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Daily Mail
32 minutes ago
- General
- Daily Mail
The most glaring examples of Joe Biden's decline, even as the White House covered it up
The truth about President Joe Biden 's physical and mental decline is getting more coverage thanks to Democrats finally conceding it was a mistake for him to run again in 2024. Most of them blame Biden's family and closest aides for hiding the truth about the president's condition despite obvious signs that he was suffering the effects of old age. However, in truth, concerns about Biden's age and glaring examples of its effects were apparent as early as his 2020 campaign at the age of 77. At the time, the most favorable interpretation was that it was just 'Biden being Biden' - he was the affable gaffe-ridden politician who struggled from early youth with a stutter. Biden won the presidency in 2020, but he was protected in a closely watched cocoon of staff as the coronavirus pandemic raged and his public and media appearances were limited and carefully scripted. His isolation only added to his disoriented demeanor when he forgot to wear his coronavirus mask at times, leaving it behind or fumbling for the right words during a press conference. Here are some of the biggest moments that show the former president's decline had been apparent for some time: March 18, 2021: Biden falls on the stairs of Air Force One The president fell repeatedly on the stairs while boarding Air Force One, on a trip to Atlanta, Georgia, despite trying and failing to stand up and regain his balance. White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insisted the president was doing '100 percent fine' and blamed the wind for his stumbles. August 19, 2021: Biden makes multiple errors in interview about Afghanistan During the botched exit from Afghanistan, President Biden continued keeping his remarks closely scripted for days, refusing to respond to shouted questions from reporters and staying on script with his talking points. The country was not satisfied with his responses, prompting staff to schedule an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos to allow the president to defend his decision to pull U.S. troops from Afghanistan Biden made multiple errors and gaffes throughout the interview that aired on August 19, 2021 and they had to be clarified and corrected by the White House. The terrorist suicide bombing that killed 13 American warfighters and more than 170 Afghan civilians shook Biden as he struggled to defend the botched exit from the country. August 26, 2021: Joe Biden's botched press conference When he finally took questions from the press at a news conference on Afghanistan, Biden found himself frustrated, struggling to finish sentences and recall basic facts and talking points. At one moment he bowed his head with frustration and anger, clenching his briefing book of talking points as Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked him a question. Even many who voted for Biden questioned the president's ability to handle the chaotic events, and the decisions he made about the way to withdraw forces from Afghanistan. January 2022: White House clarifies Biden's remarks on Russia Biden held an extended press conference after a long drought in communications with the White House press but staff rushed to clarify his remarks about Russia making a 'minor incursion' into Ukraine that might not trigger a response from the United States and NATO allies. A National Security Council spokeswoman immediately said that Biden was only speaking about possible non-military, paramilitary, or cyber attacks. The president had not even finished speaking when the clarifications began. March 2022: White House rushes to correct Biden's comment about Putin White House staff scrambled to correct Biden after he delivered a speech in Poland to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggression in Ukraine. 'For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power,' Biden declared forcefully, suggesting he was supportive of regime change in Russia. The White House immediately said that Biden's comments were not about regime change and that it was not in his prepared remarks. Biden himself was frustrated by his staff's corrections, wondering if they would have done the same for former presidents who routinely went off script like Ronald Reagan. June 2022: Biden tips over on his bike While riding his bicycle on his beach vacation, Biden stopped to talk to a group of people and tripped over when he came to a stop. He later explained his spill was the result of his feet getting clipped into the pedals. That summer, Biden's coughing was no longer smothered by the occasional cough drop, his voice grew thinner and weaker, and his gait grew more stiff, prompting additional questions about his abilities. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly defended Biden's acuity. 'Oh, my gosh, he's the President of the United States, you know, he – I can't even keep up with him,' she told CNN's Don Lemon in an interview, urging skeptics to look at the work he was achieving. August 2022: Joe Biden struggles with his jacket President Biden traveled for a visit in Kentucky but found himself lost on the tarmac as he struggled to put on his suit jacket for about 15 agonizing seconds. First Lady Jill Biden ultimately assisted him and started walking off but the president's sunglasses then fell off his face, prompting him to stop down and pick them back up. September 2022: Where's Jackie? President Biden sparked more concern after he arrived at an event with members of Congress and called out to Rep. Jackie Walorski, who had passed away more than a month earlier in a car crash. 