California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Saturday an investigation into the arrival of migrants at a church in Sacramento to determine if kidnapping or other crimes were committed.

In a statement, Newsom said more than a dozen migrants were transported from Texas to New Mexico before being flown to Sacramento and left on the doorstep of a local church ‘without any advance warning.’

‘We are working closely with the Mayor’s office, along with local and nonprofit partners to ensure the people who have arrived are treated with respect and dignity, and get to their intended destination as they pursue their immigration cases,’ Newsom said.

The governor said the migrant arrivals would be investigated to find out who is responsible for their transportation and to determine any criminal wrongdoing.

‘My Administration is also working with the California Department of Justice to investigate the circumstances around who paid for the group’s travel and whether the individuals orchestrating this trip misled anyone with false promises or have violated any criminal laws, including kidnapping,’ he said.

Bonta issued a separate statement in which he said the migrants possessed documentation allegedly showing they are from Florida.

‘We are investigating the circumstances by which these individuals were brought to California,’ he said. ‘We are also evaluating potential criminal or civil action against those who transported or arranged for the transport of these vulnerable immigrants. While this is still under investigation, we can confirm these individuals were in possession of documentation purporting to be from the government of the State of Florida.’

‘While we continue to collect evidence, I want to say this very clearly: State-sanctioned kidnapping is not a public policy choice, it is immoral and disgusting,’ Bonta said. ‘We are a nation built by immigrants and we must condemn the cruelty and hateful rhetoric of those, whether they are state leaders or private parties, who refuse to recognize humanity and who turn their backs on extending dignity and care to fellow human beings.’

It is unclear at this time who is responsible for the migrants’ move to California, but multiple states have relocated migrants to sanctuary cities like New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C., amid an influx of migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has said he will not stop sending buses of migrants to these cities until the federal government fixes the problem at the border. The migrant relocations from Texas began last summer.

The immigration crisis at the southern border has also spilled into states that do not border Mexico. Florida Republican Gov. and presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis flew migrants from the Sunshine State to Martha’s Vineyard last fall and Colorado Democrat Gov. Jared Polis sent migrants to sanctuary cities earlier this year.

‘California and the Sacramento community will welcome these individuals with open arms and provide them with the respect, compassion, and care they will need after such a harrowing experience,’ Bonta said in his statement.

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Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said Sunday he would not rule out a potential third-party presidential run in 2024, touting the value of the ‘moderate middle’ over the far left and right extremes, after the debt ceiling package managed to clear both chambers of Congress and avoid a U.S. default. 

‘Fox News Sunday’ host Shannon Bream grilled Manchin on a recent report in The New York Times claiming that the bipartisan group ‘No Labels’ is eyeing a third-party presidential run in 2024, alarming Democrats, and that Manchin sits at ‘the top of the list of potential candidates.’ 

The report said Manchin risks bleeding support for President Biden ‘crucial to his re-election.’

‘Is a third-party run still in the realm of possibility?’ Bream asked Manchin on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ 

‘No Labels has been moving and pushing very hard the centrist middle. Making commonsense decisions,’ Manchin said, sidestepping the question. ‘People that basically expect us to do our job. And not put the political party ahead of the policy in our great country. That’s what we’ve seen happening. And there’s more noise and more extremism coming from the far left and the far right.’ 

‘It’s always what I’ve believed. I believe that basically that’s where you make the decisions,’ he said of the political center. ‘You listen to the left and the right. You make sure that you leave nobody behind. And you listen to the different persuasions that they might have, concerns. But when it comes you’ve got to make common sense.’ 

He went on to argue for a risk management evaluation of the U.S. financial situation, noting the recent collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank. 

‘But is there a risk management team assessing a third-party run for Sen. Joe Manchin with No Labels or any other option?’ Bream interjected. 

