President Joe Biden laughed off a question Thursday about whether he would share his bank records with Congressional Republicans who are probing his son Hunter’s business deals and threatening with opening an impeachment inquiry. 

Biden made a surprise visit to FEMA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. amid the agency’s Hurricane Idalia response and in the aftermath of the deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. 

There the 80-year-old president answered several questions from reporters after bringing pizzas and addressing FEMA’s workforce. 

After answering questions about overdose awareness day, a potential government shutdown and if he’d spoken to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who suffered from another health scare earlier this week, he laughed when asked if he’d hand over his bank records to the House GOP. 

‘Let’s talk about why I’m here,’ he said, and then answered an addition question on whether he wanted Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend next week’s G20 summit in India and revealed he would travel to Florida on Saturday to survey storm damage.

Biden has continually blown off questions about House Republicans’ investigations into son Hunter’s business deals in Ukraine and China but House Speaker Kevin McCarthy raised the stakes Sunday by saying an impeachment inquiry ‘is a natural step forward.’ 

‘That provides Congress the apex of legal power to get all the information they need,’ the California Republican said in an interview on Fox News. 

Despite there being no solid evidence linking the president to his son’s business deals, which were taking place at the height of Hunter’s crack cocaine addiction, McCarthy insisted there was a ‘culture of corruption that’s been happening within the entire Biden family.’ 

On Friday, NBC News reported that the White House had stood up a ‘war room’ of two dozen lawyers, legislative aides and communications staff to aggressively respond to a Republican impeachment inquiry, which comes as Biden is running for reelection. 

Sources told the network that the ‘war room’ team plans a vigorous response and will characterize the GOP’s efforts as a fact-free partisan sham that shows the party’s ‘penchant for chaos,’ NBC said. 

‘Comparing this to past impeachments isn’t apples to apples or even apples to oranges; it’s apples to elephants,’ one White House aide told NBC. ‘Never in modern history has an impeachment been based on no evidence whatsoever.’ 

It’s no surprise that some of the loudest voices backing impeachment are also top surrogates for former President Donald Trump. 

Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told constituents Thursday night that she wouldn’t vote to fund the government unless House Republicans opened up an impeachment inquiry on Biden. 

‘I’ve already decided that I will not vote to fund the government unless we pass an impeachment inquiry on Joe Biden,’ Greene said at a Floyd County, Georgia town hall. 

She also pushed to have Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has now twice indicted Trump, defunded and Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss fired. 

Weiss, a Trump appointee, was elevated to special counsel by Attorney General Merrick Garland last month. 

He’s overseeing Hunter Biden’s tax and gun case in Delaware federal court. 

Greene announcement received cheers and applause from the conservative crowd. 

In a statement on Thursday night, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said: ‘The last thing the American people deserve is for extreme House members to trigger a government shutdown that hurts our economy, undermines our disaster preparedness, and forces our troops to work without guaranteed pay.’ 

‘The House Republicans responsible for keeping the government open already made a promise to the American public about government funding, and it would be a shame for them to break their word and fail the country because they caved to the hardcore fringe of their party in prioritizing a baseless impeachment stunt over high stakes needs Americans care about deeply – like fighting fentanyl trafficking, protecting our national security, and funding FEMA,’ he added.  

Kevin Costner’s wife Christine Baumgartner moved out of the couple’s Santa Barbara mansion and into a mini-home just down the street on Friday, days before she was court ordered to vacate the property.

Moving vans were seen outside of Costner’s home in Carpinteria, California, earlier in the day, and took Baumgartner’s, 49, belongings to her new abode, which sits on a vacant lot owned by the Yellowstone actor, 68. 

The large lot, which is located on the same street as her marital home, was littered with shipping containers and a miniature home isolated in the middle. 

Meanwhile a U-Haul truck was pictured parked outside the mansion, located in the small seaside city in southeastern Santa Barbara County, and was later seen returning in the afternoon to collect more belongings from the beachfront estate.

Baumgartner — who filed for divorce from the Yellowstone star in May, and has complained of struggling to find an appropriate rental in the area — was ordered to vacate the $145M property by end of month. 

