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House Dems open investigation into Trump’s acceptance of $400 million jet from Qatar

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FIRST ON FOX: House Democrats are opening an investigation into President Donald Trump and his administration’s acceptance of a $400 million private jet from the Qatari government.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, led his fellow Democrats on the panel in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and White House counsel David Warrington on Thursday.

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They’re specifically asking Bondi to hand over a reported legal memo she wrote that is meant to assert the legality of Trump accepting the plane on behalf of the U.S.

«Any legal memo purporting to make such a claim would obviously fly in the face of the text of the Constitution’s Foreign Emoluments Clause, which explicitly prohibits the President from accepting any ‘present [or] Emolument … of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State’ unless he has ‘the Consent of Congress,’» the letter reads.

MEET THE TRUMP-PICKED LAWMAKERS GIVING SPEAKER JOHNSON A FULL HOUSE GOP CONFERENCE

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The House Judiciary Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Jamie Raskin, is launching a probe into President Trump accepting a plane from Qatar (Getty Images)

«Accordingly, we are writing to request that you provide the Committee on the Judiciary with these memos immediately as their analysis and conclusions are apparently the basis for the President’s decision to disregard the plain text of the Constitution.»

Raskin and the other Judiciary Committee Democrats went so far as to accuse Trump or people in his orbit of soliciting a bribe from Qatar.

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«President Trump’s statements expressing displeasure with delays in the delivery of his new Boeing aircraft to serve as Air Force One and the timing of this ‘gift’ suggest that President Trump or a member of his Administration may have improperly solicited this ‘nice gesture’ from the Qatari government,» the Democrats said, citing Trump’s own comments.

«The fact that, according to President Trump, the plane would not remain in service to the United States but would rather be donated to his presidential library after his term concludes further raises the possibility that this ‘nice gesture’ is intended as a bribe to Donald Trump.»

Multiple outlets reported that Bondi and Warrington drafted a legal memo that said it was «legally permissible» for Trump to accept the plane and then have it transferred to his presidential library when he leaves office.

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A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital the memo was drafted by the Office of Legal Counsel and signed by Bondi.

But Democrats suggested the memo was likely not sufficient grounds for Trump to bypass Congress on the issue, and pointed out Bondi herself had previously lobbied on Qatar’s behalf.

BROWN UNIVERSITY IN GOP CROSSHAIRS AFTER STUDENT’S DOGE-LIKE EMAIL KICKS OFF FRENZY

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Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters outside the White House, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks to reporters outside the White House, Wednesday, May 7, 2025, in Washington.  ((AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein))

«The Constitution is clear: Congress—not the Attorney General or the White House Counsel—has the exclusive authority to approve or reject a gift ‘of any kind whatever’ given to the President by a foreign government,» the letter said.

«We would also note that, even if the Attorney General had a constitutional role to play here, Attorney General Bondi has a significant and obvious conflict of interest given her prior registration as an official agent of the Qatari government and earned no less than $115,000 per month lobbying on its behalf.»

When reached for comment on the matter, a source close to Bondi said only that the letter was received by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

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In addition to looking for the memo itself, the Democratic letter also asked for any communications and other records regarding the Boeing plane’s transfer, and discussions of the gift’s legal justifications.

Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee have little power to compel Trump administration officials to comply, given their status as the minority party in the chamber.

But Raskin has been scrutinizing Trump and his inner circle over family foreign ties since the former president’s first term.

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The latest letter comes during Trump’s diplomatic visit to the Middle East, where Qatar was one of his stops.

Trump has defended his acceptance of the plane on multiple occasions, arguing he would be a «stupid person» to not take it, while bashing Democrats for their criticism.

«So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!» Trump wrote on Truth Social this week.

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Senate Republicans said they knew little when asked by Fox News Digital earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., skirted around the issue during his most recent weekly press conference.

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«I’m not following all the twists and turns of the charter jet. My understanding is it’s not a personal gift for the President of the United States, and other nations give us gifts all the time, but, I’m going to leave it to the administration. They know much more about the details,» Johnson told reporters.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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Una muestra en Barcelona revela la infancia de Claude y Paloma Picasso junto a sus padres artistas

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“No es fácil ser hija de Pablo Picasso, pero tampoco de François Gilot“, confesó Paloma Picasso (Crédito: Fotonoticias / WireImage)

“No es fácil ser hija de Pablo Picasso, pero tampoco de François Gilot“, ha confesado Paloma Picasso en la presentación de la exposición Crecer entre dos artistas, con el que el Museo Picasso de Barcelona rinde homenaje a su hermano Claude.

