INTERNACIONAL
George Wendt’s mistaken jabs at John Boehner link ‘Cheers’ and Ohio politics
There was no mistake when the beloved but forlorn accountant Norm Peterson chugged his way into the fictional TV bar «Cheers.»
«Norm!!!» hollered the regulars in unison, ranging from mail carrier Cliff Clavin to «Mayday» Sam Malone, the former Major League pitcher-turned barkeep.
If only former House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, or late Rep. Buz Lukens, R-Ohio, had been as recognizable to George Wendt, the actor who played Norm on the sitcom.
REMEMBERING REP. CHARLIE RANGEL — AND A VOICEMAIL I’LL NEVER FORGET
Wendt died last week at age 76. The portly, everyman, «Willy Loman» character Wendt created was one of the most iconic in the history of comedic television. Wendt’s portrayal of Norm earned him six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a primetime series.
But during Boehner’s first race for Congress in 1990, Wendt inadvertently manufactured a bizarre and permanent connection to the future Speaker of the House.
In 1989, Lukens represented Ohio’s 8th Congressional District. But WSYX-TV in Columbus, Ohio, secretly recorded Lukens at a McDonald’s speaking with the mother of a teenage girl. Lukens talked to the woman about getting her a government job. He hoped to keep her quiet about his sexual activities with her daughter.
During Boehner’s first race for Congress in 1990, Wendt inadvertently manufactured a bizarre and permanent connection to the future Speaker of the House. (Reuters/Yuri Gripas)
Lukens denied any wrongdoing in public. He was charged and later convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation. But Lukens declined to step aside. That teed up a three-way Republican primary between Lukens, the former congressman who represented the district, the late Rep. Tom Kindness, R-Ohio, and Boehner.
Boehner was a state legislator at the time. The scandal embroiling Lukens created a rare opportunity to head to Washington.
As strange as it seems now, Boehner was the least-known of the three Republican candidates in what turned out to be a brutal primary. But Boehner’s innate political acumen shone through – decades before he would ascend to the Speaker’s suite.
Despite the scandal, Lukens remained popular in the district. He had served as the congressman decades earlier and returned to the House when Kindness ran unsuccessfully for the Senate against late-Sen. John Glenn, D-Ohio, in 1986. So with the Lukens scandal, Kindness wanted his job back. And Boehner hoped to capitalize on the opportunity.
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Can you top a name like that? «Congressman Kindness.» No wonder it was such a challenge for the upstart, future Speaker with the unpronounceable, Teutonic surname.
But Boehner won. And even though he felled Lukens and Kindness, it was not a done deal that Boehner would win the general election.
Boehner ran against Democrat Greg Jolivette, the mayor of Hamilton, Ohio, the biggest city in the 8th Congressional District. Jolivette was best known for changing the name of «Hamilton,» to «Hamilton!» in the 1980s. He also ran Jolly’s Drive-Ins in Hamilton. Imagine 1970s hamburger joints where you can order from your car, bedecked in orange.
But we’re talking about «Cheers» here. Not «Happy Days.»
Wendt was at the height of his popularity during the summer of 1990 as Boehner and Jolivette barreled toward a general election faceoff. So Wendt appeared on late-night TV on «The Arsenio Hall Show.»
Look him up, kids.
Hall’s syndicated show was never going to beat NBC’s «The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson» in the ratings. But the program scored major headlines in 1992, when future President Bill Clinton played saxophone on the show in an effort to appeal to a younger demographic, which gravitated to Hall rather than Carson.
Wendt’s portrayal of Norm earned him six consecutive Emmy nominations for Best Supporting Actor in a primetime series. (Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images )
Clinton’s appearance was a seminal moment in American politics and may have helped him win the election. Certainly the most important political event on Hall’s show. Wendt’s appearance proved to be the second-most important.
Jolivette was Wendt’s brother-in-law. He periodically parachuted into Ohio’s 8th District to campaign for Jolivette and against Boehner. So Hall asked him about Wendt’s political involvement and Jolivette.
Wendt proceeded to essentially libel Boehner on the air. Wendt never mentioned Boehner by name. But Wendt mixed up Lukens and his sex scandal with Boehner. On national TV, no less.
«The guy he’s running against had some problems a while back,» said Wendt, referring to Jolivette’s opponent, but mixing Boehner up with Lukens. «The guy from the 8th District had some convictions, some felony or a misdemeanor or something. So I think it’s time for a change. One thing’s for sure, I know, Greg’s not going to be a criminal.»
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Hall is an Ohio native. But he was apparently not versed in the Lukens scandal – even though it was a national story and commanded daily headlines. He didn’t inquire further or correct Wendt. After all, this was a late-night comedy and variety show. Not «Meet the Press.»
