NH court sides with public school districts in education spending case
New Hampshire should be spending at least 80% more per pupil on public schools, a judge said Monday in one of two rulings that could force significant changes to education funding. Lawmakers have been grappling with the issue for decades after the state Supreme Court ruled in the 1990s that the state is required to provide and pay for an adequate education. In response, the Legislature began sending each school district a set amount of aid per pupil — currently $4,100. Actual costs are much higher, however, and local property taxpayers make up the difference, with wide disparities due to differences in property wealth between communities. JUDGE TOSSES NEW HAMPSHIRE TEACHERS UNION BID TO SHOOT DOWN VOUCHER PROGRAM Conval Regional School District and 17 others challenged the base amount in court in 2019, and after a trial in April, Rockingham County Judge David Ruoff agreed with them Monday that the current allocation is unconstitutional. While the plaintiffs argued aid must be increased to at least $9,900 per pupil, Ruoff declined to set a definitive amount but said it should be at least $7,356. In his order, Ruoff said while he is mindful that the Legislature has the final say, school funding is a “complicated and politically-charged issue with a history that suggests some level of judicial intervention is now necessary.” He suggested politics have impeded the state’s duty to children, but said “that ends today.” NEW HAMPSHIRE’S RECOVERY-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE PROGRAM EXPANDS TO NATIONWIDE INSTITUTE In a separate case, Ruoff also found the state has violated the constitution by not redistributing excess money collected via the statewide education property tax from wealthier towns to poorer communities. The rulings are likely to be appealed. A spokesperson for the attorney general’s office, which represented the state, said officials were reviewing the orders and considering next steps. Kimberly Rizzo Saunders, superintendent of the Conval Regional School District, said the court recognized the substantial evidence offered by plaintiffs. “Today’s decision reflects what has been apparent for years: that the State of New Hampshire has not lived up to its legal and moral obligation to adequately fund public education,” she said in a statement.
Tennessee Supreme Court justice announces retirement
Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Roger Page announced on Monday that he plans to retire in August 2024. In a statement from Tennessee’s court system, the 68-year-old said his time as a judge has been humbling, inspiring and the honor of a lifetime. He was first appointed to the high court by former Republican Gov. Bill Haslam in 2016. His last day will be Aug. 31. “The Tennessee judiciary is truly a family, and I have been fortunate to walk this path with my great friends in the judiciary,” Page said in a statement. “I will miss all of them and treasure their friendship.” FORMER WISCONSIN CHIEF JUSTICE ORDERED TO TURN OVER RECORDS RELATED TO PROTASIEWICZ IMPEACHMENT ADVISEMENT The decision will give Republican Gov. Bill Lee a chance to appoint his third justice on the five-member court. The five current justices were all appointed by Republican governors. Page has spent more than 25 years as a judge at the trial court, intermediate appellate and Tennessee Supreme Court levels. Haslam appointed him to the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals in 2011 before picking Page for the state Supreme Court about five years later. Page served as the chief justice from 2021 to 2023. During his tenure, Page helped secure funding for electronic filing for the court system, advocated for access to pro bono services and promoted livestreaming of appellate arguments, according to the statement. SANDERS TAPS ARKANSAS GOP CHAIRMAN, EX-FEDERAL PROSECUTOR, FOR STATE SUPREME COURT SEAT Page grew up on a farm in the Mifflin area of West Tennessee. Before his legal career, he worked as a chief pharmacist and assistant store manager for Walgreens. “If I hurry, I might have time for one more career,” Page said. He praised the work done by Tennessee’s judiciary system during the pandemic, including advances in technology. “It has been incredibly gratifying to watch the start of an evolution across the judiciary,” Page said. “I look forward to following those changes and to catching up with my judicial family in between trips I have been planning for years, watching my grandkids play sports, and spending time with my wonderful wife.” In Tennessee, the governor’s picks for Supreme Court must also be confirmed by state lawmakers. Republicans have supermajority control in both legislative chambers. Additionally, Supreme Court justices face “yes-no” retention elections every eight years. Voters retained Page and the other four justices at the time during the 2022 election.
