Former first lady Jill Biden, who consistently praised her husband’s capacity for the presidency in the 2024 campaign, finally admitted that she was “frightened” by her husband’s performance in his 2024 presidential debate against President Donald Trump. In a clip of a soon-to-be-released CBS News interview, Jill Biden said that she “had never seen anything like it” when her husband faced off against Trump in June 2024, adding that she thought “he was having a stroke.” “He was the same, the essence of the same Joe Biden, but yeah, he was slowing down. He was getting older,” she told CBS Sunday Morning’s correspondent Rita Braver. “It’s a very intense job. I think it ages you — quickly.” She then confessed of her husband’s performance in the debate: “I was frightened because I had never ever seen Joe like that before or since. Never. I don’t know what happened. As I was watching it, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, he’s having a stroke.’ And it scared me to death.” But several other clips following the debate show the exact opposite. In one video, Jill Biden claimed that she saw no signs of her husband “falling into cognitive decline,” and that when people said he “wasn’t the same Joe Biden,” they were incorrect. Moments and even days later, she repeatedly assured everyone that “he did a great job.” Immediately post-debate, Jill Biden said, “Joe, you did such a great job! You answered every question, you knew all the facts!” She also caught criticism for holding Joe Biden’s hand as he left the debate stage.  Also Jill Biden right after former President Joe Biden’s debate performance…

Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is reportedly establishing a major new foothold in Argentina as billionaire tax proposals and anti-wealth politics intensify in Democratic strongholds. Thiel — the PayPal co-founder, Palantir chairman, and influential backer of President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance — recently purchased a roughly $12 million mansion in one of Buenos Aires’ most exclusive neighborhoods while temporarily relocating his family to the South American nation, according to a report by the New York Times. The billionaire has also reportedly enrolled his children in local schools and held multiple meetings with Argentine President Javier Milei and top government officials. The move comes as California Democrats continue floating aggressive wealth-tax proposals targeting billionaires. People familiar with Thiel’s thinking told reporters that concerns about the political and economic direction of the United States — particularly California — played a major role in his growing interest in Argentina. Argentina’s libertarian president has openly welcomed the billionaire tech titan. “All billionaires of the world who want to flee countries increasingly regulated, with higher taxes and governments that persecute their citizens, are welcome in the Argentine republic,” Argentine cabinet chief Manuel Adorni recently said. Thiel and Milei appear to share a strong ideological alignment centered around deregulation, libertarian economics, hostility toward progressive politics, and opposition to high taxation. “It was an anarcho-capitalist who met another anarcho-capitalist,” Milei said after one meeting with Thiel. The billionaire’s expanding international footprint also fits a broader long-running pattern. Thiel previously secured citizenship in New Zealand and reportedly pursued residency opportunities in Malta as well. Reports suggest he increasingly views foreign properties and citizenship options as strategic “Plan B” hedges against political instability, economic turmoil, or even geopolitical conflict. Despite his growing presence abroad, Thiel’s influence inside the United States may actually be stronger than ever. His longtime protégé, Vice President JD Vance, is in Washington under President Donald Trump, whom Theil backed in the 2016 presidential election. Other members of the so-called “PayPal Mafia,” including tech investor David Sacks and entrepreneur Elon Musk, have also wielded enormous influence during Trump’s second administration. Meanwhile, Thiel-linked companies continue securing massive federal contracts. In the first quarter alone, Palantir earned $687 million in government contracts, tied to defense, immigration enforcement, and homeland security operations. Still, the apparent Argentina move highlights growing anxiety among some of America’s wealthiest elites as left-wing politicians push billionaire taxes, wealth redistribution measures, and increasingly hostile rhetoric toward ultra-high-net-worth Americans. Argentina, under Milei’s aggressively pro-market government, is attempting to position itself as the opposite: a low-regulation haven openly courting foreign capital, wealthy investors, and entrepreneurs fleeing the political climate of Europe and the United States. For now, it seems as though Thiel has not permanently left America. But his deepening ties to Argentina suggest one of America’s most influential tech power brokers is increasingly looking to get beyond U.S. borders.

