Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., accused Democrats of orchestrating a ‘cover-up’ of President Joe Biden’s signs of mental decline in a set of remarks to reporters on Wednesday.

The leader of the House of Representatives criticized left-wing lawmakers for their public pressure campaign regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s case, dismissing their calls for transparency as a hypocritical political ploy.

‘We will not be lectured on transparency by the same party that orchestrated one of the most shameless, dangerous political cover-ups in the history of the United States – and that was President Biden’s obvious mental decline,’ Johnson told reporters.

‘House Republicans stand for maximum transparency and truth. We always have, and we always will.’

It comes as the House Oversight Committee continues to investigate allegations that the former president’s top White House aides obscured signs of mental and physical decline in the octogenarian leader from the public and others in the administration.

Biden told The New York Times earlier this month that he was fully aware of every decision he made in a story regarding his use of autopen for clemency orders.

Johnson and other Republican lawmakers have dealt with a barrage of media scrutiny on Epstein’s case over the last two weeks. It’s a side effect of the fallout over a recent Department of Justice (DOJ) memo effectively declaring the matter closed.

Figures on the far-right have hammered Trump officials like Attorney General Pam Bondi, accusing them of going back on earlier vows of transparency.

At Trump’s direction, the DOJ is moving to have grand jury files related to Epstein’s case unsealed. Bondi is looking into whether imprisoned former Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell will speak with federal authorities as well.

Democrats seized on the discord by forcing Republicans on a key panel – the House Rules Committee – to take multiple votes on whether to make files related to Epstein’s case public.

GOP lawmakers’ frustration at being put into a tough political situation forced House Republicans’ agenda to partially grind to a halt this week, forcing leaders to send the House into August recess a day earlier than initially planned.

Some Republicans are frustrated with the Trump administration’s handling of the issue, while others are angry at fellow GOP lawmakers joining Democrats in public calls for transparency.

Many, like Johnson, have accused Democrats of operating on a double-standard. 

‘The way Democrats have tried to weaponize this issue is absolutely shameless. And I just want to say this – Democrats said nothing and did nothing, absolutely nothing, about bringing transparency for the entire four years of the Biden presidency,’ the speaker said. But now, all of a sudden, they want the American people to believe that they actually care.’

When reached for comment, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., pointed Fox News Digital to his remarks on Epstein earlier this week, questioning what Republicans were ‘hiding.’

‘Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide during the Trump administration. Trump administration officials have said, prior to arriving in Washington in positions of prominence, including at the FBI and the Department of Justice, that they were going to release the Epstein files. Trump administration officials are now in a position to release the Epstein files,’ Jeffries said. 

‘Does any of that, in your view, have anything to do with President Joe Biden? Why do we think President Joe Biden or President Barack Obama’s names are being invoked?’

Fox News Digital also reached out to the office of former President Joe Biden for comment but did not immediately hear back.

Special Envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to meet with Israeli and Qatari officials in Rome on Thursday as the U.S. pushes for a ceasefire deal in Gaza. 

Hamas and Israel are engaging in indirect negotiations to end the war that has raged on for nearly two years. However, Witkoff’s itinerary depends on the progress made in the talks. If the parties make enough progress in Rome, Witkoff will reportedly travel to Doha to finalize the deal, according to Axios. 

The outlet also reported that sources indicated the meeting in Rome could suggest that a deal is near — possibly just days away.

Earlier this month, Israel agreed to a U.S.-backed, 60-day ceasefire proposal that would lead to the end of the war. This deal includes a phased release of hostages, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of Gaza and talks on ending the conflict, according to Reuters.

‘My representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the war. The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,’ President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 1.

Trump appeared optimistic about the possibility of Israel and Hamas reaching a deal to end the war. On July 16, while signing the HALT Fentanyl Act, Trump thanked Witkoff, praising him for doing ‘a fantastic job’ and said that there was ‘some good news on Gaza,’ though he did not elaborate.

