House Democrats accused President Donald Trump on Monday of attempting to use the Department of Justice to improperly pay himself for legal damages he has incurred over the past decade, and they demanded senior department officials recuse themselves from the matter.

In a public letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and senior official Stanley Woodward, House Judiciary Committee Democrats called the possible payout ‘a blatantly illegal and unconstitutional effort to steal’ millions of dollars from taxpayers.

Trump’s interest in the payout was first reported last week by the New York Times, which said Trump began seeking what amounted to $230 million through an administrative claims process that top DOJ officials would typically need to approve. Trump filed the claims in 2023 and 2024, before he took office, according to the report.

The committee Democrats, led by ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., warned of repercussions for paying Trump and demanded a slate of nonpublic information about Trump’s reported requests, laying the groundwork for a possible future investigation if they were to take the majority and gain subpoena power in a year.

‘You could face civil liability, ethics investigations, professional discipline, and potential criminal liability for conspiracy to defraud the United States,’ the lawmakers wrote.

They have been among many Democrats, and some Republicans, to scrutinize the president for potentially accepting the lump sum from a department he now runs.

Trump recently addressed the report in the Oval Office, saying ‘it would be awfully strange’ to pay himself. Trump is reportedly seeking payments for damages incurred by the DOJ’s investigations into alleged Trump-Russia collusion and former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations.

‘In other words, did you ever have one of those cases where you have to decide how much you’re paying yourself in damages?’ Trump said. ‘But I was damaged very greatly. And any money that I would get, I would give to charity.’ 

House Democrats countered that Trump ‘does not get the right to take a bribe or kickback just by promising to give the proceeds to charity.’

They also demanded Blanche and Woodward, who worked on Trump’s legal defense team during his criminal prosecutions, recuse themselves from any decisions about compensating Trump.

Asked for comment, a spokesman for committee Republicans accused the Democrats of fixating too much on Trump.

‘Democrats should focus on opening the government and paying federal workers, many of whom live in Ranking Member Raskin’s district, rather than obsessing over President Trump who clearly did nothing wrong,’ committee spokesman Russell Dye said. ‘But sadly, their priority will always be attacking President Trump instead of paying the troops, air traffic controllers, and families who are hurting because of the Democrat shutdown.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the DOJ for comment.

Senate Democrats on Tuesday blocked Republicans’ 13th attempt to reopen the government after having nearly a week to mull their options — and with a series of pressure-point deadlines rapidly closing in.

On the 28th day of the shutdown, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., tried to advance the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) and was again foiled by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and the Democratic caucus.

Failure to reopen the government on Tuesday came as air traffic controllers missed their first payday. The military is set to miss its first full payday on Friday. Then there is the looming cliff for federal nutrition benefits on Saturday — the same day as open enrollment begins nationwide for Obamacare.

In the background, Republicans are considering a series of one-off bills to pay the troops, certain federal workers, air traffic controllers and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps, but whether they make it to the floor remains to be seen.

Thune threw cold water on the prospect of the piecemeal ‘rifle shots’ coming to the floor. Republicans will discuss the bills during their closed-door lunch later Tuesday, which will be attended by Vice President JD Vance.

‘There’s not a high level of interest in doing carve-outs or so-called rifle shots,’ he said. ‘Most people recognize the way to get out of this mess is to open up the government.’

Still, lawmakers with bills that could pay portions of the federal workforce were hopeful their legislation would get a shot. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, whose bill would pay air traffic controllers, said, ‘I certainly hope so,’ when asked if it would get a vote.

And Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., whose bill to pay working federal workers and the troops was blocked last week, but could get a second wind this week.

He and Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., are working at arm’s length — Johnson said they last spoke Friday — on a compromise version of the bill, but he wasn’t hopeful that it would see the light of day despite agreeing to concessions demanded by Democrats.

‘I want to make this permanent. Let’s stop, again, let’s take the ability to punish federal employees because of our dysfunction away forever. We’ll add furlough employees, and we’re not changing anything in terms of the president’s authority — that would be adjudicated in the court,’ Johnson said. ‘So the question is, will they take ‘yes’ for an answer?’