Calificada por el director del museo y cocomisario, Emmanuel Guigon, como “sensible, emocionante y poética”, la exposición se podrá ver desde mañana viernes hasta el próximo 26 de octubre, y el público podrá seguir un viaje emotivo por la infancia de Claude y Paloma Picasso junto a sus padres, en Vallauris, en el sur de Francia, adonde se trasladaron tras la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

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Impulsada por la propia Paloma Picasso, la muestra reúne cerca de un centenar de obras icónicas, y muchas de ellas inéditas como La Guenon et son petit, entre pinturas, cerámicas, juguetes y fotografías familiares, así como correspondencia, que ofrecen “una mirada íntima y excepcional a la vida familiar del artista”, remarca Guigon.

Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso

Las obras de la exposición, que ha contado con el apoyo de toda la familia Picasso, transmiten, según Guigon, “la felicidad de la vida familiar, y al mismo tiempo una vida centrada en el trabajo”, porque, como ha precisado Paloma, sus padres eran “por encima de artistas, dos trabajadores”.

Comienza la exposición con los retratos de los cuatro integrantes de la familia, convertidos en sombras chinas, pero que “también se podría interpretar como las figuras de las cerámicas griegas”, anota el director del museo barcelonés.

En una segunda sala hay retratos de la familia, algunos inéditos como un retrato de Françoise Gilot de 1946 (Mujer joven sentada), cuadros en los que se ve a los niños jugando, muchos recortes de papel convertidos en pequeños objetos para jugar, fuera un mosquetero, un autobús o un “arlequín dislocado”.

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En este mismo espacio se encuentra la escultura La mona y su cría (1951) y los dibujos preparatorios, que muestran el proceso seguido por Picasso para convertir en una mona unos cochecitos que le había regalado Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler a Claude y que el artista ‘robó’ a su hijo.

Françoise Gilot y Pablo Picasso
Françoise Gilot y Pablo Picasso (Crédito: Bettmann Archive)

“Esta escultura es la demostración de que Picasso, más que un genio, es humano, porque decir que es un genio es como si su creatividad le hubiera caído del cielo, y detrás de cada obra había mucho trabajo, como se ve en los dibujos en los que esos coches de Claude se convirtieron en una mona», ha señalado Guigon.

En el ecuador del recorrido, se pueden contemplar, por primera vez en España, algunas de las obras de Gilot, centradas en Claude y Paloma y la vida familiar en Vallauris, en la casa de La Galloise.

Se trata de una obra muy influenciada por Picasso, como se puede comprobar en óleos como Claude y Paloma jugando con una pelota (1953), Mis hijos jugando (1952), Claude a caballo sobre un juguete (1952), La lección de lectura o La mesa del jardín con Claude, éstas sin fecha.

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“La lección de lectura” de
“La lección de lectura” de Picasso

Al final de la exposición, se exhiben algunas cerámicas picassianas con Claude como protagonista, una filmación en la que se puede ver al artista transformar un vaso en una paloma, así como la película que el propio Claude dirigió con Thierry Spitzer un año después de la muerte del malagueño, Atelier 74, que documenta el estado del taller de La Californie, prácticamente intacto desde que Picasso lo abandonó en 1961 para instalarse en Mougins.

Paloma Picasso ha destacado que “en aquel ambiente familiar no había diferencia entre las obras importantes y los juguetes que hacía Picasso“, como unas muñecas que creó con la cara de su hija, que “apenas las hizo -ha recordado- me las quitó, así es la vida”.

No ha ocultado también su satisfacción de que se pueda ver en Barcelona la obra de su madre, algo que frustró la pandemia.

“Claude a caballo sobre un
“Claude a caballo sobre un juguete” (1952) de Picasso

Sobre la relación con dos padres artistas, Paloma Picasso ha comentado: “Mi padre vivía y compartía cosas con nosotros, ponía su vida como ejemplo, y mi madre, con un pensamiento más intelectual, expresaba su temor de que acabáramos odiando el arte, porque era el arte el que nos robaba tiempo con nuestros padres; pero vivir en un ambiente tan creativo es lo mejor para un niño”.