‘I think with a risk management team, you better have Plan B. Because if Plan A shows that we’re going to the far reaches of both sides, the far left and the far right, and the people don’t want to go to the far left and the far right, they want to be governed from the middle, I think there is… you better have that Plan B available and ready to go,’ Manchin said. 

‘And you’re saying it possibly could include Joe Manchin?’ Bream said. 

‘I’m not saying who it’s going to include or exclude. I’m saying you better have Plan B ready,’ Manchin responded. ‘Because that’s what it’s going to take for this country to remain the superpower of the world, to give confidence to people around the world that the reserve currency should be the U.S. dollar, that support for freedom and democracy should be the U.S. government and the U.S. Defense Department. We can do that. You can’t do it from the extremes.’ 

‘OK, ruling it out? Not ruling it out?’ Bream pushed once more. 

‘Not ruling anything in, not ruling anything out,’ Manchin concluded. 

Earlier in his appearance, Manchin – who thanked Senate Republicans and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., for securing that the Mountain Valley Gas pipeline was funded in the debt ceiling package – credited centrists in both the GOP and Democrat parties for avoiding a default on U.S. debt.  

‘Both the extreme left and the extreme right voted to default – they voted against it,’ Manchin said. ‘It was the Democrats and Republicans in the middle. So that moderate middle, the centrists, well, we’re going to run this country. We can’t continue to let the extremes try to be the majority voice when it’s going to be the majority voting in the middle and the moderate centrists that will make things happen.’ 

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy made clear he did not intend to ban transgender individuals from serving in the military.

‘I would not reinstate a ban on transgender members,’ Ramaswamy said during in interview on ABC’s ‘This Week’ Sunday.

Ramaswamy’s remarks came in response to questioning about his alleged ‘anti-woke’ bona fides, with host Martha Raddatz noting that he was introduced at a recent event as the ‘godfather of the anti-woke movement.’

The candidate did note that he wanted to be ‘very clear’ that he was ‘very focused’ on transgender ‘ideology’ not being aimed at kids.

Shortly after taking office, President Biden moved to scrap a Trump-era regulation that banned people from openly serving under their self-identified gender. The move to allow transgender individuals to serve openly was finalized in June 2021, and applies to all active-duty, National Guard or Reserve members, and U.S. military service academy cadets.

Ramaswamy is seen as a long-shot candidate by many observers, trailing former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the favorites to win the 2024 GOP nomination. 

According to the latest Fox News polling, Ramaswamy is the preferred candidate of just 3% of Republican primary voters, far behind the 53% who support Trump and 21% who support DeSantis. Ramaswamy also trails former Vice President Mike Pence and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who garnered 6% and 4% support in the Fox News poll, respectively.

But Ramaswamy said he was embracing his status as an ‘outsider,’ something that was once true of Trump before he shocked observers to secure the GOP nomination and White House in 2016.

‘I’m the outsider in this race, I think you get to be an outsider once,’ Ramaswamy told ‘This Week.’ ‘I’m the first millennial ever to run for the GOP nomination for U.S. president, and I’m actually leading us to something. Too long, many other conservative have been running from something.’

Reached for comment by Fox News Digital, a Ramaswamy said the GOP hopefully sees ‘transgenderism’ as a ‘mental health disorder’ and that ‘individuals with mental health disorders should not be categorically barred from serving in the military, but should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.’

‘He believes that more Americans should serve in the military which can provide our citizenry with shared purpose and meaning that we currently lack, which itself is a key driver of the mental health epidemic in America,’ the spokesperson added. ‘Vivek is a strong opponent of trans indoctrination of young Americans.’

Ex-FBI Director James Comey, a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, was asked in a new interview that aired Sunday about his thoughts on the 2024 presidential election.

‘It has to be Joe Biden,’ Comey said in response to a question from Biden’s former White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, during an interview for her show on MSNBC. 

‘And I’m glad he’s willing to serve. It has to be somebody committed to the rule of law, committed to the values of this country,’ he continued. ‘And I’m not talking about policy. People can disagree about policy. There are things above those disagreements that all of us should think about the same way. The president must be someone who abides the law and our Constitution. And there’s no one else but Joe Biden.’ 