Schumer railed against Republicans ahead of the vote, and blamed President Donald Trump for being overseas this week as a reason that no forward progress was being made on reopening the government.

He also went after Thune for again bringing the same bill to the floor and reiterated that Democrats’ position, which is to get an ironclad deal to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies, hadn’t changed.

‘It’s a partisan bill and does nothing, most importantly, does nothing to solve the [Obamacare] crisis,’ Schumer said. ‘Just now, here on the floor, the Republican leaders seemed perplexed about what precisely it is that Democrats are pushing for. He knows damn well what Democrats want. It’s the very same thing that a vast majority of Americans want, including nearly 60% of MAGA voters. We want lower healthcare costs now.’

President Donald Trump predicted that his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping would prove beneficial amid ongoing trade negotiations between the two countries during Trump’s Asia trip.

‘We’re going to be going to South Korea and, the following day, meeting with President Xi…that’s a big meeting and I think it’s going to work out very well, actually,’ Trump said during an event for business leaders at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Tokyo Tuesday.

The White House said that Trump would meet with Xi Thursday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.

The meeting between the two leaders coincides with the two countries going head-to-head on trade issues. 

Tensions flared after Beijing announced Oct. 9 it would impose export controls on rare-earth magnets, which are used in products including electric cars to F-35 fighter jets. In turn, Trump said the U.S. would slap a new 100% tariff on all Chinese goods, which is scheduled to take effect Saturday. 

However, Trump sought to downplay any tensions and has spoken highly of his relationship with Xi in recent weeks. He also has expressed confidence both the U.S. and China will leave the meeting pleased and that they will strike a deal.

‘I think we are going to come out very well, and everyone’s going to be very happy,’ Trump said Thursday.

Trump and Xi have not met in person since Trump took office in January. They previously met in person in June 2019 in Japan.

Trump departed for Asia Friday and so far has visited Malaysia and Japan. His final stop before returning to Washington is South Korea.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump addressed U.S. service members aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also attended, as did Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

President Donald Trump spoke to U.S. service members aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier George Washington in Yokosuka, Japan, Tuesday morning to promote his administration’s ‘peace through strength’ military messaging on the world stage. 

‘A year and a half ago, we had a different country than we do right now,’ Trump told the military members. ‘Now we’re the most respected country in the world, we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world. And it hasn’t taken too long. But, I had no doubt. I just didn’t know we were going to do it this fast. We’ve done it fast because of people like you.’ 

Trump is in the midst of a whirlwind tour through Asia, including beginning his trip in Malaysia, before heading to Japan and later holding a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his final stop in South Korea Thursday. The president also oversaw the signing of a peace agreement between Cambodia and Thailand Sunday. 

Trump’s tour this week focuses on trade and regional security, and comes as China asserts greater control in the South China Sea and North Korea increases its weapons testing. 

Trump was joined by Japan’s newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aboard the U.S. aircraft carrier Tuesday, as well as by U.S. military leaders such as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Trump celebrated in his remarks that the U.S. military is once again respected after bucking ‘political correctness’ out of an effort to better defend the U.S.

‘When it comes to defending the United States, we’re no longer politically correct,’ Trump said. ‘We’re going to defend our country any way we have to. And that’s usually not the politically, politically correct way. From now on, if we’re in a war, we’re going to win the war. We’re going to win it like nobody ever before.’ 

The service members were heard chanting ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’ when the president first took the stage. 

Trump thanked the military for their service and added that he’s supporting a pay increase for every U.S. service member in the armed forces. 

‘I’m also supporting an across-the-board pay raise for every sailor and service member in the United States armed forces,’ Trump told the crowd, which earned widespread applause. ‘Now, if you don’t want it, you want to give back to your country. Just let us know. We won’t give it to you. Is there anybody in that category?’ he joked before adding that Democrat lawmakers would approve the plan. 

