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Biden takes aim at Trump as ‘existential’ threat to Black Americans in speech to lawyers group
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Former President Joe Biden took a number of potshots at President Donald Trump addressing the National Bar Association’s100th annual gala at the Hyatt in Chicago Thursday evening, saying his successor’s administration is engaged in an «existential» fight with minority communities.
«Not since those tumultuous days in 1960s has this fight been so existential to who we are as a nation, with marginalized groups so dramatically under attack,» said Biden, who spoke before being presented with the organization’s C. Francis Stradford Award, named for a co-founder of the historically Black legal association.
«My friends, we need to face the hard truth of this administration, and that it has been to ease all the gains we’ve made in my administration,» Biden went on. «To erase history rather than making it. To erase fairness, equality, to erase justice itself. And that’s not hyperbole. That’s a fact.»
«Get ready folks, this is just starting,» he added.
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Former President Joe Biden speaking at the National Bar Association’s 100th annual gala at the Hyatt in Chicago on July 31, 2025. (National Bar Association )
Raising his voice, Biden said, «Folks, in all our lives, the life of our nation, there are moments so stark that they divide all that came before from everything that followed, moments that forced us to confront hard truths about ourselves, our institutions, and democracy itself. «
«We are, in my view, at such a moment in American history, reflected in every cruel executive outreach, every rollback of basic freedoms, every erosion of long-standing, established precedent,» he said.
Biden also cast himself as a long-time ally of the civil rights movement, touting how his administration appointed more Black women to U.S. courts of appeals «than every other president in American history combined.»
He called for resistance against the Trump administration, especially emphasizing the role of the courts.
«Judges matter, courts matter, the law matters and the Constitution matters. I think a lot of Americans are starting to realize that under the pressure under now with this guy we have as president,» he said.
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Former President Joe Biden speaks at the National Bar Association’s 100th annual gala at the Hyatt in Chicago on July 31, 2025. (National Bar Association)
He also took jabs at Congress and the Supreme Court, saying, «they’re doing it all too often with the help of a Congress that is just sitting on the sidelines and enabled by the highest court in the nation. The rulings they’ve made, my god.»
«He seems to be doing his best to dismantle the Constitution,» he went on. «These are dark days, but you’re all here for the same reason I left that prestigious law firm to go to the defender’s office years ago. It’s because our future is literally on the line and we must be unapologetic of fighting for the future.»
The former president’s speech was free of major gaffes, though he slurred and stumbled over his words at several points.
At one point in the speech he joked, «When I was elected, I had the dubious distinction to be elected the youngest senator in American history and the oldest president in American history. It’s hell turning 40 twice.»
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The Supreme Court building seen in a file photo. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Among the featured speakers were a host of high-profile Black lawyers, including far-left Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, MSNBC pundit Joy-Ann Reid and New York Attorney General Tish James.
«President Biden’s life and leadership reflect an unwavering commitment to the rule of law and the promise of justice for all,» National Bar Association president Wiley Adams said in a statement.
«[I]t is not only historic but also deeply meaningful to have the 46th President of the United States join us in honoring the transformative power of the law—and the enduring fight to protect our democracy,» he said.
The former president’s address comes two months after his son Hunter agreed to a voluntary disbarment stemming from drug use and alleged gun law violations.
DNC VICE CHAIR COMPARES TRUMP TO NOTORIOUS SEGREGATIONISTS DURING HEATED TOWN HALL EVENT WITH BETO O’ROURKE
Former President Joe Biden, left, and his son, Hunter Biden, stand side-by-side. (Getty Images)
The president took the stage the same month his son has made waves in the public eye.
Earlier in July, Hunter Biden sat for a marathon interview from the Delaware Valley, in which he attacked President Donald Trump and many top Democratic figures, including David Axelrod, and spoke about his former addiction to crack cocaine.
In a case that occurred in the same area where the interview took place, a gun registered to Hunter Biden had been found in a dumpster a short distance from the A.I. duPont school in Greenville, Del.