A man in red prison garb walks a thin line, hunched and defeated, holding up an American flag that simultaneously pierces his back. The caption: “How Problematic Is Patriotism?” That’s how The New Yorker and its ideological allies see this country. The flag isn’t a symbol of sacrifice and freedom; it’s a wound. Patriotism isn’t a virtue; it’s a plague. These writers, cartoonists, and readers are a despondent people. They are perpetually ungrateful for what is, by any honest accounting, the greatest birthright a human being can receive. They are immune to the privilege of simply being born here — born into a country that hands them the freedom to publish, criticize, and mock. They use every one of these gifts to fixate on America’s imperfections while ignoring the ocean of blessings surrounding them. To answer this whimpering writer’s question: Yes, national pride in America is “worth trying to salvage.” And no, patriotism is not problematic. It is necessary, and it starts with refusing to despise the very country you claim to want to improve. Before making the case for American pride, it’s worth being clear about who is arguing against it. The New Yorker’s “How Problematic Is Patriotism?” ran May 25. Their May 4 cover, “Red, White, and Kinda Blue,” showed a melancholy George Washington slumped at a table, blowing a party horn, drinking a dirty martini. The accompanying text sneered that there was plenty to celebrate about America’s birthday: “Climate catastrophes are still somewhat frequent … and you’re free to express your opinion, as long as you keep your voice down and remember who you’re talking to.” Last year, a cover showed Lady Liberty behind prison bars, 100 tallies scratched into the wall, because President Donald Trump’s first one-hundred days had apparently caged freedom. Another depicted her on a tightrope, because democracy was “hanging in the balance.” In January 2024, they drew Trump as Hitler. In February, they showed the Founders — Hamilton, Franklin, Madison — being escorted out of the Oval Office like fired employees, boxes in hand, watched over by armed, masked Praetorian guards, their point being that cutting federal bloat is anti-American. They have spent years bashing the Founders, our symbols, our president, and the 77 million people who voted for him. They call themselves defenders of democracy while their own party leaders push to pack the Supreme Court, stack the Senate, and abolish the Electoral College. They declared democracy dead under Trump while ignoring that his opponent was installed at the top of the ticket without a single primary vote. This is not good-faith criticism. This is a campaign to make Americans ashamed of their country. To mock her and to mock you. They’re wrong. America is not a burden. It is the greatest experiment in human freedom the world has ever known.  She was founded on a self-evident truth — not a government decree, not a racial grievance scorecard, but a moral claim written into the architecture of the republic: that all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our Founders weren’t utopian dreamers or progressive airheads. They were battle-tested realists who understood human nature’s capacity for tyranny and deliberately built a constitutional republic to contain it. In today’s America, it’s leftists who are trying to tear down our constitutional republic, destroy individual liberty, take away property rights, and centralize government in the hands of a few. From the blood-soaked fields of Lexington and Yorktown to the moon landing and the smartphone in your pocket, America has generated more wealth, innovation, opportunity, and freedom for more people of every color and creed than any other nation in history. Millions still risk everything to reach our shores, not because they want to live under oppression, but because they know what the Left refuses to admit: this place is exceptional. America is winning. Our president has brokered the end of multiple global conflicts in barely over a year. Our military is crushing tyrants and terrorist networks. Our children are receiving tax-advantaged savings accounts at birth to jumpstart the American dream. We are leading the AI revolution that will reshape the world. After four years of timid retreat, America is acting like the global hegemon again. The engine of prosperity roars forward. That’s why people still come. That’s why freedom still lives here. And that’s why tearing down the greatest force for good in human history would leave the world darker, poorer, and enslaved to the very tyrannies our Founders bled to reject. For most people I know, the great frustrations of daily life are gas prices and expensive coffee. It sounds small, but it’s actually a testament to how good we have it. My biggest complaint isn’t political imprisonment or starvation. It’s that my latte hasn’t been under $4 since the last time President Trump was in office, and gas that was $2 in February crept back up to $5. Of course there is disease, grief, and disappointment in every corner of life. We should work to reduce all of it. But in the context of human history, in the context of what most of the world endures, Americans have it the best. America, to me, is still pie and summer picnics. It’s riding horses and watching football. It’s working hard, day in and day out, to build a life worth living and passing down. It’s a flag that doesn’t pierce you; it covers you. I love my country. I’m proud of it. I’m a patriot. We all should be.