‘But now all we really have to do is get the Democrats to approve it. But they’ll come along. They always do. You know, they always do that,’ he continued. 

The government is currently in the midst of a shutdown that has lasted since Oct. 1, when Senate lawmakers failed to reach a funding agreement. 

Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, also addressed U.S. troops to thank them, as well as the Japanese military, for their dedication to protecting the region. 

‘I am truly honored to have this opportunity to deliver remarks with President Trump aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, a symbol of protecting freedom and peace in this region,’ the Japanese leader said, according to a translator at the event. 

‘First and foremost, I would like to express my deep respect and sincere gratitude to all the men and women in uniform. From Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the U.S. forces, Japan, for your dedication and commitment to safeguard peace and security of our nation and the region, day and night,’ she continued. 

Trump lauded the Japanese prime minister as a ‘winner’ in his remarks, while celebrating the U.S.’s relationship with Japan following World War II. 

‘This woman is a winner. So, you know, we’ve become very close friends all of a sudden because their stock market today and our stock market today hit an all-time high. That means we’re doing something right,’ he said. 

Trump and Takaichi signed a rare earths framework agreement on Tuesday as the U.S. looks to back away from its reliance on China for critical minerals for items such as cell phones. 

‘The cherished alliance between the United States and Japan is one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world,’ Trump continued. ‘Really, there’s never been anything like it. Born out of the ashes of a terrible war, our bond has grown over eight decades into the beautiful friendship that we have. It’s a foundation of peace and security in the Pacific.’ 

Trump also announced that the first batch of missiles for Japan’s Self-Defense Forces will be delivered to the country later this week as Takaichi underscored that Japan is ‘committed to fundamentally reinforcing its defense capability’ and ‘ready to contribute even more proactively to peace and stability in the region.’

‘It’s the first batch of missiles to be delivered to the Japanese Self-Defense forces for Japan’s F-35s. And they’re coming this week, so they’re ahead of schedule,’ Trump said. 

The president concluded his speech by highlighting that the U.S. went ‘through four bad years, but now America will always be first,’ citing the U.S. military’s strength. 

‘Every sailor here today inherits a legacy of valor and grit and glory unmatched in the long history of mankind’s voyage on the seas,’ he said. ‘It’s a voyage like nobody’s ever had, like you have. For two and a half centuries, America’s Navy has preserved the vision of our first commander in chief who gave this ship its storied name, its righteous soul and its timeless motto, ‘first in war, first in peace.’ Very famous phrase, George Washington. After 250 years, that is exactly what our country is today. It’s first in war, first in peace, first in wealth, first in power, first in science, first in spirit and first in freedom.’

Fox News Digital’s Amanda Macias contributed to this report. 

President Donald Trump’s legal team filed a ‘powerhouse’ appeal in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against him, demanding the verdict be thrown out and that the ‘most politically charged prosecution in our Nation’s history,’ as they called it, be dismissed altogether.

Fox News Digital obtained the 111-page appeal filed in New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division late Monday night.

Sullivan & Cromwell’s Robert J. Giuffra Jr. is representing the president in the matter.

Trump pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree but was found guilty in May after a six-week unprecedented criminal trial in New York in 2025.  

New York v. Trump is on a halt until 2029.

‘President Trump’s legal team filed a powerhouse appeal in the Manhattan DA’s Witch Hunt, as the President continues his fight to put an end to the Radical Democrat Lawfare once and for all,’ a spokesman for the president’s legal team told Fox News Digital.

‘The Supreme Court’s historic decision on Immunity, the Federal and New York State Constitutions, and other established legal precedent mandate that this meritless hoax be immediately overturned and dismissed,’ the Trump spokesman continued.

‘President Trump will keep defeating Democrat weaponization at every turn as he focused on his singular mission to Make America Great Again.’

The 111-page filing details Giuffra’s argument for complete dismissal and reversal. 