The cozy new home features a green roof, a wooden deck and a small outdoor grill along with plenty of seating options. A dirt road nearby leads to a number of white shipping containers.

Earlier in the day helpers at Costner’s residence were seen moving items from what appeared to be the garage onto the truck. A bicycle was among the items being loaded on.

Since proceedings began, the divorce has been far from amicable, from Kevin claiming that his ex refused to leave the mansion despite giving her $1.45 million for a new residence, to Christine alleging the actor was trying to make her and their children ‘homeless.’ 

Christine insisted she has no plans to ‘strip’ their mansion in Santa Barbara of items before leaving the grounds — which she has been ordered to do by July 31. 

Kevin — who was spotted with the pair’s three kids the day prior in Aspen, Colorado— and Christine have been locked in a very contentious split over the past few months.

The drama goes back weeks when Kevin asked her to exit the home. Now the tension has been focused on what she takes when she leaves the house.

Earlier this month sources told DailyMail.com that Baumgartner fears the Yellowstone star is ‘out for revenge’ against her after she filed for divorce, and will have police escort her out of their Santa Barbara home.

‘He wants to humiliate her,’ a close friend of Christine said. ‘This isn’t about the house, it’s about making Christine’s life a living hell for actually going through with the divorce.’

‘Christine said she wouldn’t be surprised if Kevin had her escorted off the property by police,’ the friend says. ‘It was Christine who wanted to make this transition as peaceful as possible for the sake of the children.

‘Kevin has done the complete opposite. He’s not thinking about the kids, about how traumatizing this is.’

Baumgartner shared in new legal documents that she will be showing photos in a PDF to Kevin’s attorneys of what she plans to remove from the mansion, according to a report from ET.

And that means there should be no ’emergency hearing’ over what belongings will be taken out. Christine said a hearing was ‘uncalled for.’

Also in the filing, it was revealed that Baumgartner rented an ‘off-site’ storage unit to house some silverware, some pots and pans, a Peloton bike, family heirlooms, clothing and personal items from friends. There was also a ‘mother/daughter horse picture’ she wanted to keep.

And it was added that Costner would ‘not be harmed’ by Baumgartner during the removal of her items.

Last week, a judge ruled she must confer with Kevin before taking any property from the estate. She has been barred from taking art, furniture, furnishings or appliances with her, without his explicit consent.

It was also stated that she will be barred from removing any property, apart from her clothing, toiletries, handbags and jewelry from the mansion.

This comes after he accused her of ransacking the home that they had previously shared.

Through his attorney, the Yellowstone star accused his ex of taking his belongings ‘without his knowledge or consent,’ which he claims has increased significantly.

Baumgartner previously wrote in court filings that she was hesitant to leave her home without having a plan and funding in place, if only for the sake of her children, whom she doesn’t want to have to move multiple times.

She claimed that ‘Kevin wants me to rent [a] place without [a] financial plan in place. However, [I] have our three children to think about. It is contrary to their best interests to commit to rental that [I] may not be able to afford, particularly as that would ultimately lead to multiple relocations.

‘My goal has been and continues to be maintaining as much stability for our children as possible, which includes having the proper resources and plan in place so that [I] can establish [a] stable home for them, rather than making temporary and inconsistent housing arrangements,’ she continued.

The Yellowstone star was on the hook to help his estranged wife relocate per their prenuptial agreement, but it was a relatively paltry sum for their lifestyle.

Costner would have paid her a reported $1.5million to find a new home, but with California’s elevated home prices — particularly if she tried to stay near Costner — she may have had difficulty finding something similar to the luxury she and her children are accustomed to.

Costner has deposited $1.5million in Baumgartner’s bank account to get her to move out of his mansion, and he said he had given her $200,000 earlier in their marriage in line with their prenuptial agreement.

However, Baumgartner hasn’t touched the money, as she says doing so would rob her of her ability to contest the prenup’s validity.

The former couple initially tied the knot in 2004, with Christine filing for divorce on May 1 after 18 years of marriage.