If Trump can secure an end to the war, it could mean an expansion of the Abraham Accords, one of the signature efforts of Trump’s first administration, which saw Israel sign normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan. However, Trump has yet to detail which countries would be added.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar said on June 30 that Israel was ‘serious’ about seeking an end to the conflict. He added that Jerusalem has an interest in ‘countries, such as Syria and Lebanon, our neighbors, to the circle of peace and normalization.’

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.

Congressional Democrats are trying to get on the same page and display a unified front after threatening to derail the government funding process.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., met behind closed doors Tuesday night, along with the top Democrats in the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, to plot a course forward in the forthcoming government funding fight.

The meeting came after Democrats in the upper chamber overwhelmingly supported the first government funding bill to hit the Senate floor, one that would fund military construction and Veterans Affairs. Ahead of the vote, Senate Democrats had signaled they may vote against the bill and further obstruct the appropriations process because of highly partisan legislation rammed through the upper chamber by Senate Republicans.

‘We all want to pursue a bipartisan, bicameral appropriations process,’ Schumer said. ‘That’s how it’s always been done, successfully, and we believe that, however, the Republicans are making it extremely difficult to do that.’

The meeting just off the Senate floor was meant to get congressional Democrats on board with a messaging plan over the next weeks and months ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline to fund the government.

It was also likely designed to prevent a repeat of the Democratic debacle in March, when Schumer broke with Jeffries and threatened to shutter the government before ultimately caving and providing Republicans the votes necessary to advance yet another government funding extension, known as a continuing resolution.

Republicans are quick to point out that when Schumer led the upper chamber, none of the House GOP’s spending bills made it to the floor — in Congress, the spending process begins in the lower chamber.

Since taking over earlier this year, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has committed to returning to regular order, or passing each of the dozen spending bills to fund the government, and trying to get the appropriations process back to normal.

However, it’s a feat that hasn’t been successfully done in Washington since the late 1990s. 

‘Frankly, I think a lot of us around here think [this] is long overdue,’ Thune said.  

However, Democrats contend that their trust in Republicans is wearing thin after two major partisan bills, one being President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ and the other the president’s $9 billion clawback package, were pushed through the chamber without any Democratic input.

Thune argued that Senate Democrats were using the rescissions package to shut down the appropriations process and effectively shut down the government.

In the Senate, most bills that come to the floor require at least 60 votes to smash through the filibuster, meaning that most legislation requires bipartisan support to some extent.

Earlier this year, the House GOP produced a partisan government funding extension that was a tough pill for Senate Democrats to swallow, but they still ultimately opted to vote for it. This time around, they’re demanding more involvement in the process.

Jeffries said that congressional Democrats would play ball if the process was ‘bipartisan and bicameral in nature’ and put the onus of a partial government shutdown at the feet of congressional Republicans.

‘House Republicans are, in fact, marching us toward a possible government shutdown that will hurt the American people,’ he said.

However, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., threw the responsibility on Democrats over whether the government would shutter or stay open come the end of September.

‘They’re gaming out how they can shut the government down,’ Johnson told Bloomberg Government. 

President Donald Trump’s approval rating remains steady at 45% as he closes out the sixth month of his second term. 

Support for the president is split along party lines, as Republicans express strong approval and Democrats disapprove of his policies almost across the board, according to a new Marquette Law School Poll national survey, conducted July 7-16, 2025.

Independent voters remain substantially more negative than positive, disapproving at 62%, which is down seven points since May. Yet, Trump maintains a 55% disapproval rating among all voters. 

Trump’s overwhelming approval among Republicans, at 86%, and disapproval among Democrats, at 93%, have remained consistent since the start of his second term, according to the four Marquette Law School Poll national surveys conducted this year. 

The polling reflects an omnipresent partisan divide on Capitol Hill and across the country, as Republicans celebrate and Democrats protest Trump’s sweeping second-term agenda, including a robust crackdown on illegal immigration and his marquee legislation, the ‘one big, beautiful bill.’

