Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to evaluate whether President Joe Biden is fit to lead based on his poor debate performance against former President Donald Trump last week. Fauci, a longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) who advised both Trump and Biden before retiring at the end of 2022, spoke about the issue on “The Takeout” podcast. CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett asked Fauci if there was anything that would “medically alarm” him based on what he saw during the debate. Dr. Fauci tells @MajorCBS that he has "no doubt" President Biden has the mental capacity and vigor to carry on with his office, despite a shaky performance during last week's debate with former President Donald Trump. Full episode with Dr. Fauci on @TakeoutPodcast will be… pic.twitter.com/lVpwjNYcVP — CBS News (@CBSNews) July 2, 2024 Fauci, 83, demurred, noting that he thought it would be “inappropriate” to say. Looking at someone on a “one-shot basis” leaves too much room for unknowns, including questions about whether Biden had a “bad cold” or did he “take an antihistamine to make him groggy,” Fauci explained. “We don’t know what went on and I think it would be unfair and inappropriate to try and diagnose something from just a 90-minute clip,” he added. Biden, 81, seeks to reassure Democrats that he remains capable of serving and running for re-election as he faces growing pressure to step aside and give the party a chance to rally behind a replacement. During the debate, sources close to Biden began telling news outlets the president had been suffering from a cold. But White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Biden “was not taking any cold medication.” Fauci also told Garrett that, based on his interactions with Biden, he has “no doubt” that Biden has the vigor and mental capability to continue serving as president. The interview took place as Fauci promoted his new book, “On Call,” which he said describes how Biden asked “probing” questions and was “analytical” in his discussions with the president. Fauci said what he witnessed during the debate last week did not reflect his personal experiences with Biden, adding, “To me, it just looked like a bad night.” In another recent interview on CBS prior to the debate, Fauci said Biden was “absolutely” fit to lead for another term while criticizing what he described as Trump’s “missed opportunities” from a “health standpoint.”

Singer Bebe Rexha voiced complaints about the music industry on Tuesday, saying she could “bring” it “down” if she chose to. The 34-year-old recording artist made the threat on X. “I could bring down a BIG chunk of this industry. I AM frustrated. I Have been UNDERMINED. I’ve been so quiet for the longest time. I haven’t seen the signs even though people constantly are bringing them up and they have been SO OBVIOUS,” Rexha wrote on X.  “And when I have spoken up I’ve been silence [sic] and PUNISHED by this industry,” she continued. “Things must change or I’m telling ALL of my truths. The good the bad and the ugly.” I could bring down a BIG chunk of this industry. I AM frustrated. I Have been UNDERMINED. I’ve been so quiet for the longest time. I haven’t seen the signs even though people constantly are bringing them up and they have been SO OBVIOUS. And when I have spoken up I’ve been… — Bebe Rexha (@BebeRexha) July 2, 2024 Rexha did not elaborate on what happened, but she replied to a fan speculating about a previous controversy. That person asked if her threat was due to the singer not getting credit for collaborating with David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, and Afrojack on the single “Hey Mama” 2015. “My love. That? Compared to all the other stuff you don’t know about? That’s Child’s play,” Rexha replied. “This is not just coming from a place of anger. It’s sadness,” the “Meant to Be” singer added in a follow-up. “I’m sitting in my hotel room in London Crying my eyes out. I’ve felt hopeless for the longest time. I’ve been walking a lot through this city and meeting fans and they have really ignited something inside of me.” Rexha also responded to insinuations that she was trying to drum up publicity for her new single, “I’m the Drama,” which was released on June 28. “Marketing? I have no budget for that. IM FED UP,” she wrote. Last year, Rexha made headlines after being hit in the face with a cell phone while she was performing in New York City. She posted two pictures to her Instagram account prominently displaying her bruises.   In one photo, she’s giving a thumbs-up as her left eye is bruised dark purple and bandaged. She simply captioned the post, “I’m good.”