She noted that their date of separation was on April 11, and cited the reason for the split was due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’

The divorce filing had left Kevin ‘blindsided’ and the star actually had plans to file for divorce first, sources told The Sun last month in June. He had assumed that the two were going to split amicably and follow steps in their prenuptial agreement.

Costner also claimed Baumgartner had made payments to her own divorce attorney via a credit card that belongs to one of Costner’s employees, according to documents obtained by TMZ.

The latest bickering between the former couple comes just days after a judge determined that Costner must pay $129,000 per month in child support, which was a little over half of what Baumgartner had been requesting, but more than double what the actor and director said he should pay.

In documents, Costner’s legal team wrote that Baumgartner ‘has shown a disturbing propensity in the last several months, both before and after separation, to take [Kevin’s] property without his knowledge or consent, especially since this case was filed.’

One of the more puzzling claims in the documents is that Baumgartner allegedly paid a criminal defense attorney $25,000 that came from a property fund that Costner had set up.

He claimed that he was unaware of the payment, and the money should only have been used for real estate transactions regardless.

More puzzling, though, is why Baumgartner would want or need a criminal defense attorney in the first place, and the filing doesn’t appear to clear up that question.

The documents allege another inappropriate payment, this time a sum paid to Baumgartner’s divorce attorney Susan Wiesner, which Costner’s team claims was charged to ‘the credit card of an employee which is traditionally used for Costner family house charges and paid by [Kevin].’

They also accuse the designer of getting cash advances on multiple credit cards paid by her ex but issued to household staff members.

The arrangement with the employee credit cards appears to allow Costner’s employees to buy necessary supplies for the family immediately, without having to come to him or his estranged wife for funds.

Although several of the claims in the filing appear to have allegedly taken place after Baumgartner filed for divorce from the Dances With Wolves star, Costner’s lawyers also appeared to accuse her of having planned out her split in advance with large purchases.

The filing claimed that Baumgartner had purchased a luxury car months before separating or filing for divorce, which might not be out of the ordinary for the wife of an ultra-wealthy star like Costner, but the documents claim that the couple normally leased all of their cars.

However, the former couple’s prenuptial agreement allegedly allows Baumgartner to keep her current car, and the new filing suggests that she may have upgraded it in order to have a better car after the divorce.

The attorney’s allege that the pricy purchase indicates that Baumgartner ‘had been planning her exit long before she told [Kevin] in April 2023.’

Costner’s lawyers state in the filing that he tried to address these alleged purchases by asking Baumgartner to sign a document stating that she would not ‘loot the residence’ before departing, though she refused to sign it.

They further claim that the Waterworld actor is find with her taking all of her property, and he is supposedly open to her taking other things as long as she tells him before hand and they agree on it.

The details of the couples prenuptial agreement reportedly required her to move out within 30 days of either party filing for a divorce, a deadline she had missed after she was the first to file.

She previously said in court filings that she would leave the estate on August 31, following the results of a court date originally scheduled for July 12.

In the documents, Baumgartner agreed to vacate the premises at the end of August as long as Costner complied ‘with whatever support and fee orders that the court makes on July 12,’ according to TMZ.

The latest decision stipulates that both Costner and his ex with split their children’s healthcare costs 50–50.

The former couple share three children: sons Cayden, 16; and Hayes, 14; along with their younger daughter Grace, 13.

Baumgartner previously claimed in court docs that Costner informed their children about their split over a 10-minute Zoom call without her.

In court papers obtained by PEOPLE in June, Baumgartner claimed that Costner blindsided their children with the divorce over Zoom despite her wishes to deliver the news together.

‘After a 24-year relationship, from his hotel room in Las Vegas, Kevin told our three children that we were getting divorced over a 10-minute Zoom call without me present,’ she alleged.

‘I am still confused by his motivation to do this via a very short Zoom session, especially since he was planning on being home five days later.

‘He also could have easily come home from Las Vegas to have the conversation in person.’

Christine had wanted to tell their children about the divorce with Kevin.