A publicist for Hall blamed the issue entirely on Wendt, saying the host has no control over «what (guests are) going to say.»
Things then turned nasty when Boehner’s team put out a statement.
«We, like a lot of viewers, are confused about the conversation last night. We don’t know if they were talking about Congressman Lukens’ problems or perhaps the theft complaint filed with the Hamilton (Ohio) Police against Greg Jolivette,» said the Boehner campaign.
American comedian and talk show host Arsenio Hall poses for a portrait sitting in his chair in Los Angeles, circa 1991. (Bonnie Schiffman/Getty Images)
Jolivette’s campaign argued this was an old allegation and it wasn’t true. They then demanded that Boehner fire Barry Jackson, Boehner’s campaign manager. Jackson called the episode «cheap gutter politics.»
Boehner himself pinned the case of mistaken identity on Wendt. He believed the actor should have been more responsible for what he said on national TV.
Boehner didn’t fire Jackson. Jackson worked with Boehner for years and later served as his chief of staff when he became House speaker.
Wendt’s gaffe was not fatal for Boehner. Even though there were nearly as many Democrats as Republicans registered in the 8th District in those days, it had elected Republicans for years. And Boehner vanquished Jolivette 61-39 percent in the general election.
The rest is history for Boehner.
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Fast-forward to today. Boehner took to X after the actor’s death. The former Speaker explained how Wendt was the brother-in-law of his opponent and «went on a late-night TV show and said some tough things.»
Boehner said that Wendt was «confusing me with someone else. He called later to apologize and we had a great conversation. Raising a glass tonight to the man America will always remember as Norm.»
Or, as they might say on the show, «Cheers.»
Politics,Congress,Senate,House Of Representatives
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The European Union’s foreign policy chief said Tuesday that the bloc is consulting with Gulf countries to potentially «bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S.» to get out of their war in a situation where «everybody saves face.»
Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made the remark to Reuters, adding that «it would be in the interest of everybody if this war stops.»
«We have been consulting with regional countries like the Gulf countries, Jordan, Egypt, [about] whether we could also bring forward proposals for Iran, Israel and the U.S. to get out of this situation so that everybody saves face,» Kallas was quoted as saying.
«The problem with wars is that it’s easier to start than to stop them, and it always gets out of hand,» she also reportedly said, noting that the EU is willing to assist «diplomatically to bring the parties together to really stop this war.»
TRUMP SEEKS WARSHIPS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES TO HELP SECURE STRAIT OF HORMUZ
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, left, and President Donald Trump. (Omar Havana/Reuters; Nathan Howard/Reuters)
Kallas also pushed back after President Donald Trump said over the weekend that, «Many Countries, especially those who are affected by Iran’s attempted closure of the Hormuz Strait, will be sending War Ships, in conjunction with the United States of America, to keep the Strait open and safe.»
«Nobody is ready to put their people in harm’s way in the Strait of Hormuz,» Kallas told Reuters on Tuesday. «We have to find diplomatic ways to keep this open so that we don’t have a food crisis, fertilizers crisis, energy crisis as well.»
TOP COUNTERTERRORISM OFFICIAL RESIGNS IN PROTEST OF US WAR AGAINST IRAN
Mojtaba Khamenei, son of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the new leader of Iran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Trump said on Truth Social on Saturday that, «We have already destroyed 100% of Iran’s Military capability, but it’s easy for them to send a drone or two, drop a mine, or deliver a close range missile somewhere along, or in, this Waterway, no matter how badly defeated they are.»
U.S. Central Command footage showing strikes on Iranian mobile missile launchers. (@CENTCOM via X)
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«Hopefully China, France, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and others, that are affected by this artificial constraint, will send Ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat by a Nation that has been totally decapitated,» Trump wrote. «In the meantime, the United States will be bombing the hell out of the shoreline, and continually shooting Iranian Boats and Ships out of the water. One way or the other, we will soon get the Hormuz Strait OPEN, SAFE, and FREE!»
war with iran,middle east foreign policy,iran,foreign affairs,israel,the european union
INTERNACIONAL
NYC $30 minimum wage proposal pushed by Mamdani would ‘obliterate’ certain industries: expert warns
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The city council in New York City is weighing a proposal to boost the minimum wage to up to $30 — a move that newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani signaled that he would sign on the campaign trail — causing consternation among the business community.
The proposal from New York City Council Member Sandy Nurse, a Democrat representing Brooklyn, would require employers to pay workers $25 an hour if those employers provide qualifying benefits and $30 an hour if not. The current $17 minimum wage would undergo a phased increase to reach $30 per hour by 2030 for businesses with 500+ employees and $29 by 2032 for smaller businesses.
Santiago Vidal Calvo, a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, told Fox News Digital that the new law will have «unintended consequences» and «constrain the economy for everybody that actually needs the current minimum wage to live.»