‘This is the most politically charged prosecution in our Nation’s history,’ the filing states. ‘After years of fruitless investigation into decade-old, baseless allegations — and under immense political pressure to criminally charge President Donald J. Trump for something—New York’s district attorney (DANY) manufactured felony charges against a once-former and now-sitting President of the United States. The DA, a Democrat, brought those charges in the middle of a contentious Presidential election in which President Trump was the leading Republican candidate.’

Trump’s legal team called the charges against Trump ‘as unprecedented as their political context.’

‘Targeting alleged conduct that has never been found to violate any New York law, the DA concocted a purported felony by stacking time-barred misdemeanors under a convoluted legal theory, which the DA then improperly obscured until the charge conference,’ the filing states. ‘This case should never have seen the inside of a courtroom, let alone resulted in a conviction.’

Trump’s lawyers are asking the court to ‘now reverse.’

‘Federal law expressly preempts DANY’s misdemeanor-turned-felony charges because those charges rest on an alleged violation of federal campaign regulations that States cannot (and have never) enforced,’ the filing states. ‘The trial was fatally marred by the introduction of 2 official Presidential acts that the Supreme Court has made clear cannot be used as evidence against a President.’

Trump’s lawyers went on to argue that ‘the jury was instructed incorrectly, allowing a conviction without the unanimity required by both New York law and basic due process.’

‘Beyond these fatal flaws, the evidence was clearly insufficient to convict,’ the filing states. ‘In addition to all this overwhelming error, the trial was conducted by a judge who refused to recuse himself despite having made political contributions to President Trump’s electoral opponents and despite having disqualifying family conflicts. For each of these independent reasons, President Trump’s conviction must be set aside.’ 

Trump’s attorneys also noted that the review of the by federal prosecutors in 2021 led to ‘no actions against President Trump even after he left office in 2021,’ which ‘should have barred any prosecution’ in the Manhattan district attorney’s efforts.

Trump attorneys also argued that the trial court violated the presidential evidentiary immunity confirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which bars the ‘use of evidence about’ a president’s official acts while in office.

‘The jury improperly heard extensive testimony about at least four different kinds of official acts by President Trump,’ the filing states, including discussions between the president and the White House communications director in the Oval Office over the White House’s response to allegations of presidential wrongdoing; official presidential statements on social media; alleged discussions between the president and the attorney general about the enforcement of federal campaign regulations; and the president’s practices in discharging his presidential duties, including from the Situation Room.

‘The U.S. Supreme Court mandated that violations of Presidential evidentiary immunity require automatic reversal of a conviction without any harmless-error analysis,’ the filing states. ‘Even if such analysis were applied, the introduction of the prohibited testimony—which DANY repeatedly relied on and called ‘devastating’ in its summation, A7815—was far from harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.’

Trump attorneys also argued that the trial court ‘erred in instructing the jury that it could convict President Trump of having conspired to ‘promote or prevent the election of any person to a public office by unlawful means,’ Election Law § 17-152, without unanimously agreeing on what those ‘unlawful means’ actually were.’

‘Instead, the court permitted the jury to convict if some jurors believed only that President Trump had conspired to violate FECA, while others believed only that he had conspired to help others commit tax fraud, and still others believed only that he had conspired to help others make false statements to a 5 bank. Due process and Section 17-152 do not permit a conviction based on such a haphazard ‘combination of jury findings,’’ the filing states.

Trump lawyers also said the district attorney ‘had no proof that President Trump ever had the ‘intent to defraud’ expressly required by the business-records statute.’

‘There was zero evidence that President Trump intended to deprive anyone of money or property, and in fact no such deprivation occurred,’ the filing states. ‘Having no other choice, DANY advanced the flawed theory, erroneously blessed by the trial court, that ‘intent to defraud’ can include either (i) intent to interfere with unspecified government regulators, or (ii) intent to deceive ‘the voting public.’ Making matters worse, DANY did not prove that President Trump acted with either of those intentions in mind.’ 

The lawyers also argued that Judge Juan Merchan refused to recuse himself from the case, and questioned his impartiality due to his past political contributions — donating to both then-President Joe Biden and to a group called ‘Stop Republicans PAC.’