Hallie Biden, widow of former Delaware Attorney General Joseph Beau Biden III and then-girlfriend of Hunter Biden, discovered the gun in her boyfriend’s possession and disposed of it there.
PIERS MORGAN ON BIDEN DECLINE: ‘NOT ABOUT AGE, IT’S ABOUT COMPETENCY’
Edward Banner of Newport, Del., had been rummaging through the dumpster for bottle deposits to cash-in and discovered the gun. He was later called to testify in the case.
During the registration of that weapon, Hunter Biden swore on a federal form that he was not actively using controlled substances – a declaration that led to a criminal case in Wilmington that eventually led to his disbarment.
In June 2024, District of Columbia Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby signed an order automatically suspending his license to practice law in Washington.
Hunter Biden filed a sealed affidavit in April consenting to his disbarment, which avoided a court hearing on the matter.
The speech also came just hours after longtime Biden aide Michael Donilon testified to the House Oversight Committee investigators that he could have been paid a total of $8 million if the former president won his 2024 re-election bid, a source familiar with the conversation told Fox News Digital.
Amidst allegations that close Biden allies covered up his mental decline while president, Donilon told the committee that «every President ages over the four years of a presidency and President Biden did as well, but he also continued to grow stronger and wiser as a leader as a result of being tested by some of the most difficult challenges any President has ever faced.»
FORMER WHITE HOUSE AIDES WERE CAPTIVE TO THE JOE BIDEN DELUSION: MIRANDA DEVINE
Longtime Biden advisor Mike Donilon appeared before House Oversight Committee investigators hours before his former boss’ speech. (Getty Images)
The National Bar Association, now based in Washington, D.C., was formed in Iowa at a time when the predominant American Bar Association barred Black attorneys from joining its ranks.
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Its approximately 66,000 members advocate for civil rights, diversity in the legal profession as well as equitable access to the law.
The National Bar Association said Biden’s appearance «underscores his ongoing efforts to strengthen the rule of law, defend voting rights, and support historically marginalized communities.»
joe biden,hunter biden,chicago,politics,law
INTERNACIONAL
El secreto peor guardado de Vladimir Putin en Ucrania tras cuatro años de invasión rusa
El Ejército ruso ha perdido más de 300.000 hombres en los cuatro años de guerra en Ucrania, según fuentes independientes. Aunque las bajas rusas son un secreto a voces, el Kremlin mantiene silencio para no instigar aún más el creciente descontento entre los rusos con la campaña militar.
La última vez que el Ministerio de Defensa ruso informó sobre muertos en acción –Cargo 200– fue en septiembre de 2022 -cuando los situó en 5.937-, justo antes de la movilización de reservistas que provocó el exilio de más de un millón de hombres en edad militar.
Fuentes occidentales, desde la OTAN a la inteligencia estadounidense y británica, estiman en un millar las bajas diarias en las filas rusas y en más de 30.000 las pérdidas mensuales. Además, enero sería el primer mes en el que el Ejército ruso no puede reponer las bajas con voluntarios.
Los militares rusos caídos se llaman Cargo 200 desde la guerra de Afganistán (1979-1989). Entonces, el talón que acompañaba al cargo ponía 200, ya que ese era el peso máximo del féretro de zinc permitido por el Ministerio de Defensa de la Unión Soviética.
El conocido bloguero militar Yuri Podoliak, que ha sido invitado a recepciones en el Kremlin, fue el que rompió la baraja al abordar en enero en YouTube el sensible tema del Cargo 200.
Podoliak admitió que el Ejército ruso podría haber perdido hasta 415.000 hombres entre soldados, voluntarios y antiguos presidiarios reclutados por el grupo Wagner.
Además, situó las bajas totales en más de 800.000 de los más de dos millones de rusos que han participado en la conocida como ‘operación militar especial’. Ese número de pérdidas humanas contrasta con las conquistas territoriales: apenas un 12% del territorio ucraniano desde el 24 de febrero de 2022.
