INTERNACIONAL
Ex-Pelosi aide accuses Hakeem Jeffries of ‘squandering’ anti-Trump opportunities in stunning rebuke
A former top advisor to ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., is not meeting the moment in the current Trump era.
«Trump is just giving us all this incredible red meat. I mean, I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s like the biggest gift any party has been given by the opposition, and we’re just squandering it, to a degree,» former Pelosi advisor Ashley Etienne told Politico’s Deep Dive podcast.
Etienne helped Pelosi oversee Democrats’ messaging during President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. She also previously worked for former Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign.
She said Jeffries was «doing well» in many areas and said she had «a tremendous amount of respect» for the New York Democrat but signaled that he was missing opportunities on anti-Trump messaging.
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A former advisor to ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi shared criticism of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ leadership. (Getty/Reuters)
«He gave a speech this morning. I don’t have any talking points in my phone about what he said. And I’m going to be doing TV and this interview all day. That’s a failure,» Etienne said.
«How do you get to discipline if you’re not telling people what the hell you want them to say? At least emphatically, at least tonally.»
Jeffries’ allies pushed back against that characterization, pointing out that intraparty friction was taking attention away from Trump’s low poll numbers and Republicans’ policies.
«Donald Trump’s approval ratings are plummeting, and he’s bringing House Republicans down with him. Extreme MAGA Republicans have been forced to delay their plans to advance Trump’s centerpiece legislative priority due to intense backlash against their scheme to enact the largest cuts in history to Medicaid and food assistance. Let’s keep the main thing, the main thing,» Jeffries spokesperson Christiana Stephenson told Fox News Digital.
Just Friday morning, Jeffries released a statement hammering House Republicans for having to delay part of their legislative work to advance Trump’s agenda.
But Etienne’s comments are a notable rebuke from a former senior Democratic leadership aide to one of the party’s most powerful current officials, which comes after months of Democrats being plagued by infighting over messaging woes.
Etienne noted that Democrats had scored several wins on the messaging front, like having «successfully demonized Elon Musk» and Sen. Cory Booker’s recent record-breaking filibuster speech.
But she singled out liberals’ protests during Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress as an «embarrassing» setback for the party and Jeffries.
Etienne said the Democratic protests during Trump’s speech were ‘embarrassing.’ (Win McNamee/Pool Photo via AP)
«If you look at the headlines post-the speech, even during the speech, it was more about Democrats and Democrats protesting rather than what Trump was actually saying. And in those kind of moments, you don’t want to become the story. You want Trump to be the story,» Etienne said.
«And I also thought it was a problem for Mr. Jeffries. I mean, it really says a lot about how people value his leadership. He asked for no protest. And what did they do? They protest 50 different ways.»
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Both Pelosi and Jeffries’ offices told Politico that the latter often seeks the former’s input, and Jeffries’ spokesperson pushed back on Politico’s reporting that House Democratic leaders were seeking to move past Pelosi and that Jeffries was not doing enough to help Democratic groups with messaging.
One of those groups, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC), pushed back on the assertion they were not hearing enough from Jeffries.
PCCC sent out a press release that read, «Today, in a POLITICO article we are not interested in dwelling on, a former Pelosi staffer attacked Hakeem Jeffries. PCCC co-founder Adam Green said, ‘We hear more from Jeffries than we ever heard from Pelosi.’»
Meanwhile, a House Democratic aide told Fox News Digital that Jeffries held «multiple calls» previewing his earlier speech on Trump’s first 100 days in office, as well as talking points «emphasizing the Leader’s message that President Trump’s first 100 days have been a disaster for the American people.»
Stephenson, Jeffries’ spokesperson, also posted on X of Politico’s report, «Can anyone tell me how grandstanding like this is anything other than a gift to Republicans?»
But House Republicans’ elections arm was quick to pounce on the discord as well.
«Hakeem Jeffries is the so-called leader of a team that doesn’t fear him, doesn’t follow him, and now, doesn’t even pretend to respect him,» National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.
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And Democratic strategist Julian Epstein, a former chief counsel of the House Judiciary Committee, criticized Jeffries’ leadership but said that Trump was not Democrats’ main problem.
«He’s not a particularly effective speaker, gives no sense of direction or purpose, seems intent on not offending anyone, and has a leadership style that seems extremely passive,» Epstein said.
«The Democrats in the House just seem like a big blob that goes wherever gravity takes them, and right now gravity is taking them to the hard protest left. But no matter who the leader is, if the Democrats are selling a product that voters don’t like, it won’t matter.»