New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart recently came under fire from the Left — and one of his own teammates — for introducing President Donald Trump at a rally, prompting the president to defend him this week.  In an interview with Fox News, Trump was asked about the controversy and began by complimenting Dart’s appearance and skill on the football field. “I wished I looked just like Jaxson,” Trump said. “I said, is he a male model or what? He’s a handsome guy, like a beautiful guy, and a, you know, conservative guy… He’s potentially a good quarterback, he’s a young boy and he just really started. And when he’s in the game, he moves the team.” Trump then said that the pushback from the Left will only increase Dart’s popularity among conservative Americans.  “So, when Jaxson gets harassed a little bit, he’s also loved more, because we have more people than they do,” Trump said. Dart has endured sharp backlash from the Left due to his appearance at the Suffern, New York, rally last Friday, including criticism from his Muslim teammate, edge rusher Abdul Carter. Dart addressed his fellow teammates during a Tuesday team meeting to explain his actions and fix any conflict, and Carter has said that he and Dart have made up. “Me & JD6 are good!” he wrote on X. “We spoke earlier as Men. Y’all can keep y’all narratives.” Dart has not vocally backed Trump, but he has liked many MAGA-related posts on social media, as well as posted in an Instagram story last year that he was praying for Charlie Kirk’s family after the famed political commentator’s assassination. Dart is not the first New York Giant to support Trump at a rally. Former Giants players Lawrence Taylor and Ottis Anderson both joined the president at a New Jersey rally in 2024.

Zohran Mamdani has found a new way to play Santa Claus with other people’s money. Last week, New York City’s socialist mayor proudly announced a deal that will allow 1,000 New York City residents to purchase World Cup tickets for just $50 each, complete with free transportation to the games. The announcement was framed as a victory for affordability and access, proof that government can step in and help ordinary people enjoy one of the world’s biggest sporting events. But there’s one problem: the games aren’t being played in New York City. They’re being played in New Jersey. While Mamdani enjoys the headlines and takes credit for making the World Cup more “affordable,” New Jersey residents will be dealing with the traffic, security costs, transit disruptions, and logistical burdens that come with hosting one of the largest sporting events on the planet. New Jersey taxpayers are helping shoulder those costs, yet New York politicians are the ones claiming the political victories. The arrangement is a perfect illustration of a broader problem in progressive politics. Time and again, politicians create highly visible benefits for a select group of people while pushing the costs onto someone else. The formula is simple: generate a headline, distribute a perk, celebrate the winners, and avoid talking about who ultimately pays for it. Mamdani’s supporters will argue that he is simply making good on his promise to make New York more affordable. But affordable for whom? The World Cup has become a luxury event, with many tickets costing hundreds or even thousands of dollars. A giveaway of 1,000 discounted tickets doesn’t solve that problem. It simply creates a handful of lucky winners while leaving the overwhelming majority of families priced out of the event. That’s the dirty little secret behind many modern political “solutions.” They’re often designed to create the appearance of action rather than address the underlying issue. If housing is unaffordable, create a subsidy. If college costs are too high, forgive selected loans. If World Cup tickets are out of reach, give away a limited number of discounted seats. The politician gets a favorable news cycle while the larger problem remains unsolved. What makes this case especially frustrating is that New Jersey is doing much of the heavy lifting. The state’s infrastructure, public safety resources, and transportation systems will all be put under enormous strain during the tournament. Yet when an opportunity arises to provide a meaningful benefit to residents, New York City negotiates a special arrangement for its own constituents and then celebrates it as an achievement. If the games are being played in New Jersey, why aren’t New Jersey families receiving the same opportunity? The answer is obvious. This was never primarily about soccer. It was about politics. Mamdani understands that voters remember benefits far more than they remember costs. The benefits are visible, immediate, and easy to market. The costs are spread out, buried in budgets, and often paid by people who aren’t standing behind the politician at a press conference. The World Cup should be an event that brings the region together. Instead, it has become a case study in how politicians increasingly operate: concentrate benefits, disperse costs, and claim credit for both. Mamdani may view this ticket giveaway as a political win, but for many taxpayers watching from across the Hudson, it looks like a familiar story — one group gets the perks while another gets the bill. That’s not affordability. It’s political theater. *** Rosemary Becchi is a tax attorney, taxpayer advocate, and founder of Jersey 1st.