Trump’s megabill includes tax cuts, funding for border security, Medicaid reform and an American energy overhaul, among other fulfillments of Trump’s 2024 campaign promises. A Republican-led Congress passed the bill through the reconciliation process, and Trump signed the bill by a self-imposed July 4 deadline. 

According to the poll, 59% of all adults disapprove of Trump’s ‘one big, beautiful bill.’ Democrats almost unanimously disapprove of the bill, at 94%, while 79% of Republicans said they support it. 

Some conservative fiscal hawks, including Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who voted against the bill, sounded the alarm on the megabill adding to the federal deficit. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) dynamic analysis found it would raise budget deficits by an estimated $2.4 trillion over a decade.

Sixty-eight percent of people think the federal deficit will increase, up 52% from the last survey in May. And that number nearly doubled among Republicans from 22% in May to 44% in July. 

Fifty-nine percent of Americans surveyed think Trump’s tariff plans will hurt the U.S. economy. Inflation is the top issue facing the country for 34% of Americans, followed by the economy at 16% in July. Meanwhile, just 28% of Americans think Trump’s policies will bring down inflation, and 60% say his policies will increase inflation. 

Those views on the economy are split along party lines, as a majority of Republicans believe Trump will decrease inflation and majorities of Independents and Democrats think his policies will increase inflation, per the survey. 

Among Trump’s leading issue of deporting illegal immigrants, 57% favor and 43% oppose his deportation rollout, which is lower than in May, when 66% were in favor and 34% were opposed. 

This polling follows a surge in violence against federal immigration authorities and protests rejecting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) erupting across the country, particularly in Los Angeles, where Trump authorized the National Guard to disrupt protests that delved into riots last month.

Republicans continue their overwhelming support for deportations, but a majority of Independents are now opposed, following a decline from May to July. Meanwhile, disapproval among Democrats rose 17 percentage points from May to July. 

According to the poll, 55% of Americans believe the United States is mostly deporting immigrants with no criminal record, with most Republicans agreeing, while majorities of Independents and Democrats think deportations mostly involve those without criminal records. 

Trump has aggressively asserted executive authority in his second term, overturning longstanding government policy and aiming to make major cuts to the federal workforce through an avalanche of sweeping and controversial executive orders and actions, with some aimed at addressing grievances he has held since his first term.

The president started his second administration with poll numbers in positive territory, but his poll numbers started to slide soon after his late-January inauguration. 

His approval ratings sank underwater by early March and have remained in negative territory ever since in most national surveys. The president’s approval ratings were underwater in 17 of the 21 national polls conducted so far in July.

Sunday marked six months since Trump started his second tour of duty in the White House.

Former President Joe Biden, whose single term in the White House is sandwiched by Trump’s two terms, enjoyed positive approval ratings in July 2021, six months into his tenure.

However, Biden’s numbers were sinking at the time, and dropped into negative territory in the late summer and autumn of 2021, after his much-criticized handling of the turbulent U.S. exit from Afghanistan and amid soaring inflation and a surge of migrants crossing into the U.S. along the nation’s southern border with Mexico.

Biden’s approval ratings remained underwater for the rest of his presidency.

The Trump administration revealed details of its highly anticipated artificial intelligence plan of action ahead of President Donald Trump’s major speech later on Wednesday, which is expected to also include the president signing at least one executive order related to the U.S.’ artificial intelligence race. 

Administration leaders, including White House Office of Science and Technology policy director Michael Kratsios and AI and crypto czar David Sacks, held a background call with the media Wednesday morning and outlined a three-pillar plan of action for artificial intelligence focused on American workers, free speech and protecting U.S.-built technologies. 

‘We want to center America’s workers, and make sure they benefit from AI,’ Sacks said on the call while describing the three pillars. 

‘The second is that we believe that AI systems should be free of ideological bias and not be designed to pursue socially engineered agendas,’ Sacks said. ‘And so we have a number of proposals there on how to make sure that AI remains truth-seeking and trustworthy. And then the third principle that cuts across the pillars is that we believe we have to prevent our advanced technologies from being misused or stolen by malicious actors. And we also have to monitor for emerging and unforeseen risks from AI.’