The lawyers also called into question, again, Merchan’s daughter’s work as the president and part-owner of an advertising company that was paid millions by the Kamala Harris campaign and other Democrats — ‘including for running advertisements specifically invoking DANY’s prosecution of President Trump in her father’s courtroom.’

Loren Merchan sits as the president for Authentic Campaigns — a company that has done political work for top Democrat clients like Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris. 

‘In the face of all these undisputed and damaging facts, Justice Merchan’s refusal to recuse created, at the very least, ‘the appearance of bias,’ which ‘erode(s) public confidence in the judicial system’ and is yet another clear ground for reversal,’ Trump lawyers argued.

Trump’s attorneys concluded by saying that ‘despite years of rifling through President Trump’s business, DANY could not find a felony charge.’

‘So it concocted an elaborate theory that has never before been pursued in this State and is plainly preempted by federal law,’ the filing states. ‘Like every criminal defendant in a New York courtroom, President Trump was entitled to a fair trial before a properly instructed jury and a neutral judge.’

‘Instead, he was convicted after a trial that featured repeated and clear violations of his constitutional rights, federal law, and New York law, presided over by a judge who was required to recuse,’ they argued. ‘For all these reasons, this Court should reverse the judgment of conviction and dismiss the indictment.’

President Barack Obama was angry with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her quick endorsement of former Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden withdrew from the 2024 election, according to a new book.

An excerpt from ABC News’ Jonathan Karl’s upcoming book, ‘Retribution,’ asserts that Pelosi and Obama had come to an understanding that Harris ‘should not simply be handed the nomination unchallenged.’ Nevertheless, Pelosi handed her an endorsement within 24 hours of Biden’s withdrawal.

‘The Obamas were not happy,’ a source close to Pelosi told Karl, according to an excerpt obtained by the Daily Mail.

‘This person summed up Obama’s message to Pelosi as, essentially, ‘What the f–k did you just do?’’ Karl wrote.

The book asserts that Obama had deep concerns about Harris’ ability to beat President Donald Trump and wanted Democrats to hold an open convention.

‘Obama and Pelosi — arguably the two most influential figures in the Democratic Party — had privately agreed to abstain from making any endorsements,’ Karl wrote.

‘The former president wanted to know what had happened. Why had Pelosi issued a statement endorsing Harris so soon? Hadn’t he and Pelosi agreed days earlier that party leaders anointing the vice president as Biden’s replacement would be a mistake?’ Karl added.

Obama gave Pelosi an angry phone call, during which Pelosi argued ‘that train has left the station,’ when Biden endorsed Harris during his withdrawal message.

The source close to Pelosi claimed Obama sounded ‘genuinely irritated’ on the call.

Obama himself ultimately waited five days after Biden’s withdrawal before offering his endorsement to Harris in a joint phone call with his wife, Michelle.

‘We called to say Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,’ Obama said.

Michelle chimed in, ‘I am proud of you. This is going to be historic.’

U.S. airline travelers are beginning to feel the effects of the ongoing government shutdown. And with no clear end in sight, it’s increasingly likely that Americans could be grappling with flight delays and cancellations just ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Tuesday marks Day 28 of the shutdown. It’s also the first day that air traffic controllers and other federal workers will see a paycheck showing $0 — putting added strain on a sector that is already dealing with a declining workforce and difficult employment conditions.

‘This Democrat-led shutdown is putting an unnecessary strain on our nation’s aviation system, putting more flights at risk for delays or cancellation,’ Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, chair of the House Transportation Committee’s aviation subcommittee, told Fox News Digital.

After speaking with air traffic controllers directly, Nehls said, ‘They’ve shared their growing concerns about fatigue, distraction and financial hardship as they continue performing essential work without pay.’

‘The busy holiday season is quickly approaching, and the traveling public deserves a safe, efficient, and reliable travel experience. If Senate Democrats continue to refuse to do the right thing and pass the clean continuing resolution, the situation will only get worse,’ Nehls said.

