INTERNACIONAL
Hunter Biden’s Ambien claim triggers deeper GOP probe into alleged cover-up of former president’s cognition
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee are now digging into Hunter Biden’s implication that an Ambien sleeping pill was responsible for his father’s consequential debate performance one year ago, Fox News Digital has confirmed.
The revelation comes as House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., is leading an investigation into the alleged cover-up of President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and his administration’s potentially unauthorized autopen use for pardons and executive actions.
«He’s 81 years old. He’s tired as s–t,» Hunter Biden told Andrew Callaghan on his «Channel 5» podcast last weekend. «They give him Ambien to be able to sleep. He gets up on the stage, and he looks like he’s a deer in the headlights.»
But the former president’s son later clarified to ABC News that he did not mean Biden was taking Ambien directly before the debate, and he had intended to make a greater point about his father’s rigorous travel schedule in the weeks leading up to that disastrous debate night.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS FLOAT GRILLING JOE, JILL BIDEN AS FORMER AIDES STONEWALL COVER-UP PROBE
Former President Joe Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, stand side-by-side. (Getty Images)
«Hunter Biden’s claim that ‘they gave him Ambien to be able to sleep’ raises serious questions,» a House Oversight Committee spokesperson told Fox News Digital. «The House Oversight Committee is looking into this as part of its investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions by White House staff.»
Ambien, or zolpidem, is a prescription medication for insomnia. It is intended only for short-term use, according to GoodRx. Common side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle and joint pain, and double or blurry vision.
JILL BIDEN ‘WORK HUSBAND’ PLEADS FIFTH AMENDMENT, DODGES HOUSE GOP COVER-UP PROBE QUESTIONS
The medication can also cause memory problems and grogginess during the day, and more serious and rare side effects can include hallucinations, «abnormal thinking and behavior» and «possible increased risk of dementia in older adults,» according to GoodRx.
Biden’s former chief of staff and a fixture of his re-election campaign, Ron Klain, is expected to participate in a transcribed interview on Thursday before the House Oversight Committee.
In a letter requesting his appearance, Comer quoted Klain as cutting Biden’s debate prep short last year «due to the president’s fatigue and lack of familiarity with the subject matter,» adding that Biden «didn’t really understand what his argument was on inflation,» citing a POLITICO report from earlier this year.
«If White House staff carried out a strategy lasting months or even years to hide the chief executive’s condition—or to perform his duties—Congress may need to consider a legislative response,» Comer said, arguing that the scope of Klain’s responsibilities in his personal and professional capacities «cannot go without investigation.»
Josh Dawsey of The Wall Street Journal, Tyler Pager of The New York Times, and Isaac Arnsdor of The Washington Post describe in their new book, «2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America,» how during the June 2024 debate «Biden’s aides winced as the president started answering the first question.»
Anthony Bernal and Annie Tomasini follow President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 16, 2024, in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
And backstage, as Biden stumbled over an answer that questionably ended with, «We finally beat Medicare,» Klain stood up and announced, «We’re f—ed,» according to the authors.
When reached for comment to confirm the book’s allegation, Klain told Fox News Digital, «I have nothing to add.»
A top former Biden administration aide invoked the Fifth Amendment during her closed-door deposition with the House Oversight Committee, Fox News Digital was told.
Annie Tomasini became the third Democratic ex-official to stonewall investigators looking into whether signs of Biden’s alleged mental decline were covered up by his inner circle.
The former White House deputy chief of staff was seen entering and exiting the committee room in under an hour, saying nothing to reporters either time.
Former President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
A source familiar with the discussions told Fox News Digital that she invoked the Fifth Amendment multiple times. Tomasini herself did not answer when Fox News Digital asked if she did so, and her lawyers did not respond to a request for comment.
«Today, the third witness in our investigation into the cover-up of President Biden’s cognitive decline and unauthorized executive actions pleaded the Fifth Amendment. There is now a pattern of key Biden confidants seeking to shield themselves from criminal liability for this potential conspiracy,» Comer told Fox News Digital.
Tomasini is the third former Biden administration official to come before committee investigators under subpoena, and the fifth to appear overall.
She was meant to appear Friday for a voluntary transcribed interview, but a committee aide previously told Fox News Digital that Tomasini’s lawyers had asked Comer to issue a subpoena specifically.
Both prior officials who appeared under subpoena—former White House physician Kevin O’Connor and Anthony Bernal, a longtime aide to former First Lady Jill Biden—also invoked the Fifth Amendment.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Biden’s office declined to comment to Fox News Digital about the House GOP probe into his alleged Ambien use.
But a source familiar with the Biden team’s thinking regarding the ongoing House Oversight investigation had previously told Fox News Digital that Trump and congressional Republicans are simply seeking «retribution» through a «partisan, coordinated effort.»
