Former President Bill Clinton (D) was in MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC on Monday after he developed a fever, but was discharged on Tuesday, according to his deputy chief of staff.
Angel Ureña told reporters that the hospital visit was for testing and observation only. It was later reported that Clinton had the flu and was released on Tuesday.
Clinton was “in good spirits and grateful for the care he is receiving," Urena said.
President Clinton was discharged earlier today after being treated for the flu. He and his family are deeply grateful for the exceptional care provided by the team at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and are touched by the kind messages and well wishes he received. He sends… https://t.co/URiITiMqF8
— Angel Ureña (@angelurena) December 24, 2024
Clinton, 78, has had a few other health issues in recent years.
In 2021 he was hospitalized for sepsis that developed from a urinary tract infection.
In 2004, he had quadruple bypass, followed by two stents in 2010.
Clinton campaigned hard for Kamala Harris in 2024. He has stayed active in politics and has spoken at every Democratic National Convention since 1976.
“I want to say this from the bottom of my heart,” he said in August. “I have no idea how many more of these I’ll be able to come to.”
Clinton was in the news last week when he commented on a pardon by President Joe Biden of his son Hunter.
"I think that the president did have reason to believe that the nature of the offenses involved were likely to produce far stronger adverse consequences for his son than they would for any normal person under the same circumstances," Clinton said.
He said he did not think the pardon by Biden was comparable to his pardon of his brother Roger Clinton on drug charges even though some have compared the two.
Roger Clinton served his sentence and was later pardoned, whereas Hunter's pardon will keep him out of jail.
"I wish he hadn't said he wasn't going to do it," Clinton admitted. "I think it does weaken his case."
Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of President-elect Donald Trump and former RNC chair, said Saturday that she is removing herself from consideration for Sen. Marco Rubio's (R-FL) Senate seat.
"After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate," she wrote on X.
"I could not have been more honored to serve as RNC co-chair during the most high-stakes election of our lifetime and I’m truly humbled by the unbelievable support shown to me by the people of our country, and here in the great state of Florida," Trump added.
She stepped down as RNC chair after the election and teased a big announcement in January.
The president-elect had initially pushed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to appoint his daughter-in-law to the Senate seat, which Rubio.
Later, however, he said that he didn't expect DeSantis to appoint Lara Trump as Senator when Rubio leaves to become Trump's Secretary of State.
"That's his choice," Trump said.
Rubio has two years left of his Senate term, which the appointee will fill.
Whoever ends up being appointed will have an advantage when re-election time comes, since they will be an incumbent.
Lara Trump previously said she was seriously considering the appointment, but wasn't sure it was right for her.
Because of her familial relationship with the President-elect, there may have been a perception of nepotism if she had been appointed.
She is the wife of Eric Trump, the president's son.
She reportedly failed to win the support of DeSantis to get the appointment.
DeSantis lost to Trump in the Republican primary in a tough race, but later expressed support for Trump in the general election.
John Ramsey, the father of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey, a child beauty queen who was brutally murdered in 1996 has received a letter from a woman claiming to have married his daughter's killer.
The murder of JonBenet Ramsey has captivated the nation for years now as the past decades have seen multiple different investigations involving multiple agencies trying to solve the brutal killing that left the Ramsey family devastated.
The murder occurred on Boxing Day of 1996 and when police began their investigation it was John Ramsey who was the prime suspect.
It wasn't until 2008 when an old DNA sample from the crime scene identified the presence of an "unknown male," exonerating John Ramsey and his family all of whom were suspected at one point or another.
John Ramsey is now 81 and his wife, Patsy Ramsey, died in 2006 of cancer. However, despite everything he has lost, John Ramsey is still working to find his daughter's killer.
John Ramsey told The Daily Mail that he received a letter from an anonymous woman claiming that her ex-husband was the killer.
The letter read, "I’ve kept this inside for as long as I can - please, please call me." The woman had left her number in the letter which John Ramsey immediately dialed but there was no answer.
This comes after a popular Netflix series re-examining the case has brought attention to the case nearly 30 years later.
The series, titled Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey, has now been watched by millions and that has been a real boost for John Ramsey who has been delighted with the attention the series is generating despite the pain of reliving the case.