Still, the looming payday hasn’t loosened Senate Democrats from their dug-in position. 

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., argued that the blame game against Democrats over air traffic controllers, and other looming issues like federal food benefits soon running out of money, were ‘all things that the Republicans have been cutting back on.’ 

He noted to Fox News Digital that the administration fired hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees earlier this year based on recommendations from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

‘These are things that they’ve constantly been attacking and putting the strain and pressure on air traffic controllers, and now they’re pretending like they care about this, and I just find that to be disingenuous,’ Kim said. ‘And it’s just using our federal workers as pawns when we know that this administration has done everything that they could to decimate and dismantle our civil service and our public service.’

The Senate may vote on a bill this week from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, that would pay air traffic controllers, but so far Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has not teed it up. Thune said they’d ‘see what the temperature is of our senators’ on that and other funding issues, but he reiterated that the easiest way to pay all federal workers would be to reopen the government. 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., echoed a sentiment many Senate Democrats have shared about Cruz’s bill and others like it that would incrementally fund parts of the government; it can’t give President Donald Trump ‘carte blanche to do what he wants.’ 

When asked by Fox News Digital about criticism from Republicans over congressional Democrats’ role in air traffic controllers missing a pay day, he said, ‘Air traffic controllers have been really admirable in coming to work and doing their job.’

Cruz said that he hoped his bill would get a shot, and when asked what his message to Republicans would be to get the bill on the floor, he said, ‘That the Democrats not paying air traffic controllers is reckless.’  

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers are employed across the U.S. Many already work six days per week, faced with a long-simmering shortage of employees.

Because air traffic controllers are deemed essential workers, they are made to work during shutdowns without pay. Instead, they are expected to get back pay when the shutdown is over.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned late last week that it would mean that many air traffic controllers would be forced to take on another job to make ends meet.

‘If you have a controller that’s working six days a week but has to think about, ‘How am I going to pay the mortgage, how am I to make the car payment, how am I going to put food on my kid’s table?’ They have to make choices, and the choice they’re making is to take a second job,’ Duffy said. ‘I don’t want them delivering for DoorDash. I don’t want them driving Uber. I want them coming to their facilities and controlling the airspace.’

And the effects are being felt already, even far outside of Washington, D.C., where Congress is still gridlocked over federal spending.

Los Angeles International Airport, one of the world’s busiest airports, was forced to issue a temporary ground stop on Sunday morning due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

It was just one of 22 locations that faced disruptions over air traffic controller shortages on Sunday, Duffy told ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

There were more than 3,300 delayed flights across the U.S. as of late Monday afternoon, according to airline tracker FlightAware. There were more than 8,700 delays on Sunday.

And several airports, including in Dallas, Austin and Newark, were all under ‘ground delay’ or ‘ground stop’ advisories early Monday evening, according to advisory bulletins from the FAA. Each advisory was due to staffing issues. 

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., noted that there were ‘three or four’ fast-approaching pressure points, including the payday for air traffic controllers, that could shake loose deeply entrenched Senate Democrats. 

He noted that it wouldn’t be something inside the walls of Congress that could force negotiations, but ‘something extraneous that forces us to come together.’

‘I think the air traffic control has the most potential to light this place up,’ he told Fox News Digital. ‘If the senators can’t go home Thursday night because of air traffic control issues, then I think it really could be a pressure point.’

President Donald Trump told U.S. troops aboard the USS George Washington at Japan’s Yokosuka Naval Base on Tuesday that the ‘first batch of missiles for Japan’s F-35 fighter jets ‘will arrive this week,’ suggesting that U.S. defense deliveries to Tokyo are moving ahead of schedule.

The comments came during Trump’s hour-long remarks to sailors as part of his wider Asia trip, which included a stop in Malaysia before Japan, where he met with the country’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, and signed a new U.S.-Japan framework agreement on rare earth minerals. Later this week, Trump is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Washington has approved several large arms sales to Japan, including advanced AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X air-to-air missiles designed for F-35s.