Trump is expected to deliver what White House staffers have described as a major address early Wednesday evening outlining his administration’s artificial intelligence efforts, including lifting restrictions on the technology administration officials say will usher in the next ‘industrial revolution.’

Trump ordered his administration in January to develop a plan of action for artificial intelligence in order to ‘solidify our position as the global leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans.’ 

The presidential action ordered administration leaders to craft a plan ‘to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security’ within 180 days, which was Tuesday. 

Kratsios stressed on the call that by cutting federal red tape surrounding AI, American workers will benefit while the U.S. will avoid going down the same AI path as Europe, which is mired in tech regulations, Kratsios said on the call. ‘The action plan calls for freeing American AI innovation from unnecessary bureaucratic red tape, ensuring all Americans reap the benefits of AI technologies and leveraging AI to drive new scientific breakthroughs.’

‘On deregulation, we cannot afford to go down Europe’s innovation-killing regulatory path. Federal agencies will now review their rules on the books and repeal those that hinder AI development and deployment across industries, from financial services and agriculture to health and transportation.’ 

‘At the same time, we’re asking the private sector to recommend regulatory barriers that they face for the administration to consider removing,’ he added. ‘Instead of cultivating skepticism, our policy is to encourage and enable AI adoption across government and the private sector through regulatory sandboxes and sector-specific partnerships.’ 

Trump rescinded a Biden-era executive order hours after taking office in January that put restrictions on artificial intelligence technologies, including requiring tech companies to keep the federal government appraised of the most powerful technology they were building before the programs are made available to the public. 

Trump’s signature rescinded the Biden order, with a White House fact sheet at the time arguing the Biden executive order ‘hinders AI innovation and imposes onerous and unnecessary government control over the development of AI.’

‘American development of AI systems must be free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas,’ the White House said. ‘With the right government policies, the United States can solidify its position as the leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans.’ 

‘The order directs the development of an AI Action Plan to sustain and enhance America’s AI dominance, led by the Assistant to the President for Science & Technology, the White House AI & Crypto Czar, and the National Security Advisor,’ the White House said. 

Trump is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday related to implementing his administration’s artificial intelligence plan, Fox News learned. The background call Wednesday morning focused specifically on the artificial intelligence plan of action crafted across the past 180 days. 

The Trump administration has notched massive wins in the artificial intelligence race, which has pitted the U.S. against China to develop the most high-tech artificial intelligence systems, including Oracle and OpenAI announcing Tuesday the companies will further develop the Stargate project, which is an effort to launch large data centers in the U.S. The two companies’ most recent announcement promises an additional 4.5 gigawatts of Stargate data center capacity, a move expected to create more than 100,000 jobs across operations, construction, and indirect roles such as manufacturing and local services.

The Stargate project includes a commitment from OpenAI, Oracle, SoftBank and MGX to invest $500 billion in U.S.-based artificial intelligence infrastructure throughout the next four years.

Creating the data centers is key to the U.S. artificial intelligence race, according to admin officials who spoke on the background call Wednesday. Sacks explained that the administration wants to see U.S. artificial intelligence infrastructure grow by leaps and bounds in order for the country to ‘lead in data centers and in the energy that powers those data centers.’ 

Earlier in July, Trump traveled to Pittsburgh for an artificial intelligence summit at Carnegie Mellon University while touting the $90 billion in private-sector investments intended to create the Keystone State into an energy and artificial intelligence hub for the country 

Trump also has signed other executive orders focused on artificial intelligence as it relates to increasing America’s energy grid capacity, and an April executive order aimed at preparing America’s next generation to employ artificial intelligence through educational programs. 

Kratsios said during the call that the U.S. winning the artificial intelligence race is ‘non-negotiable,’ citing not only economic and geopolitical considerations. 