Según los expertos occidentales, ningún país ha sufrido tantas bajas en un conflicto desde el fin de la Segunda Guerra Mundial en 1945. De hecho, las tropas rusas han sufrido más bajas en estos cuatro años que en todos los conflictos anteriores desde la contienda mundial, lo que incluye las dos sangrientas guerras chechenas.
El portal independiente Mediazona, en colaboración con Meduza y la BBC, cifra los combatientes rusos muertos e identificados con nombres y apellidos en más de 168.000.
A esta cifra hay que sumar los muertos aún no identificados, pero incluidos, entre otros, en los certificados de defunción y hereditarios de acceso público, datos de servicios funerarios o denuncias de desaparición. De hecho, Mediazona admite que, según sus cálculos aproximados, esa cifra rondaría ya los 300.000, a falta de los datos de este año.
En los primeros meses la mayoría de muertos eran soldados profesionales -efectivos de las fuerzas aerotransportadas y de las brigadas motorizadas-, después los presidiarios y a partir de mediados de 2023, los voluntarios.
Mientras, el Centro de Estudios Estratégicos e Internacionales de EE.UU. publicó a principios de año un informe en el que aseguraba que “desde febrero de 2022 las fuerzas rusas han sufrido casi 1,2 millones de bajas (325.000 muertos), más que ninguna otra potencia en cualquier campaña desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial”.
En cuanto a Ucrania, según las estimaciones del centro, habría sufrido entre 500.000 y 600.000 bajas y entre 100.000 y 140.000 muertos.
“A este ritmo, las bajas rusas y ucranianas combinadas podrían alcanzar los 2 millones para la primavera de 2026”, destacó.
Al contrario que el Kremlin, el presidente de Ucrania, Volodímir Zelensky, sí admitió recientemente más de 55.000 muertos en las filas de su ejército.
El Kremlin ha intentado ocultar por todos los medios esta información, lo que incluye el cese de la publicación de datos oficiales sobre mortalidad en Rusia, pero también otros indicadores demográficos que permitirían calcular los muertos en combate.
El presidente ruso, Vladímir Putin, prohibió la publicación de datos de bajas en las filas de las Fuerzas Armadas en mayo de 2015, después de que soldados irregulares rusos fueran desplegados en el este de Ucrania para apoyar la sublevación prorrusa.
De esta forma, los rusos no tienen acceso a datos sobre las pérdidas humanas en el ejército tanto en tiempos de paz, como durante operaciones militares especiales.
Con todo, la censura no es infalible. El segundo tribunal militar del Distrito Occidental admitió a finales de enero, contra la versión oficial, que el buque insignia de la Flota del Mar Negro, el ‘Moskvá’, había sido hundido en abril de 2022 en un ataque ucraniano con torpedos.
Además, el fallo admitió la muerte de 20 marineros, identificados con nombres y apellidos, a lo que hay que añadir ocho desaparecidos.
(Con información de EFE)
War,Europe,Military Conflicts
INTERNACIONAL
Major drug lord ‘El Mencho’ killed in Mexican military operation with US intelligence support
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Major Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as «El Mencho,» was killed in a military operation Sunday morning, the country’s Defense Department announced, marking one of Mexico’s most significant blows to organized crime amid pressure from President Donald Trump to intensify the crackdown on drug cartels.
The announcement came as government officials warned of clashes in Jalisco state and widespread criminal activity across the country, prompting the U.S. Embassy in Mexico to issue shelter-in-place advisories for multiple states.
On Sunday, Mexican troops reportedly conducted operations in Tapalpa, Jalisco, targeting Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, a former police officer who became the elusive leader of the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación (CJNG), a major supplier of fentanyl to the United States.
Known as «El Mencho,» Oseguera Cervantes carried a $15 million U.S. bounty and rose to power following the arrest of Joaquín «El Chapo» Guzmán, the former head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Over the past 15 years, CJNG has grown from a local criminal group into a global trafficking organization operating out of its stronghold in Jalisco.