Lawmakers send letter to New York Gov. Hochul calling for ban of pro-Hamas student group
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Monday sent a letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul asking that the Democrat ban “Students for Justice in Palestine,” a pro-Palestinian group whom they allege has “spewed hate and endorsed violence, from NY college campuses.” The letter, signed by more than three dozen lawmakers, points to rising instances of antisemitism at “countless public and private universities throughout New York City and State” in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas terrorist group in Israel. “These are extraordinarily difficult days for Jewish New Yorkers affected by a steep rise in hate and bias in the weeks following October 7th,” the lawmakers say. The signatories pointed to a group, “Students for Justice in Palestine,” that they argue has become “a major growing cause of concern on college campuses” and has chapters “throughout American Universities.” NBC CUTS TIES WITH PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST ARRESTED IN ISRAEL FOR ‘INCITING TERRORISM’ ON SOCIAL MEDIA The lawmakers say SJP’s umbrella organization, the National Students for Justice in Palestine (National SJP) has heralded Hamas as a resistance movement and regards “Palestinian students in exile” as being part of the movement, not merely in solidarity with it. The lawmakers accuse SJP of having released statements across New York State that “endorse the use of violence and attacks on civilians.” They allege that SJP members, at events, have chanted incendiary slogans like “from New York to Gaza, Globalize the Intifada” and “when people are occupied, resistance is justified” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” “This is a civil rights issue, it is an equal protection of the law issue, and it calls for bold action and moral courage,” the lawmakers say. “Jewish students have a right to an education free from persecution, harassment, intimidation, and threats to their physical safety.” Fox News Digital has reached out to National SJP and Hochul’s office for comment. Founded in 1993, SJP has been on several college campuses, including Columbia and Brandeis University, as well as Florida’s university system. The federal government, meanwhile, has opened civil rights investigations into seven schools and universities over allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The list includes three Ivy League institutions — Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania — along with Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. It also includes one K-12 system, the Maize Unified School District in Kansas. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Texas attorney general opens investigation into Media Matters for ‘potential fraudulent activity’
EXCLUSIVE—Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is opening an investigation into Media Matters for “potential fraudulent activity” after X CEO Elon Musk accused the left-wing media watchdog group of manipulating data on the social media platform. After a slew of advertisers, including IBM, Apple, Disney, Lionsgate and Paramount, fled X, formerly known as Twitter, Musk pledged to hit the watchdog group with a “thermonuclear lawsuit.” Media Matters published a report on Friday accusing X of placing ads next to “white nationalist hashtags.” However, Musk believes that the group “completely misrepresented the real user experience” in order to mislead advertisers. MUSK THREATENS ‘THERMONUCLEAR LAWSUIT’ AGAINST MEDIA MATTERS Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey posted on Sunday that his legal team was “looking into” the matter. Now, Paxton is launching an official investigation with his office after being “extremely troubled” by the allegations. “We are examining the issue closely to ensure that the public has not been deceived by the schemes of radical left-wing organizations who would like nothing more than to limit freedom by reducing participation in the public square,” said Paxton. “Under the Texas Business Organizations Code and the Deceptive Trade Practices Act, the OAG will vigorously enforce against nonprofits who commit fraudulent acts in or affecting the state of Texas,” said the Texas Attorney General’s office. MUSK RESPONDS TO ACCUSATIONS OF ANTISEMITISM: ‘NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH’ Last week, Musk found himself in hot water after commenting on a post on X that critics believe was anti-Semitic. Since then, the tech billionaire has clarified that anyone posting genocidal content will be suspended from X. “At risk of stating the obvious, anyone advocating the genocide of *any* group will be suspended from this platform,” Musk wrote in a post on X. “As I said earlier this week, ‘decolonization’, ‘from the river to the sea’ and similar euphemisms necessarily imply genocide. Clear calls for extreme violence are against our terms of service and will result in suspension,” Musk wrote. Nonetheless, the White House spokesman Andrew Bates condemned Musk, saying that the people’s house condemns “abhorrent promotion of Antisemitic and racist hate in the strongest terms, which runs against our core values as Americans.