«It’s an attempt to smear and embarrass,» the source said. «And their hope is for just one tiny inconsistency between witnesses to appear so that Trump’s DOJ [can] prosecute his political opponents and continue his campaign of revenge.»
Fox News’ Melissa Ruddy, Aishah Hasnie, Tyler Olson and Kelly Phares contributed to this report.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening…
– Coast Guard overhaul takes off amid Trump administration’s immigration, narcotics crackdown
– ‘Big beautiful bill’ tax cuts touted in ad blitz as Senate GOP gears up for midterms
– NYC council member sounds alarm over Mamdani voters falling for ‘pipe dream’
Brennan directed publication of ‘implausible’ reports claiming Putin preferred Trump in 2016, House found
FIRST ON FOX: The intelligence community did not have any direct information that Russian President Vladimir Putin wanted to help elect Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election, but, at the «unusual» direction of then-President Barack Obama, published «potentially biased» or «implausible» intelligence suggesting otherwise, the House Intelligence Committee found.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard declassified a report prepared by the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence back in 2020… READ MORE.
Former President Barack Obama nominates John Brennan, to be CIA director during an event in the East Room at the White House on Jan. 7, 2013, in Washington, D.C. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
White House
WAR OF WORDS: Trump border czar Tom Homan slams ‘former first drug addict’ Hunter Biden over inflammatory immigration rant
HIDDEN HANDS: 7 details revealed in newly released MLK files
‘INSTRUMENTAL’: Coast Guard overhaul takes off amid Trump administration’s immigration, narcotics crackdown
World Stage
ALGORITHM OF WAR: AI arms race: US and China weaponize drones, code and biotech for the next great war
POWER PLAY POLITICS: How China ‘weaponized’ the battery supply chain to control over 80% of the materials needed for batteries in defense tech
HUNGER ON THE FRONT: News agency says its Gaza journalists suffering health woes as union warns they will die without intervention
An airstrike hits a building in the Al-Nasr neighborhood in Gaza City, Gaza on July 21, 2025. (Saeed M. M. T. Jaras/Anadolu via Getty Images)
BACKSTABBING ALLIES: Huckabee hits back at Western countries that ‘side’ with terror group Hamas
REAL ‘WONDER WOMAN’: ‘Wonder Woman’ actress Gal Gadot praises ‘strength’ of freed Hamas hostages during emotional visit
PRICE WAR SHOWDOWN: Trump says he may use trade to force countries, pharma companies to buy into his most favored nation provision
POWER GRAB BACKLASH: Ukraine sees sweeping protests over bill weakening anti-corruption agencies
Capitol Hill
‘QUIET PART OUT LOUD’: Immigrants needed for ‘redistricting purposes,’ House Dem admits in viral clip: ‘Quiet part out loud’
PASSING GRADE: Senate weathers Dem opposition, advances first government funding bill
CASHFLOW: WATCH: Lawmakers break down how billions in the ‘big, beautiful bill’ boost Trump’s immigration crackdown
JUDICIAL SHOWDOWN: Senate votes to consider former Trump lawyer for lifetime as appeals court judge
Emil Bove, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Third Circuit, is sworn in before testifying during his Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing in the Hart Senate Office Building on June 25, 2025 in Washington, DC. A whistleblower alleged that Bove, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, told Justice Department staff to defy court orders and continue to carry out Trump’s deportation plans. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
‘POTENTIALLY BIASED’: Brennan directed publication of ‘implausible’ reports claiming Putin preferred Trump in 2016, House found
STAYING PUT: After meeting with Trump, Republican in key House battleground announces major decision on ‘Fox and Friends’
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: ‘Big beautiful bill’ tax cuts touted in ad blitz as Senate GOP gears up for midterms
‘KEEP SHOOTING, DAD’: Grieving mom testifies about Marine vet son’s death at hands of violent illegal aliens
Across America
LEGAL LEGEND LOST: Roy Black, famed defense attorney for Rush Limbaugh and Jeffrey Epstein, dies after illustrious career
COURT ORDER: New Jersey’s ban on privately operated ICE detention centers struck down by court
CRACKING DOWN: Trump’s immigration enforcement push results in skyrocketing arrests of criminal illegal aliens
‘PROHIBITS SPEECH’: Federal judge partially blocks law banning adults from helping minors get out-of-state abortions
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti leaves a press conference discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision that upheld Tennessee’s ban on gender transition treatments for transgender minors at the Tennessee Capitol in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, June 18, 2025. (The Tennessean )
STEALTH AGENDA: WATCH: DEI efforts were rebranded at 2 red-state colleges to skirt Trump orders, staffers admit
‘CULTURE OF SHAME’: NYC council member sounds alarm over Mamdani voters falling for ‘pipe dream’
‘DEADLY FORCE’: ICE chief warns AI technology could lead to safety risks for agents: ‘Fringe organizations’
Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
INTERNACIONAL
China experimenting with brain-computer interfaces in global race for AI dominance: report
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
China is reportedly working to cognitively merge humans with machines as part of its ongoing efforts to compete in the artificial intelligence race.
