F**k him: Hunter Biden blasts George Clooney over father's exit from 2024 race
"Really, do you think in middle America, that voter in Green Bay, Wisconsin, gives a s*** what George Clooney thinks about who she should vote for?"Hunter's comments mark the first time a member of the Biden family has so explicitly addressed the wave of Democratic pressure -- including from party insiders and celebrities -- that led Joe Biden to end his re-election bid just months before the 2024 vote.Hunter continued his tirade, suggesting that Clooney's opinion piece in The New York Times had an outsized and unwarranted impact."Why do I have to f***ing listen to you? What right do you have to step on a man who's given 52 years of his f***ing life to the service of this country?" he said."And decide that you, George Clooney, are going to take out basically a full-page ad in the f***ing New York Times?"CLOONEY QUESTIONS BIDEN'S RE-ELECTION BIDPublished on July 10, 2024, Clooney's op-ed, "I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee," helped ignite the growing public debate over Biden's age and fitness following a widely panned debate performance against Donald Trump in late June."I consider him a friend, and I believe in him...In the last four years, he's won many of the battles he's faced. But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time," Clooney wrote, recalling a fundraiser where he described Biden as visibly diminished.Less than two weeks later, Biden, then 81, officially ended his campaign on July 21, clearing the way for Vice President Kamala Harris to become the Democratic nominee.The younger Biden, who has been dogged for years by legal issues and addiction, was later granted a full presidential pardon by his father in December—just weeks before Trump took office.HUNTER BIDEN SAYS AMBIEN AFFECTED HIS FATHERHunter Biden claimed that his father was taking the prescription sleep aid Ambien ahead of the June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump — a performance widely seen as the turning point that forced Joe Biden to exit the race weeks later.Hunter said the combination of medication and a gruelling travel schedule left the then-president exhausted and unprepared.advertisement"He's 81 years old. He's tired as s--t. They give him Ambien to be able to sleep," Hunter said. Hunter defended his father's condition, saying fatigue and medication were to blame. "He flew around the world, basically the mileage he could have flown around the world three times,' Hunter said. 'He gets up on the stage, and he looks like he's a deer in the headlights."Hunter Biden also denied any connection to the mysterious bag of cocaine found in the West Wing of the White House in 2023. "I have been clean and sober since June of 2019. I have not touched a drop of alcohol or a drug, and I'm incredibly proud of that," he said.- EndsWith inputs from Agencies Trending Reel
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
Trump asks Supreme Court to approve cuts to health grants tied to diversity
The Trump administration urged the US Supreme Court to allow it to carry out major funding cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants, arguing that current diversity-related programmes are 'undisputedly counter to the administration's priorities.'The move is the latest in President Donald Trump's ongoing push to reduce federal spending and eliminate government support for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives — including those related to biomedical research and transgender Justice Department filed an emergency request to the court, seeking to lift a June order by U.S. District Judge William Young in Boston. That ruling blocked the administration's plan and ordered the government to restore access to more than $783 million in NIH grant funding. The lawsuit was brought by researchers and 16 Democratic-led states, led by Massachusetts. In its filing, the Justice Department argued that the district court's injunction forces the government to 'continue paying $783 million in federal grants that are undisputedly counter to the administration's priorities.'The NIH, considered the world's largest biomedical research funder, has come under increasing pressure since Trump's return to the presidency in January. Critics say his administration's broad effort to dismantle diversity and health equity programs is politicizing science and jeopardizing public health.'The cuts harm the health of Americans and people across the globe,' warned an open letter signed in June by dozens of NIH scientists and staff. The signatories accused the agency of turning its back on inclusive research and of being complicit in 'a political agenda that undermines evidence-based health policy.'The Trump administration has frequently turned to the Supreme Court — now dominated by a 6-3 conservative majority — to clear legal roadblocks to its sweeping policy changes. So far, the high court has largely sided with the administration on most contested issues since request in the NIH case could have long-term consequences for government-funded research programs, particularly those aimed at addressing racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ disparities in health ruling came in two lawsuits challenging the cuts. One was filed by the American Public Health Association, individual researchers and other plaintiffs who called the cuts an "ongoing ideological purge" of projects with a purported connection to gender identity, DEI "or other vague, now-forbidden language." The other was filed by the states, most of them Democratic-led.- EndsWith inputs from ReutersMust Watch
India Today
an hour ago
- India Today
US FCC approves $8.4 billion Paramount-Skydance merger, ending months of turmoil
