President Donald Trump sought to dispel swirling social media rumors about his health Tuesday, saying he was ‘very active’ over the Labor Day weekend.

‘I didn’t do anything for two days, and they said ‘there must be something wrong with him,’’ Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, describing the speculation about his death as ‘fake news.’

Trump’s comments followed a wave of unfounded speculation that began Friday night and stretched into Saturday morning, fueled by an empty public schedule and recycled photos showing bruising on his hand. 

The online chatter subsided after Trump was seen leaving the White House with his grandchildren for his golf club in Virginia on Saturday. He was seen wearing a white polo shirt and red MAGA hat.

‘I was very active over the weekend. I went out to visit some people at the club that I own pretty nearby on the Potomac River. No, I’ve been very active, actually,’ Trump said, drawing a sharp comparison to his predecessor, President Joe Biden.

‘You wouldn’t see him (Biden) and nobody ever said there was ever anything wrong with him,’ Trump said. ‘And we know he wasn’t in the greatest of shape.’ 

In July, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was experiencing bruising on his hands that was attributable to ‘frequent handshaking and the use of aspirin.’ 

She added that he also had mild swelling in his legs that stemmed from a ‘benign and common condition’ in individuals older than age 70.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated. 

A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., allowed a Biden-appointed member of the Federal Trade Commission to keep her job, at least for now, as part of a lawsuit centered on President Donald Trump’s authority to remove members of independent agencies without cause.

A three-judge panel said Tuesday that a lower court’s decision that Trump unlawfully fired FTC Commissioner Rebecca Slaughter could remain in place and that the firing was squarely at odds with Supreme Court precedent. 

‘The government has no likelihood of success on appeal given controlling and directly on point Supreme Court precedent,’ the panel wrote in an order.

Slaughter was abruptly fired after Trump took office, rehired when Judge Loren AliKhan ruled in her favor last month, and then re-fired days later when the appellate court briefly paused Ali Khan’s decision.

The three-judge panel, comprising two Obama appointees and one Trump appointee, lifted that pause on Tuesday, which allows Slaughter to return to work. The Trump administration can appeal the decision.

Department of Justice attorneys had argued for the appellate court to grant the Trump administration a stay, pointing to the Supreme Court’s decision to do the same in a recent separate case involving other independent agencies.

‘The court’s reinstatement of a principal officer of the United States—in defiance of recent Supreme Court precedent staying similar reinstatements in other cases—works a grave harm to the separation of powers and the President’s ability to exercise his authority under the Constitution,’ the attorneys wrote.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

The House Oversight Committee released a tranche of thousands of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein’s case on Tuesday night.

The surprise file dump came ahead of an expected House-wide vote to formalize the committee’s Epstein inquiry on Wednesday afternoon.

That vote, while largely symbolic, would also direct the House Oversight Committee to release the Epstein files sent by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Nearly 34,000 pages are being released that include the DOJ’s interview with Ghislaine Maxwell and videos that appear to show the inside of Epstein’s Palm Beach home.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., subpoenaed the DOJ in early August for all documents pertaining to its investigation of Epstein and Maxwell. 

The subpoena was directed by a bipartisan vote during an unrelated House Oversight Committee hearing in late July.

‘This is the most thorough investigation into Epstein and Maxwell to date, and we are getting results,’ Comer said during a House Rules Committee meeting on Tuesday evening.

‘We have already deposed former Attorney General Bill Barr, the Department of Justice provided nearly 34,000 pages of documents and will produce more, which are being made public as we speak.’

Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the committee, claimed that some 97% of those documents were already public, however.

The sudden release appears to be a bid to neutralize an effort by Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., to force a vote on their own bill to make the DOJ release information on Epstein.

The bipartisan pair is spearheading what’s known as a discharge petition — a rare procedural move that allows lawmakers to circumvent leadership if a majority of House members sign on. 

Such a vote could put Republican lawmakers, who are also pushing for more transparency, in a difficult position, forced to decide between the political ramifications of bucking the vote or defying their own leaders.

Massie told Fox News Digital earlier this week he expected enough signatures to hit that threshold by the end of this week, however.

‘I think there’s a real good chance of that,’ he said.

But Comer said the committee was ‘way ahead’ of Massie and Khanna’s move.

‘We’re going to go beyond it. We’re already getting the documents from the administration,’ Comer said. ‘I don’t think [the discharge petition is] necessary at all.’

In addition to deposing Barr and subpoenaing the DOJ, Comer’s panel also sent subpoenas to former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, ex-FBI Director James Comey, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Senate teed up a colossal package to authorize funding for the Pentagon on Tuesday, marking the first legislation to hit the floor since lawmakers returned from August recess.

