House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., criticized recent remarks by President Donald Trump as ‘unhinged’ during a press conference on Tuesday, as the federal government lurches toward a potential shutdown at the end of this month.

Jeffries held a media availability in his Brooklyn, New York district after Trump canceled a planned meeting with congressional Democrat leaders on the issue of government funding.

Trump accused Democrats of making ‘unserious and ridiculous demands’ in their push for a compromise deal to avert a shutdown.

‘The statement that Donald Trump issued today was unhinged, and it related to issues that have nothing to do with the spending bill that is before the Congress, and the need to try to avoid a government shutdown,’ Jeffries said in response.

He said at an earlier point, ‘Leader Schumer and I are ready to meet with anyone, anytime, at any place, to discuss the issues that matter to the American people and avoid a painful, Republican-caused government shutdown.’

‘Democrats do not support the partisan Republican spending bill because it continues to gut the healthcare of the American people,’ he added.

Schumer held his own press conference later in the afternoon, where he charged ‘Today seems to be tantrum day for Donald Trump.’ 

‘Mr. President, do your job,’ he said. ‘Stop ranting, stop these long diatribes that mean nothing to anyone. Get people in a room and let’s hammer out a deal.’

The House passed a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2025’s government funding levels intended to keep federal agencies running through Nov. 21, in order to give Senate and House appropriators more time to reach a deal on FY 2026.

If not passed by the Senate by the end of Sept. 30, Congress risks plunging the government into a partial shutdown.

Democrats, infuriated by being sidelined in discussions on the bill, have been pushing for the inclusion of enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies that are set to expire at the end of 2025 without congressional action.

During his press conference, Jeffries also appeared to reference Republicans’ ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill,’ conservative policy legislation that imposed new restrictions and work requirements on Medicaid coverage for certain able-bodied Americans.

‘Our top priority is to make sure that we cancel the cuts, lower the costs and save healthcare for the American people. That’s eight words – not difficult for Donald Trump to process. Cancel the cuts, lower the cost, save healthcare. Eight words,’ Jeffries said.

‘And we’ve been very clear that if Republicans want to go it alone, then go it alone and continue to do damage to the American people. But as House Democrats, partnered in lockstep with [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer] and Senate Democrats, we are not going to participate in the Republican effort to continue to gut the healthcare of the American people. That’s immoral, and we want no part of it.’

Jeffries and Schumer were set to meet with Trump on Thursday to discuss a path forward to avert a partial government shutdown.

But Trump nixed the meeting in a lengthy post on his social media platform Truth Social, where he blasted the duo for pushing ‘radical Left policies that nobody voted for.’ 

‘I have decided that no meeting with their Congressional Leaders could possibly be productive,’ Trump said. 

‘They must do their job! Otherwise, it will just be another long and brutal slog through their radicalized quicksand. To the Leaders of the Democrat Party, the ball is in your court. I look forward to meeting with you when you become realistic about the things that our Country stands for. DO THE RIGHT THING!’ the president continued.

The Senate already voted against moving forward with the House GOP stopgap bill on Friday.

With 60 votes needed to proceed on the measure, at least some Democratic support will be needed to avert a shutdown.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for a response to Jeffries’ comments.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s push for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations clashed sharply with Donald Trump’s message — but the two leaders’ rivalry also played out in the streets of New York in an unexpected way.

At the UN General Assembly, Macron formally announced France’s recognition of a Palestinian state, insisting the move was ‘essential to peace.’ Trump, speaking today, blasted the recognition as a ‘reward’ for Hamas’s ‘horrible atrocities, including October 7,’ that would only prolong conflict.

But away from the UN stage, the two presidents collided in an unusual moment when Macron was stopped at a crosswalk by New York police as Trump’s motorcade rolled through Manhattan. ‘Sorry President, everything is frozen, the motorcade moving now,’ one officer told him. Macron, visibly frustrated, replied, ‘If you don’t see it, let me cross.’

With the road blocked, Macron picked up his phone and called President Trump directly. According to a video circulating online, the French president said: ‘Guess what, I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you.’ Only after the call was the road eventually cleared.

Macron then walked through the city for nearly half an hour, trailed by passersby who stopped him for selfies. One person planted a kiss on his head. Macron laughed off the encounter, saying, ‘It’s just a kiss, makes no harm.’

France’s embassy in the U.S official X account leaned into the moment with humor: ‘It’s a good thing our presidents have each other on speed dial… If you’ve ever had to walk through NYC during UNGA, this is 110% relatable content.’