Pelosi’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
House Of Representatives,House of Representatives Democrats,Nancy Pelosi,Politics
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FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican wants to build a paper trail of former President Joe Biden’s autopen usage with the end goal of calling more hearings, passing legislation or amending the Constitution to best address «a mentally incapacitated president.»
Sen. Eric Schmitt, chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, is requesting special access under the Presidential Records Act to a trove of Biden-era documents and memos that chronicle his usage of an autopen.
In a letter to Secretary of State and Acting National Archivist Marco Rubio exclusively obtained by Fox News, Schmitt argued that creating a paper trail of key directives made toward the end of his presidency would help in «deciding which legislative remedy is most appropriate.»
TOP BIDEN AIDE ADMITS TO CONGRESS SHE DIRECTED AUTOPEN SIGNATURES WITHOUT KNOWING WHO GAVE FINAL APPROVAL
Neera Tanden, the former director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council, testified for more than five hours Tuesday behind closed doors as part of House Republicans’ investigation into the former president’s mental acuity and his use of an automatic signature tool. (Getty Images)
«In particular, the increased use of the autopen to sign pardons, executive orders, and other documents as his Presidency progressed became a poignant symbol of President Biden’s mental decline and has created questions about the validity of those orders and pardons if President Biden did not direct the use of the autopen,» he wrote.
Schmitt requested access to a slew of documents, including memos about procedures for usage of the autopen, who was granted authority to use the autopen and emails from staff authorizing or requesting authorization for autopen usage.
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Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in Dirksen building Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Getty Images)
He also requested access to all White House records after Nov. 1, 2024, that refer or relate to presidential pardons; that prioritize briefing books, memos and decision memos for pardons; and, eventually, access to all White House records after Nov. 1.
«With that information, the subcommittee will be better positioned to ensure that any potential proposed amendment will be sufficiently comprehensive so as to address any plausible contingency concerning a mentally incapacitated President,» Schmitt wrote.
«It would be challenging enough to amend the Constitution once — much less more than once if it then subsequently turned out not all contingencies around presidential incapacity were adequately considered.»
Schmitt’s letter comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Biden’s alleged mental decline while in office and how the autopen could have played a central role in his inner circle’s alleged attempt to skirt the Constitution while continuing to carry out the duties of the office.
EX-WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS TO TESTIFY ON WHO ‘REALLY RAN THE COUNTRY’ DURING BIDEN ERA
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters while flying aboard Air Force One en route from Calgary, Canada, to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, late Monday, June 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
It also explicitly mentions the closed-door, transcribed hearing with Biden’s former director of the Domestic Policy Council, Neera Tanden, conducted by the House Oversight Committee this week.
A source told Fox News Digital that during the transcribed interview, which lasted five hours, Tanden testified she had «minimal interaction with President Biden» in her role as staff secretary and that to obtain autopen signatures, she would send decision memos to members of Biden’s inner circle.
She said during the interview she was not aware of what actions or approvals happened between the time the memo was sent out and returned with approval.
However, Tanden’s opening statement, shared with Fox News Digital by her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, said that, as staff secretary, she was responsible for «handling the flow of documents to and from the President» and that she was authorized to direct that autopen signatures be «affixed to certain categories of documents.»
«We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations,» Tanden said. «We employed that system throughout my tenure as Staff Secretary.»
She was later named director of Biden’s Domestic Policy Council and said she was no longer responsible for the flow of documents and was no longer involved in decisions related to the autopen.
«I would note that much of the public discussion on the subject matter of this hearing has conflated two very different issues: first, the president’s age and second, whether President Bident was in command as President,» she said. «I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President. He was in charge.»
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Schmitt requested that access to the swathe of memos and communications be granted no later than July 16.
«It is important for this subcommittee to have a clear picture of President Biden’s decision-making capacity at the end of his presidency and to know the extent to which members of his inner circle possibly usurped the President’s decision-making authority,» he wrote.
Fox News Digital’s Liz Elkind contributed to this report.
INTERNACIONAL
China confirmó el acuerdo sobre tierras raras y exportaciones con EEUU tras una nueva ronda de negociaciones en Londres
China y Estados Unidos alcanzaron un acuerdo definitivo sobre la exportación de bienes estratégicos, incluidas las tierras raras, tras concluir su última ronda de negociaciones en Londres. Así lo confirmó este viernes el Ministerio de Comercio chino mediante un comunicado oficial, en el que informó que ambos gobiernos “mantuvieron una comunicación cercana” tras el encuentro y que “con aprobación, ambas partes confirmaron los detalles del acuerdo”.