Lawmakers advanced the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a largely bipartisan 84 to 14 vote, setting up the bill for debate before a later vote to advance it from the Senate.

This year’s version of the bill isn’t as divisive as its predecessor, given the lack of provisions targeting ‘woke’ policies at the Pentagon, which became a major target for Republicans when they gained power in the House during the latter half of former President Joe Biden’s first term.

Instead, the measure focuses on military contracting reforms and lasers in on the Pentagon’s failure to complete, let alone pass, an audit for the last several years. It also includes a bump to service members’ pay, though not as high as in recent years. It also includes an extension to the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative through 2028, and increases authorized funding to $500 million. 

Still, the measure would authorize about 3% more funding for the Pentagon when compared to last year’s NDAA in the midst of the GOP and White House’s push to cut costs in the government.

It also comes on the heels of a $150 billion injection of defense spending passed in President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill.’

Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said after the bill glided through committee in July that the ‘United States is operating in the most dangerous threat environment we have faced since World War II.’

‘The bill my committee advanced today is a direct reflection of the severity of that threat environment, as well as the rapidly evolving landscape of war,’ he said. ‘My colleagues and I have prioritized reindustrialization and the structural rebuilding of the arsenal of democracy.’

And Sen. Jack Reed, the Democrat on the panel, similarly agreed that the U.S. ‘faces a global security environment unlike any in recent memory.’

‘This legislation invests in the service members, technology, and capabilities we need to deter our adversaries and defend our national interests,’ the Rhode Island Democrat said. ‘I thank Chairman Wicker and our colleagues on both sides of the aisle for advancing this bill to prioritize the safety and security of the American people.’

The Senate and House have offered competing versions of the bill, too. Lawmakers in the upper chamber leapfrogged their colleagues in the House, where their iteration of the NDAA is expected to be considered next week.

Overall, the Senate’s version of the legislation would tee up nearly $925 billion in defense spending. That total is split among the Department of Defense at over $878 billion, the Department of Energy at over $35 billion with another $10 billion allocated for ‘defense-related activities’ outside of the bill’s jurisdiction.

The House version of the bill clocked in at just over $848 billion, well below the Senate’s product but more in line with the Pentagon’s budget request for the upcoming fiscal year. 

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of conspiring against the U.S. after the three world leaders met in Beijing during a military parade.

‘The big question to be answered is whether or not President Xi of China will mention the massive amount of support and ‘blood’ that The United States of America gave to China in order to help it to secure its FREEDOM from a very unfriendly foreign invader,’ Trump wrote on Truth Social.

‘Many Americans died in China’s quest for Victory and Glory,’ he continued. ‘I hope that they are rightfully Honored and Remembered for their Bravery and Sacrifice! May President Xi and the wonderful people of China have a great and lasting day of celebration. Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin, and Kim Jong Un, as you conspire against The United States of America.’

The parade attended by the three U.S. adversaries commemorated the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, highlighting Beijing’s efforts to showcase military power and deepen alliances at a time of heightened global tensions.

Kim’s attendance at the parade was his first trip to Beijing since 2019, as Pyongyang seeks to bolster ties with both China and Russia.

The military parade in Beijing featured thousands of troops marching through Tiananmen Square in a 70-minute display showcasing China’s latest weaponry.

Meeting ahead of the event in Beijing, Putin championed the ‘unprecedentedly high’ ties between himself and Xi amid the Russia-Ukraine war that began with a Moscow invasion in February 2022.

The meeting reaffirmed the increased unity the two countries have pursued following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Fox News’ Caitlin McFall and Emma Bussey contributed to this report.

Business magnate Elon Musk suggested that anti-white male propaganda is ‘a major driver of’ members of that demographic adopting transgender identity.

‘My observation is that a major driver of white males becoming trans is the relentless propaganda portraying white men as the worst human beings,’ Musk wrote in a post on X. 

‘If those lies land, especially during vulnerable teen years, and they are given an option to be a ‘celebrated’ group, some will do it,’ he added.

Someone responded to Musk’s post by writing, ‘Interesting theory. It may also explain why so many white women support trans mania despite the harm it causes them and their children.’

Musk replied with the 100 emoji, apparently expressing agreement.

One of Musk’s children identifies as transgender.

‘They call it deadnaming for a reason,’ Musk previously said during an interview with Jordan Peterson, saying, ‘my son Xavier is dead, killed by the woke mind virus.’