Noting that Comey was once a longtime Republican but voted for Biden in 2020, Psaki asked if he’d consider any of the Republican contenders entering the 2024 race. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., recently formally announced their presidential candidacies, while former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy were already in the race.

Comey, who was fired by Trump in 2017 while leading the FBI’s investigation of alleged Russian collusion with Trump’s campaign, claimed in the interview that if Trump returns to the White House there would be ‘four years of a retribution presidency.’ 

‘He could order the prosecution of individuals who he sees as enemies. I’m sure I’m on the enemies list,’ Comey alleged. ‘Because the president constitutionally does oversee the executive branch entirely, which includes the Department of Justice, prosecutors and investigators. And so he could commission, direct that individuals be pursued. He could also direct all types of other conduct that people would maybe take to court to try to stop – but who enforces court orders?’

‘Mostly the United States Marshals Service, which is part of the executive branch and reports to the president. And so President Trump could say, ‘I don’t care what the Supreme Court says or these district judges say, I’m telling the Marshals Service don’t enforce the court order.’ And so our Constitution really does give a rogue president, which is what this would be, tremendous power to destroy.’ 

‘People criticize CNN for their town hall. I want the American people to stare at the threat that we’re facing and understand that they cannot take the next election off,’ he said. 

Psaki noted that during the CNN town hall, Trump would not commit to seeing that Ukraine win the war against Russia. 

‘Should we expect Russia to interfere on his behalf in 2024?’ Psaki asked Comey. 

‘Yes, of course,’ Comey said. ‘Vladmir Putin does not want Joe Biden to be president of the United States for reasons that I hope the American people see because he acts in our national interests. He would very much like Donald Trump to be president again because Donald Trump – for reasons I still can’t explain – very, very fond of Vladmir Putin. And so they will find ways to interfere. I hope our intelligence community is equipped to respond maybe better than we did in 2016. But they’ll come for this election.’ 

EXCLUSIVE: The Biden administration is getting slammed as handing a ‘major coup’ to Chinese President Xi Jinping after two senior officials made a trip to China on Sunday in an attempt to ease tensions between the two countries.

Critics immediately pointed out that Sunday, June 4, marks the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, when the Chinese military slaughtered hundreds, possibly thousands, of pro-democracy protesters.

Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, and Sarah Beran, the National Security Council’s senior director for China and Taiwan affairs, arrived in Beijing to discuss ‘key issues in the bilateral relationship,’ the State Department said in a press release.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., called attention to the timing of the trip on Twitter.

‘Is the Biden Administration sending senior officials to China as we remember the anniversary of the massacre in Tiananmen Square?’ he wrote.

Issa, who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told Fox News Digital that the trip only benefits China and Chinese President Xi Jinping while weakening the United States’ position on the world stage.

‘This is no ordinary foreign policy stumble,’ he said. ‘It’s a concession demanded by the Chinese and granted by a White House and State Department willing to bend. It’s a major coup for Xi, and America’s position in the world just got weaker – where it matters most.’ 

‘There’s no way the Congress can just look away and let this go,’ he added.

Nearly two hours after the first press release, the State Department issued another one honoring the Tiananmen Square anniversary.

‘Tomorrow, we observe the 34th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre,’ the release said. ‘On June 4th, 1989, the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) sent tanks into Tiananmen Square to brutally repress peaceful Chinese pro-democracy protesters and bystanders alike.’ 

‘The victims’ bravery will not be forgotten and continues to inspire advocates for these principles around the world,’ it added. ‘The United States will continue advocating for people’s human rights and fundamental freedoms in China and around the world.’

Issa’s office said he plans to send a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding answers about the China trip.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that Kritenbrink’s official meetings will begin Monday, and that he would raise the issue of human rights in the communist country.