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This is not the first time advertisers vacated the social media platform. Last year, when Musk first took over Twitter, now known as X, he promised to restore free speech to the platform. In response, hundreds of advertisers pulled their ads. Now, the CEO is hoping to uncover the truth behind the Media Matters report, saying “the discovery and depositions will be glorious to behold.” Media Matters did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Biden mocked after confusing pop music stars during turkey pardoning joke: ‘Impeachable offense’
Social media erupted Monday after President Biden botched a joke that appeared to be targeting young voters due to their unrivaled enthusiasm for the pop music stars referenced. Biden, who was kicking off his 81st birthday during the annual White House turkey pardoning, appeared to confuse Taylor Swift and Beyonce, while also appearing to incorporate another popular singer into the mix. “Now just to get here, Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds in the competition. They had to work hard, show patience, and be willing to travel over 1,000 miles,” Biden said, before attempting to compare the turkeys traveling to D.C. to getting a ticket to a concert — though it is unclear which hit tour he intended to reference. “You could say even harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour or, or, or Britney’s tour, she’s down, it’s kinda warm in Brazil right now.” “This is an impeachable offense,” NRCC Communications Director Jack Pandol wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, joking about Biden’s blunder. BIDEN’S SUPPORT FROM GEN Z ERODES AS AGE BECOMES CRITICAL ISSUE: ‘HE’S OUT OF TOUCH WITH BASICALLY EVERYBODY’ “What is Biden talking about?” the Republican National Committee’s research account posted alongside a clip of the remarks. Biden appeared to either make a comparison to Beyonce’s “Renaissance World Tour” or Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” — as he initially said “Renaissance” but then suddenly began talking about the weather in Brazil where Swift’s latest show was held. The president also mentioned “Britney” in his attempted joke, which some Twitter users have translated as being Britney Spears. “81-year-old Joe Biden, attempting to not appear ancient, mixes up Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears,” OutKick founder Clay Travis posted. KAMALA HARRIS REACTS TO ROUGH BIDEN POLLS: ‘WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO EARN OUR RE-ELECT’ “Grandpa Joe is trying to be hip and edgy again,” another user wrote. “Words cannot describe the experience of seeing the leader of the free world ‘pardon’ a large bird,” another user wrote. “Biden tried to make a Taylor Swift joke (something involving how far the turkeys travelled to get to Washington), but badly mangled it, calling her “Britney.” Other users highlighted the president turning 81. “Joe Biden has no idea what he’s talking about. He attempts a joke about how difficult it is to get tickets to see Beyonce but calls her ‘Brittany.’ He then follows up that gaffe by confusing Beyonce (‘Brittany’) with Taylor Swift. He turned 81 today,” Citizen Free Press said. Biden said Monday’s event was the “unofficial start of the holiday season” and was a time to “share joy and gratitude and a little bit of fun.” “This is the 76th anniversary of this event. And I want you to know, I wasn’t there, the first one,” Biden said, taking a dig at his age. He went on to say that Americans will “gather with the people we love and the traditions that each of us have built up in our own families” this week. Biden’s comment comes after a NBC News poll found former President Donald Trump was leading Biden in a hypothetical 2024 match-up. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod warned earlier this month that Biden’s “age issue” was consistent in polling and said that it was the “one thing” the Biden team “can’t reverse.” “The one number in the polling that was concerning, and in the CNN poll that followed after The New York Times poll, had to do with age, and that is one thing you can’t reverse no matter how effective Joe Biden is behind the scenes,” Axelrod said. “In front of the camera, what he’s projecting is causing people concerns, and that is worrisome.’
