White House scrapped Biden ship tour after learning ‘how many steps were involved,' emails show
The records, obtained by watchdog group Protect the Public's Trust via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and first reported by Fox News, show Department of Transportation staffers attempting to gather information about Biden's July 20, 2023, trip to the Philly Shipyard and what the president would be doing during his visit.
The DOT's Maritime Administration (MARAD) had awarded the Philly Shipyard a contract to build a massive National Security Multi-Mission Vessel (NSMV) years earlier – but the agency learned days before Biden's trip that the White House would not allow the then-80-year-old president to inspect the boat.
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3 White House officials would not allow Biden, who was 80-years-old at the time, to board a vessel at a Philadelphia shipyard in 2023.
AFP via Getty Images
'No visit to the NSMV vessel is planned after the WH realized how many steps were involved to get on the ship,' a MARAD official notified members of Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), quoting a contact the agency had at that shipyard.
'True – lots of steps on grating,' the message continued in a parenthetical note.
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Biden's visit to the Philly Shipyard (PSI), where he met with apprentices and attended a steel-cutting ceremony for an offshore wind farm construction vessel, came just weeks after he took a hard fall at an Air Force Academy graduation ceremony in Colorado.
Since the fall, the president had been observed boarding Air Force One using the aircraft's shorter set of stairs.
Seven days before the Philadelphia shipyard visit, Biden stumbled on Air Force One's short staircase as prepared to depart Helsinki-Vantaan International Airport in Finland.
3 Biden took a hard fall less than two months before the Philly trip.
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3 The National Security Multi-Mission Vessel being built at the shipyard had too many steps for Biden, according to an email sent to DOT staffers from a MARAD official.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
The White House's refusal to let Biden board the National Security Multi-Mission Vessel in Philadelphia may not have been the only time the president wasn't allowed to get on a boat over concerns about the number of steps involved.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed in his autobiography, 'Unleashed,' that the White House would not allow Biden to board the British Navy's flagship aircraft carrier – the HMS Prince of Wales – ahead of the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall.
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The decision left Johnson questioning Biden's 'physical fitness.'
'His staff told us that he would not in fact be boarding our vast aircraft carrier — which we had proudly stationed in the bay — because it had so many steps; and we wondered what that meant about his physical fitness,' Johnson said, according to an excerpt from the former prime minister's book obtained by The Telegraph.
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Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Mayor Brandon Johnson-aligned school board members balk at CPS budget plan that sidesteps city pension payment, borrowing
Despite the presentation of a balanced budget containing no loan for the upcoming Chicago Public Schools academic year after months of debates over a multi-million dollar budget deficit, the entirety of the Chicago Board of Education is not sold on the $10.25 billion plan. The proposal was the result of weeks of planning and bolstered by community engagement. It combines cuts to expenditures — that avoid cuts to classrooms — with input from outside partners such as the city and state, according to the district's Chief Budget Officer Mike Sitkowski, who presented the plan to the school board at their bi-monthly meeting Wednesday. Notably, it balances the budget without a $200 million borrowing scenario or a $175 million pension reimbursement to the city, as proposed by Mayor Brandon Johnson. Interim CPS CEO Macquline King drew attention in recent days for pushing back on Johnson's proposals to rely on borrowing and make the pension payment. King took over in June as the district was confronting a $734 million budget crisis in the wake of leadership upheaval. Just days earlier, the former schools chief Pedro Martinez had left the district for a new job in Massachusetts after a protracted public disagreement with Johnson about how to balance last year's budget, which ultimately cost him his job. The interim CEO stepped into the role with two immediate priorities: settling the budget and ensuring a smooth start to the school year. While King, a former city employee, has taken a stance against Johnson, it remains unclear if the board will follow suit. And it remains to be seen how her relationship with Johnson will fare in light of the budget reveal. A majority of the 21-member hybrid board members are Johnson-aligned, meaning they have significant sway over the final vote on a budget, which requires a simple majority, or 11 members to vote in favor. During the meeting, while some Johnson-aligned members recognized the blood, sweat and tears that Sitkowski put into the proposal, they also expressed consternation about its potential to rupture relationships with City Hall. Meanwhile, several elected board members backed the proposal, saying it puts students first. Sitkowski maintained that this year's plan, in agreement with King's approach, stays away from dangerous borrowing and helps the district in the long term, significantly decreasing the projected budget deficit in the next five years. He emphasized that the proposal fulfills all labor commitments as outlined in a new teachers contract finalized this spring — upholding promises to teachers' wages, class sizes and bilingual education support. It also offers protections to principals in their recently approved contract, he added. He assured board members that he 'reviewed every line' to identify all cost-saving measures, such as cutting the CPS' central office budget by $50 million. He laid out a variety of strategies to ensure the most money would be funneled to the district, including using $65 million in one-time resources from the district's debt stabilization fund, which is designed to account for debt expenditures. The plan also saves $29 million by repurposing existing state and federal dollars, he said. 