'Jackie are you here? Where's Jackie?' Biden said, appearing unaware of her passing. The White House defended Biden's question and would only say that the deceased congresswoman was 'top of mind,' during his remarks. June 2023: Joe Biden trips on stage President Biden tripped over a sandbag and fell sprawling on stage at the Air Force Academy's commencement ceremony. White House aides responded that the president was 'fine' after the undignified incident. 'Calm down you nervous nellies,' wrote Biden's former chief of staff Ron Klain on social media, scolding Democrats for questioning the president's health. October 2023: Special Counsel Robert Hurr sounds a warning President Biden struggled during his interview with Special counsel Robert Hur about classified documents found in his possession. Hur's report revealed his honest assessment that Biden was a 'sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.' Biden struggled to remember key details about his life after his vice presidency. Hur wrote that he couldn't recall the date when his son Beau died. When the details were released in early January, Biden was furious about the accusation. He was running for reelection and already fighting off suggestions that he was too old to be seeking a second term. Biden held a press conference defending his abilities, but after insisting 'my memory is fine,' he mistakenly referred to the president of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, as 'the president of Mexico' without correcting himself. April, 2024: Joe Biden reads the word 'pause' off of the teleprompter President Biden visited union members in Washington, DC where he appeared to read the world 'pause' off of his teleprompter instructions. 'Four more years. Pause,' he said, as members of the Members of North America's Building Trades Unions ultimately chanted 'Four more years!' after the president's mistake. June 11, 2024: Joe Biden freezes at White House concert President Biden attended a White House concert to celebrate the Juneteenth holiday, but observers expressed alarm as the president froze for a solid minute as people around him danced and sang. At one point, he appeared to forget where he was, looking around confused prompting others around him to reach out and engage with him. June 14, 2024: Joe Biden wanders off at the G7 summit After President Joe Biden and other world leaders watched a parachute jump, the president slowly stated walking away. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni walked over to guide him back to the group for a photo opportunity with the other world leaders. The embarrassing video went viral but the White House repeatedly dismissed it as a 'cheap-fake,' asserting that the video failed to show the paratrooper that Biden was trying to walk over and talk to. June 16, 2024: Barack Obama guides Biden off stage Throughout the 2024 campaign, Biden's staff repeatedly defended the president's mental and physical abilities. But behind the scenes donors attending fundraising events were incredibly alarmed as he often trailed off during speeches and struggled to remember who he was talking to. After a fundraiser with President Obama, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Jimmy Kimmel, Biden paused and gazed out at the crowd appearing confused when he was supposed to be exiting the stage. Former President Barack Obama paused and reached back to help guide Biden off of the stage. It was not an isolated event. Biden appeared at times to be lost on stage, looking to staff to point him in the proper direction. Biden's public demeanor was so bad by the summer of 2024 that donors were openly questioning the president's decision to run for reelection. June 27, 2024: President Joe Biden participates in the CNN Presidential Debate In the presidential debate in June 2024, Biden struggled to finish his sentences and mixed up his prepared talking points as he tried to compete with Trump. Biden's frail, hoarse and raspy voice alarmed debate viewers as he claimed there were 'a thousand trillionaires' in the United States who needed to be taxed more. Later in the debate he declared that 'we finally beat Medicare' and struggled to deliver his prepared attacks on Trump. 'I really don't know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don't think he knows what he said either,' Trump quipped. The botched debate performance prompted a host of Democrats to publicly call for Biden to exit the race. But Biden refused. President Biden visited union members in Washington, DC where he appeared to read the world 'pause' off of his teleprompter instructions. 'Four more years. Pause,' he said, as members of the Members of North America's Building Trades Unions ultimately chanted 'Four more years!' after the president's mistake. July 11, 2024: NATO Summit Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as 'President Putin' before correcting himself. The president also referred to his vice president as 'Trump' instead of Kamala Harris during a press conference at the summit. 'Look, I wouldn't have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if I didn't think she was qualified to be president,' he said. Biden continued insisting he was 'fine' and fit for reelection. 'If I slow down, I can't get the job done. That's a sign that I shouldn't be doing it. But there's no indication of that yet, none,' he said. July 21, 2024: Biden withdraws from the presidential election Amid intense pressure, Biden announced his decision to exit the race in a 1:46 pm post on X. He later detailed his decision in an Oval Office address: 'I believe my record as president, my leadership in the world, my vision for America's future all merited a second term, but nothing - nothing - can come in the way of saving our democracy. That includes personal ambition,' he said. 'So, I've decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation. That's the best way to unite our nation.'