For decades, Democrats have clung to James Carville’s mantra: ‘It’s the economy, stupid.’ It became the default excuse for every campaign message, every strategy and every setback.  

We need to retire that phrase from our political lexicon. 

My fellow Democrats forget that Carville’s first rule on his whiteboard in Little Rock wasn’t the economy, stupid. It was ‘Change vs. more of the same.’ Voters still want change — not numbers, not excuses. And if President Donald Trump offers change while Democrats defend the system as it is, Democrats will lose. 

Today, my party is jumping onto a shiny substitute considered to be the winning message that unites all — ‘affordability’ — as if the idea that lower prices are better than higher ones is a revelation. Has a candidate ever campaigned on the reverse? 

During the Biden administration, consumer costs inflated on our watch, but now we are asking midterm voters to give us the keys back to the car anyway.  

When is my party going to learn that politics is about culture and connection, not charts and spreadsheets? It’s about being relevant to the lives of ordinary people, not proving to them that we are right. 

Voters aren’t sitting in some academic economics lecture. They don’t care about GDP growth, labor-force participation rates, or the Bureau of Labor Statistics when they feel prices are too high. They don’t want to hear that homicides, robberies and carjackings have decreased according to the latest stats, when they feel unsafe. Sending in the National Guard won’t be a solution to ending crime in our inner cities, but it does make communities feel protected.  

Are Democrats so disconnected from reality that we’ve unlearned the most basic political principle of all, that perception and politics go hand-in-glove?  

Voters are not looking to be informed by candidates, especially when they sound like human calculators, vomiting out numbers. Being informed isn’t the same as feeling informed and telling voters that how they feel isn’t real, because numbers say otherwise, isn’t a winning message. Shaming Trump voters for their choice last year or lecturing them that this isn’t what they voted for, offends them rather than persuades them. Patronizing voters is not a strategy. 

What voters in this midterm election want is some cultural common sense, and to borrow a bullet from the Democratic talking points, Democrats have not been meeting voters where they are — yet.  

Voters want to hear us acknowledge that crime is bad and say we need more cops on the street, but not necessarily troops. They want our candidates to give a straight answer and plainly state that boys shouldn’t compete in girls’ sports as a matter of fairness. It’s okay for Democrats to say they believe in merit-based hiring instead of DEI and box-checking quotas.  

Most Americans feel this way — and Democrats lose credibility when they dodge these conversations or give evasive answers.  

Democrats avoid going where the news and conversations are happening. Our leaders and candidates too often duck and cover. When issues turn culturally sensitive, they play hide and seek. We need to run straight into the culture war fires, not away from them. Those are the conversations voters are having and we need to join them.  

My old boss, President Joe Biden, learned this lesson the hard way. Biden’s presidency illustrates this danger for Democrats on the ballot everywhere in 2026. At the very moments when Americans were craving leadership — like a national debate over college campus unrest and violent antisemitism — Biden was absent. Scranton Joe, who built his career on a chip-on-the-shoulder authenticity that connected with ordinary people, became the first non-Ivy League president in decades. Yet, he was silent when he could have drawn the sharpest contrast from the elites.  

Biden told Americans the economy was the envy of the world, and then his Baghdad Bobs in the White House told us he was as sharp as ever. Polls said Americans felt otherwise, still his instinct was to retreat further.  Voters saw fewer unscripted moments, such as interviews or news conferences, smaller steps off Air Force One and a greater reliance on teleprompters. In a political age where imagery shapes public opinion, Biden looked feeble, distant and disconnected. He followed an outdated media strategy that led him into a political death spiral.  

Trump, by contrast, dives headfirst into every news cycle and runs into every cultural fire — from campus protests to celebrity dust-ups like Sydney Sweeney’s jeans or Cracker Barrel’s new logo. He doesn’t hesitate, he doesn’t duck, he doesn’t wait for the perfect poll-tested phrase. Love him or hate him, voters can’t miss that he shows up with an opinion and a position. He doesn’t keep them guessing.  

Democrats don’t need to copy Trump’s style. But they do need his guts. If voters are talking about trans athletes, immigration, DEI or crime — and they stay silent or pivot — then they’re absent from the conversations Americans outside the Beltway are having with friends, family and their neighbors. It’s these social conversations that are shaping political identity, not stats and charts. 

Voters will tune out any type of hell Democrats try to raise about prices, tariffs or cuts to Medicare if they think we don’t ‘get’ them on culture. 

The way out of the wilderness isn’t another slogan about affordability. It’s courage and common sense. Stop hiding behind statistics. Start running into the fire. Only then will Democrats earn back voters’ trust.