Ha asegurado que no tiene muchos recuerdos de sus padres juntos, pues cuando se separaron ella tenía cuatro años, pero “lo hicieron bien, porque ninguno de los dos hablaba mal del otro”.

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De ambos heredó la idea de “no conformarse con lo que sabes hacer, sino ir más allá” y fue así como se acabó dedicando al diseño de joyas.

Fuente: EFE



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FTC firings take spotlight in Trump’s fight to erase independence of agencies

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The Supreme Court has temporarily allowed President Donald Trump to fire numerous Democrat-appointed members of independent agencies, but one case still moving through the legal system carries the greatest implications yet for a president’s authority to do that.

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In Slaughter v. Trump, a Biden-appointed member of the Federal Trade Commission has vowed to fight what she calls her «illegal firing,» setting up a possible scenario in which the case lands before the Supreme Court.

The case would pose the most direct question yet to the justices about where they stand on Humphrey’s Executor v. United States, the nearly century-old decision regarding a president’s power over independent regulatory agencies.

John Shu, a constitutional law expert who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital he thinks the high court is likely to side with the president if and when the case arrives there.

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SUPREME COURT SAYS TRUMP CAN PROCEED WITH FIRING DEMOCRAT-APPOINTED CPSC MEMBERS

The Supreme Court is photographed, Feb. 28, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

«I think it’s unlikely that Humphrey’s Executor survives the Supreme Court, at least in its current form,» Shu said, adding he anticipates the landmark decision will be overturned or «severely narrowed.»

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What is Humphrey’s Executor?

Humphrey’s Executor centered on President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decision to fire an FTC commissioner with whom he disagreed politically. The case marked the first instance of the Supreme Court limiting a president’s removal power by ruling that Roosevelt overstepped his authority. The court found that presidents could not dismiss FTC commissioners without a reason, such as malfeasance, before their seven-year terms ended, as outlined by Congress in the FTC Act.

However, the FTC’s functions, which largely center on combating anticompetitive business practices, have expanded in the 90 years since Humphrey’s Executor.

«The Federal Trade Commission of 1935 is a lot different than the Federal Trade Commission today,» Shu said.

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He noted that today’s FTC can open investigations, issue subpoenas, bring lawsuits, impose financial penalties and more. The FTC now has executive, quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial functions, Shu said.

SCOTUS greenlights other firings

If the Supreme Court’s decision to temporarily allow two labor board members’ firings is any indication, the high court stands ready to make the FTC less independent and more accountable to Trump.

In a 6-3 order, the Supreme Court cited the «considerable executive power» that the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board have, saying a president «may remove without cause executive officers who exercise that power on his behalf.»

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TRUMP’S CONTROVERSIAL PLAN TO FIRE FEDERAL WORKERS FINDS FAVOR WITH SUPREME COURT

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts attends inauguration ceremonies in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool via REUTERS)

The order did not mention Humphrey’s Executor, but that and other moves indicate the Supreme Court has been chipping away at the 90-year-old ruling and is open to reversing it.

The case of Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya gets closest to the heart of Humphrey’s Executor.

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Where does Slaughter’s case stand?

Slaughter enjoyed a short-lived victory when a federal judge in Washington, D.C., found that Trump violated the Constitution and ruled in her favor on July 17.

She was able to return to the FTC for a few days, but the Trump administration appealed the decision and, on July 21, the appellate court paused the lower court judge’s ruling.

Judge Loren AliKhan had said in her summary judgment that Slaughter’s case was almost identical to William Humphrey’s.

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SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRUMP’S REMOVAL OF BIDEN APPOINTEES FROM FEDERAL BOARDS

Slaughter of the FTC at hearing

Rebecca Slaughter, commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 13, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

«It is not the role of this court to decide the correctness, prudence, or wisdom of the Supreme Court’s decisions—even one from ninety years ago,» AliKhan, a Biden appointee, wrote. «Whatever the Humphrey’s Executor Court may have thought at the time of that decision, this court will not second-guess it now.»

The lawsuit arose from Trump firing Slaughter and Bedoya, the two Democratic-appointed members of the five-member commission. They alleged that Trump defied Humphrey’s Executor by firing them in March without cause in a letter that «nearly word-for-word» mirrored the one Roosevelt sent a century ago.