Trump praised the U.S.’ alliance with Japan, calling it ‘one of the most remarkable relationships in the entire world.’

Prime Minister Takaichi, sharing the stage with Trump, said Japan was ‘committed to fundamentally reinforcing its defense capability’ and ‘ready to contribute even more proactively to peace and stability in the region.’

Trump also touted Japan’s and the U.S.’ stock markets reaching record highs, saying it was a sign that ‘we’re doing something right.’

Trump’s appearance underscored Washington’s deepening security cooperation with Tokyo as regional tensions with China and North Korea persist. Ahead of his Asia trip this week, Trump has made repeated invitations to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though no concrete preparations are underway.

House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding the Department of Justice (DOJ) conduct a ‘comprehensive’ investigation into former President Joe Biden’s autopen use.

The committee’s GOP majority released a 100-page report on Tuesday morning detailing findings from its months-long probe into Biden’s White House, specifically whether his inner circle covered up signs of mental decline in the ex-president, and if that alleged cover-up extended to executive actions signed via autopen without Biden’s full awareness.

‘Faced with the cognitive decline of President Joe Biden, White House aides — at the direction of the inner circle — hid the truth about the former president’s condition and fitness for office,’ the report said.

The report also detailed a ‘haphazard documentation process’ for pardons made by Biden, which the committee argued left room for doubt over whether the former president made those decisions himself.

‘In the absence of sufficient contemporaneous documentation indicating that cognitively deteriorating President Biden himself made a given executive decision, such decisions do not carry the force of law and should be considered void,’ the GOP report said.

‘The Department of Justice should immediately conduct a review of all executive actions taken by President Biden between January 20, 2021, and January 19, 2025. Given the patterns and findings detailed herein, this review should focus particularly on all acts of clemency. However, it should also include all other types of executive actions.’

In addition to concerns about who signed off on Biden’s executive actions, Comer spent part of the report raising concerns about Hunter Biden’s role in the pardon process.

Fox News Digital previously reported that ex-Biden Chief of Staff Jeff Zients told investigators that Hunter Biden was in the room for some pardon discussions — specifically the controversial preemptive pardons the ex-president gave to his relatives.

‘It was towards the end,’ said a portion of Zients’ transcript included in the report. ‘What comes to mind is the family discussions. But I don’t know — that doesn’t mean that was it. It was the pardons towards the end, very end of the administration. And I think it was a few meetings, not many meetings.’

Comer’s report said, ‘Zients testified that President Biden included his son, Hunter Biden, in the decision-making process for and meetings about pardons.’

‘This apparently included the meeting to discuss the pardons of five Biden family members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, General Mark Milley, and the members of Congress who served on the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol, and their staff,’ the report said.

The Oversight Committee called a total of 14 witnesses across three months, mainly consisting of top Biden administration aides — including some who had known him for decades.

Despite nearly 47 hours of interviews and sworn depositions, however, Comer suggested he believed aides covered for Biden even in the committee room.

‘Throughout the Committee’s investigation, senior Biden White House aides presented a perspective of President Biden’s cognitive health completely disconnected from that of the American public,’ the report said.

‘Not one of the Committee’s 14 witnesses was willing to admit that they ever had a concern about President Biden being in cognitive decline. In fact, numerous witnesses could not recall having a single conversation about President Biden’s cognitive health with anyone inside or outside of the White House.’

Comer spent a significant amount of time in the report criticizing former White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor. O’Connor’s sworn deposition was among the shortest sit-downs of the investigation, with the doctor having invoked the Fifth Amendment for all questions save for his name.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital alongside the report, Comer called for the D.C. Health Board of Medicine to investigate O’Connor — and potentially bar him from practicing medicine.

The GOP report called O’Connor’s alleged decision to not conduct a cognitive exam with Biden during his four-year term ‘reckless’ and accused him of making ‘grossly misleading medical assessments.’