A conservative climate policy group is urging House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to subpoena records from the Environmental Law Institute’s Climate Judiciary Project as part of an ongoing probe into the influence of climate advocacy groups in climate policy litigation. 

Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, a conservative pro-U.S. energy production policy group, wrote a letter to Jordan last week pointing to evidence from a Sept. 12 Multnomah County v. ExxonMobil et al. court filing that he says suggests ‘covert coordination and judicial manipulation.’

‘This new evidence raises serious red flags about the credibility of both the so-called science being used in climate lawsuits and the judicial training programs behind the bench,’ Isaac told Fox News Digital. 

According to Isaac’s letter to Jordan, the court filing submitted by Chevron Corporation earlier this month reveals that ‘one of the plaintiffs’ lead attorneys, Roger Worthington, had undisclosed involvement in at least two so-called scientific studies that the county is presenting as independent, peer-reviewed evidence.’

One of those studies ‘acknowledged funding from the Climate Judiciary Project in a draft version, but that disclosure was inexplicably removed from the final publication,’ Isaac said in the letter. 

Earlier drafts of the study, labeled ‘DO NOT DISTRIBUTE,’ were found on Worthington’s law firm website, the letter revealed. 

According to the American Energy Institute, the study seeks to ‘attribute global economic losses from climate change to specific oil companies.’ The website also included a ‘pre-publication draft of a CJP judicial training module’ with internal editorial comments, according to the letter. 

Isaac told Jordan this mark-up raises ‘serious questions about how and why a plaintiffs’ attorney had early access to, and possibly editorial influence over, materials being presented to state and federal judges as ‘neutral’ science.’

Another module was designed to ‘educate’ participant judges on how to apply ‘attribution science’ in the courtroom, according to Isaac. 

Attribution science seeks to measure how much human-caused climate change is responsible for certain extreme weather events, per Science News Explores’ definition. 

‘The Environmental Law Institute has claimed neutrality, yet documents suggest coordination with plaintiffs’ counsel who stand to profit from the outcomes,’ Isaac told Fox News Digital. ‘If the same lawyers suing energy companies are shaping the studies and educating the judges, that is not justice; it is manipulation. Congress is right to dig deeper, and the American Energy Institute is proud to support that effort.’ 

Isaac is requesting that Jordan formally request ‘communications, draft documents, funding agreements, and internal editorial notes related to the scientific studies and CJP curriculum.’

While commending Jordan’s leadership, Isaac said, ‘Judges and the public deserve to know whether the courtroom is being quietly shaped by coordinated climate advocacy posing as neutral expertise.’

Isaac said the Environmental Law Institute and Worthington should answer several questions about their involvement in the studies, including the ‘judicial education module on attribution science.’

‘Does ELI regularly seek input from plaintiffs’ attorneys on its judicial education modules?’ Isaac questioned. 

‘ELI did not fund the Nature study, and the Climate Judiciary Project has not coordinated with Mr. Worthington,’ Environmental Law Institute spokesman Nick Collins told Fox News Digital in a statement. 

‘CJP does not participate in or provide support for litigation,’ Collins added. ‘Rather, CJP provides evidence-based continuing education to judges about climate science and how it arises in the law. Our curriculum is fact-based and science-first, grounded in consensus reports and developed with a robust peer review process that meets the highest scholarly standards.’

When 23 Republican state attorneys general sent a letter last month to Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin calling on him to cancel funding to the Environmental Law Institute, Collins told Fox News Digital that the Climate Judiciary Project’s projects are far from ‘radical.’

‘The programs in which the Climate Judiciary Project (CJP) participates are no different than other judicial education programs, providing evidence-based training on legal and scientific topics that judges voluntarily choose to attend,’ Collins said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Jordan and Worthington for comment on the letter but did not immediately hear back. 

Fox News Digital’s Emma Colton contributed to this story. 

Former Vice President Kamala Harris detailed her running mate Tim Walz’s debate performance in her new book and recounted a showdown with then-Sen. JD Vance, which ultimately left her disappointed. 

Harris writes in her new book, ‘107 Days,’ that she needed the Minnesota governor to be the ‘closer’ at the Oct. 1, 2024, debate given that she was not going to have another opportunity to debate Trump. But during the debate, she turned to her husband in frustration.

‘When Tim fell for it and started nodding and smiling at J.D.’s fake bipartisanship, I moaned to Doug, ‘What is happening?” Harris wrote, explaining how she believed Walz was duped by Vance’s ‘mild-mannered aw-shucks’ attitude. 