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Bedoya has since resigned, but Slaughter is not backing down from a legal fight in which Trump appears to have the upper hand.

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«Like dozens of other federal agencies, the Federal Trade Commission has been protected from presidential politics for nearly a century,» Slaughter said in a statement after she was re-fired. «I’ll continue to fight my illegal firing and see this case through, because part of why Congress created independent agencies is to ensure transparency and accountability.»

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Now a three-judge panel comprising two Obama appointees and one Trump appointee is considering a longer-term pause and asked for court filings to be submitted by July 29, meaning the judges could issue their decision soon thereafter.

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Trump slams Europe over immigration, says ‘horrible invasion’ is killing the continent

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President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday and wasted little time lashing out at European leaders over mass immigration, warning that the crisis is «killing» the continent and calling it a «horrible invasion.»

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Trump fulfilled a key campaign promise by effectively closing the southern border with Mexico while Europe and the U.K., in particular, are still struggling to get to grips with the crisis as dozens of boats packed with illegal migrants continue to pour into the country every day from France.

«On immigration, you better get your act together or you’re not going to have Europe anymore,» Trump said to reporters after landing at Prestwick airport on Friday evening.

President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday and wasted little time lashing out at European leaders over mass immigration, warning that the crisis is «killing» the continent and calling it a «horrible invasion.» Secretary of State for Scotland (R) and Warren Stephens, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom (C) stand nearby as he arrives at Glasgow Prestwick Airport on July 25, 2025, in Prestwick, Scotland.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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TRUMP HEADS TO SCOTLAND TO TALK GOLF, POLITICS AND TRADE

«You got to get your act together and last month we had nobody entering our country. Nobody. Shut it down. And we took out a lot of bad people that got there with Biden.»

Biden repeatedly had single days when apprehensions ranged from 8,000 to 10,000 migrants, with his highest single month being December 2023, when 249,785 Border Patrol apprehensions were recorded. 

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«Biden was a total stiff. And what he allowed to happen,» Trump continued, chiding his predecessor.

«But you’re allowing it to happen to your countries and you got to stop this horrible invasion that’s happening to Europe.»

Migrants boat

Migrants packed tightly onto a small inflatable boat as they attempted to cross the English Channel near the Dover Strait, the world’s busiest shipping lane. (Luke Dray/Getty Images)

TRUMP HEADS TO SCOTLAND, CONTINUES IRONING OUT TRADE DEALS AFTER NOTCHING SIX MONTHS BACK IN OFFICE

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«Many countries in Europe, some people, some leaders have not let it happen. And they’re not getting the proper credit. They should. I could name them to you right now, but I’m not going to embarrass the other ones. But stop this. Immigration is killing Europe.»

The U.K. saw a major surge in 2022 and 2023 when small boat crossings reached over 44,000 per year, according to government figures.

Nearly 22,500 people have arrived in the U.K. so far this year after crossing the English Channel, up 57% on the same point last year.

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Net migration to the UK was 431,000 last year, down almost 50% from 2023.

Hungary and Poland are two of the most prominent European countries to take hardline stances against immigration, particularly irregular migration and asylum seekers. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is a Trump ally.

Trump is in the U.K. for a five-day trip where he will check in with his golf resorts in Turnberry and Aberdeen, as well as with British Prime Minister Kier Starmer and head of the Scottish government, First Minister John Swinney.

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The president is expected to discuss the latest U.S.-U.K. trade agreement, a deal dubbed the «Economic Prosperity Deal» last month, which agreed to slash tariffs. The U.K. is one of the few countries with which the U.S. has advanced its trade agreements under relatively amicable terms.

A boat full of migrants

A small boat heads off into the English Channel after picking up migrants at sunrise on July 2 in Gravelines, France.  (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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«I like your prime minister. He’s slightly more liberal than I am, as you’ve probably heard. But he’s a good man, he got a trade deal done,» Trump told reporters. «And they’ve been working on this deal for 12 years. He got it done. It’s a good deal. It’s a good deal for the U.K.»

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Trump added that he would be meeting Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission about securing a trade deal with Europe.

«We’re meeting with the European Union. And that would be actually the biggest deal of them all if we make it,» Trump said. 

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

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