‘His refusal to answer questions about the execution of his duties as physician to the president — combined with testimony indicating that Dr. O’Connor may have succumbed to political pressure from the inner circle, influencing his medical decisions and aiding in the cover-up — legitimizes the public’s concerns that Dr. O’Connor was not forthright in carrying out his ultimate duties to the country,’ the report said.

‘The Committee recommends that the District of Columbia Board of Medicine review the actions taken by Dr. O’Connor while serving as the White House physician to President Biden for any potential wrongdoing in the medical care of the former president –– including whether Dr. O’Connor produced false or misleading medical reports to the American people.’

O’Connor’s lawyers previously told Fox News Digital that he invoked the Fifth Amendment over concerns that the scope of the committee’s probe could run afoul of doctor-patient confidentiality standards.

Biden’s allies have repeatedly denounced Comer’s probe as political and having no basis in reality. 

Multiple people who spoke with the committee have argued that concerns about Biden’s mental acuity were made worse by the media and Republican pundits, particularly after his disastrous June 2024 debate against current President Donald Trump.

In an interview with The New York Times in July, Biden affirmed he ‘made every decision’ on his own.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is tightening his grip on power by elevating younger loyalists amid growing instability inside the Kremlin as he ages, according to reports.

On Sunday, The Telegraph reported that Putin, 73, who has ruled Russia for more than two decades, is ‘running out of cards to play’ as pressure mounts both domestically and abroad. 

The Federal Security Service (FSB) also opened a criminal case against exiled businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky and 22 members of the Anti-War Committee of Russia, accusing them of plotting a seizure of power, per reports. Khodorkovsky spent a decade in a Siberian prison before founding the Anti-War Committee in 2022.

John Herbst, Senior Director of the Eurasia Center at the Atlantic Council and former U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, told the U.K. outlet that ‘the Kremlin is falling into paranoia.’

‘All the people around him have started thinking about a world beyond Putin, so he has arranged his own elite in a really careful way, so there are no clear seams along which it would kind of rip apart,’ Henry Hale, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital. 

‘He also has members of his own family now that are starting to rise in the ranks. One of the ones that has gotten the most attention is Anna Evgenievna Tsivilyova, née Putina,’ Hale said. 

Tsivilyova, 52, is Putin’s first cousin once removed and currently heads the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, a state-run organization that supports Russian soldiers and veterans. 

She has also served as chair of the board of the Kolmar Group, one of Russia’s largest coal companies.

‘The younger people are being brought up by the older generation integrated seamlessly into the power pyramid,’ Hale said.

‘Putin is worried about what happens as he ages and if you don’t provide some opportunity for younger people to rise up, you know, then the regime might come under some pressure.’

‘These people can be trusted because they’re related to people close to Putin, and they can also be young and energetic. The younger people are being brought up by the older generation, integrated seamlessly into the power pyramid,’ Hale added.

In 2023, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin staged a brief mutiny, sending his fighters toward Moscow before abruptly standing down only to die weeks later in a plane crash. 

Now, the Kremlin’s focus has shifted to silencing opposition abroad. 

‘Tensions remain within the elite and Putin wants to get rid of any possible risks,’ Hale said. ‘The 2023 incident was a warning from Putin to his own elite, his own inner circle, not to dare try anything. Putin and his people are watching each other carefully and so don’t try anything funny,’ Hale added.

Recently, western sanctions, less oil revenue, and war costs could push Russia toward recession.  

The Treasury Department under President Donald Trump sanctioned Russia’s two largest oil producers, Rosneft and Lukoil, escalating pressure on the Kremlin to end its war in Ukraine. 

According to reports, the Russian government could raise taxes and increase domestic borrowing to close the gap.

‘Putin has weathered the main crisis that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine brought Russia, which was the initial shock of the invasion and its failure to take Ukraine in a matter of days,’ Hale added. 

‘But war brings uncertainty and there’s a risk of disastrous defeat, underperforming expectations. All the people around him start thinking about a world beyond Putin.’

‘That said, well, I think Putin’s regime is fairly stable at the moment,’ Hale concluded.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Kremlin for comment.