‘We’re not alone in recognizing the economic, geopolitical, and national security importance of AI, which is why winning the AI race is non-negotiable,’ he said. ‘The plan presents over 90 federal policy actions across three pillars. As David (Sacks) discussed, those are accelerating innovation, building American AI infrastructure, and leading international AI diplomacy and security. The action plan was crafted with overwhelming input from industry, academia and civil society, informed by over 10,000 responses to the White Houses request for information.’ 

The plan delivered to Trump could be executed in the next six months to a year, according to the background call. 

The Trump administration repeatedly has rallied around how artificial intelligence will be crucial at catapulting America into the next ‘industrial revolution,’ which administration officials say will lead to job creation and a strong tech industry that can trounce other nations in the race. 

Vice President JD Vance has been one of the most vocal admin leaders touting the U.S. strength on artificial intelligence as it cut red tape surrounding the industry. 

‘The Trump administration is troubled by reports that some foreign governments are considering tightening screws on U.S. tech companies with international footprints,’ Vance said in a fiery February speech from Paris. ‘America cannot and will not accept that, and we think it’s a terrible mistake.’ 

‘At this moment, we face the extraordinary prospect of a new industrial revolution… But it will never come to pass if over-regulation deters innovators from taking the risks necessary to advance the ball,’ he said. ‘Nor will it occur if we allow AI to become dominated by massive players looking to use the tech to censor or control users’ thoughts.’

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday doubled down on Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear program and said Iran is ‘fully prepared’ for a renewed fight with Israel. 

The Iranian president’s comments came just two days after Tehran’s foreign minister confirmed to Fox News that Iran will not give up its enrichment program, but continues to claim Tehran is not interested in developing a nuclear weapon. 

‘[US President Donald] Trump says that Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and we accept this because we reject nuclear weapons and this is our political, religious, humanitarian and strategic position,’ Pezeshkian said in an interview with Al Jazeera.

‘We believe in diplomacy, so any future negotiations must be according to a win-win logic, and we will not accept threats and dictates,’ he added. 

Pezeshkian also said Trump’s repeated claims that the U.S. ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear program is ‘just an illusion.’

‘Our nuclear capabilities are in the minds of our scientists and not in the facilities,’ he said.

The U.S. strikes – which came just days after Israel targeted top military figures and nuclear scientists – are believed to have set back Iran’s nuclear program by up to two years. 

But security experts have told Fox News Digital that Iran continues to possess significant military strike capabilities, and questions remain over whether Iran was able to successfully move any enriched uranium off site prior to Washington’s strikes.

Pezeshkian acknowledged the blow that Israel levied against its top officials, but said it ‘completely failed’ to ‘eliminate’ the hierarchy of Iran’s nuclear program.

He further warned that Iran is ready to take on Jerusalem should another conflict break out. 

‘We are fully prepared for any new Israeli military move, and our armed forces are ready to strike deep inside Israel again,’ Pezeshkian said.

Iran and Israel are still operating under a ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and Qatar following last month’s 12-Day War, but the Iranian president said he is not confident this truce will hold. 

‘We are not very optimistic about it,’ Pezeshkian said.

‘That is why we have prepared ourselves for any possible scenario and any potential response. Israel has harmed us, and we have also harmed it,’ he added. ‘It has dealt us powerful blows, and we have struck it hard in its depths, but it is concealing its losses.’

Delegations from France, Germany and the U.K. (E3) are set to travel to Tehran on Friday to discuss nuclear negotiations.

The E3 visit will come just three days after officials from Russia and China, who are also signatories of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPAO), visited on Tuesday to discuss negotiations and how Iran can avoid sanctions, though details of the talks remain unknown.

Iran began initiating international talks after the E3 last week threatened to employ snapback sanctions – which would see the entire 15-member U.N. Security Council enforce strict economic ramifications – should Iran not enter into a nuclear agreement by the end of August. 

The timeframe is consistent with the time needed for the JCPOA signatories to recall snapback sanctions prior to the Oct. 18 expiration date when the economic tool can no longer be employed en masse per the 2015 terms of the agreement.