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against the state of New York, alleging that the state is engaged in election interference through its prosecution of former President Donald Trump. The suit alleges three specific violations against New York, including interference with the presidential election in other states, interference with voters’ First Amendment rights in other states, and violation of a federal case that prohibits courts from sowing voter confusion or changing election rules. Bailey is calling on the Supreme Court to step in and rule that New York’s restrictions on Trump’s ability to campaign interfered with the election. The suit specifically alleges that “New York’s actions impose a sovereign harm to the ability of Missouri’s 10 electors to exercise their federal authority,” with Bailey telling The Daily Wire that it is “intended to protect Missourians’ sovereign interest in participating in a national presidential election on equal footing with other states.” Bailey referenced Purcell, a federal case he described as the court deciding that “the judiciary should refrain from issuing rulings close in times of an election that could interfere with an election.” “There’s these open questions as to whether or not President Trump can appear on a ballot” and “whether or not he’s eligible to run for public office,” Bailey stated, adding that uncertainty has “been injected by this rogue prosecutor,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, in a manner that “violates the doctrine of Purcell and has the potential to undermine the credibility of the election.” He also addressed the gag order Judge Juan Merchan, the Acting Justice of the New York State Supreme Court, placed on Trump, arguing that the order and any sentencing “should be stayed until after the election.” “Trump’s conviction is very likely to be overturned on appeal. But by then, the constraints New York has sought to impose on Trump to limit his ability to campaign will already have had their full effect,” Bailey explained. “Missouri has a strong, judicially enforceable interest in its citizens and electors being able to hear Trump’s campaigning free from any gag order.” “We used to live in a world where the rules of the game mattered about the players and the outcomes,” Bailey told The Daily Wire, addressing the broader consequences of the prosecution of Trump for American politics. “The Left has rejected that approach in favor of violating the rules in order to retain power because they’re so desperate to be in control and have authority, and they’re willing to sacrifice the rest of our rights on that altar.”

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers are reportedly preparing to call on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential election following his disastrous debate performance last week. At least 25 Democrats were preparing to push Biden to step down “if he seems shaky in coming days” and is unable to quell growing dissent within the party, according to a report from Reuters citing a House Democratic aide. Biden reportedly acknowledged to a close ally that if he is unable to convince the public that he is mentally fit for office in the coming days he might not be able to salvage his presidency. The White House denied that report. Bloomberg News reported that “Biden is rapidly losing the support of Democratic lawmakers and candidates” who are panicking that if he stays in the race, Republicans will have a “sweep of Washington” on Election Day. There are reportedly multiple letters that are circulating among House Democrats — including members in swing districts and members in deep blue districts — that would call on Biden to drop out. The potential mutiny that Biden could face from within his own party comes as he is set to meet with Democratic governors on Wednesday evening in an attempt to reassure them about his abilities. Top Biden donor Charles Myers told Bloomberg that the effort to replace Biden on the ballot was moving “much faster” than Biden’s team anticipated and that they have “probably another five to six days.” Former President Barack Obama reportedly started to sour on Biden in the days following the debate, even though he said publicly that he still backed him. Three Democrat officeholders stated on Tuesday that they believe Biden will lose to Trump this fall, including Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), who called on Biden to step down; Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), and Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME). Obama’s former HUD Secretary Julian Castro also called on Biden to resign on Tuesday.