'This budget is designed to avoid the possibility of mid-year cuts. We're confident that it does that,' Sitkowski said. 'We also want to make good on this commitment, and work with our partners at the city, at the state level, on every level of government to continue to address these shared obligations that we don't, as a city, have the resources to currently address.' He stressed that the city's $200 million borrowing plan would substantially hurt CPS' credit rating, as occurred during borrowing in the 2010s. 'We are now paying nearly $200 million per year for this crisis debt,' Sitkowski said, lamenting the previous borrowing undertaken by CPS. 'If we had access to this funding or our classrooms, rather than to pay off this debt, we could hire at least 2,000 additional teachers.' The question of whether CPS accepts responsibility for a pension payment previously covered by the city took up a large amount of discussion at Wednesday's board meeting. It is the city's responsibility to pay into the municipal pension, even though over half of the pensioners are CPS nonteaching staff, such as support staff and central office employees. The city covered the costs of the pension until 2021, when it shifted to the district under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The district's proposal does not to commit to the pension payment, keeping the option open contingent on additional resources from the city and state. That is different from last year, when a budget was settled without leaving that option open, meaning a budget amendment was required to make the pension payment. This March, the board postponed a vote on a budget amendment to engage in borrowing when it was clear it didn't have sufficient votes. The city ultimately took on the costs of the payment. The partly-elected, partly-appointed board needs a supermajority — 14 out of 21 votes — to pass a budget amendment, but just a simple majority to pass the budget. Sitkowski isn't ruling out making the payment, but rather saying that CPS needs extra money from outside partners. That means this year, compared to in March, it just needs a simple majority to pass, Sitkowski said. The proposal relies on an extra $79 million from special tax increment financing districts, called TIF, an economic development fund that collects taxpayer money to be used for special projects by aldermen in their districts. CPS received $300 million in TIF funding last year and expects to get more this year, according to Sitkowski. But the district needs even more money from TIF, and potentially from the state, in order to make the pension payment, Sitkowski said. Aldermen have publicly stated that they won't vote to allocate their extra TIF dollars to the district if CPS does not agree to make the pension payment. But they also need their chunk of that money to balance a challenging city budget come this fall. Board member Michilla Blaise, who represents District 5B on the West Side and was appointed by the mayor, advocated for completing the pension payment to maintain a collaborative relationship with the city, noting that the district had already made a misstep by not making the payment last fiscal year. She questioned why the city would allocate TIF funding to the district without a promise of a pension payment. 'We have to be good partners. We have to collaborate. And if we're going to act like we don't care about the city budget, why should they care about ours?' she asked. Meanwhile, elected board member Carlos Rivas, who represents District 3B on the Northwest Side, pushed back on the idea that the city might withhold TIF funding without the promise of a pension payment, since the city allocates a TIF surplus each year. He said he expects another record surplus. 'There is no mechanism right now to give us less TIF money because they're mad at us,' Rivas said. King remained stoic for most of the meeting, chiming in only when directly asked to confirm that she hasn't 'had any conversation to date about specific dollars in City Council.' Two top aides to Johnson, including Kennedy Bartley, the mayor's chief of external affairs, and Jason Lee, Johnson's senior adviser, were also at the meeting Wednesday. Lee spoke to board members during a recess, according to city spokesman Cassio Mendoza. While CPS is a large city agency and the budget is of high importance to the mayor's office, it is unusual to see a high level delegation from the mayor's office at a school board meeting. The city did not respond immediately to a request for further comment. The district's shortfall ultimately stems far beyond current relationships with aldermen. It is the result of years of aggressive borrowing, chronically underfunded pension obligations and ongoing budget gaps. At the same time, federal pandemic relief funding — which had previously bolstered student performance in math and literacy — expired in late 2024. And adding to the uncertainty are potential cuts proposed by the Trump administration to eliminate nearly 16% of the resources relied upon by many CPS families, according to a district presentation from a budget briefing with city officials, CPS and other stakeholders on Tuesday. In talks about the deficit, CPS officials have repeatedly cited data showing that the district is missing $1.6 billion in funding from the state, despite a recent $45 million allocation. Board member Anusha Thotakura, who was appointed by the mayor and represents District 6A on the South Side, emphasized that relationships between board members and state officials will be vital moving forward. 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New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Los Angeles councilman slapped with corruption charges for allegedly embezzling $800K with wife