Washington Post
34 minutes ago
- Business
- Washington Post
The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean for braids and wigs
ATLANTA — Before the oppressive summer heat descends on Atlanta, therapist Brittanee Sims usually gets her thick, curly hair braided at a salon to preserve her healthy mane. But it's more expensive this year. So she'll only pay for her teenage daughter and son to get their summer hairdos. Not having braided hair 'creates more of a hassle for everything,' said Sims, who counts herself among the tens of millions of women that regularly spend on the Black hair care industry.
The Independent
36 minutes ago
- Business
- The Independent
The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean for braids and wigs
Before the oppressive summer heat descends on Atlanta, therapist Brittanee Sims usually gets her thick, curly hair braided at a salon to preserve her healthy mane. But it's more expensive this year. So she'll only pay for her teenage daughter and son to get their summer hairdos. Not having braided hair 'creates more of a hassle for everything,' said Sims, who counts herself among the tens of millions of women that regularly spend on the Black hair care industry. Now, she said, she has to 'go home and figure out what I'm gonna do to my hair in the morning, after I went to the gym and it's messed up with sweating and frizz.' President Donald Trump's tariffs are driving up prices for products many Black women consider essential, squeezing shoppers and stylists even more as they grapple with inflation and higher rents. Much of the synthetic braiding hair, human hair for extensions, wigs and weaves, styling tools, braiding gel and other products is imported from or has packaging from China, which was subject to a combined 145% tariff in April. Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention, and they can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs and braids. The Associated Press spoke with several Black hair industry experts, beauty supply store owners, and wholesale companies, as well as nearly two dozen Black stylists and braiders, some of whom may have to raise prices even as business has slowed. On Thursday, a federal appeals court reinstated most of Trump's tariffs on imported goods after they were blocked the day before by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Earlier this month, the United States agreed to drop the 145% tax on goods imported from China to 30% while the two economic superpowers negotiate new trade agreements. Imports from most other countries face baseline tariff rates at 10%. Regardless, the next few months 'are already shot' for many items, said Marty Parker, a University of Georgia business professor and supply chain expert who worked in the hair care industry. The costs companies have been facing at ports are making their way down to consumers, supply shortages are getting worse, and it's unclear what will happen if negotiations break down. 'Prices go up very fast and come down very slow,' Parker said. Costs go up for Atlanta stylists Some stylists said they're seeing fewer clients because prices are going up for virtually everything. Atlanta stylists are paying more for hair from China. Atlanta stylist Yana Ellis, who also sells products like wigs, paid an extra $245 in shipping for 52 bundles of hair in March compared to 40 bundles in December. AaNiyah Butler said her shipping costs for human hair more than doubled from February to May. And Dajiah Blackshear found in early May that a beauty supply store raised the cost of the kind of hair she's used for years by $100. The store owner said he may have to stop selling that brand of hair because it went up so much. Similarly, some wholesale hair stores have seen higher costs or are expecting them in the coming weeks. Even the typical $6 to $10 cost of a pack of synthetic hair has crept up. Blackshear doesn't want clients to bring hair because she likes to vet the quality. But if expenses continue to mount, she may have to raise her prices. 'It's going to be extremely difficult,' she said, especially for clients who are "having to make those hard decisions, between 'do I get my hair done or do I pay my bills?'' Janice Lowe, who runs 5 Starr Salon in a lower-income neighborhood southeast of Atlanta, has started asking clients to bring hair and is unable to purchase certain products. 'I'm falling behind on my obligations,' she said. The industry braces for uncertainty Consultants vary on how much prices will rise, when they'll go up and for how long — and the full harm to stylists and consumers could be months away. The global Black hair care industry was worth about $3.2 billion in 2023, according to and Black women spend six times more on hair care than other ethnicities. Stylists often purchase some harder-to-get professional products from door-to-door distributors that buy from wholesale companies or larger distributors that purchase directly from other countries. Lowe has seen some of her distributors vanish altogether, making it harder to get professional lines such as Black-owned leading professional hair care brand Design Essentials, manufactured in Atlanta at McBride Research Laboratories. Design Essentials is trying to delay big price increases until 2026 or 2027, and may turn to layoffs or pause promotions to save money, said president Cornell McBride Jr. Most packaging plastics come from China, but ingredients can come from many places. 