said.
Such a terrible way for an old woman to die. May she rest in peace.
With just a week left before Donald Trump's inauguration, the Biden administration is touting a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations to stop the war in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages.
Lame duck president Joe Biden pushed for a cease-fire Sunday in a phone call with Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said.
The tentative peace deal, which would require the release of Israeli hostages being held by Hamas, is structured a on three-phase plan the White House proposed last year.
A peace deal has eluded the White House for months, but there has reportedly been a breakthrough ahead of Trump's inauguration next week.
In a sign of how seriously engaged Israel is, Netanyahu reportedly has sent the head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, to Qatar for talks.
Donald Trump's team has joined the peace talks, which have been led by the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt - with little to show for it until now.
The White House took credit for the diplomatic progress, pointing to regional developments that may have calmed Israel's fears about ending the war.
"The President discussed the fundamentally changed regional circumstances following the ceasefire deal in Lebanon, the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, and the weakening of Iran's power in the region," the White House said in a statement.
"(Mr. Biden) stressed the immediate need for a ceasefire in Gaza and return of the hostages with a surge in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal," the White House said.
A cease-fire and hostage release would be a valedictory win for Biden, who is leaving office as one of the most unpopular presidents of modern history.
A peace deal would also satisfy Trump, who has warned there will be "hell to pay" if Hamas does not let the hostages go before January 20.
During a Fox News segment Sunday, Trump's vice president J.D. Vance credited a potential agreement to pressure on Hamas from Trump.
“We’re hopeful there’s a deal that’s struck toward the very end of the Biden administration, maybe the last day or two,” Vance said. “But regardless of when that deal is struck, it will be because people are terrified that there are going to be consequences for Hamas.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan said a peace deal rises above the factional interest of any particular party or administration - while he hedged that the ink is not dry yet.
"We are close to a deal, and it can get done this week," national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a press briefing at the White House. "I'm not making a promise or a prediction, but it is there for the taking and we are going to work to make it happen."
Politics aside, the late President Jimmy Carter was honored by current and former presidents, members of Congress and even the United States Secret Service.
According to USAToday, Carter was honored in a statement by the Secret Service. The agency, which has a special nickname for every president it is assigned to protect, referred to Carter as "Deacon."
Carter holds a special record with the government protection agency, claiming the title of having the longest-serving Secret Service protection detail which lasted nearly 50 years.
The late president was first assigned a Secret Service detail on Oct. 8, 1975. With 24-7 coverage, Carter received a total of 49 years and two months.
Secret Service Communications Director Anthony Guglielmi released a statement on Carter's death on behalf of the agency and its decades of protective service for him.
"President Carter had a lasting impression on everyone at the Secret Service,” said Guglielmi, adding that members of his personal detail were especially "inspired by his public service, compassion and incredible dedication to humanity."
USAToday added:
Agents had remained with the late president during the days of the state funeral ceremonies in Washington and accompanied his casket to its final resting place late Thursday evening on the grounds of the Carter home in Plains, Georgia.
The agency's sworn duty to protect Carter officially ended on Friday, which was the day after his funeral held at the National Cathedral.
Our deepest condolences go out to the Carter family. First Lady Rosalynn Carter dedicated her life to helping others with compassion and grace, and was a model for us all. pic.twitter.com/t96sKscfxR
— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) November 19, 2023
"The USSS detail for President Carter has concluded its service after completing the evening return to Plains, Georgia and the 39th president's internment," the agency added.
Carter's wife Rosalynn was also protected by the Secret Service, and was given the code name "Dancer."
The outlet noted:
Carter's wife Rosalynn was assigned her own detail in the fall stretch of the 1976 White House campaign and weeks after the Democratic National Convention that September. She was code-named Dancer in keeping with the alliteration traditionally used by the Secret Service.
Years later, the Secret Service combined their protective details and protected the Carters as one unit, as is protocol.
USAToday added, "Their daughter Amy was code-named Dynamo, and sons Chip, Jack and Jeff were Diamond, Derby and Deckhand respectively."
Fox News was buried in legal challenges in the wake of the 2020 election, after many of its hosts and anchors made various claims about the election that were unproven or outright false.
According to NPR, lawyers for the network are once again headed back to the courtroom regarding a 2020 election-related lawsuit filed by voting machine company Smartmatic.
The trip back to court will be a familiar one for the network, which lost a staggering $787 million in a settlement with Dominion Voting Systems for similar defamation claims. The settlement rocked the network and resulted in several popular hosts either being fired or ultimately leaving the network.
Thanks to a ruling from a New York state appellate court, Smartmatic will now be able to pursue a jaw-dropping $2.7 billion defamation case against the popular cable news network.
The pre-trial process of discovery for the lawsuit reportedly resulted in a mountain of damning pieces of evidence that showed what the network was allowing at the time some of its hosts and guests made the election-related claims.
NPR noted:
A flood of revelations from the pre-trial process of discovery yielded damning internal communications. The judge found that network figures from junior producers to primetime hosts, network executives, Murdoch and his son Lachlan knew that Joe Biden had won the election fairly. Yet, they allowed guests to spread lies that Trump had been cheated of victory to win back Trump viewers.
Maria Bartiromo and the late Lou Dobbs were some of the hosts named who allowed guests to make "unsubstantiated and wild" claims about Smarmatic. They were also accused for sometimes endorsing the allegations against the voting machine company.