Ramsey stated, "You know, the police were doing nothing and had done nothing for 28 years, quite frankly, other than trying to explain away the evidence so they could prosecute Patsy or me and they couldn’t do it so they thought “oh well, we know who did it, but we can’t prove it so we’ll just forget about it." I think the documentary has brought a lot of renewed interest and it has kept pressure on the police to do their job."
For many years it felt like there was no hope that the case would be solved, but with so much attention on the Ramsey killing, there's hope that new information will come to light.
While the killer has yet to be found, what is known is that JonBenet was supposedly kidnapped on December 26 and a letter left on the stairs demanded the precise sum of $118,000 for her safe return.
This letter was presumably left by the killer but it only served to confuse the family as John Ramsey later discovered JonBenet in a disused boiler room in the basement. She’d been tortured, sexually assaulted and asphyxiated.
All of these facts led the police to suspect John and Patsy Ramsey until they were exonerated by DNA evidence. But the question remains if the case will actually be solved, especially before John Ramsey passes away.
President-elect Donald Trump announced Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote, as his pick to be the U.S. ambassador to Vatican City.
Trump's choice to nominate Burch is in recognition of the important role that he and his activist organization played in mobilizing American Catholics to get out and vote for Trump both in 2020 and 2024.
In an official statement, Trump said, "Brian is a devout Catholic, a father of nine, and President of CatholicVote. He has received numerous awards and demonstrated exceptional leadership, helping build one of the largest Catholic advocacy groups in the Country."
Trump ended his statement by saying, "Brian loves his Church and the United States — He will make us all proud."
Burch accepted Trump's nomination saying, "The Catholic Church is the largest and most important religious institution in the world, and its relationship to the United States is of vital importance."
He confirmed that he was "committed to working with leaders inside the Vatican and the new Administration to promote the dignity of all people and the common good.”
Burch's nomination as ambassador to the Holy See has certainly ruffled feathers among the elite in the Catholic church, a group that has become increasingly leftist, and according to some Catholics, heretical.
Burch is a critic of Pope Francis, and that animosity has been growing ever since Pope Francis and the Vatican began investigations designed to intimidate and silence conservative critics within the Catholic Church.
One such critic was Bishop Joseph E. Strickland, who openly called out Pope Francis for pushing progressive ideology in the Catholic Church which flew in the face of biblical teaching. Strickland went so far as to call Pope Francis a “usurper of Peter’s chair.”
Strickland has since been removed from overseeing the Texas diocese and that has created a lot of anger among conservative Catholics, including Burch.
The Catholic Church, especially in America, has been slowly dividing over progressive issues clashing with traditional and biblical ideas. This political division has only intensified under Pope Francis and his openly leftist ideology.
Catholic voters in America appear to be swinging right as they supported Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris by a 20-point margin after voting for President Joe Biden by a 5-point margin in 2020.
Biden had a bit of an advantage with Catholic voters as he is Catholic himself, but after years of attacks on the Catholic Church by the left, many devout Catholics are swinging right and could stay there in future elections.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) told a Fox News host that the DOJ investigation into him is "clearly suspect" because it occurred after he spoke out about the Biden administration's immigration policies.
“I clearly believe when you looked at aspects of the indictment and you look at the timing of this and the manner — the leaks, there were just so many leaks,” Adams said.
“I’m a former law enforcement officer, and when you conduct an investigation, you’re not leaking out repeatedly information that clearly only the Justice Department was aware of. Just the manner in which this was done is clearly suspect to me,” he continued. “I should not have been charged. No American should go through what I’m going through right now. This country believes in fairness, and what I’ve experienced is not only a professional tragedy, it’s a personal tragedy.”
He was indicted in September over his 2021 mayoral campaign and accused of taking bribes to do favors for foreign entities and governments.
Adams claimed that Biden admitted his Justice Department was politicized, but it wasn't clear which of Biden's comments he was referring to.
It's possible that he was referencing Biden's comments about the case against his son Hunter.
Referring to Hunter's prosecution, Biden said that the case was infected by “raw politics,” leading to “a miscarriage of justice.”