Wisconsin Gov. Evers vetoes ‘completely unserious’ $2B tax cut
Gov. Tony Evers on Monday vetoed a $2 billion Republican tax cut bill, calling it “completely unserious.” Evers’ veto was expected, as he opposed the GOP plan from the moment it was introduced as a substitute to the Democratic governor’s own workforce development package. Evers has previously vetoed a similar income tax cut passed by the Legislature. Republicans don’t have enough votes, without help from Democrats, to override the veto. Lawmakers are not scheduled to return in session until mid-January. GOV. EVERS, SPEAKER VOS FIND RARE COMMON GROUND IN OPPOSITION TO WISCONSIN SCHOOL VOUCHER SUIT Republicans gutted a $1 billion Evers proposal to invest in child care he called on the Legislature to pass in a special session in September. Instead, the Legislature passed a measure that would have cut income taxes, created a child care tax credit, and increased income tax deductions for private school tuition. The vetoed bill also had provisions to recognize some out-of-state professional credentials in Wisconsin, and to prohibit state examining boards from requiring counselors, therapists and pharmacists to pass tests on state law and regulations. Evers, in his veto message, said the Republican bill failed to “meaningfully and sensibly address the workforce challenges that have plagued Wisconsin for a decade.” “It is clear today Republicans remain disinterested in passing real solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our state,” Evers wrote. Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said the bill that Evers vetoed “would have provided meaningful relief for Wisconsin families to address inflation and rising child care costs.” The Evers proposal rejected by the Legislature would have spent $365 million on child care, $65 million on University of Wisconsin funding, $200 million on a new engineering building at UW-Madison and $243 million toward a 12-week family medical leave program for Wisconsin workers. Republicans who control the Legislature remain in talks with university leaders about funding the engineering building. WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY DELAYS VOTE ON LIKELY VETO-BOUND $2B INCOME TAX CUT Earlier this month, more than 40 business leaders from across Wisconsin sent lawmakers a letter urging them to support the project, saying a new engineering building would allow the university to serve more students and employers. The Wisconsin Alumni Association is also funding an advertising campaign about the need for more engineers in the state. Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos last week that “We would love to be able to find a way to get to yes” to approve the engineering building funding. But he said UW must control the number of positions it has added in recent years and address his concerns about diversity, equity and inclusion programming. Vos has argued that DEI programs are a waste of public funding and that the university should be focused on other priorities. Vos has blocked pay raises for UW employees over his objection to the university’s DEI efforts. Evers has filed a lawsuit arguing that the Legislature is unconstitutionally stopping the pay raises.
Sununu teams up with Haley, DeSantis, Christie as he decides on 2024 presidential endorsement
HOOKSETT, N.H. – Republican Gov. Chris Sununu’s the busiest politician on the presidential campaign trail in the crucial primary state of New Hampshire this week, and he’s not even running for the White House. Sununu teamed up on Monday afternoon with former ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley at a town hall in Hooksett. On Monday evening, he’ll join former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who’s making his second bid for the GOP presidential nomination, at a town hall in Nashua. And on Tuesday, he’ll team up with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a campaign event in Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city. GAME ON IN IOWA AS DESANTIS AND HALEY BATTLE FOR SECOND PLACE BEHIND TRUMP Sununu said he’ll endorse one of those three candidates when he decides on whom he’ll back in the 2024 Republican presidential race sometime after Thanksgiving. “I’m not endorsing anyone yet,” the governor told reporters after the conclusion of the Haley event. “Nikki’s done a great job. She’s been really pounding the pavement… Her message seems to resonate.” WITH CLOCK TICKING TOWARDS FIRST VOTES IN THE GOP PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION RACE, THIS CANDIDATE REMAINS IN THE DRIVER’S SEAT Two weeks ago Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa – whose caucuses lead off the GOP presidential nominating calendar, endorsed DeSantis. And this past weekend, Reynolds joined DeSantis at multiple stops on the Hawkeye State campaign trail. Sununu told Fox News Digital that his endorsement would also be much more than just a one-day announcement. “If I get behind a candidate, I’m going to get behind a candidate,” he emphasized. And he later added that he’d put muscle behind his endorsement, “110%.” “That’s the fun part. Are you kidding? I’m not going to do an endorsement and sit on my hands. When I do an endorsement, it’s going to be a six-, seven-, eight-, nine-week