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A top US Republican said Sunday that a mega-bill meant to advance President Donald Trump’s domestic agenda remains “on track” despite a recent failure to advance in committee.Trump has been pressing the Republican-controlled Congress to move quickly on the “big, beautiful bill,” which — among many other provisions — extends tax cuts passed in his first term while imposing new restrictions on welfare programs.House Speaker Mike Johnson told “Fox News Sunday” that he plans for a floor vote on the package by the end of the week, despite its failure to advance in the Budget Committee on Thursday.Independent congressional analysts calculate that the mega-bill’s tax provisions would add more than $4.8 trillion to the federal deficit over the coming decade.To partially offset that, Republicans plan significant cuts in spending — notably by adding new restrictions on the Medicaid program that helps provide health insurance for more than 70 million lower-income Americans.The policy change would result in over 10 million people losing coverage under the program, according to estimates by the independent Congressional Budget Office.But sharp divisions within the party threaten at least to slow the legislative process.Moderate Republicans fear overly large cuts in the popular program could upset the party’s prospects in the midterm elections of November 2026.But deficit hawks on the party’s far right insist the projected cuts don’t go far enough.A handful of Republican legislators on Friday voted against the bill’s passage out of the Budget Committee, derailing its progress at least temporarily.”We don’t like smoke and mirrors,” one of those legislators, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, told reporters. “We want real cuts.”Speaker Johnson has been spending the weekend working to persuade the holdouts. Republicans have a very slim majority in the House, meaning the bill needs almost unanimous support to pass.”This is the largest spending reduction in at least three decades, probably longer,” he told the Fox program. “It’s historic.” The Budget Committee is set to continue debating the bill into late Sunday, in hopes this time of securing passage.But even if it passes in the House, it will face challenges in the Senate.Republicans in the upper chamber, who have a similarly narrow majority, are demanding major changes in the sweeping bill — which Trump is eager to present as a signal accomplishment early in his second term.

This year’s Cannes film festival has all the usual glitz and glamour but is also heavy on politics. AFP looks at some of the topics, films, and fashion moments that have made a splash during week one.The festival wraps up on May 24, when the winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or for best film will be announced. – Red carpet dress code -Hollywood star Halle Berry was the most high-profile victim of the festival’s dress code, which bans extravagantly large dresses and “total nudity” on the red carpet.The “Monster’s Ball” star, who is on the jury this year, was forced into a last-minute wardrobe change on opening night after she judged her dress by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta to be too long. Others appeared to flout the rules, including German model Heidi Klum, who turned up in a frilly pink evening gown with a train that was at least three metres (10 feet) long.- New #MeToo rules – After years of scandals in the film industry and pressure to take a stand, the festival announced it had barred an actor in a prominent French film from the red carpet because of rape allegations.Theo Navarro-Mussy, who plays a police officer in a supporting role in the film “Dossier 137”, became the first person affected by the new policy.He denies the allegations and an initial police investigation was closed last month without charges. – Cruise show -Tom Cruise swept into Cannes on a steamroller of hype around “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” which premiered to mixed reviews on Wednesday.Director Christopher McQuarrie revealed that Cruise — who does his own stunts — took his risk-taking a little far during a shoot in South Africa and could have died.Cruise pushed himself to the point of exhaustion after climbing out on the wing of a stunt biplane that he was piloting alone.”He was laying on the wing of the plane. His arms were hanging over the front of the wing. We could not tell if he was conscious or not,” said the US filmmaker- Early favourites -A total of 22 films are up for the Palme d’Or, with early favourites being German-language drama “The Sound of Falling” about inter-generational trauma, and experimental rave road-trip thriller “Sirat”. According to an analysis of critics’ scores by film magazine Screen, the frontrunner is a contemplative drama about justice and cruelty in the Soviet Union called “Two Prosecutors” by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa.”Russian society today is different from Soviet society in the 20th century but the essence is the same,” the 60-year-old director told AFP.  – Actors-turned-directors -This year’s festival features a trio of highly anticipated directorial debuts from actors.Harris Dickinson, the 28-year-old “Babygirl” actor, drew praise for his first film “Urchin”, while “Twilight” star Kristen Stewart, 35, demonstrated her talent behind the camera in “The Chronology of Water”.”Be gentle with me… It’s my first film so if you don’t like it, break it to me nicely,” Dickinson said about “Urchin”, which tells the story of a homeless man in London.American A-lister Scarlett Johansson is set to unveil her debut film “Eleanor the Great” to audiences on Monday.- Gaza war -The war in Gaza has been a constant topic of conversation after nearly 400 top film figures signed an open letter on the eve of festival condemning Israel for committing “genocide” in Gaza and the film industry for its “passivity”.The head of the Cannes jury Juliette Binoche added her signature this week to that of at least four Palme d’Or-winning directors in Cannes as well as actors Ralph Fiennes and Richard Gere.A wrenching documentary about Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, killed in an Israeli air strike on her home in Gaza, left its audience in stunned silence when it premiered on Thursday and its director Sepideh Farsi in tears. – Bob’s moment -Robert De Niro was visibly emotional on the opening night when his friend and frequent co-star Leonardo DiCaprio handed him a life-time achievement award.He then composed himself to tear strips off his old enemy, Donald Trump, who he called “America’s philistine president”.- Trump era -Trump has been one of the main talking points in Cannes after announcing on May 5 that he wanted 100-percent tariffs on movies “produced in foreign lands”.Actors, directors and producers have lined up to denounce the idea as bad and self-defeating.Others have joined De Niro’s calls to resist Trump, including Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal who called on Hollywood to “fuck the people that try to make you scared — and fight back”.

Severe storms that tore through the US states of Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia left more than 25 people dead, leveling homes and businesses while knocking out power for tens of thousands, authorities say.At least 18 people were killed in Kentucky in the storms Friday night, state governor Andy Beshear posted on X, while officials in Missouri said another seven were dead there.Two people were also killed by falling trees in Virginia, local media reported.Jamie Burns, 38, who lives with her husband and son in a trailer home in the town of London, Kentucky, fled to the basement of her sister’s brick house while the storm destroyed 100 to 200 houses in the area.”Things that have been here longer than I have, things that have been here for 30-plus years are just flat,” Burns told AFP in a phone interview, her voice quavering.”It’s wild, because you’ll look at one area and it’s just smashed… totally flattened, like, not there anymore.”Drone footage shared by local media showed scenes of devastation in London, with houses leveled and reduced to splinters and tree trunks standing bare, shorn of branches.More than 108,000 people were still without power across the three states late Saturday. Eastern Kentucky, an area historically known for its coal mines, is one of the poorest regions in the country. “A lot of us live in manufactured homes that aren’t safe for tornado weather,” said Burns.- ‘One of the worst storms’ – In Missouri, five people were killed in the major city of St. Louis, in what authorities said was one of the worst storms in its history, and two in Scott County, the State Highway Patrol said in a statement to AFP. More severe weather was forecast for Sunday night and Monday.Asked Saturday by a reporter whether it was the worst storm ever to hit St. Louis, Mayor Cara Spencer replied: “I would describe this as one of the worst storms — absolutely. The devastation is truly heartbreaking.”She said 38 people in the city were injured and some 5,000 buildings damaged.In one St. Louis neighborhood, a church was heavily damaged, according to CBS footage, and rescue workers continued to treat victims near the building Saturday morning.”It’s horrific for a tornado to come through here and cause this much damage to the residents and also to the church,” Derrick Perkins, a pastor at the Centennial Christian Church, told CBS. “Our hearts are broken.”Bruce Madison, who also works at the church, said the community was coming together in the face of the tragedy.”Right now, we’re just praying for… everybody that they’re trying to find right now.”While there were warnings ahead of the severe weather — Beshear had protectively declared a state of emergency Friday — the death toll may raise questions about whether sharp cuts by the Trump administration have left National Weather Service forecasting teams dangerously understaffed.An estimated 500 of the 4,200 NWS employees have been fired or taken early retirement this year, according to the Washington Post.The United States saw the second-highest number of tornadoes on record last year with nearly 1,800, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), trailing only 2004.