“I have watched my son being selectively, and unfairly, prosecuted,” he said when he was announcing Hunter's pardon.
Adams said on Wednesday, “The president of the United States said his Justice Department is politicized. Donald Trump stated … the parents who are on the FBI watchlist for standing up for their children, they’re saying it. There’s something wrong, and we need to make sure that we don’t use any tool of law enforcement in a way to politicize the process.”
Of course, that's not what Biden meant when he said it, but technically he did say it.
The host asked Adams whether he had asked Trump to pardon him. Trump is reportedly considering doing so when he takes office in January.
“I did not ask that,” Adams said. “And our conversations — we both express our love for the city… I’m working with the president and his administration, not warring with him. I say that quote over and over again.”
If the Biden DOJ is going after Adams unfairly, it's no doubt because he refuses to "war" with Trump.
That's the one thing Democrats just can't abide, getting along with Trump and treating him like a legitimate leader--which he most certainly is.
Questions about the ethical nature of a Supreme Court Justice taking part in what could be seen as a partisan event, as the court is expected to deliberate a related case in the near future, as was pointed out during an interview on Fox News.
After appearing in a Broadway spinoff of "Romeo and Juliet," critics question Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson's impartiality in a landmark case regarding minors' transgender surgical procedures.
Justice served. pic.twitter.com/DeeYRvxQum
— & Juliet Broadway (@AndJulietBway) December 16, 2024
"I think it's a huge mistake for federal judges, especially Supreme Court justices, to engage in activities that clearly put the stamp of approval on an ideological position regarding issues that could come before the court, which is practically the definition of a threat to their impartiality, the appearance of impropriety," Heritage Foundation senior legal counsel Thomas Jipping told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"The expert went on to lay out why this was outside of the rhelm of the approrpiate "It's unusual for judges to do this sort of thing under any circumstances. But I suppose if this was ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ if this was some recognized, established classic or something, it might be different.
"But this is obviously an advocacy production, so for a Supreme Court justice to participate in advocacy on an issue that is currently in the courts, and at least broadly speaking, before her, I think it's a huge mistake," he said.
The musical, which is called "& Juliet," includes strong LGBTQ+ themes as well as characters who do not hold a binary gender. In the same place where Shakespeare's original finishes, the musical begins.
It is said on the website of the company that "& Juliet" is a "hilarious new musical" that "flips the script on the greatest love story ever told."
Instead of taking her own life out of love, Juliet decides to make her own path, which is a shown as a risky move because it challenges the conventional gender roles.
In the musical, the character May, who is Juliet's best friend, is a character whose LGBTQ relationship is heavily portrayed and explored throughout the whole production.
Jackson became the first Supreme Court justice to play on Broadway when he joined the Broadway company for a one-time performance at New York's Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Saturday night.
Other Broadway artists, including TikTok sensation Charli D'Amelio, were also a part of the Broadway cast.
David West Read, who is best known for his work as a writer and producer on the television show "Schitt's Creek," is the author of the song "& Juliet."
While Justice Amy Coney Barrett has attracted attention for her ties to religious groups and their potential influence on cases involving LGBTQ+ issues, Justice Samuel Alito has come under fire for failing to disclose luxury trips funded by wealthy donors with business before the court.
There has been intense scrutiny directed toward Justice Clarence Thomas because of his wife's political activism. Additionally, Justice Brett Kavanaugh has encountered criticism regarding his confirmation process and prior financial disclosures.
"For two, three years now, liberals have been complaining about actions by Supreme Court justices that they say undermine the public's confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary," Jipping said. "Liberals in Congress want an enforceable code of conduct. I wonder what they say about this."
"Participating in an advocacy, in an exercise of advocacy, for a position on issues that come before the Supreme Court is an egregious violation of that principle in the code of conduct regarding impartiality. I don't think there's any question about that," he said.
On Monday, TikTok submitted a request to the Supreme Court, requesting that it intervene on an urgent basis in order to block the federal statute that would prohibit the popular platform from operating in the United States unless its parent company, which is based in China, agreed to sell it.
Attorneys for the corporation and ByteDance, which is based in China, begged the justices to intervene before the deadline of January 19th, which was set by the law, as NBC News reported.
