Latest news with #SenatorFetterman
Fox News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
'NOTHING SHORT OF A MIDDLE FINGER': Howard Kurtz Breaks Down Offensive Emmy Nominations, Pulitzer Wins
Howard Kurtz, host of Fox News Channel's Mediabuzz and the Media Buzzmeter podcast, joined The Guy Benson Show today to break down the media's reaction to the historic selection of the first American pope. Kurtz also weighed in on the intra-party attacks targeting Senator Fetterman over his stances on Israel and the border, blasted the overt partisanship behind this year's Pulitzer and Emmy awards, and discussed the Trump administration's push to defund NPR and PBS over claims of entrenched liberal bias. You can listen to the full interview below! Listen to the full interview below: Listen to the full podcast below:
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Democrats ‘concerned' over John Fetterman's mental health
Democrats say they are increasingly concerned about the mental health of Senator John Fetterman, according to reports. Members of the party are discussing among themselves how they can best help the 55-year-old, who was elected to represent Pennsylvania in 2022, according to The Hill. 'Every time I see him, I'm worried about him,' one Democratic senator who requested anonymity, told the website. 'I know we're all in touch with each other having conversations about how to intervene. I haven't heard anybody say they're not worried about it.' Concerns were sparked by a report in New York Magazine that suggested Mr Fetterman was having a mental health crisis, and that some of his aides no longer wanted to work with him It quoted his former chief of staff claiming the senator is 'on a bad trajectory' and might not 'be with us for much longer'. Mr Fetterman suffered a stroke while campaigning for the senate in 2022, and later had hospital treatment for clinical depression. Fetterman dismisses 'hit piece' He has rejected the claims in the New York magazine report, telling NBC it was a 'hit piece'. 'New York Magazine decided to platform a grudge fashioned by best friends and disgruntled staffers unwilling to put their names on it,' Mr Fetterman told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star newspaper. 'If there were genuine concerns, they'd pick up the phone and call me, not the press. My actual doctors and my family affirmed that I'm in good health.' He has insisted he will serve out the remainder of his six-year term. Reports about Mr Fetterman's clashing with staff and colleagues have persisted for a number of weeks. At a recent meeting with union members he is claimed to have started shouting and asking why 'everybody is mad at me'. Mr Fetterman angered some in his party by refusing to follow the dress code for the upper chamber and insisted on wearing shorts and sweatshirts, as he did as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. As a result he is no longer able to mill on the Senate floor as he declines to wear jacket, tie and trousers. This year he has missed more votes than any other senator, as many as 19 per cent. The party's Senate whip, Dick Durbin of Illinois said Mr Fetterman has largely withdrawn from casual interactions with his colleagues. 'It's a limited relationship,' he said. 'John doesn't spend much time on the floor, for obvious reasons. 'He's chosen to dress in a manner that's inconsistent with the Senate rules and [made] limited appearances within the caucus.'
CBS News
10-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Sen. John Fetterman raises alarms with outburst at meeting with union officials, AP sources say
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was meeting last week with representatives from a teachers union in his home state when things quickly devolved. Before long, Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and questioning why "everybody is mad at me," "why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do," and slamming his hands on a desk, according to one person briefed on what occurred. As the meeting deteriorated, a staff member moved to end it and ushered the visitors into the hallway, where she broke down crying. The staffer was comforted by the teachers who were themselves rattled by Fetterman's behavior, according to a second person briefed separately on the meeting. The interaction at Fetterman's Washington office, described to The Associated Press by the two people who spoke about it on the condition of anonymity, came the day before New York Magazine published a story in which former staff and political advisers to Fetterman aired concerns about the senator's mental health. That story included a 2024 letter, also obtained by the AP, in which Fetterman's one-time chief of staff Adam Jentleson told a neuropsychiatrist who had treated Fetterman for depression that the senator appeared to be off his recovery plan and was exhibiting alarming behavior, including a tendency toward "long, rambling, repetitive and self-centered monologues." Asked about the meeting with teachers union representatives, Fetterman said in a statement through his office that they "had a spirited conversation about our collective frustration with the Trump administration's cuts to our education system." He also said he "will always support our teachers, and I will always reject anyone's attempt to turn Pennsylvania's public schools into a voucher program." Fetterman earlier this week brushed off the New York Magazine story as a "one-source hit piece and some anonymous sources, so there's nothing new." Asked by a reporter in a Senate corridor what he would say to people who are concerned about him, Fetterman said: "They're not. They're actually not concerned. It's a hit piece. There's no news." Reached by telephone, Aaron Chapin, the president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association, who was in the meeting with Fetterman, said he didn't want to discuss what was a private conversation. The teachers union encounter adds to the questions being raised about Fetterman's mental health and behavior, barely three years after he survived a stroke on the 2022 campaign trail that he said almost killed him. That was followed by a bout with depression that landed him in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for six weeks, barely a month after he was sworn into the Senate. The scrutiny also comes at a time when Fetterman, now serving his third year of his term, is being criticized by many rank-and-file Democrats in his home state for being willing to cooperate with President Donald Trump, amid Democrats' growing alarm over Trump's actions and agenda. Fetterman — who has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and enlarged, and auditory processing disorder, a complication from the stroke — has talked openly about his struggle with depression and urged people to get help. In November, he told podcast host Joe Rogan that he had recovered and fended off thoughts of harming himself. "I was at the point where I was really, you know, in a very dark place. And I stayed in that game and I am staying in front of you right now and having this conversation," Fetterman said. But some who have worked closely with Fetterman question whether his recovery is complete. In the 2024 letter to Dr. David Williamson, Jentleson warned that Fetterman was not seeing his doctors, had pushed out the people who were supposed to help him stay on his recovery plan and might not be taking his prescribed medications. Jentleson also said Fetterman had been driving recklessly and exhibiting paranoia, isolating him from colleagues. "Overall, over the last nine months or so, John has dismantled the early-warning system we all agreed upon when he was released," Jentleson wrote. "He has picked fights with each person involved in that system and used those fights as excuses to push them out and cut them off from any knowledge about his health situation." Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Williamson works, declined to make him available for an interview, citing privacy and confidentiality laws protecting patient medical information. Fetterman has long been a wild card in the political realm, forging a career largely on his own, independently from the Democratic Party. As a small-town mayor in Braddock, the plainspoken Fetterman became a minor celebrity for his bare-knuckled progressive politics, his looks — he's 6-foot-8 and tattooed with a shaved head — and his unconventional efforts to put the depressed former steel town back on the map. He endorsed the insurgent Democrat Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential primary and ran from the left against the party-backed Democrat in 2016's Senate primary. In 2020, when he was lieutenant governor, he became a top surrogate on cable TV news shows for Joe Biden's presidential bid and gathered a national political following that made him a strong small-dollar fundraiser. Elected to the Senate in 2022, he has made waves with his casual dress — hoodies and gym shorts — at work and formal events, and his willingness to chastise other Democrats. Fetterman returned to the Senate after his hospitalization in 2023 as a much more outgoing lawmaker, frequently joking with his fellow senators and engaging with reporters in the hallways with the assistance of an iPad or iPhone that transcribes conversations in real time. Yet two years later, Fetterman is still something of a loner in the Senate. He has separated himself from many of his fellow Democrats on Israel policy and argued at times that his party needs to work with, not against, Trump. He met with Trump and Trump's nominees — and voted for some — when other Democrats wouldn't. He has stood firmly with Democrats in other cases and criticized Trump on some issues, such as trade and food aid. One particularly head-scratching video of Fetterman emerged earlier this year in which he was on a flight to Pittsburgh, apparently arguing with a pilot over his seatbelt. Despite fallout with progressives over his staunch support of Israel in its war in Gaza, Fetterman was still an in-demand personality last year to campaign in the battleground state of Pennsylvania for Biden and, after Biden dropped his reelection bid, Vice President Kamala Harris. Since Trump won November's election — and Pennsylvania — things have changed. Many one-time supporters have turned on Fetterman over his softer approach to Trump and his willingness to criticize fellow Democrats for raising alarm bells. It nevertheless brought Fetterman plaudits. Bill Maher, host of the political talk show "Real Time with Bill Maher," suggested that Fetterman should run for president in 2028. Conservatives, who had long made Fetterman a target for his progressive politics, have sprung to Fetterman's defense. Still, Democrats in Pennsylvania say they are hearing from people worried about him. "People are concerned about his health," said Sharif Street, the state's Democratic Party chairman. "They want to make sure he's OK. People care about him. There's a lot of love for him out there." ___ Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report. Follow Marc Levy on X at
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen. John Fetterman raises alarms with outburst at meeting with union officials, AP sources say
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was meeting last week with representatives from a teachers union in his home state when things quickly devolved. Before long, Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and questioning why 'everybody is mad at me,' 'why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do' and slamming his hands on a desk, according to one person who was briefed on what occurred. As the meeting deteriorated, a staff member moved to end it and ushered the visitors into the hallway, where she broke down crying. The staffer was comforted by the teachers who were themselves rattled by Fetterman's behavior, according to a second person who was briefed separately on the meeting. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement The interaction at Fetterman's Washington office, described to The Associated Press by the two people who spoke about it on the condition of anonymity, came the day before New York Magazine published a story in which former staff and political advisers to Fetterman aired concerns about the senator's mental health. That story included a 2024 letter, also obtained by the AP, in which Fetterman's one-time chief of staff Adam Jentleson told a neuropsychiatrist who had treated Fetterman for depression that the senator appeared to be off his recovery plan and was exhibiting alarming behavior, including a tendency toward 'long, rambling, repetitive and self-centered monologues.' Asked about the meeting with teachers union representatives, Fetterman said in a statement through his office that they 'had a spirited conversation about our collective frustration with the Trump administration's cuts to our education system.' He also said he "will always support our teachers, and I will always reject anyone's attempt to turn Pennsylvania's public schools into a voucher program.' Fetterman earlier this week brushed off the New York Magazine story as a 'one-source hit piece and some anonymous sources, so there's nothing new.' Asked by a reporter in a Senate corridor what he would say to people who are concerned about him, Fetterman said: 'They're not. They're actually not concerned. It's a hit piece. There's no news.' ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Reached by telephone, Aaron Chapin, the president of the Pennsylvania State Education Association who was in the meeting with Fetterman, said he didn't want to discuss what was a private conversation. Surviving a stroke, battling depression The teachers union encounter adds to the questions being raised about Fetterman's mental health and behavior barely three years after a he survived a stroke on the 2022 campaign trail that he said almost killed him. That was followed by a bout with depression that landed him in Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for six weeks, barely a month after he was sworn into the Senate. The scrutiny also comes a time when Fetterman, now serving third year of his term, is being criticized by many rank-and-file Democrats in his home state for being willing to cooperate with President Donald Trump, amid Democrats' growing alarm over Trump's actions and agenda. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Fetterman — who has been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes weakened and enlarged, and auditory processing disorder, a complication from the stroke — has talked openly about his struggle with depression and urged people to get help. In November, he told podcast host Joe Rogan that he had recovered and fended off thoughts of harming himself. 'I was at the point where I was really, you know, in a very dark place. And I stayed in that game and I am staying in front of you right now and having this conversation,' Fetterman said. But some who have worked closely with Fetterman question whether his recovery is complete. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement In the 2024 letter to Dr. David Williamson, Jentleson warned that Fetterman was not seeing his doctors, had pushed out the people who were supposed to help him stay on his recovery plan and might not be taking his prescribed medications. Jentleson also said Fetterman had been driving recklessly and exhibiting paranoia, isolating him from colleagues. 'Overall, over the last nine months or so, John has dismantled the early-warning system we all agreed upon when he was released,' Jentleson wrote. 'He has picked fights with each person involved in that system and used those fights as excuses to push them out and cut them off from any knowledge about his health situation.' Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where Williamson works, declined to make him available for an interview, citing privacy and confidentiality laws protecting patient medical information. A lone wolf in the Senate ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Fetterman has long been a wild card in the political realm, forging a career largely on his own, independently from the Democratic Party. As a small-town mayor in Braddock, the plainspoken Fetterman became a minor celebrity for his bare-knuckled progressive politics, his looks — he's 6-foot-8 and tattooed with a shaved head — and his unconventional efforts to put the depressed former steel town back on the map. He endorsed the insurgent Democrat Bernie Sanders in 2016's presidential primary and ran from the left against the party-backed Democrat in 2016's Senate primary. In 2020, when he was lieutenant governor, he became a top surrogate on cable TV news shows for Joe Biden's presidential bid and gathered a national political following that made him a strong small-dollar fundraiser. Elected to the Senate in 2022, he has made waves with his casual dress — hoodies and gym shorts — at work and at formal events and his willingness to chastise other Democrats. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Fetterman returned to the Senate after his hospitalization in 2023 a much more outgoing lawmaker, frequently joking with his fellow senators and engaging with reporters in the hallways with the assistance of an iPad or iPhone that transcribes conversations in real time. Yet two years later, Fetterman is still something of a loner in the Senate. He has separated himself from many of his fellow Democrats on Israel policy and argued at times that his party needs to work with, not against, Trump. He met with Trump and Trump's nominees — and voted for some — when other Democrats wouldn't. He has stood firmly with Democrats in other cases and criticized Trump on some issues, such as trade and food aid. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement One particularly head-scratching video of Fetterman emerged earlier this year in which he was on a flight to Pittsburgh apparently arguing with a pilot over his seatbelt. Despite fallout with progressives over his staunch support of Israel in its war in Gaza, Fetterman was still an in-demand personality last year to campaign in the battleground state of Pennsylvania for Biden and, after Biden dropped his reelection bid, Vice President Kamala Harris. Since Trump won November's election — and Pennsylvania — things have changed. Many one-time supporters have turned on Fetterman over his softer approach to Trump and his willingness to criticize fellow Democrats for raising alarm bells. It nevertheless brought Fetterman plaudits. ADVERTISEMENT Advertisement Bill Maher, host of the political talk show 'Real Time with Bill Maher," suggested that Fetterman should run for president in 2028. Conservatives — who had long made Fetterman a target for his progressive politics — have sprung to Fetterman's defense. Still, Democrats in Pennsylvania say they are hearing from people worried about him. 'People are concerned about his health," said Sharif Street, the state's Democratic Party chairman. 'They want to make sure he's OK. People care about him. There's a lot of love for him out there.' ___ Associated Press reporter Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report. Follow Marc Levy on X at
Washington Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Sen. John Fetterman raises alarms with outburst at meeting with union officials, AP sources say
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was meeting last week with representatives from a teachers union in his home state when things quickly devolved. Before long, Fetterman began repeating himself, shouting and questioning why 'everybody is mad at me,' 'why does everyone hate me, what did I ever do' and slamming his hands on a desk, according to one person who was briefed on what occurred.