'Nobody wants to put it to the consumer but the person who pays is the consumer in the end,' McBride Jr. said. Hawa Keita and her mother usually charge customers between $160 and $250 for braiding at their shop, Eve's African Hair Braiding in College Park southwest of Atlanta. Keita is determined to take losses because their customers 'can't afford the Atlanta prices,' Keita said. The cost of a box of 100 packs of braiding hair from China went up for the first time in two years, from $250 to $300, Keita said. They order weekly, often multiple boxes. Some companies say they'll soon raise prices or run out of stock. Making customers happy is ultimately what will keep the business afloat, Keita said. She smiled as she recounted braiding a young woman's hair for her birthday with a style she suggested. 'When we finished, she gave me the biggest hug, and she was in here screaming and just yelling because she just really loved her hair,' Keita said. Priced-out consumers face unfair beauty standards For many Black Americans, especially women, affording their hair care also means confronting unfavorable beauty standards. Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington said recent discoveries about dangerous chemicals in synthetic hair and hair straightening products have sparked conversations among Black women looking for hairstyles that don't require as much imported products. But embracing natural hairdos can be daunting for women like the soon-to-be lawyers and clerks Washington advises who face pressure to straighten their hair. 'That puts everyone who does not have organically, naturally derived straight hair at a disadvantage in these spaces,' she said. 'I think that a definition of professionalism that favors one phenotype — European phenotype — over all others, is inappropriate." Longstanding income disparities between Black and white American women can also make higher hair care prices untenable. According to the U.S. Census, as of 2023, the median household income in Atlanta is $131,319 for white households and $47,937 for Black households. It's an inequality issue that professional hairstylists are aware of nationwide. Stylist Mitzi Mitchell, owner of PIC ONE Beauty Services in Pennsylvania, said she has stocked up on certain products and tools for another year in anticipation of price increases. She wants to avoid 'bootleg' products, which are made illegally and often aren't as safe, but became much more prevalent in the marketplace during economic downturns. 'I'm really conscientious about my Black minority clients because we make a heck of a lot less than other nationalities,' said Mitchell, who is Black. 'I try to keep prices low so we can continue to have the same services, but I know I will have to raise it.' ___
Associated Press
41 minutes ago
- Business
- Associated Press
The Black hair industry imports products from China. Here's what tariffs mean for braids and wigs
ATLANTA (AP) — Before the oppressive summer heat descends on Atlanta, therapist Brittanee Sims usually gets her thick, curly hair braided at a salon to preserve her healthy mane. But it's more expensive this year. So she'll only pay for her teenage daughter and son to get their summer hairdos. Not having braided hair 'creates more of a hassle for everything,' said Sims, who counts herself among the tens of millions of women that regularly spend on the Black hair care industry. Now, she said, she has to 'go home and figure out what I'm gonna do to my hair in the morning, after I went to the gym and it's messed up with sweating and frizz.' President Donald Trump's tariffs are driving up prices for products many Black women consider essential, squeezing shoppers and stylists even more as they grapple with inflation and higher rents. Much of the synthetic braiding hair, human hair for extensions, wigs and weaves, styling tools, braiding gel and other products is imported from or has packaging from China, which was subject to a combined 145% tariff in April. Many Black women have hair types and workplace-favored styles that require careful attention, and they can spend hundreds of dollars at salons each month on extensions, weaves, wigs and braids. The Associated Press spoke with several Black hair industry experts, beauty supply store owners, and wholesale companies, as well as nearly two dozen Black stylists and braiders, some of whom may have to raise prices even as business has slowed. On Thursday, a federal appeals court reinstated most of Trump's tariffs on imported goods after they were blocked the day before by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Earlier this month, the United States agreed to drop the 145% tax on goods imported from China to 30% while the two economic superpowers negotiate new trade agreements. Imports from most other countries face baseline tariff rates at 10%. Regardless, the next few months 'are already shot' for many items, said Marty Parker, a University of Georgia business professor and supply chain expert who worked in the hair care industry. The costs companies have been facing at ports are making their way down to consumers, supply shortages are getting worse, and it's unclear what will happen if negotiations break down. 'Prices go up very fast and come down very slow,' Parker said. Costs go up for Atlanta stylists Some stylists said they're seeing fewer clients because prices are going up for virtually everything. Atlanta stylists are paying more for hair from China. Atlanta stylist Yana Ellis, who also sells products like wigs, paid an extra $245 in shipping for 52 bundles of hair in March compared to 40 bundles in December. AaNiyah Butler said her shipping costs for human hair more than doubled from February to May. And Dajiah Blackshear found in early May that a beauty supply store raised the cost of the kind of hair she's used for years by $100. The store owner said he may have to stop selling that brand of hair because it went up so much. Similarly, some wholesale hair stores have seen higher costs or are expecting them in the coming weeks. Even the typical $6 to $10 cost of a pack of synthetic hair has crept up. Blackshear doesn't want clients to bring hair because she likes to vet the quality. But if expenses continue to mount, she may have to raise her prices. 