Two people died and 19 others were injured after a Mexican Navy training ship hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.The ship snapped all three of its masts as it collided with the New York City landmark late Saturday, while onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror.”At this time, of the 277 on board, 19 sustained injuries, 2 of which remain in critical condition, and 2 more have sadly passed away from their injuries,” Adams posted on X.Footage shared online showed the Mexican Navy ship Cuauhtemoc, its sails furled and festive lights draped in its rigging, as it tried to pass beneath the bridge, which sheared off the masts and sent them crashing into the East River.Hundreds of cheering spectators had gathered minutes earlier to bid farewell to the ship, which had been docked at a pier in southern Manhattan since Tuesday.The Mexican Navy said in a statement that two crew members died in the crash, with a further 22 injured — half of them critically.Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wrote on X that she was “deeply saddened” by the two crew members’ deaths.The ship lost power at around 8:20 pm (0020 GMT Sunday) while the captain was maneuvering the vessel, forcing it to head for the bridge abutment on the Brooklyn side, New York police chief of special operations Wilson Aramboles told a press conference.Several sailors at the top of the ship were injured when it crashed into the bridge, Aramboles said.It is not clear if these sailors are among the dead.There was “panic on the ship,” Brooklyn resident Nick Corso, 23, who was standing near the water, told AFP.He had been poised to take a photo, but when he realized what was happening he switched to video. “Lots of screaming, some sailors hanging from the masts, looked like panic happening on the ship,” he said.”I didn’t see anyone fall into the water but lots of people up top. People ran back and were screaming!” Corso, who does marketing for the entertainment company VeeFriends, said. “The one thing that stood out to me was the panic on the ship, and there was a guy at the back waving for people to move away from the walkway we were on,” he said.- Bridge reopens -The Mexican Navy said in its statement that no one had fallen into the water, and that no rescue operation had been launched.The ship had been departing New York at the time and flags also fluttered in the rigging, while an enormous Mexican flag waved off its stern.Seconds after the ship left the dock, “suddenly we saw all the lights, how they collided, hit the bridge, and they (the sailors) all fell down,” Arturo Acatitla, a 37-year-old New York resident, told AFP.”While inspections will remain ongoing, there are no signs of structural damage to the Brooklyn Bridge,” the New York transport department posted on X. The bridge which leads from Brooklyn into Manhattan was closed for some 40 minutes before reopening.Victims were taken to hospital, Mexican ambassador Esteban Moctezuma Barragan told a news conference, and sirens could be heard near the scene.New York Police Department’s Aramboles said the Cuauhtemoc, a barque built in 1982 which had a mast height of 48.2 meters (158 feet), was sailing to Iceland when it crashed.”With mariachi, folk ballet and a community full of emotion, we celebrated its arrival at Pier 17 in Manhattan,” the embassy post said.The Cuauhtemoc was damaged in the “mishap,” the Mexican Navy confirmed in a statement on X.”The Ministry of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of its personnel, transparency in its operations and excellence in the training of future officers of the Mexican Navy,” it said.The ship was later moved to near the Manhattan Bridge, an AFP journalist saw.The New York Police Department advised residents on X to avoid the area due to “heavy traffic” and “a large presence of emergency vehicles.”The incident is the second deadly ship crash into a bridge in the United States in little over a year, after a vessel smashed into a bridge in Baltimore in March 2024, causing it to collapse and killing six road workers.

Eddie Williams is a schoolteacher from Monday to Friday and a wedding singer on weekends. In his spare time, he lifts enormously heavy weights as he competes to be the world’s strongest man.Some people think weightlifters are “a lot of angry people who just like to throw weight around,” the 420-pound (190-kilogram) Australian told AFP, but “I can be, you know, a happy person, and still be able to lift heavy weights.”Dripping with sweat after a Stone Medley — that is lifting very heavy stones — Williams insisted there is no contradiction between strength and likability. His wife Hannah agreed.”They’re these gentle giants that are just so lovely, such beautiful human beings that are caring, and they’re all cheering for each