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El Mencho was killed during a Mexican operation in Jalisco on Feb. 22, 2026. (Drug Enforcement Administration)
«I’ve just been informed that Mexican security forces have killed ‘El Mencho,’ one of the bloodiest and most ruthless drug kingpins,» U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a post on X. «This is a great development for Mexico, the US, Latin America, and the world. The good guys are stronger than the bad guys.»
The Mexican Defense Department said the operation was conducted as part of bilateral coordination and cooperation with the U.S., whose authorities provided complementary intelligence that contributed to Oseguera Cervantes’ capture.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the U.S. «provided intelligence support to the Mexican government in order to assist with an operation in Talpalpa, Jalisco, Mexico, in which Nemesio ‘El Mencho’ Oseguera Cervantes, an infamous drug lord and leader within the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, was eliminated.»
«‘El Mencho’ was a top target for the Mexican and United States government as one of the top traffickers of fentanyl into our homeland. Last year, President Trump rightfully designated the Jalisco New Generation Cartel as a Foreign Terrorist Organization — because that’s exactly what it is. In this operation, three additional cartel members were killed, three were wounded, and two were arrested,» she wrote on X.
Smoke rises into the sky over Puerto Vallarta during an operation targeting cartel activity on Feb. 22, 2026. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
During the capture, the CJNG ringleader became wounded and died en route to Mexico City, the Defense Department said.
Four others were reportedly killed at the scene of a shootout between Mexican troops and criminal suspects in Jalisco, with Oseguera Cervantes among three additional individuals who were wounded and later died.
Authorities said they detained two other members of the criminal organization and seized a range of weaponry, including armored vehicles and «rocket launchers capable of downing aircraft and destroying armored vehicles.»
Consequently, three members of the armed forces became injured and are receiving treatment.
TOURISTS IN MEXICAN SEASIDE CITY TOLD TO STAY ON RESORT AS GOVERNMENT WARNS OF ‘CLASHES’
Four others were reportedly killed in a Jalisco shootout during the operation (Gabriel Trujillo/Reuters)
Widespread criminal activity has been reported in Jalisco, the cartel’s stronghold, as well as in northern regions that serve as key border and transit corridors for the organization.
The Security Cabinet of the Government of Mexico noted that multiple buildings were reportedly damaged during the «violent incidents,» including roughly 20 branches of Banco del Bienestar, a state-run banking institution.
At least 21 highways remain blocked, with authorities reporting that five have already been reopened.
Photos showed numerous roadblocks and burning vehicles, with dark smoke rising into the sky, across the country – tactics officials say cartels often use to slow or block military operations.
Photos and videos shared with Fox News Digital show thick, dark smoke rising over the skyline of the tourist city of Puerto Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in Jalisco.
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Widespread criminal activity has been reported in Jalisco, the cartel’s stronghold. (Obtained by Fox News Digital)
«I’m watching the scenes of violence from Mexico with great sadness and concern. It’s not surprising that the bad guys are responding with terror. But we must never lose our nerve,» Landau said.
The Mexican National Guard and Army units from central Mexico and states neighboring Jalisco are currently mobilizing to reinforce security, the Defense Department said.
«We remain in Code Red. We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving your homes. The clashes are occurring in several federal entities,» Jalisco state Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro added.
At least 21 highways remain barricaded. (Michelle Freyria/Reuters)
Travel warnings have been issued for Jalisco, including Puerto Vallarta, Chapala, and Guadalajara; Tamaulipas, including Reynosa and other municipalities; and parts of Michoacán, Guerrero, and Nuevo León.
«Due to ongoing security operations and related road blockages and criminal activity, U.S. citizens in the named locations should shelter in place until further notice,» the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Mexico said.
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Complementary intelligence from U.S. authorities aided in the operation. (Michelle Freyria/Reuters)
The operation against Oseguera follows sustained pressure from the Trump administration on President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government, urging Mexico to step up its fight against drug trafficking amid threats of potential U.S. intervention.
mexican cartel violence,location mexico,drugs
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