TikTok has more than 170 million users and content creators in the United States, and many of them have signed a similar petition. These individuals rely on the network for their revenue.
“A modest delay in enforcing the Act will create breathing room for this Court to conduct an orderly review and the new Administration to evaluate this matter — before this vital channel for Americans to communicate with their fellow citizens and the world is closed,” lawyers for the companies told the Supreme Court.
Even though he campaigned on a promise to "save TikTok," then-President-elect Donald Trump said his administration would review the matter. Trump also previously supported a ban.
“As you know, I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. His campaign saw the platform as a way to reach younger, less politically engaged voters.
According to two individuals who were not authorized to speak publicly about the president-elect's plans Trump was meeting with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew at Mar-a-Lago on Monday.
According to the companies, a suspension that lasts for only one month would result in TikTok losing approximately one-third of its daily users in the United States and substantial advertising revenue.
The case has the potential to pique the court's interest due to its unique nature, which juxtaposes the government's stated objectives of safeguarding national security with the right to free speech. Additionally, it raises novel concerns regarding social media platforms.
The initial recipient of the request is Chief Justice John Roberts, who is responsible for emergency appeals from courts in the nation's capital. It is almost certain that he will solicit input from all nine justices.
A procedural ruling that permitted the case to proceed to the Supreme Court was issued on Friday by a panel of federal judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, who denied an emergency petition to block the law.
The same panel had previously unanimously sustained the law in response to a First Amendment challenge that alleged it violated free speech rights.
App stores that provide TikTok and internet hosting services that facilitate it would be subject to potential penalties if the law were to take effect on January 19th without a court-ordered freeze.
The Justice Department would be responsible for enforcing the law by conducting investigations into potential violations and pursuing sanctions.
However, attorneys for ByteDance and TikTok have contended that the Justice Department under Trump may suspend enforcement or otherwise attempt to alleviate the most grievous repercussions of the law. Trump takes office a day after the law goes into effect.
One possible solution would allow the justices may conduct a more thorough examination of the First Amendment and other matters, which would be the Supreme Court moving to create a provisionally suspension the law. Additionally, they could expedite the scheduling of arguments and endeavor to reach a decision by January 19.
The Daily Mail pointed out that soon-to-be First Lady Melania Trump changed up part of her distinctive style for a recent formal dinner in which she and President-Elect Donald Trump hosted Akie Abe, the widow of the late Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on Sunday.
Trump was known for always having a white-on-white French manicure, but at this dinner, she sported long, talon-like nails that come to a point.
The nails were painted a metallic white.
Maybe they were meant to signify a new Melania Trump. No more Mrs. Nice Girl if the media attacks her.
French manicures became popular in the 1970s for their simplicity and classic elegance, which befit Trump during her first stint as First Lady between 2016 and 2020.
Trump was always understated in her appearance as she supported her husband on the campaign trail and as president.
Her new style still looks polished and elegant, but may have been updated for the 2020s by her stylist.
Speaking of stylists, Trump was also apparently spotted wearing hair extensions to fill out her look.
'You can spot the telltale signs where the natural hair meets the extension pieces, particularly visible in the mid-sections,' hairstylist Julia North said.
At 54, Trump may be experiencing thinning hair that she is augmenting with extensions. She may also just have wanted to change her hairstyle faster than she could grow it.
"It was a privilege to host Mrs. Akie Abe at Mar-a-Lago once again," Melania said about the dinner.
"We fondly remembered her late husband, former Prime Minister Abe, and honored his remarkable legacy," she added.
The Trumps are getting ready to transition into another four years at the White House, and the dinner may have been seen as an attempt at diplomacy in that vein.
While the First Lady's fingernails or hairstyle may not be the most important aspect of the dinner, she has obviously put time and effort into looking good as well as bieng a kind and gracious person.
Trump campaign adviser Alex Bruesewitz ignited panic after suddenly fainting and collapsing over his lectern during an address to the New York Young Republican Club on Saturday.
Bruesewitz was introducing White House senior aide Dan Scavino during the address when he suddenly collapsed.
Attendees at the event reported that Bruesewitz began slurring his words before he collapsed in front of the crowd of hundreds at the Manhattan event.