other,” she said.They were in the California capital for the “World’s Strongest Man” competition, taking place from Thursday to Sunday.Human colossuses like Williams, with sculpted backs, impossibly muscled arms and rippling thighs, compete by lifting objects up to twice their own weight — or more.Mitchell Hooper, a 29-year-old former champion who has a master’s degree in clinical exercise physiology, agreed that people have a mistaken idea about competitive weightlifters.People think “that we’re uneducated meatheads,” said the 320-pound Canadian, whose nickname is “Moose.” But, he added, “a lot of guys have higher education, and we train to compete strongly, because we just like to challenge ourselves.” One man who clearly wanted to destroy stereotypes was American Rob Kearney, who dyed his hair and beard in rainbow colors for the competition and calls himself “the world’s strongest gay man.”Kearney, 33, a former competitor attending the event in Sacramento, said he wanted to “break some of those stereotypes of what (people) think masculinity is.””Strength isn’t just the amount of weight we can deadlift,” he said. “Strength is all about who you are as a person, how you hold yourself and how you support others.”- A struggle of titans – The World’s Strongest Man competition was first held in 1977 at Universal Studios in California.The concept has remained the same but, over the years, the sport has gained investors and enthusiasts, becoming more professional: eight world records have been set here in the last 14 years.The names of the individual events — the “Titan’s Toss,” “Atlas Stones,” “Flintstone Barbell” and “Hercules Hold” — convey the magnitude of the challenges.To build the enormous strength necessary, nutrition is vital, said 30-year-old Rayno Nel, a South African beginner in such competitions.Nel, who took up the sport after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering, puts in long nights at his gym while following a complicated eating schedule aimed at providing him with 6,000 calories a day in meat and vegetables.That takes sacrifice, he said, while quickly adding, “I love it.”Once the competition is over, Nel plans to grab a burger and a beer.But for these Samsons — some over 6-feet-6 (two meters) tall — it’s not all about food and exercise.Concentration and focus are also essential, said Odd Haugen, 75, a former competitor.”You’ve got to be really ready,” he said, “because it’s really heavy!”- ‘In pain every day’ -Hooper, who was catching his breath after throwing 30-pound sandbags over a 12-foot-high bar, acknowledged to AFP that there are downsides to being one of the world’s strongest men.”You wake up in pain every day. You’re constantly sore. You don’t fit in normal spots. You have to wear a sleep apnea machine. You’re always hot. You’re always sweating.”But, he added, “the upsides are pretty cool.”Those include the enthusiastic fans, friends and family members who explode with joy when their favorite lifter manages a feat, or suffer along with him if he falls short.Power lifting is a competitive discipline, but the sense of camaraderie in the arena is clearly felt.Competitors watch their rivals intently, cheering them on, shouting and clapping.Such support, Kearney said, is the perfect refutation of all the stereotypes. “When you see two men embrace each other and cheer for each other and support each other,” he said, “it really shows just what strength means.”

A Mexican Navy training ship slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge late Saturday, snapping all three of its masts as it collided with the iconic New York City landmark, injuring at least 22 people. Onlookers enjoying the balmy spring evening watched in horror as the ship, its sails furled and festive lights draped in its rigging, tried to pass beneath the bridge, which sheared off the masts and sent them crashing into the East River.The Mexican Navy said in a statement that 22 people on board the training ship were injured, three of them critically. Some US media reports suggested that sailors had been in the rigging as the ship slammed into the bridge. The Navy said in its statement that no one had fallen into the water, and that no rescue operation had been launched.   Victims were rushed to local hospitals, The New York Post reported. According to multiple US media reports, around 200 people were on the Cuauhtemoc, a barque built in 1982 which had a mast height of 48.2 meters (158 feet), at the time.The Cuauhtemoc had been on a training maneouver at the time and was damaged in the “mishap,” the Mexican Navy said in a separate statement on X. “The Ministry of the Navy reaffirms its commitment to the safety of its personnel, transparency in its operations and excellence in the training of future officers of the Mexican Navy,” it said.