The communist country is using brain-computer interface (BCI) technology — systems that allow for communication between the brain and an external device — to «augment human cognition and human-machine teaming,» The Washington Times reported, citing a presentation from Georgetown experts delivered to U.S. officials.
AI ARMS RACE: US AND CHINA WEAPONIZE DRONES, CODE AND BIOTECH FOR THE NEXT GREAT WAR
These include invasive, minimally-invasive and non-invasive BCIs, according to The Washington Times.
China’s national flag flutters on Pingtan island, the closest point in China to Taiwan’s main island, in southeast China’s Fujian province on December 11, 2024. (Adek Berry)
Invasive BCIs involve surgery to implant electrodes into the brain, while non-invasive BCIs use sensors on the scalp to monitor brain activity. Meanwhile, minimally-invasive BCIs involve implanting devices, but they do not penetrate brain tissue, according to a report in the National Library of Medicine.
FOX NEWS AI NEWSLETTER: AMAZING BREAKTHROUGH FOR PARALYZED MAN WHO CAN’T SPEAK
The U.S. has primarily focused on building up language models to develop AI technology. However, China is going against traditional thinking about how to achieve artificial general intelligence (AGI) — a type of AI that has the ability to perform as well as or better than a human being in cognitive tasks, according to William Hannas, lead analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology.
A photo illustration of a robot and a human touching fingers. (iStock)
«There are all kinds of possibilities out there, but if you want human equivalent AI, you’re not going to get it just by increasing the parameters [of models],» Hannas told The Washington Times.
PARALYZED MAN SPEAKS AND SINGS WITH AI BRAIN-COMPUTER INTERFACE
Hannas, who formerly worked for the CIA, collected Chinese government documents that contained information about the country’s AI funding plans for this year and last year. The plans include several brain-inspired AI approaches, The Washington Times reported.
Additionally, Chinese state-run media have quoted statements saying the future involves making AI a physical part of humans, according to the Washington Times.
Close-up of the icon of the ChatGPT artificial intelligence chatbot app logo on a cellphone screen. (iStock)
In 2018, two technologists working on brain-inspired approaches to AI were also recruited by Chinese officials, they told The Washington Times.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
China’s innovation in artificial intelligence is «accelerating,» Michael Kratsios, the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology, told Fox News Digital in April. But he maintained that the United States remains the world’s dominant power in AI and the Trump administration’s «promote and protect» strategy will solidify that standing.
Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
INTERNACIONAL
Mendicidad en las calles y basura como sustento: el rostro de una Cuba en crisis que la dictadura se niega a admitir
En las calles de La Habana, la imagen de personas rebuscando entre la basura para alimentarse se ha vuelto cotidiana. William Abel, de 62 años, es uno de ellos. Desde que su vivienda colapsó hace dos años, duerme al aire libre y sobrevive hurgando en contenedores. “He estado hurgando en los basureros por dos años para comer”, declaró.
Abel no es un caso aislado. La visibilidad cada vez más común de personas sin hogar refleja el deterioro profundo de la economía cubana, considerada por analistas como la peor crisis en más de tres décadas. La escasez de alimentos, la inflación descontrolada y el colapso de servicios sociales han expulsado a miles de cubanos a la indigencia.
En una isla donde el régimen evita reconocer la existencia de pobreza con cifras o términos precisos, el fenómeno se agrava mientras las autoridades insisten en utilizar eufemismos como “personas vulnerables”.
Oficialmente, 350.000 personas reciben ayuda social en Cuba, según datos de la propia dictadura. No obstante, especialistas aseguran que esa cifra está lejos de reflejar la magnitud real de la crisis.
La reciente renuncia de la ministra de Trabajo y Seguridad Social, Marta Elena Feito, dejó en evidencia la desconexión entre el discurso oficial y la realidad en las calles. Feito provocó una ola de indignación al declarar que “en Cuba no hay mendigos”. Las críticas obligaron al dictador Miguel Díaz-Canel a intervenir públicamente: “Son expresiones concretas de desigualdades sociales que debemos atender”, dijo ante la Asamblea Nacional, distanciándose del discurso de su ex ministra.
La reacción del régimen fue inusual, ya que históricamente ha minimizado cualquier señal de desigualdad social. El primer ministro, Manuel Marrero, también reconoció la gravedad de la situación: “Tenemos un problema real”, afirmó.