push, whatever it is, to really make sure folks know where we are. I tend to not leave anything on the table,” he emphasized. And Sununu, who’s won election and re-election to four two-year terms as New Hampshire governor, said he’d help whichever candidate he backed “put together a ground game. I think we know how to do it pretty well here.” HALEY, DESANTIS, RAMASWAMY, SHARE PERSONAL, EMOTIONAL STORIES But he’s also tempered expectations that his endorsement might move the needle in the Granite State, telling Fox News last month that “I’m never a big believer that endorsements matter as much as the press think they do.” Asked if he could see himself serving in a potential Haley, DeSantis or Christie Cabinet, Sununu told Fox News on Monday that “I don’t need anything out of Washington. I just want a great candidate and great president and I think there’s a huge opportunity for that. No, nothing for me. I’m ready to go get a real job.” The governor, who flirted with a White House run of his own before announcing in early June that he wouldn’t launch a 2024 campaign, has been a vocal GOP critic of former President Donald Trump, who remains the commanding frontrunner for the Republican nomination as he seeks to win back his old job. “He’s got a floor, but he’s also got a ceiling,” Sununu said as he pointed to Trump’s large lead in the latest New Hampshire polls. “And when you look at the fact that well over 50% of the Republican core-based voter wants somebody else, the fact that in New Hampshire you can have independents that come out – I believe in record numbers – most of which won’t vote for yesterday’s news in terms of Donald Trump.” And the governor emphasized that “these candidates have a lot of opportunity to make up a lot of ground quickly.” New Hampshire’s Secretary of State announced last week that the date of the primary will be Jan. 23, eight days after the Iowa caucuses. Granite State voters are known for traditionally being late deciders when it comes to their state’s treasured first-in-the-nation presidential primary. As for when New Hampshire voters will decide whom they’ll back for president, the governor said, “They always make them after Thanksgiving, and I think this year even later than normal.” “I think a lot of folks are just going to wait and see where this thing goes in late December and early January and make up their minds,” Sununu added. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s home tagged with ‘Nazi’ graffiti
The Michigan home of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel, who is Jewish, was defaced with “Nazi” graffiti. A picture of the tagging was posted online by Emanuel’s friend, former adviser to President Obama David Axelrod, who denounced the antisemitic attack. The picture shows a wooden fence outside Emanuel’s Michigan home vandalized with the word “Nazis.” HISTORIC RISE IN ANTISEMITISM HAS AMERICAN JEWS ON EDGE: ‘GENERATIONAL CHALLENGE’ “This was scrawled on the fence outside the MI home of [Emanuel],” Axelrod wrote on X. “It’s despicable. It’s disgusting,” Axelrod wrote. “It’s just one more flashing red light.” “Stop the hate. Stop the antisemitism and Islamophobia,” he continued, warning “We know where it leads!” Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago as well as Obama’s former chief of staff, was nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Japan by President Biden in 2021 and assumed his post in March 2022. His father, pediatrician Benjamin Emanuel, immigrated to the U.S. from Israel with $13 in his pocket and set up a successful medical practice, the Chicago Sun-Times reported in 2019. Former United Nations Human Rights Commission Delegate Jeffrey Robbins responded to Axelrod’s post, warning that, unfortunately, “it is no longer where it leads.” “Sadly, we are there,” Robbins wrote. Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for comment. Emanuel told local press that his “family is very proud of how our friends, neighbors and the community have rallied to our support and in a singular voice in condemning hatred and bigotry.” Emanuel also thanked “local law enforcement for their diligence, swiftness and seriousness in which they have addressed this crime.” The graffiti comes amid an uptick in antisemitism across America following the deadly Oct. 7 surprise terror attacks in Israel by the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas. Carolyn Normandin, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Michigan, told Fox News Digital about the situation on the ground in her state. “We typically get [reports of] two to three incidents a week. In three weeks between Oct. 7 and Oct. 21, we got 61 [reports],” Normandin said. She was hesitant to label this a more than 600% increase in reporting, noting there have been duplicate reports of identical incidents. Nationwide, the ADL reported that antisemitic incidents rose 388% over the same period last year. In addition to a number of threats delivered over social media, Normandin said her office has vetted and responded to in-person attacks. In one incident, rocks were thrown at Michigan Jews. In another, an individual called a doctor’s office and made threats related to the conflict in Israel against a Jewish physician. Fox News Digital’s Beth Bailey contributed reporting.