El documento aclara que, como parte del entendimiento, “China revisará y aprobará las solicitudes de exportación de bienes controlados que cumplan con las condiciones con arreglo a la ley”, en una clara referencia a las restricciones impuestas por Beijing a principios de abril sobre la venta de minerales críticos como las tierras raras. Estos recursos son fundamentales para industrias clave, como la defensa, la tecnología avanzada o el sector automotriz.
A cambio, Estados Unidos se compromete a eliminar “una serie de medidas restrictivas” adoptadas contra China, aunque el comunicado no detalla cuáles serán levantadas ni en qué plazos. Esta medida corresponde a lo pactado en la conversación del 5 de junio entre el presidente chino Xi Jinping y su homólogo estadounidense Donald Trump, que habilitó la reanudación de los contactos comerciales a nivel técnico.
“Se espera que EEUU y China encuentren un término medio y cumplan con los importantes consensos y requisitos alcanzados por los jefes de Estado”, señala el comunicado, refiriéndose al diálogo presidencial que facilitó la reactivación de las negociaciones formales en la capital británica.
La confirmación de este acuerdo por parte del gobierno chino se produce un día después de que Trump asegurara que “Estados Unidos firmó un acuerdo con China” en una declaración pública, aunque sin ofrecer precisiones. Según había adelantado el mandatario republicano a mediados de junio, el pacto incluye un arancel del 55 % impuesto por EEUU a productos chinos y un 10 % recíproco por parte de Beijing sobre bienes estadounidenses.
El acuerdo de Londres sella un marco de cooperación basado en el “consenso” alcanzado en la llamada presidencial, pero se mantenía pendiente de la ratificación final de ambos líderes. La firma llega tras una serie de tensiones renovadas, motivadas por acusaciones cruzadas de incumplimiento del pacto alcanzado en mayo en Ginebra, que dio origen a una tregua comercial de 90 días.
En el marco de ese entendimiento previo, China había reducido sus aranceles a productos estadounidenses del 125% al 10%, mientras que Washington rebajó los suyos del 145% al 30% sobre bienes chinos. Sin embargo, ambas partes se acusaron mutuamente de violar el acuerdo: Beijing denunció restricciones estadounidenses sobre la exportación de chips de inteligencia artificial y software de diseño de semiconductores, así como medidas migratorias contra estudiantes chinos. Washington, por su parte, criticó las limitaciones chinas sobre la exportación de tierras raras.
La disputa comercial entre ambos países se intensificó desde el regreso de Donald Trump a la Casa Blanca, con una renovada ofensiva arancelaria que reactivó la guerra comercial iniciada en 2018. Esta escalada ha derivado en una situación de embargo parcial, con efectos globales sobre cadenas de suministro y mercados estratégicos.
Con este nuevo acuerdo, China y Estados Unidos buscan desescalar las tensiones mediante compromisos mutuos en comercio y exportaciones clave. No obstante, aún queda por determinar cómo se implementarán las medidas anunciadas y si ambas partes cumplirán los plazos y condiciones fijados. Por ahora, el entendimiento representa un paso más en la volátil relación bilateral entre las dos principales economías del mundo.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
Asia / Pacific,LIANYUNGANG
INTERNACIONAL
El gigantesco resort de playa de Corea del Norte para 20 mil personas, con hoteles y cafés: ¿Qué turistas espera Kim Jong-un?
Primero, los turistas nacionales y los rusos después
Kim Jong-un (L), junto a su hija Kim Ju Ae en la playa del nuevo complejo. Foto: EFESe espera la llegada de turistas rusos
Imagen del complejo compartida por el régimen comunista norcoreano. Foto: AP
La ceremonia del martes marcó la finalización de las obras de construcción del complejo.Foto: EFE
El parque acuático del resort bajo la observación de Kim. Foto: ReutersTours surcoreanos y estadounidenses, poco probables
Kim Jong Un y su hija visitan uno de los hoteles. Foto: Reuters¿Cómo es el resort de Wonsan-Kalma, en Corea del Norte?
Kim y su hija vistian las instalaciones. Foto: Reuters
El resort de Wonsan. Foto: EFE
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El PJ estira la definición de la estrategia electoral y aumenta la incertidumbre sobre cómo se concretará la unidad
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