Joe Biden’s post-presidency venture into the speaking circuit has hit a wall, with few groups willing to pay the $300,000 he’s reportedly asking per event, according to The New York Post. The pushback comes as some of Biden’s former aides quietly urge him to step away from the public eye, especially following remarks in which he awkwardly referenced “colored kids” during his first major speech since leaving the White House.
Sources familiar with the situation say that Biden’s standard fee is $300,000 — a figure that’s about 25% lower than the $400,000 Barack Obama requested after finishing his term in 2017.
Whether Biden is open to negotiating that fee remains unknown.

President Donald Trump has officially removed the MTA from overseeing the long-awaited overhaul of Penn Station, handing control over to the federal government instead, with Amtrak now taking the lead under a new initiative.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy revealed the updated direction for the project, explaining that the federal government will move forward with a public-private partnership to carry out the revamp.
“President Trump has made it clear: the days of reckless spending and blank checks are over,” Duffy declared in a statement.
“New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America’s greatness and is safe and clean.”

New York Attorney General Letitia James has dismissed the Trump administration’s criminal referral accusing her of mortgage fraud, calling the accusations “baseless” but refraining from offering any specifics in a recent interview.
James joined Spectrum NY1’s “Inside City Hall” on Thursday, where she pushed back against claims made by the Trump administration that she manipulated real estate filings in both New York and Virginia.
“Let me just say to all New Yorkers and to all Americans: the allegations are baseless. The allegations are nothing more than a revenge tour,” James told host Errol Louis during the interview.

The newly appointed U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, arrived in Israel on Friday and began his diplomatic mission with a moving visit and prayer at the Kosel. The highlight of the visit was the placement of a special note sent by President Trump, who entrusted Huckabee with the note before his departure for Israel and requested that it be placed on his behalf. On the note, Trump wrote briefly and movingly: “For peace in Israel – Donald Trump,” an extraordinary and deeply meaningful gesture that reflects the strong friendship between the two nations. Ambassador Huckabee was received by the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and the director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mr.

Keith Siegel, who was held hostage by Hamas, shared new insights about his time in captivity during an interview on Thursday with Channel 12. He revealed that the terrorists tried to convince him and Matan Angrest, the soldier he was held with, to embrace Islam.
“There were attempts to convert us. According to them, whoever isn’t a Muslim goes to hell and only Muslims go to heaven. Matan spoke a lot about the longing and how he wants to be with his family more when he returns from captivity and less on the PlayStation,” Siegel recalled.

This is a message from a local frum Encore homeowner who works very closely with the Property Owners Association (POA) board. All of us enjoy the freedom to rent and use golf carts in Encore. It has become part and parcel of the yom tov experience. The vast majority of people enjoy the golf carts responsibly. But there is a small group of mostly teenagers who drive recklessly endangering their safety and the safety of others. In addition, there are parents who are allowing young children to drive golf carts around the neighborhood. Just yesterday, two people had to be taken to the hospital after falling out of a golf cart. We won’t even mention the horrific chilul hashem this is causing, as evidenced by tons of comments on the “local” community chats.

The Trump administration plans to eliminate the IRS’ Direct File program, an electronic system for filing tax returns directly to the agency for free, according to two people familiar with the decision. The program developed during Joe Biden’s presidency was credited by users with making tax filing easy, fast and economical. But Republican lawmakers and commercial tax preparation companies complained it was a waste of taxpayer money because free filing programs already exist, although they are hard to use. The program had been in limbo since the start of the Trump administration as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency have slashed their way through the federal government.