'It's going to be extremely difficult,' she said, especially for clients who are 'having to make those hard decisions, between 'do I get my hair done or do I pay my bills?'' Janice Lowe, who runs 5 Starr Salon in a lower-income neighborhood southeast of Atlanta, has started asking clients to bring hair and is unable to purchase certain products. 'I'm falling behind on my obligations,' she said. The industry braces for uncertainty Consultants vary on how much prices will rise, when they'll go up and for how long — and the full harm to stylists and consumers could be months away. The global Black hair care industry was worth about $3.2 billion in 2023, according to and Black women spend six times more on hair care than other ethnicities. Stylists often purchase some harder-to-get professional products from door-to-door distributors that buy from wholesale companies or larger distributors that purchase directly from other countries. Lowe has seen some of her distributors vanish altogether, making it harder to get professional lines such as Black-owned leading professional hair care brand Design Essentials, manufactured in Atlanta at McBride Research Laboratories. Design Essentials is trying to delay big price increases until 2026 or 2027, and may turn to layoffs or pause promotions to save money, said president Cornell McBride Jr. Most packaging plastics come from China, but ingredients can come from many places. 'Nobody wants to put it to the consumer but the person who pays is the consumer in the end,' McBride Jr. said. Hawa Keita and her mother usually charge customers between $160 and $250 for braiding at their shop, Eve's African Hair Braiding in College Park southwest of Atlanta. Keita is determined to take losses because their customers 'can't afford the Atlanta prices,' Keita said. The cost of a box of 100 packs of braiding hair from China went up for the first time in two years, from $250 to $300, Keita said. They order weekly, often multiple boxes. Some companies say they'll soon raise prices or run out of stock. Making customers happy is ultimately what will keep the business afloat, Keita said. She smiled as she recounted braiding a young woman's hair for her birthday with a style she suggested. 'When we finished, she gave me the biggest hug, and she was in here screaming and just yelling because she just really loved her hair,' Keita said. Priced-out consumers face unfair beauty standards For many Black Americans, especially women, affording their hair care also means confronting unfavorable beauty standards. Georgia State University law professor Tanya Washington said recent discoveries about dangerous chemicals in synthetic hair and hair straightening products have sparked conversations among Black women looking for hairstyles that don't require as much imported products. But embracing natural hairdos can be daunting for women like the soon-to-be lawyers and clerks Washington advises who face pressure to straighten their hair. 'That puts everyone who does not have organically, naturally derived straight hair at a disadvantage in these spaces,' she said. 'I think that a definition of professionalism that favors one phenotype — European phenotype — over all others, is inappropriate.' Longstanding income disparities between Black and white American women can also make higher hair care prices untenable. According to the U.S. Census, as of 2023, the median household income in Atlanta is $131,319 for white households and $47,937 for Black households. It's an inequality issue that professional hairstylists are aware of nationwide. Stylist Mitzi Mitchell, owner of PIC ONE Beauty Services in Pennsylvania, said she has stocked up on certain products and tools for another year in anticipation of price increases. She wants to avoid 'bootleg' products, which are made illegally and often aren't as safe, but became much more prevalent in the marketplace during economic downturns. 'I'm really conscientious about my Black minority clients because we make a heck of a lot less than other nationalities,' said Mitchell, who is Black. 'I try to keep prices low so we can continue to have the same services, but I know I will have to raise it.' ___ Kramon is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Kramon on X: @charlottekramon.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Craft Beer Brewers Ponder THC Drinks: Friend or Foe?
Atlanta-based New Realm Brewing Co. has always been quick to adapt to the shifting tastes of its customers. In 2021, the just four-year-old company opened a distillery and released a series of ready-to-drink canned cocktails. The brewery debuted AlphaWater to cater to the hard seltzer craze that same year. They followed that with a nonalcoholic IPA in 2023. But in February 2025, New Realm introduced a beverage line that had posed a dilemma even for them: Higher Realm and Liquid Weed THC-infused seltzers. Thanks to a regulatory loophole created by Congress seven years ago, hemp-derived THC beverages are now being sold legally in liquor stores and online across the country—and yes, they'll get you high. This new, psychoactive drinks category is competing with craft beer for precious (and shrinking) shelf space and putting small brewers to a tough decision: should they partake?