A bomb exploded on Saturday outside a California fertility clinic, killing one person in what the FBI labelled a terror attack.The blast tore through downtown Palm Springs, ripping a hole in the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of nearby buildings, an AFP journalist on the scene reported.”Make no mistake, this is an intentional act of terrorism,” Akil Davis, the head of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office told reporters near the site of the fatal explosion.”This is probably one of the largest bombing investigations that we’ve had in southern California,” he added.He confirmed that one person near the clinic at the time of blast had been killed and that four others were wounded. Work was ongoing to identify the deceased, he added.Asked whether the clinic was deliberately targeted, Davis answered: “We believe so, yes.”The city’s mayor, Ron deHarte had earlier told AFP that investigators confirmed a bomb exploded in or near a vehicle outside the clinic.Eyewitnesses told local media they had seen human remains near the American Reproductive Centers clinic, with aerial footage of the scene showing the building roof had collapsed.- Debris for ‘several blocks’ -The charred remnants of a vehicle lay in a parking lot, some distance from the apparent epicenter of the explosion.Debris was blown straight through the building and scattered across the road, while the roofs of a number of nearby buildings had been damaged, indicating the intense force of the blast.Davis of the FBI described the explosion as “significant” and said debris had been thrown more than two hundred yards (180 meters) from the scene, but declined to comment further on the characteristics of the bomb.The local ABC affiliate, which cited an unnamed law enforcement source, said the person who died was a suspect in the blast.Davis told reporters that though the FBI was working to identify the deceased, “we are keeping that close hold in order to protect the integrity of the investigation.”A statement posted on social media by the clinic said no staff had been hurt, and that its lab — “including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials — remains fully secure and undamaged.”It said that “a vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building.”Reproductive care, including abortion and fertility services, remains controversial in the United States, where some conservatives believe the procedures should be outlawed for religious reasons.Violence against clinics providing such services is rare, but not unheard of.President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to determine exactly what had happened.- ‘Unforgivable’ -“But let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable,” she said in a statement on social media.People living near the clinic reported feeling the shaking from the blast throughout the city.Matt Spencer, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, told the Palm Springs Post he ran outside as soon as he heard the blast, and was confronted with the sight of the burned out car and what appeared to be a body in the middle of the road.”In front of the building [the car] was blown clear across four lanes into the parking lot of [Desert Regional Medical Center],” he told the paper.”I could see the back of the car still on fire and the rims, that was the only thing that distinguished it as a car.”The Center for Reproductive Rights, a global advocacy group, described the bombing as “horrific” and “unconscionable.””The history of violence against reproductive health centers is why clinics need protections and patients must feel safe,” its president Nancy Northup said in a statement.

An explosion outside a California fertility clinic Saturday killed one person in what the local mayor described as a bomb attack.The blast ripped through downtown Palm Springs, badly damaging the clinic and blowing out the windows and doors of other nearby buildings, in what the city’s police chief said appeared to have been a deliberate act.”The blast appears to be an intentional act of violence and the blast extends for blocks with several buildings damaged, some severely,” Palm Springs Police Chief Andy Mills said.”There has been one fatality, the person’s identity is not known.”Eyewitnesses told local media they had seen human remains near the American Reproductive Centers clinic, which appeared to have been badly damaged in the blast.A statement posted on social media by the clinic said no staff had been hurt when the blast went off.”This morning, an unexpected and tragic incident occurred outside our Palm Springs facility when a vehicle exploded in the parking lot near our building,” it said.”We are heartbroken to learn that this event claimed a life and caused injuries, and our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected. “We are immensely grateful to share that no members of the ARC team were harmed, and our lab — including all eggs, embryos, and reproductive materials — remains fully secure and undamaged.”Reproductive care, including abortion and fertility services, remain controversial in the United States, where some conservatives believe the procedures should be outlawed for religious reasons.Violence against clinics providing such services is rare, but not unheard of.US Attorney Bill Essayli said his office was aware of the blast.”FBI is on scene and will be investigating whether this was an intentional act,” he said on X, formerly known as Twitter.The local ABC affiliate, which cited an unnamed law enforcement source, reported five people were injured in the explosion and the person who died was a suspect in the blast. – ‘Unforgivable’ –   Video posted online by witnesses showed debris scattered in the street in front of the clinic and windows shattered at multiple businesses in the area. People living nearby reported feeling the shaking from the blast throughout the city.Matt Spencer, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, told the Palm Springs Post he ran outside as soon as he heard the blast, and was confronted with the sight of the burned out car and what appeared to be a body in the middle of the road.”In front of the building [the car] was blown clear across four lanes into the parking lot of [Desert Regional Medical Center],” he told the paper.”I could see the back of the car still on fire and the rims, that was the only thing that distinguished it as a car.”California Governor Gavin Newsom had been briefed on the explosion, his office said.President Donald Trump’s Attorney General Pam Bondi said federal agents were working to determine exactly what had happened.”But let me be clear: the Trump administration understands that women and mothers are the heartbeat of America. Violence against a fertility clinic is unforgivable,” she said in a statement on social media.