Michael Sobolik, a fellow in Indo-Pacific Studies at the American Foreign Policy Council, responded to the press release about the China visit by asking, ‘Is this a joke?’

Isaac Stone Fish, the CEO of Strategic Risks, which ‘quantifies corporate exposure to China,’ and a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council, offered a ‘pro-tip’ on Twitter, saying, ‘Don’t be a senior government official visiting China on the anniversary of Tiananmen Square.’

Fox News Digital asked the State Department and the White House whether the Tiananmen Square massacre would be discussed, but neither responded.

Dialogue between the Biden administration and Beijing has been nearly dormant in recent months as attempts at interactions have been shuttered since the U.S. shot down a Chinese surveillance balloon that traversed the country earlier this year.

A previously scheduled trip by Blinken, where he was expected to meet with Xi, was canceled because of the China spy balloon incident.

The U.S.-China relationship has been further strained over China’s military activity in the South China Sea and the United States’ support of Taiwan.

Additionally, Beijing has taken umbrage after the U.S. warned China against arming Russia to help its war in Ukraine. 

CIA Director William Burns secretly visited China last month in an effort to restore relations, meeting with his Chinese counterparts to emphasize ‘the importance of maintaining open lines of communication in intelligence channels,’ according to the Financial Times, which first reported the visit. 

Fox News’ Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., slammed the Biden administration for its relationship with China, expressing concern over the possibility of lifting tariffs on Chinese imports imposed by the Trump administration. 

‘Biden administration officials should stop chasing after their Chinese communist counterparts like love-struck teenagers. It’s embarrassing and it’s pathetic,’ Cotton said during an appearance on ‘Fox News Sunday.’ ‘In fact, it projects weakness to China.’

Cotton’s remarks came less than 24 hours after a Chinese warship come within nearly 150 yards of a U.S. destroyer in the Taiwan Strait late Saturday. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command confirmed the incident took place as the USS Chung-Hoon was conducting joint exercises with Canada.

‘It encourages them to do things like buzz our aircraft or come within a few hundred yards of our ships, encourages them to send spy balloons floating all across America,’ Cotton said. 

The tariffs were put in place by former President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019. They came in response to an investigation that found China was violating U.S. intellectual property laws and coercing American companies into transferring sensitive technology to Chinese firms as a condition of gaining access to China’s market.

Cotton – who has been vocal in his criticism toward the defense cuts included in the debt ceiling bill – said the best way to deter China and other such countries would be with military presence. 

‘To get back to this bill that we just voted on, the single best way we can deter China and Iran and Russia is to have a military capable of deterring them. That’s one of the core lessons of history,’ Cotton said. 

He had previously introduced an amendment aimed at bolstering defense funding in the debt limit bill, while also criticizing the allocated military budget in his own remarks on the Senate floor Thursday. The amendment failed to gain any traction. 

President Biden signed the debt ceiling bill Saturday, raising the government’s borrowing limit and averting a potential default on the national debt. The Fiscal Responsibility Act cuts non-defense spending to near fiscal 2022 levels, capping growth at 1% for the next two years and proposing non-mandatory caps for the four years after.

The law also increases defense spending by 3% for the first year, below the level of inflation. Cotton maintains that such a move is ‘very risky for our country.’

‘There’s no question the Pentagon can find savings, but not savings to match and offset the cuts in this bill or the threats that we face from countries like China and Iran and Russia,’ Cotton said. 

Fox News’ Brie Stimson, Liz Friden and Eric Revell contributed to this report.  

Former FBI Director James Comey said in an interview that aired Sunday that he predicts prosecutors are facing ‘intense pressure’ to come up with a charging decision with regard to former President Donald Trump before he can possibly become the GOP nominee for president in 2024. 

Comey, who was abruptly fired by Trump in 2017 while leading the FBI investigation into whether Trump and his allies colluded with Russian in the 2016 election, recently sat down with President Joe Biden’s former White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, for an interview that aired Sunday on Psaki’s MSNBC show.