Para los cubanos afectados, como Juan de la Cruz, de 63 años, el problema es más que evidente. Tras perder una pierna por diabetes, recibe una pensión estatal equivalente a menos de tres dólares mensuales al cambio informal. “No me alcanza ni para un kilo de pollo”, comentó mientras pedía comida en una calle del centro habanero. Su vivienda, aunque “muy pequeña”, está vacía.
El país enfrenta una inflación acumulada que ha hecho subir los precios de los alimentos hasta un 500% en los últimos cuatro años. La libreta de racionamiento, históricamente utilizada para distribuir productos subsidiados, ya no garantiza ni lo básico. Mientras tanto, el la dictadura reconoce que no tiene divisas suficientes para mantener los programas sociales que fueron emblema de la llamada “revolución”.
El colapso económico tiene múltiples causas. Entre ellas, los analistas destacan el impacto prolongado de la pandemia sobre el turismo, la ineficiencia estructural de la economía centralizada y las sanciones de Estados Unidos. Sin embargo, muchos expertos señalan que las decisiones internas del régimen han tenido un peso determinante en la actual crisis.
La socióloga cubana Mayra Espina Prieto ha estimado recientemente que “entre el 40 y el 45 por ciento de los cubanos vive en condiciones de pobreza”. La cifra contrasta con el silencio oficial sobre estos indicadores, ya que Cuba no publica datos de pobreza ni permite estudios independientes sistemáticos sobre desigualdad social.
El deterioro también golpea a los más jóvenes. UNICEF informó en 2023 que casi uno de cada diez niños cubanos vive en condiciones de “pobreza alimentaria severa”, lo que significa que sólo acceden a uno o dos grupos de alimentos al día, en ocasiones menos.
En las afueras de La Habana, Arnaldo Victores, de 65 años y con discapacidad visual, duerme en un taller de motos sobre bolsas plásticas. Al no tener dirección fija, no puede acceder a los beneficios sociales. “Mi sueño es un cuartico con baño”, afirmó a la prensa internacional. Frente al lugar donde pide limosna cada día se levanta un hotel estatal de 42 pisos, el más alto de la capital. Para muchos, es un símbolo de prioridades distorsionadas.
En un país donde durante décadas se presumió de haber eliminado la indigencia, la realidad diaria desmiente el discurso. Las imágenes de ancianos durmiendo en portales y buscando sobras entre desechos evidencian una fractura social que el régimen ya no puede ocultar.
(Con información de AFP)
economy,horizontal,poverty,social
No, esta foto no muestra a 120.000 personas en La Derecha Fest; es un show de Taylor Swift
Video: así fue el momento en el que agredieron a un policía en la marcha de jubilados
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Brennan pushed reports Putin preferred Trump in 2016
China experimenting with brain-computer interfaces in global race for AI dominance: report
Joaquín Furriel reveló su problema de salud: «Tengo la enfermedad de Gilbert en mi hígado»
Mendicidad en las calles y basura como sustento: el rostro de una Cuba en crisis que la dictadura se niega a admitir
Los cuadernos de las coimas: convocan a una audiencia clave para iniciar el juicio oral contra Cristina Kirchner y 150 acusados
Juan Carlos Maqueda defendió la condena contra Cristina Kirchner: “Hay una sensación de que se hizo Justicia y que no hay impunidad”
El Gobierno anunció el inicio del proceso de privatización de AySA
Alarma por el dólar: la volatilidad se mantiene, pese a las medidas urgentes de Caputo
Expulsada del Gobierno, Victoria Villarruel empieza a tomar distancia, pero no tiene proyecto político para este año
La CGT evalúa adelantar a octubre el recambio de sus autoridades y define una movilización contra Milei
El análisis de Jorge Fernández Díaz sobre la política económica: “Veo una tragedia detrás del dólar barato”
Después de ser premiado con la distinción Mariano de Cavia en Madrid, el periodista Jorge Fernández Díaz analizó la situación...
Patricia Bullrich ratificó el derecho de admisión para Toviggino en los partidos con doble hinchada: “No debe ingresar”
Luego del intercambio de acusaciones entre Pablo Toviggino y funcionarios del gobierno nacional, la ministra de Seguridad, Patricia Bullrich, ratificó...
Día del Cerebro: por qué se celebra hoy y recomendaciones para mantener una mente ágil
El Día del Cerebro se conmemora el 22 de julio de cada año, con el objetivo de concientizar acerca de...
POLITICA2 días ago🗳️ El chamuyo de las elecciones en la Provincia: se postulan, pero no a asumen
- POLITICA2 días ago
Fuerte malestar en la CGT por la ausencia de gremialistas en las listas bonaerenses del peronismo
- CHIMENTOS1 día ago
El desgarrador testimonio del hermano de Locomotora Oliveras: “El daño es irreversible, solo puede vivir con respirador”