An embattled Los Angeles city councilmember was slapped with new corruption charges after he and his wife allegedly embezzled $800,000 meant for housing and public transit. Councilman Curren Price was formally charged Tuesday with two counts of corruption for allegedly voting to approve the city's housing authority and metro service for fat state and federal grants — in exchange for nearly $1 million in payouts to his wife's consulting firm between 2019 and 2021. Price was already in hot water: The pol, endorsed by Mayor Karen Bass, was facing charges of grand theft, perjury, and conflict of interest for votes on projects that allegedly resulted in $150,000 in kickbacks to his wife, Del Richardson. 5 LA Council Member Curren Price, accused of corruption. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images 5 Curren Price and his wife Del Richardson leaving court. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images 'Embezzling public funds and awarding contracts for your own financial gain is the antithesis of public service,' Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said in a statement. Prosecutors claim the LA City Housing Authority paid Richardson's company — Del Richardson & Associates — more than $600,000 over a nine-month period in 2019 and 2020. In the same period, Price voted to approve the department for $35 million in federal grant money and $252 million from the state. From 2020 to 2021, LA Metro paid Richardson's firm around $200,000; meanwhile, Price 'brought and voted in favor of' a motion to award LA Metro $30 million in public funds, the prosecutors allege. Price also allegedly funneled $2 million in funds to a housing nonprofit he was serving as CEO for during the COVID-19 pandemic, the DA added. Price's attorney Michael Schafler dismissed the new allegations as a political hit job based on cherry-picked voting records. 'They have gone back as much as 6 years, combing through thousands and thousands of votes, to find a couple more allegedly conflicted votes, hoping that the public will overlook the fact that there is no evidence whatsoever that Councilmember Price was aware of the alleged conflicts when he voted for the agenda items,' Schafler said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times. But the DA's office claims Price's own staffers flagged the votes as potential problems. Price was elected in 2013 and re-elected in 2017 with the endorsement of Mayor Karen Bass. 5 LA Councilman Curren Price and his attorney in court. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images 5 Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass at a press conference. AFP via Getty Images 5 Curren Price and Del Richardson pose for a photo. Curren Price / X The charges against him add to a mountain of scandals within Los Angeles' government. In 2023, the same year Price faced his first batch of charges, former Councilmember Jose Huizar pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion, and veteran city politician Mark Ridley-Thomas was sentenced to federal prison for a bribery scheme in which he sought favors for his son from a university dean in exchange for political favors. Last year, Mayor Bass appointed fellow progressive Janisse Quinones as head of the water and power department, paying her a roughly $750,000 salary — almost double what her predecessor made. And in February, Bass fired Fire Chief Kristin Crowley for her bungled response to the Palisades Fire – less than three years after Crowley's predecessor resigned amid allegations of racism and sexism in the upper echelons of the fire department.
Vox
2 hours ago
- Vox
A court victory for Trump's foreign aid cuts, briefly explained
President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room of the White House on August 8, 2025. Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images This story appeared in The Logoff, a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here. Welcome to The Logoff: The Trump administration's decision to cancel billions in foreign aid can stand, a federal appeals court said today, in a major blow to global humanitarian aid. What did the court actually decide? A three-judge panel on the DC Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the plaintiffs in the case weren't eligible to bring the suit in the first place. The majority found that only the Government Accountability Office can challenge the administration's decision to withhold congressionally appropriated funds under a specific process laid out in the Impoundment Control Act of 1974. What's the context for this decision? Donald Trump and Elon Musk made US foreign aid programs one of their first targets upon taking power in January. Musk boasted about feeding the US Agency for International Development 'into the wood chipper,' and Trump withheld billions in spending already authorized by Congress. A number of humanitarian nonprofits sued to restore the withheld funds, alleging it was an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers — but today's ruling punts on that question altogether, instead focusing on procedure. What will the impact of this freeze be? To put it simply, US foreign aid saves lives, and cutting it will cost them. Among the money the Trump administration will now be allowed to withhold is billions of dollars in funding for HIV/AIDS prevention and other global health programs. As the New York Times calculated earlier this year, the potential death toll for slashing US aid is more than 1.5 million people in 2025 alone; many, including young children, have already died. The Logoff The email you need to stay informed about Trump — without letting the news take over your life. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. What else should I know? Separate from the human impact, this is a significant decision for the Trump administration's efforts to impound congressionally appropriated funds, for foreign aid and other purposes. Unless or until the GAO sues over impoundment, the administration can keep at it and keep chipping away at the separation of powers in the process. And with that, it's time to log off… You know what The Logoff hasn't featured in a while? That's right — an animal livestream. Today I'm spotlighting one of my favorites from Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