Of the legal battles Trump is facing, which include an indictment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and an ongoing probe by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Comey said the federal case involving the classified documents found during the FBI’s search of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in August 2022 seems to be the strongest. Last week, it was reported that Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained a recording of Trump from July 2021 during a meeting at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, in which Trump discussed the documents taken from the White House.

‘Tapes are amazing for a prosecutor because you can’t cross-examine a tape, you can’t call a tape a liar, a deep-state operative,’ Comey told Psaki. ‘A tape is you saying what you think, which is why they’re so valuable in an organized-crime case, and they’ll be so valuable and important to Jack Smith in this documents case. I don’t know where this case will end up, but it makes it immeasurably stronger to have the subject of the investigation saying in a way that can’t be impeached – no pun intended with Trump – can’t be criticized and undermined because it’s coming from his own mouth. That’s why I once said, ‘Lordy, I hope there are tapes.’ And Lordy, it’s a good thing there are tapes.’

Comey added that it would be ‘concerning to a prosecutor leading an investigation and to the FBI’ that these probes are playing out so close to a presidential election.

‘Despite history, we desperately don’t want to be involved in election-time investigations and near them, so they are feeling something else that won’t be talked about publicly. I just know the system; they’re feeling intense pressure to move, to move, to move, so they’re not in the position of making a charging decision next year when Donald Trump may be the nominee,’ Comey said. ‘So, I think they are likely working very, very hard in trying to get ahead of even the normal pace of what an investigation might be.’ 

‘I mean it’s this crazy world that Donald Trump has dragged this country into, but he could be wearing an ankle bracelet while accepting the nomination at the Republican Convention,’ he continued. ‘And it seems even crazy to be coming out of my mouth, but that’s the situation we face. It looks like the Republicans will likely nominate someone who is under serious criminal investigation, he’s indicted, and who knows where that’s going to lead us.’

An abbey in rural Missouri has become the site of pilgrimage for many Catholics who view the body of a Benedictine nun as a modern American miracle.

Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster died in May 2019, but when her body was exhumed earlier this year she was discovered to be apparently uncorrupted – showing little decomposition – an indication of sanctity to Catholics if confirmed.

Thousands of devoted Catholics have flocked to the Gower, Missouri, abbey where they say a ‘modern-day miracle’ has taken place.

‘It is a modern-day miracle,’ Dale Bauermeister, a Catholic convert from Nebraska, told Fox News Digital at the abbey last weekend. The incorrupt body of Lancaster is a sign that ‘Christ is here, he is among us, he is not done working,’ said Bauermeister.

Catholic and local media outlets have captured the throngs of hundreds of visitors to the abbey of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles and local Catholic parishes have volunteered to assist with parking and crowd management. 

‘To see her, it just brings peace, and the hope of resurrection and the hope of all of us being one in Christ,’ Judy Brown of Missouri told Fox News Digital.

Lancaster founded the Benedictines of Mary in 1995. Long before that, she insisted on wearing the traditional black habit of nuns as a testament to her commitment to her life of faith.

The nuns and their pastor at the Gower Abbey conduct Masses and prayer services in Latin, using the Traditional Latin Mass – a rite within Catholicism that the FBI considered using as a reason to conduct anti-domestic terrorism activities.

To many visitors, Lancaster was a witness to the power of the traditional form of worship against modernity within society and the church.

‘I think about her fidelity to her vows as the bride of Christ and wanting to remain wearing the habit, which is the sign of her being a bride of Christ in this life,’ said Lisa Shea, who traveled with her family from Ohio. ‘That sign is such a gift to all the laity of the church, because in heaven we are all called to be one with Christ forever.’

Visitors often touched rosary beads and prayer cards to the nun’s body, which was placed in the basement of the chapel where pilgrims could walk up and touch her. 

The state of the nun’s body has bewildered experts who examined it. Her body was not embalmed before her burial and her casket was made of simple wood without an exterior layer.