‘I told the television screen: ‘You’re not there to make friends with the guy who is attacking your running mate.’’

Harris, who lamented that there was ‘more riding on Tim’s debate than there should have been,’ said that being the ‘closer’ and debating on such a large scale was ‘not a comfortable role’ for Walz. 

‘He had fretted from the outset that he wasn’t a good debater,’ Harris wrote. ‘I’d discounted his concerns. He was so quick and pithy in front of the crowds at our rallies, I thought he’d bring those qualities to the podium.’

Harris referred to Vance as a ‘shape-shifter’ and said he ‘complained petulantly,’ along with more critiques of Walz. 

‘Tim fell into a pattern of defending his record as a governor,’ Harris wrote. ‘Then he fumbled his answer when the moderator, predictably, questioned why he had claimed to be in Hong Kong during the democracy protests in Tiananmen Square.’

‘Tim had been on his way to teach in China that summer but hadn’t yet left the United States on the date of the massacre. Instead of simply stating that he’d gotten his dates mixed up, but that being in China during a period of human rights oppression had profoundly influenced him, he talked about biking in Nebraska.’

Harris mentioned a ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit after the debate that depicted Harris and her husband Doug watching the debate and spitting out wine in shock. Harris wrote that while she did not actually spit out wine while watching, ‘it was otherwise uncanny in its portrait of our evening.’

‘Tim felt bad that he hadn’t done better,’ Harris wrote. 

‘I reassured him that the election would not be won or lost on account of that debate, and in fact it had a negligible effect on our polling. In choosing Tim, I thought that as a second-term governor and twelve-year congressman he would know what he was getting into. In hindsight, how could anyone?’

Harris wrote that she encouraged Walz to be ‘resilient’ during the campaign and suggested that he struggled with the ‘unfair’ attacks on his record and that it took a toll on his family. 

‘For the candidate, the family that is your source of strength can become your weakness in a presidential campaign,’ Harris wrote, adding that Tim was ‘outraged by the unfairness.’

‘When I was a newly elected DA, an elderly gentleman in Atlanta pulled me aside with a bit of advice: ‘Baby, you be sure and don’t make it look too easy,’’ Harris wrote. ‘He knew it was not. And the higher you rise in the political food chain, the harder it gets. This is not a genteel profession. You must be ready to brawl.’

Harris also detailed in her book the decision process she used to ultimately choose Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Harris made a point of noting that her senior staff ‘strongly favored Tim’ and that her godson, along with her sister and brother-in-law, also preferred Walz.

‘Doug and I went back and forth,’ Harris wrote. ‘He had known Josh longer and leaned that way. It was always going to have to be my decision. I told my staff and family that I didn’t want any more input, and I went to do something practical: I made a tasty rub and seasoned a pork roast. By the time I went to bed, I’d decided on Walz.’

President Donald Trump slammed the United Nations for not aiding his administration’s peace push and for ‘creating new problems’ for the U.S. and member nations, while questioning its purpose and also offering ‘the hand of American leadership and friendship’ to all countries in the body.

The president, during his first address of his second administration to the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, highlighted renewed American strength while slamming the international body.

‘Not only is the U.N. not solving the problems it should, it, too often, is actually creating new problems for us to solve,’ the president said. ‘The best example is the number one political issue of our time: the crisis of uncontrolled migration. It is uncontrolled. Your countries are being ruined.’

The president said the U.N. is ‘funding an assault on Western countries and their borders.’

‘The U.N. is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States, and we have to get them out,’ Trump said. ‘The U.N. also provided food, shelter, transportation and debit cards to illegal aliens.’

He added: ‘The UN is supposed to stop invasions — not create them and not finance them.’

Trump said illegal immigrants are also ‘pouring into Europe.’

‘It is not sustainable and, because they choose to be politically correct, they are doing absolutely nothing about it,’ Trump said, later adding: ‘Your countries are going to hell. In America, we’ve taken bold action to swiftly shut down uncontrolled migration.’

‘Once we started detaining and deporting everyone who crossed the border and removing illegal aliens from the United States, they simply stop coming. They’re not coming anymore,’ Trump said, while thanking El Salvador for ‘receiving and jailing criminals’ that entered the United States.

During his address, the president highlighted his successful efforts to negotiate peace around the world —specifically Armenia and Azerbaijan, Thailand and Cambodia, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, among others.