The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has officially approved the $8.4 billion merger between Paramount Global and Skydance Media. This deal will join well-known names like CBS, Paramount Pictures, and Nickelodeon under new decision, finalised with the FCC's grant of various licence transfer applications, marks a turning point for one of the oldest broadcast networks in the country, now set to undergo sweeping changes under new FCC agreed to transfer broadcast licences for 28 owned-and-operated CBS television stations to the new owners after Paramount paid $16 million to settle a lawsuit filed by US President Donald Trump over a "60 Minutes" interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris that aired in GIVES GO-AHEAD AFTER PROMISES OF FAIRNESS The FCC's approval came after Skydance and RedBird made promises to maintain journalistic integrity and fairness. The companies said they are committed to showing a wide range of views in their media support of that, Skydance will designate an impartial individual to investigate complaints of editorial bias, known as an ombudsman. The purpose of this action is to guarantee openness and foster viewer Chairman Brendan Carr said, "Skydance's commitment to make significant changes at the once-storied CBS broadcast network is welcomed. The new company has made written commitments to ensure its programming includes viewpoints from across the political and ideological spectrum."CHANGES IN PARAMOUNT'S POLICIESParamount terminated its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives as part of the agreement. This modification supports the Trump administration's stance that these kinds of policies are unjust. This action, according to Carr, is a step in the right direction towards ending "invidious forms of DEI discrimination."The decision to approve the merger was made in a 2-1 vote. Democratic Commissioner Anna Gomez was the only one to oppose it. She strongly criticized the deal, calling it harmful to press freedom and public interest."After months of cowardly capitulation to this Administration, Paramount finally got what it wanted," Gomez said. "Unfortunately, it is the American public who will ultimately pay the price for its actions."She added, "Even more alarming, it is now imposing never-before-seen controls over newsroom decisions and editorial judgment, in direct violation of the First Amendment and the law."David Ellison, CEO of Skydance and son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, is expected to become the chairman and CEO of the new Paramount. Jeff Shell, who used to lead NBCUniversal, will serve as the new deal also signals the end of the Redstone family's long involvement with Paramount. Sumner Redstone had turned a chain of drive-in theaters into a powerful media company that once included TV, film, radio, and daughter, Shari Redstone, became Paramount's chair in 2019 after reuniting CBS and Viacom, hoping to make the company stronger against rising competition from global entertainment giants. In recent years, Paramount has lost billions in market value as it struggled to keep up with the fast-changing world of streaming.- EndsWith inputs from Agencies Must Watch
Mint
3 hours ago
- Mint
Appeals court says California law requiring background checks for ammunition is unconstitutional
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A voter-backed California law requiring background checks for people who buy bullets is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday in a blow to the state's efforts to combat gun violence. In upholding a 2024 ruling by a lower court, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that the state law violates the Second Amendment. Voters passed the law in 2016 and it took effect in 2019. Many states, including California, make people pass a background check before they can buy a gun. California went a step further by requiring a background check, which costs either $1 or $19 depending on eligibility, every time someone buys buy bullets. Last year, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez decided that the law was unconstitutional because if people can't buy bullets, they can't use their guns for self-defense. The 9th Circuit agreed. Writing for two of the three judges on the appellate panel, Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta said the state law 'meaningfully constrains" the constitutional right to keep arms by forcing gun owners to get rechecked before each purchase of bullets. 'The right to keep and bear arms incorporates the right to operate them, which requires ammunition,' the judge wrote. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who supported the background checks, decried the court's decision. 'Strong gun laws save lives — and today's decision is a slap in the face to the progress California has made in recent years to keep its communities safer from gun violence," Newsom said in a statement. "Californians voted to require background checks on ammunition and their voices should matter.' Chuck Michel, president and general counsel of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, called the law 'absurdly restrictive.' 'This case has been a long hard fight against overreaching government gun control, but a firearm cannot be effective without the ammunition to make it operable. The state of California continues to try to strip our rights, and we continue to prove their actions are unconstitutional.' Benitez had criticized the state's automated background check system, which he said rejected about 11% of applicants, or 58,087 requests, in the first half of 2023. California's law was meant to help police find people who have guns illegally, such as convicted felons, people with certain mental illnesses and people with some domestic violence convictions.