David Hess, associate professor in the Salt Lake Community College mortuary science department, told Catholic News Agency that the deceased nun’s pristine condition is hard to explain. 

‘If the body was not embalmed, and it was still intact after four years, that one kind of throws me,’ he told CNA. ‘I would have expected the body to be decomposed, maybe not all the way down to bone, but at least severely decomposed.’ 

Lancaster’s body has been on open-air display for visitations by pilgrims until last week, when she was moved behind glass. However, she has not been declared a ‘saint’ by the Catholic Church.

‘If this proves to be true – it’s still being investigated – but if it proves to be true, to me it will be a significant sign for our time, especially in the American church, of the reality of the Catholic faith,’ said the Rev. Mark Goring, a Catholic priest, in a video posted to his popular You Tube channel last week.

Leaders in the Catholic Church contacted Rome and commissioned an investigation into the situation after the remains were exhumed.  

Bishop James V. Johnston of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph released a statement on the investigation into Lancaster’s condition, where he urged Catholics to avoid venerating the nun until the church process is complete.

‘The Church has an established process for determining if someone is a saint and worthy of veneration. No such process has yet been initiated on behalf of Sister Wilhelmina,’ the bishop said. ‘It is understandable that many would be driven by faith and devotion to see the mortal remains of Sister Wilhelmina given the remarkable condition of her body, but visitors should not touch or venerate her body, or treat them as relics.’

The nuns at Gower Abbey also released a statement clarifying that incorruptibility is not an official consideration for sainthood. 

‘While we can attest to Sister’s personal sanctity, we know that incorruptibility is not among the official signs taken by the Church as a miracle for sainthood, and that all things must be subjected to further scrutiny, especially by the competent authorities in the medical field. The life itself and favors received must be established as proof of holiness,’ the nuns’ statement said.

In order to be declared a saint, outside investigators must confirm multiple miraculous events surrounding the deceased when asked for intervention by living Christians. The Catholic Church defines these miracles as ‘a sign or wonder such as a healing, or control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power.’

In many sects of Christianity, the bodies of those who are believed to be in heaven are called ‘relics’ and are used in worship. Relics can also be objects touched by a saint.

Catholics, Coptics, Orthodox, Anglicans and others practice the veneration of relics as a means of praising God – the practice is traced back to biblical anecdotes such as the bones of the prophet Elisha bringing a dead man back to life. 

In the Book of Acts, merely touching St. Paul’s handkerchief cured the sick and cast out evil spirits from the afflicted. And in the Old Testament, a story is recounted of a man rising from the dead after his body was placed in the tomb containing bones of Elijah the prophet.

Veneration of pious Christians’ bones has been documented since the earliest days of Christianity.

The New York Times is facing ridicule on Twitter after an article Sunday painted President Biden’s old age in a positive light, describing the 80-year-old president as ‘sharp,’ ‘fit’ and having ‘striking stamina.’

The Times article by White House reporters Peter Baker, Michael Shear, Katie Rogers and Zolan Kanno-Youngs, titled, ‘Inside the Complicated Reality of Being America’s Oldest President,’ claimed Biden’s aides have been purposely limiting his exposure to the media to avoid any potential gaffes.

‘The two Joe Bidens coexist in the same octogenarian president: Sharp and wise at critical moments, the product of decades of seasoning, able to rise to the occasion even in the dead of night to confront a dangerous world,’ the article said. ‘Yet a little slower, a little softer, a little harder of hearing, a little more tentative in his walk, a little more prone to occasional lapses of memory in ways that feel familiar to anyone who has reached their ninth decade or has a parent who has.’

‘Like many his age, Mr. Biden repeats phrases and retells the same story, often fact-challenged stories again and again,’ the article continued. ‘He can be quirky; when children visit, he may randomly pull a book of William Butler Yeats off his desk and start reading Irish poetry to them.’