‘I ended seven wars, and in all cases they were raging with countless, thousands of people being killed,’ he said. ‘This includes Cambodia, India, and Thailand, Kosovo and Serbia, the Congo and Rwanda, a vicious violent war that was Pakistan and India, Israel and Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia, and Armenia and Azerbaijan.’

He added: ‘No president or prime minister, and for that matter, no other country has ever done anything close to that. And I did it in just seven months. It’s never happened before. There’s never been anything like that.’

The president then took another swipe at the U.N.

‘I’m very honored to have done it. It’s too bad that I had to do these things instead of the United Nations doing them. And sadly, in all cases, the United Nations did not even try to help in any of them,’ Trump continued. ‘I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of each and every one of these countries, and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal.’

‘I didn’t think of it at the time because I was too busy working to save millions of lives — that is, saving and stopping of these wars,’ Trump said. ‘But later, I realized that the United Nations wasn’t there for us. They weren’t there.’

‘That being the case, what is the purpose of the United Nations?’ Trump asked. ‘The U.N. has such tremendous potential … But it’s not even coming close to living up to that potential. All they seem to do is write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow that letter up — it’s empty words.’

Trump added: ‘Empty words don’t solve war. The only thing that solves war and wars is action.’

Meanwhile, the president touted America under his leadership as having ‘the strongest economy, the strongest borders, the strongest military, the strongest friendships and the strongest spirit of any nation on the face of the earth.’

‘This is indeed the golden age of America,’ Trump said.

The president added that the United States is ‘once again the best country on earth to do business.’

‘And many people in this room are investing in America, and it’s turned out to be an awfully good investment during this eight-month period,’ he said.

The president touted his visit to the Middle East in May to ‘rebuild our partnerships’ in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. 

‘My administration has negotiated one historic trade deal after another, including with the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and many, many others,’ Trump said.

The president also said that under his leadership, America is ‘respected again, like it has never been respected before.’

‘At the NATO summit in June, virtually all NATO members formally committed to increased defense spending, at my request, from 2% to 5% of GDP, making our alliance far stronger and more powerful than it was ever before,’ the president said.

The president returned to his criticisms of the United Nations, questioning if the U.N. can ‘play a productive role’ in peace around the world.

‘I’ve come here today to offer the hand of American leadership and friendship to any nation in this assembly that is willing to join us in forging a safer, more prosperous world,’ Trump said. ‘And it’s a world that will be much happier with a dramatically better future within our reach. But to get there, we must reject the failed approaches of the past and work together to confront some of the greatest threats in history.’

Trump said there is ‘no more serious danger to our planet today than the most powerful and destructive of weapons ever devised by man, of which the United States, as you know, has many.’

‘Just as I did in my first term, I’ve made containing these threats a top priority, starting with the nation of Iran. My position is very simple: The world’s number one sponsor of terror can never be allowed to possess the most dangerous weapon,’ Trump said. ‘That’s why, shortly after taking office, I sent the so-called Supreme Leader a letter making a generous offer — I extended a pledge of full cooperation in exchange for a suspension of Iran’s nuclear program.’

Trump added: ‘The regime’s answer was to continue their constant threats to their neighbors and U.S. interest throughout the region and some great countries that are right nearby.’

But Trump touted his decisiveness, and said: ‘Today, many of Iran’s former military commanders, in fact, I can say almost all of them, are no longer with us. They’re dead.’

The president highlighted his Operation Midnight Hammer, which marked the largest B-2 operational strike in history and represented the United States’ move to deliver a decisive blow against Iran’s nuclear program back in June.

The president said that he then ‘immediately brokered an end to the 12-day war, as it’s called, between Israel and Iran with both sides agreeing to fight, fight no longer.’

‘As everyone knows, I have also been deeply engaged in seeking a ceasefire in Gaza. We have to get that done — have to get it done,’ Trump said. ‘Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace. We can’t forget Oct. 7, can we?’

‘Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state,’ Trump continued. ‘The rewards would be too great for Hamas terrorists for their atrocities. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including Oct. 7, even while they refuse to release the hostages or accept the ceasefire.’

Trump demanded that nations not give in to Hamas.

‘Instead of giving in to Hamas’s ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: Release the hostages now,’ Trump said. ‘Just release the hostages now. We have to get it done.’

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

President Donald Trump sharply criticized a wave of European nations that recently recognized a Palestinian state, warning that such moves reward Hamas and encourage continued conflict in Gaza.

‘As everyone knows, I have also been deeply engaged in seeking a cease-fire in Gaza. Have to get that done. You have to get it done,’ Trump said. 