Supreme Court rejects ex-cop Chauvin appeal for a new trial in George Floyd murder
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from the Minnesota ex-cop Derek Chauvin, who was convicted in the Memorial Day 2020 murder of George Floyd. Chauvin and his legal team had argued that his 2021 trial in Minneapolis was held during a time of political upheaval, and the jury was tainted by the likelihood of even more violent riots if he had been acquitted. “This criminal trial generated the most amount of pretrial publicity in history,” Chauvin’s attorney William Morhmann said at the time of the appeal. “More concerning are the riots which occurred after George Floyd’s death (and) led the jurors to all express concerns for their safety in the event they acquitted Mr. Chauvin — safety concerns which were fully evidenced by surrounding the courthouse in barbed wire and National Guard troops during the trial and deploying the National Guard throughout Minneapolis prior to jury deliberations.” The Minnesota Supreme Court also declined to hear the case, effectively upholding Chauvin’s conviction. The former officer is serving a sentence of more than two decades in prison. DEREK CHAUVIN CLAIMS NEW EVIDENCE SHOWS HE DIDN’T CAUSE GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH, ATTEMPTS TO OVERTURN CONVICTION Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly 10 minutes despite his cries of not being able to breathe. GEORGE FLOYD DEATH: FORMER MINNEAPOLIS POLICE OFFICER SAYS WHEN HE SAW FLOYD’S FACE, ‘HE DIDN’T LOOK GOOD’ Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill sentenced Chauvin to 22.5 years after jurors found him guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Chauvin was in court last week filing a separate motion claiming that new evidence he has shows he didn’t cause Floyd’s death and that he never would have pleaded guilty in 2021 if he had known about the theories of a Kansas pathologist, whom he had been in contact with in February. Chauvin is asking the judge who presided over his trial to throw out his civil rights conviction and order a new trial, or at least a hearing for him to present the new evidence. DEREK CHAUVIN SENTENCED TO 21 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR VIOLATING GEORGE FLOYD’S CIVIL RIGHTS According to records, Chauvin says Dr. William Schaetzel, of Topeka, Kansas, told him that he believes Floyd died from complications of a rare tumor called a paraganglioma that can cause a fatal surge of adrenaline. It is noted that the pathologist did not examine Floyd’s body but did review autopsy reports. In his motion, Chauvin claims that no jury would have convicted him if it had heard the pathologist’s evidence. Floyd’s killing led to a firestorm of protests and riots across the U.S. and even in Europe. The unrest saw police precincts, small businesses and vehicles burned in cities and small towns across the country. Fox News Digital’s Stepheny Price and Andres Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Biden slammed for repeating claim of Naval appointment, remark to young girl at military’s Friendsgiving event
President Biden was panned for repeating a claim about a Navy appointment and for singling out a young girl during a “Friendsgiving” meal for service members Sunday. “By the way, I’m all Navy. But I was appointed… I was gonna go play [football] at the Naval Academy until I found out the other guys in the backfield were a guy named Roger Staubach and Joe Bellino,” Biden told military personnel and their families on Sunday at an early holiday meal dubbed “Friendsgiving” held in a hangar at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia. In June, Biden told Air Force graduates he applied to the Naval Academy after graduating high school, which was in 1961. Last year, the president told Naval Academy graduates he was “appointed to the [Naval] Academy in 1965.” A Republican-linked X account “RNC Research” asserted that there is no record of either of those things ever happening. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment, but they did not immediately respond. BIDEN’S LIES, OUTRIGHT FABRICATIONS REPEATEDLY DISMISSED, DOWNPLAYED AND SOFTENED BY MEDIA The RNC Research account, dedicated to “exposing the lies, hypocrisy, and failed far-left policies of Joe Biden and the Democrat Party,” shared another clip showing Biden address a 6-year-old girl who had been listening to the president’s remarks from a table in the hangar awaiting the holiday meal. “And I love your ears. I love ‘em, they’re really cool,” Biden says, walking up to and crouching down to the girl, who appeared to be wearing an animal-ear headband, “What’s your name?” “Catherine,” the girl responds meekly. “Catherine? What a beautiful name. That’s my mommy’s name,” Biden said. “How old are you? 17?” Her younger brother calls out, “No, she’s 6,” before Biden then guesses that the 4-year-old boy could be 15. “Be nice to your sister, you’re gonna need her one day,” Biden tells the boy. “At least, I did.” BIDEN’S NIBBLES ON YOUNG GIRL JUST HIS LATEST WEIRD INTERACTION WITH OTHER PEOPLE’S KIDS RNC Research also mocked how Biden, during the same remarks, said to children, “I like kids better than people.” The Friendsgiving event, which kicked off the week of Thanksgiving, included service members and military families associated with the Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carriers. Both vessels are deployed in the eastern Mediterranean amid the Israel-Hamas war. Biden also thanked members for their service before serving part of the meal. “I’m proud of all of you. And I want to assure you one thing I hope I’ve demonstrated so far. We always, always have your back, always have your back,” Biden also told service members Sunday, a day before his 81st birthday. “We have a lot of obligations as a government. We only have one truly sacred obligation, and that is to prepare those who we send into harm’s way, care for them and their families when they come home, and make sure they’re never forgotten.” Biden has been mocked over his interactions with children caught on camera in public, including incidents where he sniffed the hair of or nibbled on visibly startled young kids.