«You don’t make a place more affordable by making people earn more. That’s not directly correlated in the best way,» Calvo explained. «If you have people earning more, then prices are likely going to also increase, so my question for many of those people is, okay, you’re earning more, but also prices have increased in the same amount, are you actually making things more affordable?»
SMALL NEW YORK LANDLORDS ‘AT THEIR BREAKING POINT’ UNDER MAMDANI’S HOUSING POLICIES: REPORT
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference at Deno’s Wonder Wheel on Coney Island in the New York City Borough of Brooklyn, New York City, on Feb. 15, 2026. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu/Getty Images)
Calvo continued, «That’s one of the fallacies that a lot of people that don’t know about economics fall into. So many of these champagne socialists go and believe that increasing the minimum wage is going to solve everybody’s problems, because people are going to earn more and prices are going to stay the same. That’s Econ 101. That’s not going to happen. That’s why many socialist countries have failed around the world.»
The legislation echoes a prominent campaign pledge from Mamdani, who promoted a «$30 by ‘30» minimum wage message.
«In the world’s richest city, making the minimum wage shouldn’t mean living in poverty,» Mamdani posted on X last year. «As Mayor, I’ll work with City Council to raise the wage floor to $30/hour by 2030. When working people have more money in their pocket, the whole economy thrives.»
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment on whether he intends to sign the legislation if it were to arrive at his desk, but did not receive a response.
THE SOCIALIST EXPERIMENT COMES TO NYC: MAMDANI’S VISION FOR A MORE AFFORDABLE CITY
While many proponents of raising the minimum wage argue that the cost of living in New York City makes it nearly impossible to comfortably live, business owners are warning that the increase will force a reduction in jobs for businesses that can’t absorb the wage increase, Wall Street Journal reported.
In other states across the country, minimum wage laws have had adverse effects on lower-income workers, including in Los Angeles where Fox News Digital reported earlier this year the hotel industry is already cutting workers in response to a $30 minimum wage law that recently took effect.
Calvo told Fox News Digital that workers in certain industries, like fast food and healthcare will be «completely obliterated» by a $30 minimum wage and that «young and low income workers» will be «hurt the most.»
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The sun sets on the skyline of midtown Manhattan and the Empire State Building in New York City. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
«We’re going to see a huge portion of the workforce just immediately disappear from the city and I think that people are underestimating how much certain sectors are going to suffer compared to others,» Calvo said.
Calvo explained the importance of the Kaitz index, an economic indicator used to gauge where the minimum wage should be compared to the economy and that most economists agree the number should be between 0.4 and 0.55.
«This proposal will likely put that Kaitz index at 1.1, which is, by many standards, if not highly interventionist, a huge economic blunder,» Calvo said.
Fox News Digital reached out to Councilwoman Nurse’s office for comment but did not receive a response.
politics,new york city,zohran mamdani
INTERNACIONAL
Una reconocida automotriz cancela tres modelos eléctricos y reporta pérdidas por USD 15.700 millones
El fabricante japonés Honda Motor Co. anunció la cancelación de tres modelos eléctricos que serían comercializados en Estados Unidos y la aplicación de un ajuste contable por USD 15.700 millones en su negocio global de electrificación. La medida fue comunicada el 12 de marzo y afecta tanto a la empresa como a la industria automotriz internacional, en un contexto de disminución de ventas de autos eléctricos y una competencia global creciente, según informó Reuters.
De acuerdo con la agencia, Honda explicó que la reestructuración obedece a la menor demanda de vehículos eléctricos en el mercado estadounidense. La compañía puntualizó que parte del ajuste financiero deriva de la depreciación de activos en China y la compensación a proveedores por los modelos cancelados. Se fusionan aquí los motivos y consecuencias: la magnitud del ajuste representa la mayor pérdida anual de la compañía en casi siete décadas, una situación relevante porque desde hace más de medio siglo la empresa no reportaba un resultado negativo de semejante escala, según datos recogidos por Fox Business y el portal especializado MotorBiscuit. El cambio de estrategia ocurre tras una baja en las ventas globales de eléctricos, la reducción de incentivos fiscales en Estados Unidos y el avance de fabricantes chinos con ciclos de desarrollo más rápidos y una inversión considerable en tecnología.
En los últimos años, Honda había presentado su línea Honda 0 Series, que incluía los modelos Saloon, SUV y Acura RSX. Todos ellos iban a fabricarse y venderse en Norteamérica a partir de 2024, anuncio realizado en la feria CES de Las Vegas en enero de ese año.
La cancelación de los modelos eléctricos Saloon, SUV y Acura RSX responde a factores económicos y de mercado. Según el comunicado oficial de Honda, la marca decidió retirar estos lanzamientos ante “la menor demanda de vehículos eléctricos en Estados Unidos y la necesidad de ajustar la estrategia según la rentabilidad y tendencias del mercado”.