‘Unfortunately, Hamas has repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace. We can’t forget Oct. 7, can we? Now, as if to encourage continued conflict, some of this body is seeking to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state… this would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including Oct. 7.’

His remarks came one day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced his nation would recognize a Palestinian state, hosting a meeting at the United Nations General Assembly along with Saudi Arabia on a two-state solution. 

Several other longtime Israeli allies — the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada — did the same on Sunday, citing the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and expanding settlements and violence by settlers in the West Bank.

The U.S. remains squarely on the side of Israel, and Trump said such recognition undermines efforts to free hostages held in Gaza and risks emboldening Hamas.

‘Even while they refuse to release the hostages or accept the cease-fire, instead of giving to Hamas and giving so much because they’ve taken so much, they have taken so much. This could have been solved so long ago,’ Trump said. ‘Instead of giving in to Hamas as ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now. Just release the hostages.’

Trump said he always knew the last 20 remaining hostages would be ‘the hardest’ to get back — but said the bodies of the deceased were just as important to reclaim.

‘Those parents came to me and they want them back… as though they were alive. They want them every bit as much as if their son or daughter were alive.’

On Monday, France became the first major Western nuclear power and a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council from the G7 to formally recognize Palestine.

Macron said: ‘The time has come to no longer talk about the existence of Israel — it’s self-evident. The time has come to do justice to the Palestinians, to recognize the state of Palestine.’

‘We must do this to save lives.’

Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon warned there will be ‘consequences’ for nations that recognize Palestine. 

On Tuesday, Trump will hold a closed-door meeting with Arab leaders who are expected to implore him to urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to end the war in Gaza.

Trump is expected to present his Middle Eastern counterparts with the U.S. outlook for peace and post-war governance in Gaza.

Jurors in Fort Pierce, Florida, began deliberations Tuesday in the federal criminal trial of Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at his Palm Beach golf course last year.

Routh, 59, faces five federal charges, including attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and multiple firearms offenses. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, he could face life in prison.

Prosecutors used their closing arguments Tuesday to emphasize both the digital and forensic evidence presented at trial and what they described as Routh’s clear intent: to kill Trump. 

‘This was not a publicity stunt,’ Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne told the jury. ‘The evidence has shown one thing and one thing only — the defendant wanted Donald Trump dead,’ Browne said, adding that the worst part was that he ‘almost got away’ with it.

Browne told jurors that Routh ‘excessively’ stalked Trump’s locations and whereabouts in the weeks before the alleged assassination attempt on Sept. 15, 2024. 

He noted that Routh allegedly traveled on 17 separate occasions to scope out the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach. These were ‘reconnaissance’ missions, Browne argued.

Browne reminded jurors that there were 19 rounds found in the magazine of the SKS rifle recovered at the scene, including one in the chamber. 

There is ‘no doubt, no reasonable doubt, no doubt whatsoever that it was the man,’ Browne said, pointing at Routh, ‘who was hiding’ in the sniper’s nest. 

Browne told jurors that his motives were also on clear display, pointing to lyrics from a rap song Routh wrote about killing Trump with a sniper rifle — one he penned after he was caught and arrested by the FBI. 

‘It’s not every case where the defendant writes down his intent on a piece of paper,’ Browne said.

The prosecution spent most of its time Tuesday focusing on count one of the five federal criminal charges Routh is facing: Attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate. 

The contrast between Routh’s defense and federal prosecutors is a dynamic that has been on stark display throughout the trial. 

Federal prosecutors spent roughly two weeks walking jurors through hundreds of exhibits and testimony from 38 witnesses to make their case against Routh.

Prosecutors methodically built their case with cellphone data placing Routh at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, where they said he created a ‘sniper’s nest’ near the sixth hole. They also introduced bank records, burner phone purchases, and DNA evidence linking him to the SKS rifle recovered at the scene.

Routh confirmed he understood and told Cannon he would not testify on his own behalf, despite her repeated offers for him to reconsider and consult with standby counsel.

Fox News’ Samantha Daigle and Jennifer Johnson contributed to this report.

The House Oversight Committee is setting its sights on insurance companies that may have discriminated against entities with right-wing views.

The panel is also looking into whether retirees’ pension accounts were being used to invest in progressive policies they may not necessarily agree with, Fox News Digital has learned.