The strongest accusation against King George in the original draft of the Declaration of Independence never made it into the final copy, but this July 4th it is more important than ever. It read: He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. Our nation has come a long way since Thomas Jefferson, himself a slaveholder, penned these words. Nearly 250 years later, though, we remain one of the top destinations for modern slavery — human trafficking. As they were then, many of the victims today are innocent children. To understand how bad things are, recall that just ten years ago, on June 20, 2014, then-Vice President Biden expressed alarm that 24,000 unaccompanied minors were apprehended at the Southern border in a single year, calling it a “startling number” that was “untenable and unsustainable.” “Between 75 and 80 percent” of these vulnerable children, he estimated, were sold into forced labor or prostitution by smugglers. Now consider more than 130,000 unaccompanied minors have arrived at our Southern border every single year since President Biden took office, more than four times the number of arrivals a decade ago. By the President’s own estimation, nearly 100,000 children are trafficked in the United States every year. Americans on both the Left and the Right are eager to change this. Last Fourth of July, when the independent film “Sound of Freedom” debuted, its compelling story about the prevalence and horror of child-sex-trafficking resonated with millions of Americans. Soon, the film was outgrossing major productions such as “Indiana Jones,” “Mission: Impossible,” and “The Hunger Games” at the domestic box office. Sound of Freedom | Angel Studios In places like Alabama, the outpouring of public support for the film was so great that it inspired the “Sound of Freedom Act,” making the penalty for first-degree human trafficking mandatory life imprisonment when the victim is a minor. In Congress, Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), worked with us to introduce the SECURE Act, which requires the federal government to investigate and report on potential trafficking of the approximately 85,000 unaccompanied migrant children released by DHS into the U.S., but whose whereabouts remain unknown. But in Hollywood, and in most of Washington, the “Sound of Freedom” was met with skepticism and scorn. Countless pundits and reports attempted to connect the movie to the QAnon conspiracy theory. Biden’s own Department of Defense, despite the president’s expressed concerns about this issue, canceled screenings of the film at U.S. Southern Command Headquarters in Doral, Florida. And, of course, the SECURE Act hasn’t even been passed out of the Republican-controlled House. It is a shame the film was politicized in this manner. Protecting kids and stopping traffickers shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Among voters, it’s not — only in Washington and Hollywood could it become one. Child sex trafficking, like any market, relies on supply and demand. In this case, the supply comes from a steady stream of innocent children being bought, sold, and abused. Demand is driven by depraved adults. The simplest and most effective way the White House could immediately reduce supply would be to secure the Southern border, thus undermining the cartels’ business. Unfortunately, border security doesn’t fit into today’s liberal priorities. So late last month, the president opted instead to give amnesty to nearly 500,000 illegal aliens to “keep American families together.” This may sound nice, but it only further incentivizes desperate people to send their children into the arms of human traffickers. Even fewer people in Washington are willing to do what it takes to reduce demand for sex-trafficking: Take on the billion-dollar porn industry. Porn drastically increases the size and scope of the sex-trafficking industry. According to researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Boston, “teen porn” was the “fastest-growing genre” of pornography between 2005 and 2013. By March of that year, it was the “largest single genre… in terms of search frequency,” accounting for “500,000” searches. Since then, things have only gotten worse. The National Institutes of Health reported that COVID-19 brought a 19% increase in pornography consumption, and a drastic increase in the number of URLs confirmed as containing child sex abuse imagery followed thereafter, increasing from 132,676 in 2019 to more than 255,000 in 2022. Our leaders could address this problem if they wanted to. In 2020, a single story exposing the overt child porn and trafficking videos on Pornhub was enough to force the company to delete 10 million videos — 80% of the site’s total content — almost overnight. Imagine what would happen if Republicans and Democrats in Congress worked together to require porn companies to put warning labels on their sites about porn’s relationship to child trafficking or its negative effects on mental health. Or better still, if Biden encouraged Democrats to support Senator Mike Lee’s SCREEN Act, which requires all commercial porn websites to adopt age verification technology to ensure a child cannot access its pornographic content. With an election approaching, these issues can no longer be dismissed. The “Sound of Freedom” may have come and gone from the headlines, but the scourge of human trafficking has only gotten worse under President Biden, and it could prove to be a serious vulnerability for his campaign come November. Why? The answer is simple. Because the millions of Americans that “Sound of Freedom” spoke to aren’t QAnon conspiracy theorists. Nor are they enemies of America’s freedom and democracy. They’re patriotic voters on both sides of the aisle who want to see their country live out its founding ideals, most especially the Declaration of Independence’s insistence that God’s children should never, ever be for sale. * * * Kevin Roberts, Ph.D., is the president of The Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action for America. Eduardo Verástegui produced and acted in “Sound of Freedom.” The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

'has done more harm than probably the night itself'

'See ya!!'

'he's swirling the levels of hell he created'

Pelosi is clearly not entirely behind Biden

'undermining the foundations of our democracy'