Many attendees sprang into action immediately to aid Bruesewitz as he had fallen hard and taken the lectern with him.
The situation was terrifying for onlookers but thankfully Raheem Kassam, a former aide of British conservative politician Nigel Farage, quickly came out and told the audience that Bruesewitz had recovered and was ok backstage.
Kassam told the crowd, "I talked to our friend Alex Bruesewitz and you know what he said to me? He goes, ‘Did I at least look cool?’ I said, ‘Alex, you used gravity like I’ve seen nobody use gravity before in their lives.' But he’s recuperating back there, so give him a big cheer so he’ll hear you."
President-elect Donald Trump also issued a statement saying, “I know that Alex is going to be fine because he’s a tough son of a gun. There’s no doubt about that. So I want to say hello to Alex, because he’s a very special guy.”
Bruesewitz is the CEO of X Strategies LLC which is an organization dedicated to helping elect America First candidates and played a big role in Trump's triumph in the 2024 presidential election.
A statement from X Strategies LLC's page reads, "Bruesewitz has been the driving force behind the efforts to defeat Republicans who fight against Trump and the MAGA movement and works to replace them with Republicans who fight for values we hold dear."
Combatting establishment Republicans was a key aspect of Trump's return to power as establishment Republicans, or RINOs, have been a thorn in Trump's side for years.
Thanks to figures like Bruesewitz, many America First Republicans toppled their establishment opponents and ensured that Trump will have less opposition from the GOP as he takes on Democrats over the next four years.
Bruesewitz was just one of many different important Trump campaign figures who appeared at the event which included former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, and senior Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski.
Bruesewitz and the others will have their hands full especially as Trump's key nominees go before a GOP-majority Senate.
There have already been rumblings of centrist Republicans not supporting key Trump nominees and that is where Bruesewitz and others come in.
Bruesewitz and others will have the monumental task of getting often heavily entrenched Senators removed via primary in upcoming elections should they dare stand in the way of Trump's agenda.
The split between Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancee, former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, has attracted attention from the public and now it appears that Kai Trump, Trump Jr.'s eldest daughter, has chosen sides.
Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle appeared to have split prior to the election but it appears the two kept things quiet so as to not create a distraction for the Trump campaign.
While there isn't a solid confirmation of what caused the split, it appears that Guilfoyle didn't properly fit in with the notoriously close Trump family.
Rumors and leaks have come out pointing to Guilfoyle not meshing with the family, but these need to be taken with a grain of salt.
The professional relationship between Guilfoyle and the Trump family is intact as President-elect Donald Trump tapped her to be the U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
17-year-old Kai Trump's Instagram follows seem to indicate who she is siding with in this family drama. Kai is not following Guilfoyle but instead is following Bettina Anderson, the model that her dad appears to be dating following his split with Guilfoyle.
Kai Trump's other social media posts, notably pictures of the family, omitted Guilfoyle further suggesting that she is completely out of the picture.
However, it wasn't just Kai Trump who was done with Guilfoyle as sources close to the family suggested that Donald Trump Jr. ended his relationship with Guilfoyle because she didn't meet the standards of the family patriarch, Donald Trump.
One source told People that "Don Jr. has always wanted to look good in his father’s eyes," and that means his partner needs to boost him in his father's eyes, something Guilfoyle apparently failed to do.
That same source added that “Kim is not a nice person and always wants the limelight," which is a mindset that is asking for trouble when trying to fit in at Mar-a-Lago.
Nonetheless, it appears that despite her desire for power and the limelight, Guilfoyle hasn't burned her bridges with the Trump family and has been rewarded for her loyalty over the past years.
Guilfoyle has been an important figure in the Trump political machine for years and instead of completely throwing her out, she is being rewarded with an ambassadorship, pending Senate approval which isn't expected to be an issue with the GOP holding a majority.
Donald Trump Jr. issued a statement on Guilfoyle's nomination saying, "I am so proud of Kimberly. She loves America and she always has wanted to serve the country as an Ambassador. She will be an amazing leader for America First."
Going forward, all eyes will be on Bettina Anderson as she and Trump Jr. appear to be launching a serious relationship that will hopefully work out with the rest of the family.