‘At the same time, he is trim and fit, exercises five days a week and does not drink,’ it added. ‘He has at times exhibited striking stamina, such as when he flew to Poland then boarded a nine-hour train ride to make a secret visit to Kyiv, spent hours on the ground, then endured another nine-hour train ride and a flight to Warsaw. A study of his schedule by Mr. Biden’s aides shows that he has traveled slightly more in the first few months of his third year in office than Mr. Obama did in his.’

Steve Guest, a special adviser for communications for Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the article ’embarrassing.’

News Cycle Media President Jon Nicosia called the article ‘slobbering.’

Former Obama speechwriter Jonathan Favreau, who now co-hosts ‘Pod Save America,’ said the article was ‘pretty positive.’

National Review contributor Pradheep Shanker said the article was ‘not totally objective’ but at least opened the door for questioning the president’s capabilities.

‘Good for the Times to actually write this… It’s still not totally objective, but it’s a solid effort at least,’ Shanker wrote. ‘I mean those is a positive spin at best. What’s more likely is that many, many of the presidential level decisions are not being made by Biden at all.’

Biden tripped and fell during a U.S. Air Force Academy commencement ceremony Thursday, prompting three Secret Service agents to rush to help the president up.

The White House said Thursday that Biden tripped over a sandbag and was not injured by the fall. 

The fall reignited concerns about Biden’s age, prompting a number of media outlets to pounce and seize on Republicans voicing concerns about Biden’s physical health.

Video footage showing a South Carolina-based children’s choir being stopped by a Capitol Police officer from singing the national anthem in the U.S. Capitol has gone viral with millions of views.

Capitol Police said singers with the Rushingbrook Children’s Choir from Greenville were stopped because of a ‘miscommunication,’ which occurred May 26.

Capitol Police initially issued a statement that said they were under the impression the group didn’t have permission to perform in the building but clarified later that they ‘were not aware that the Speaker’s Office had approved this performance.’

Choir director David Rasbach and another choir leader said the visit was approved by the office of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., which the speaker’s office confirmed.

‘I was shocked, I was dismayed, I was stunned,’ Rasbach, who said he secured permission from three congressional offices to perform at the U.S. Capitol, told the Daily Signal. ‘I couldn’t believe that was happening, that they would stop the national anthem, of all songs.’

Video of the event showed the children singing as a Capitol Police officer spoke with two other men. One of the men, who appears to be a congressional staffer, then approached Rasbach. A few seconds later, Rasbach motioned to the choir and cut them off to stop singing.

Some Republicans accused Capitol Police of taking action against the kids due to political bias, but the force said that is untrue and accused the congressional staffer of lying ‘to the officers multiple times about having permission from various offices’ in one emailed statement to the Daily Signal.

‘Recently somebody posted a video of a children’s choir singing the Star-Spangled Banner in the U.S. Capitol Building and wrongfully claimed we stopped the performance because it ‘might offend someone,’’ the Capitol Police said. ‘Here is the truth. Demonstrations and musical performances are not allowed in the U.S. Capitol.’

‘Of course, because the singers in this situation were children, our officers were reasonable and allowed the children to finish their beautiful rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner,’ the statement added. ‘The Congressional staff member who was accompanying the group knew the rules, yet lied to the officers multiple times about having permission from various offices. The staffer put both the choir and our officers, who were simply doing their jobs, in an awkward and embarrassing position.’

McCarthy and three Republican members of Congress involved in inviting the group to the Capitol issued a joint statement, saying they were ‘very disappointed’ that the performance was cut short.

‘We recently learned that schoolchildren from South Carolina were interrupted while singing our National Anthem at the Capitol. These children were welcomed by the Speaker’s Office to joyfully express their love of this nation while visiting the Capitol, and we are all very disappointed to learn their celebration was cut short,’ McCarthy and three House Republicans said. ‘We are delighted that the People’s House has been reopened particularly for our children and we look forward to welcoming more Americans back to the halls of Congress.’

Capitol Police did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.