‘The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating improper restrictions on access to capital and capital markets of individuals and entities based on political viewpoints or involvement in certain industries (such as cryptocurrency, energy, and firearms),’ Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., wrote to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

‘The Committee has engaged with whistleblowers who had their insurance policies cancelled for widely-held political positions or for operating legal businesses considered out of favor by progressive activists.’

The move is an expansion of the House Oversight Committee’s ongoing investigation into whether public financial institutions engaged in debanking against people and entities with right-wing views.

Comer is also probing whether companies implementing progressive policies are doing so at the expense of millions of retired Americans’ personal investments.

He wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in his capacity as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), that his panel ‘is investigating the prolific use of proxy proposals and other activism targeting corporate boards of directors by activists pursuing political agendas at the expense of the retirement and personal savings of Americans.’

‘Specifically, the Committee seeks to understand how giant investment managers and pension fund managers, aided by proxy advisory firms, sidestepped or abandoned their fiduciary duties to beneficiaries to pursue a political agenda and whether new legislation is needed to protect investors,’ Comer stated.

‘At a minimum, Americans deserve to fully know if their hard-earned savings are being used in a progressive playbook.’

The letter accused certain large asset management firms like BlackRock of putting clients’ money into green energy initiatives, for example, rather than more profitable areas, in order to promote a left-wing agenda.

BlackRock pushed back on such accusations in a public statement on its website, however.

‘One of the most critical tasks of an asset manager is to provide clients with insights on short- and long-term trends in the global economy that can impact their portfolios. We do this across all sectors – from healthcare to technology to energy,’ the company wrote.

‘Climate risk is one such trend given its implications for the economy. We believe that companies that better manage their exposure to climate risk and capitalize on opportunities will generate better long term financial outcomes.’

BlackRock’s website also asserted that the ‘choice of where to invest ultimately rests with our clients.’

‘We are bound to adhere to their investment guidelines and objectives. We do not dictate particular investment strategies,’ it said.

And on a broader scale, the committee looking into whether publicly-traded companies are running afoul of President Donald Trump’s executive order outlawing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices by simply listing it under another name.

‘[T]he Committee remains concerned following reports of publicly traded companies intentionally camouflaging or rebranding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies to hide such discrimination from ‘the Trump Administration, courts or influential activists,” Comer wrote to several organizations opposing corporate discrimination, including the Alliance Defending Freedom. 

‘At minimum, shareholders and retirement plan beneficiaries deserve transparency around discriminatory practices employed by corporate directors and officers as such behavior is rebranded. Replacing DEI and ESG titles with ’employee engagement’ or ‘inclusion and impact’ represents yet another deceptive practice.’

Trump’s order, signed in January 2025, barred financial institutions, major corporations, colleges and universities, law enforcement agencies and specific industries like medicine and commercial airlines from promoting or implementing DEI standards.

Comer accused the previous White House of promoting discriminatory practices, however, in a statement to Fox News Digital.

‘The Oversight Committee is investigating discriminatory practices in the American financial system and the Biden Administration’s role in supporting them,’ he wrote. ‘Whether it is using the boardroom to achieve what the political left could not accomplish at the ballot box, or canceling Americans’ insurance policies and debanking them for their political views, these actions are wrong and deprive Americans of their constitutional rights.’

Fox News Digital reached out to the IRS and NAIC for comment but did not immediately hear back.

President Donald Trump drew laughs from world leaders within moments of taking the stage at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday.

Trump joked about a broken escalator in the UN building as well as the broken teleprompters right in front of him.

‘Thank you very much, I very much appreciate it,’ he said to the applause as he took the stage.

‘And I don’t mind making this speech without a teleprompter because the teleprompter is not working,’ he said as the leaders laughed.

‘I feel very happy to be up here with you nevertheless, and that way you speak more from the heart. I can only say that whoever’s operating this teleprompter is in big trouble,’ he added, drawing more laughter.

Trump again drew laughs later on by recounting his dissatisfaction with the UN’s assistance in global conflicts.

‘I ended seven wars, dealt with the leaders of these countries and never even received a phone call from the United Nations offering to help in finalizing the deal,’ Trump said. ‘All I got from the United Nations was an escalator that on the way up stopped right in the middle.’

‘If the first lady wasn’t in great shape she would’ve fallen. But she’s in great shape, we’re both in good shape. We both stood,’ he added, drawing more laughter.

‘These are the two things I got from the United Nations: a bad escalator and a bad teleprompter,’ he said.

Throughout his speech, Trump hailed efforts for peace and warned European nations against continuing to tolerate illegal immigration. Trump also blasted the global climate change agenda as a ‘con job.’