NPR added:
Amid outcry, Fox News and Fox Business Network ran an awkward segment with a voting tech expert, Edward Perez, to present viewers with a rebuttal to those outlandish claims. Newsmax, a right-wing channel in competition with Fox for viewers who supported Trump, did much the same.
Smartmatic's lead attorney, Erik Connolly, released a statement after the appellate court's ruling.
"Today, the New York Supreme Court rebuffed Fox Corporation's latest attempt to escape responsibility for the defamation campaign it orchestrated against Smartmatic following the 2020 election," Connolly said in a statement.
He added, "Fox Corporation attempted, and failed, to have this case dismissed, and it must now answer for its actions at trial. Smartmatic is seeking several billion in damages for the defamation campaign that Fox News and Fox Corporation are responsible for executing. We look forward to presenting our evidence at trial."
Smarmatic machines were not nearly as widely used as Dominion Voting Systems voting machines, and Fox's lawyers questioned the sincerity of the value of the reported lost contracts Smartmatic is claiming.
Fox News lawyers released their own statement in the wake of the ruling.
"We will be ready to defend this case surrounding extremely newsworthy events when it goes to trial," the lawyers said.
They added, "As a report prepared by our financial expert shows, Smartmatic's damages claims are implausible, disconnected from reality, and on their face intended to chill First Amendment freedoms."
An heir to a powerful Chicago political family went before the Supreme Court this week to challenge his conviction for bank fraud.
Patrick Daley Thompson, a former city alderman, was sentenced to four months in prison for lying about his taxes and making false statements to bank regulators. He is the grandson of former Democratic party boss and mayor Richard J. Daley, who was the mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976.
The case pivots on what counts as a "false" statement under a federal law that makes it illegal to influence regulators like the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.
In 2017, the FDIC shut down an insolvent Chicago bank with ties to Thompson, Washington Federal, and hired a loan servicer to collect the money owed. Multiple people tied to the bank were charged in an embezzlement conspiracy.
Thompson had taken out three separate loans totaling $219,000 plus interest, but the bank never demanded repayment, and Thompson only made one payment of $389.58 on the initial $110,000 loan. Prosecutors claimed during Thompson's trial that the bank gave him favorable treatment, something his lawyers denied.
When the FDIC tried to collect Thompson's debts, he claimed that he borrowed $110,000, and he disputed the full $219,000 amount.
Eventually, he settled with the government and paid the $219,000 principal - only to be charged later with making false statements.
Lower courts have split on how to interpret the law at issue, which makes it a crime to make "false" statements to influence the FDIC and other regulators.
Thompson's lawyers argue his statements may have been misleading, but they were not false in the literal sense, and therefore not criminal.
Thompson never said he owed $110,000, but rather that he borrowed that amount, which is literally true, but misleading.
"These statements were not false. He did borrow $110,000 and he did dispute owing $269,000. The first statement was misleading because it omitted important contextual information—that he later borrowed an additional $20,000 and $89,000," his lawyers wrote.
Congress has taken care to distinguish between false and misleading statements, and if they meant to criminalize misleading statements here, they would have done so explicitly, according to Thompson.
During Thompson's trial in 2022, his lawyers said he is often "frazzled" when handling his finances, but the judge rejected his request for probation. His convictions cost him his law license and position as a city alderman.
“The last four years have been a nightmare for me,” Thompson said. “For that, I’m sorry. Those mistakes have cost me dearly.”
In a shocking reversal, two death row inmates who were spared capital punishment by Joe Biden say they don't want clemency.
Shannon Agofsky and Len Davis are challenging Biden's move, which they fear could undermine their efforts to overturn their convictions on appeal.
Both men are on death row at the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, and each maintains their innocence.
They fear that having their sentences reduced to life without parole will lower the level of scrutiny courts must apply to their cases.
Agofsky was convicted for stomping another inmate to death while incarcerated in Texas for a separate murder and kidnapping of a bank president. Davis, a former New Orleans cop, was found guilty of hiring a hitman to kill a woman who filed a complaint against him.
In one of his last actions as president, Biden commuted the sentences of nearly every federal death row inmate, sparking furious backlash from the families of victims. But Biden also blindsided Agofsky and Davis, who say they do not want - and never asked - to be taken off death row.
"The defendant never requested commutation. The defendant never filed for commutation," a filing from Arofsky's lawyers says. "The defendant does not want commutation, and refused to sign the papers offered with the commutation."
“He doesn’t want to die in prison being labeled a cold-blooded killer,” his wife, Laura Agofsky, told NBC News.
Meanwhile, Davis "has always maintained his innocence and argued that federal court had no jurisdiction to try him for civil rights offenses," his filing says.
Other beneficiaries of Biden's clemency have responded by demanding even greater relief than Biden provided. Brandon Council, who was convicted of murdering two bank tellers in cold blood, has asked for a "compassionate release" since Biden's announcement.
The lame duck president made exceptions for three of the most infamous criminals on death row: Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof and Tree of Life synagogue killer Robert Bowers.
Biden's critics have accused him of moral hypocrisy, arguing he drew an arbitrary distinction between those he spared and those he did not - while opening up old wounds for victims just before Christmas.
"I am more convinced than ever that we must stop the use of the death penalty at the federal level," Biden said at the time. "In good conscience, I cannot stand back and let a new administration resume executions that I halted."
A 1927 Supreme Court ruling found that a convict's consent is not needed for a president to grant pardons. Unfortunately for the victims, Biden's pardons cannot be reversed by President-elect Trump, either.