A new song by rapper Kanye West glorifying Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has racked up millions of views on Elon Musk’s X platform, after it was banned by other sites such as YouTube.West — the winner of 24 Grammys over the course of his career in hip-hop — in recent years has made repeated anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi statements.  “Heil Hitler” was released on May 8 by the 47-year-old artist who now prefers to go by Ye — the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.As of Saturday, the video had been seen nearly 10 million times.In the clip, dozens of Black men — wearing animal pelts and masks, and standing in a block formation — chant the title of the song, as West raps about being misunderstood and his custody battle with ex-wife Kim Kardashian.The song ends with an extract of a speech by the Nazi dictator.NBC News cited a YouTube spokesperson as saying: “We removed the content and will continue to take down reuploads.”Reddit also told NBC that it would remove any versions of the song from its platform, with a spokesperson adding: “Hate and anti-Semitism have absolutely no place on Reddit.”The song has also been removed from streaming platforms Spotify and Apple Music.Since Musk purchased Twitter (now X) in 2022, he has allowed hate speech and disinformation on the site, positioning himself as a champion of free speech.But critics say the Tesla and SpaceX chief is amplifying those who share his political beliefs.Musk has become a close ally of President Donald Trump, and donated $277 million to support Trump and other Republican candidates in the 2024 election.X did not immediately respond to a request for comment from AFP.In February, West’s X account was deactivated after a days-long rant that included vitriolic, anti-Semitic outbursts.He also repeatedly referred to himself as a “Nazi.”Also in February, the website of his Yeezy fashion brand was taken offline after plain white T-shirts with a swastika went on sale.The rapper had been locked out of social media platforms in the past, notably when he was banned from X for nearly eight months for violating rules barring incitement to violence.Adidas cut ties with West in 2022 after allegations of anti-Semitism against him. The partnership was one of the most successful sportswear tie-ups in history, and the resulting Yeezy range went on to help make West a billionaire.As of Saturday, Forbes put his net worth at $400 million.For years, West has spoken openly about struggles with bipolar disorder. He has said on “The Download” podcast that he has been diagnosed with autism.

A newly published recording of former US president Joe Biden speaking hesitantly and struggling to remember key events and dates has fueled renewed debate over his mental capabilities while still in office.The four-minute audio clip, obtained by news outlet Axios and published Saturday, coincides with the upcoming release of a book that alleges White House staff covered up Biden’s decline even as he was seeking reelection.The clip was taken from two October 2023 interviews with former special counsel Robert Hur, who was investigating whether Biden had criminally mishandled public records after leaving office as vice president to Barack Obama. Questions about Biden’s physical and cognitive abilities — and the responses of staff and key Democrats to evident signs of decline — have flared with Tuesday’s release of “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” by CNN journalist Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson of Axios.When the special counsel released his findings in a voluminous report, describing Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” it drew fury from Democrats and White House officials.But the audio hints at the extent of his confusion and underscores Biden’s seemingly tenuous grip on dates. Describing the impact of the death from brain cancer of his son Beau, Biden struggles to remember exactly when it happened.”What month did Beau die?” he asks in a soft voice. “Oh God, May? Was it 2015 he died? I think it was 2015.”He goes on to say, “And Trump gets elected in November of 2017,” before being corrected and saying, “That’s when Trump gets sworn in.”His delivery is slow and halting, including lengthy pauses and occasional shifts in topic mid-sentence.Biden spokeswoman Kelly Scully told CNN that “the transcripts were released by the Biden administration more than a year ago. The audio does nothing but confirm what is already public.”The former president comes across as having been shattered by his son’s death. “Beau was like my right arm,” he says. And “Beau knew how much I adored him.”Republicans had called for the release of the recording, but the Biden administration refused, citing executive privilege.Hur ultimately found that while Biden had carelessly kept classified documents after leaving office, the evidence was insufficient to file charges — particularly as a jury would likely have been sympathetic to  the “elderly man with a poor memory.”Biden later lashed out at Hur for bringing up his son’s death, saying, “I don’t need anyone to remind me when he passed away.” Signs of Biden’s evident decline — particularly his halting delivery and verbal stumbles — were on full display during his June 2024 presidential debate with Donald Trump.The disastrous performance ultimately led to Biden stepping aside in favor of vice president Kamala Harris, who lost to Trump following an abbreviated campaign.Trump, who himself has at times confused names and dates but appears vigorous for a man of 78, has repeatedly described Biden as cognitively impaired.bbk/md/acb