La empresa también citó la presión competitiva de fabricantes chinos que, con ciclos de innovación más cortos y una inversión considerable en software y asistentes de conducción, han creado “productos con mejor relación valor-precio”, lo que afectó la competitividad de Honda en Asia y en otros mercados globales.
El ajuste anunciado es de 2,5 billones de yenes (USD 15.700 millones). Según Reuters, este monto incluye la depreciación de activos en China y los costos asociados a la cancelación de contratos con proveedores norteamericanos. Honda prevé que esta decisión le genere su primera pérdida neta anual desde 1955.
Un portavoz de la automotriz declaró a Fox Business que “la mayor parte de los costos se destinará a compensaciones para proveedores y reducción de inventarios asociados a los modelos cancelados”. La compañía también reconoció no haber alcanzado la competitividad de las empresas chinas, orientadas a la innovación rápida y la tecnología de asistencia a la conducción.
Para 2025, Honda reportó que los eléctricos representaron sólo el 2,5% de sus ventas globales, con 84.000 unidades sobre un total de 3,4 millones de vehículos, según cifras citadas por el portal especializado MotorBiscuit. En China, la empresa vendió 17.000 eléctricos, lo que también representa el 2,5% de su volumen en ese país y apenas una quinta parte de sus ventas globales de eléctricos.
De acuerdo con la consultora sectorial TrustFinance, la demanda de autos eléctricos en Estados Unidos disminuyó en los últimos dos años, mientras que las ventas de híbridos muestran crecimiento sostenido. Las fuentes consultadas atribuyen este fenómeno a la reversión de incentivos fiscales federales para la compra de eléctricos, impulsada por el gobierno de Estados Unidos, lo que encareció el acceso a estos vehículos y afectó la viabilidad de nuevos lanzamientos.
La cancelación afecta estos modelos:
- Honda 0 Series Saloon
- Honda 0 Series SUV
- Acura RSX
Estos vehículos fueron presentados en la feria CES de Las Vegas en enero de 2024 y estaban previstos como los primeros eléctricos de la nueva generación de la marca para el mercado norteamericano, según lo comunicado por Honda y reportado por Fox Business.
La política de incentivos fiscales federales para la compra de vehículos eléctricos en Estados Unidos experimentó importantes modificaciones. Según Fox Business, la eliminación de créditos fiscales para algunos modelos eléctricos elevó los costos para los consumidores, repercutiendo en la demanda y la rentabilidad proyectada para fabricantes como Honda.
Representantes de la automotriz señalaron a Reuters: “La retirada de estímulos fiscales redujo la competitividad de la oferta eléctrica en el país”. Además, existe una preferencia creciente por los híbridos, que ofrecen mayor autonomía y menores costos de uso.
Para los consumidores estadounidenses, la cancelación implica que Honda no ofrecerá, en el corto plazo, los eléctricos anunciados para la región; la gama de híbridos será ampliada y actualizada. Los proveedores vinculados a estos proyectos recibirán compensaciones, tal como se indicó en el comunicado oficial de la empresa.
La producción de eléctricos para otros mercados no fue descartada. Honda aclaró que evaluará cada caso según la rentabilidad y el contexto local y anunció: “La introducción de nuevos modelos eléctricos se analizará con flexibilidad, monitoreando la rentabilidad y tendencias del mercado”.
La nueva estrategia de Honda pone el foco en el desarrollo y comercialización de vehículos híbridos en Estados Unidos, mientras reorganiza su portafolio eléctrico a nivel global. La automotriz busca, además, fortalecer su presencia en India y mejorar la competitividad de su oferta internacional.
La empresa anticipó en su comunicado que presentará detalles de su plan estratégico para el negocio automotor en una conferencia prevista para mayo de 2026.
La competencia en China, el mayor mercado automotor del mundo, representa un desafío para Honda por el auge de fabricantes locales que priorizan ciclos de desarrollo ágiles y tecnologías avanzadas de software. Las ventas de eléctricos de Honda en China constituyeron sólo una fracción de su volumen total, y la compañía admitió su dificultad para igualar la relación valor-precio de sus competidores, según el informe oficial.
La estrategia incluye la depreciación de activos y una adaptación de la oferta al mercado local, enfatizando el desarrollo de híbridos y modelos más accesibles, conforme detalló Reuters.
Honda informó que presentará una actualización de su plan automotor durante la conferencia de mayo. El sector se mantiene atento a nuevas definiciones sobre próximos lanzamientos y a cómo la marca responderá a la evolución de la demanda global de eléctricos, las fluctuaciones regulatorias y la competencia internacional, según Fox Business y Reuters.
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