Bosses at Crispin Odey’s hedge fund trying to calm investors after founder is ousted over sexual assault allegations

• Report alleged Odey sexually harassed or assaulted 13 women over 25 years
• Hedge fund said it took the allegations of misconduct ‘extremely seriously’ 
• Odey denies the claims against him, stating that they were ‘rubbish’

By Leah Montebello For The Daily Mail and This Is Money Reporter

Updated: 07:10 EDT, 12 June 2023

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House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Tuesday would be a ‘good day’ after his staff spent Monday morning moving his office furniture into the Speaker’s chambers.

Looking somewhat stressed on Monday afternoon, the California Republican was rushing out of the US Capitol when reporters asked him about the following day’s House-wide vote to elect their chamber’s leader.

McCarthy’s campaign for the gavel has been somewhat bumpy for weeks, but the pressure has ramped up in the final 48 hours with as many as 15 GOP members allegedly ready to vote against him. He can only lose four votes to still clinch victory.

Earlier that day, his staff had been seen moving belongings and wheeling carts into the House Speaker’s office at the US Capitol. 

The move is standard protocol, according to CNN, but it means he’ll have to move back out if more than four House Republicans rebel against his cause – which is becoming an increasingly likely scenario.

A group of five Republicans leading the ‘Never Kevin’ movement appear to have inspired more to join their cause. One of them, Rep. Bob Good, told Fox & Friends on Monday that he expected between 10 and 15 people to vote against McCarthy.

He said the Republican leader is ‘part of the problem, not the solution.’

It’s a sentiment that’s been echoed by nine other House Republicans in a New Year’s Day letter.

McCarthy told colleagues on Sunday that he was ready to make certain concessions to win support that he and moderates in the conference had been wary of for weeks. The most controversial among them is a motion to vacate the chair, which under the current proposed rules would allow any five House Republicans to call for a vote for a new Speaker.

But the nine current and incoming House Republicans signed onto a letter calling McCarthy’s announcement ‘almost impossibly late.’ 

But nevertheless, he told reporters in a video shared by NBC News’ Haley Talbot: ‘I think we will have a good day tomorrow.’ 

McCarthy needs 218 votes to win Speaker, meaning he can only afford to lose the support of four Republicans.

And in a dire sign for his campaign, even McCarthy’s supporters are re-upping talk of a Plan B.

Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon, a moderate, wrote an op-ed in the Daily Caller on Monday calling McCarthy’s leadership ‘superb’ but reasserting that he was willing to work with Democrats for an alternative should the anti-McCarthy rebellion succeed. 

‘Much has been made of me saying I would work with moderate Democrats to elect a more moderate speaker,’ Bacon wrote.

‘But my actual words were that if the five refused to coalesce around what the vast majority of the conference wants, I’m willing to work across the aisle to find an agreeable Republican.’

In his Fox interview on Monday, Good said his constituents in Virginia’s 5th congressional district ‘told me not to support Kevin McCarthy’ for Speaker. 

He also claimed that while the group of 14 lawmakers who have already publicly said they won’t back McCarthy don’t necessarily have an alternative in mind – they just want to block him from taking over from outgoing Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

‘If it’s not Kevin, who would you vote for?’ Good was asked on Monday.

‘What we will do is block Kevin,’ he replied. ‘I suspect there will be 10 to 15 members who will vote against him on the first ballot tomorrow – that will vote for Andy Biggs.’

‘But then I think you will see on the second ballot an increasing number of members vote for a true candidate who can represent the conservative conference. Motivate the base,’ Good said.

He did not elaborate on who he believed would be the eventual winner. 

The House majority has only failed to elect a speaker on the first ballot once since the Civil War – and the last time it happened was exactly 100 years ago in 1923.

McCarthy has tried to garner some favor with those in the party against him by conceding to a demand that he lowers the threshold needed to remove a House speaker from their post.

A ‘motion to vacate the chair’ has only ever been used twice in U.S. history.  In practical terms, it’s akin to a vote of ‘no confidence’ in which members can submit a request for the current leader to step down.

The parliamentarian procedure was first invoked in 1910 against Republican Speaker Joseph Cannon and the second time was more than 100 years later in 2015 against Republican Speaker Mark Meadows – who later served as former President Donald Trump’s chief of staff.

The five original ‘Never Kevin’ lawmakers who rallied against McCarthy are Representatives Good, Biggs of Arizona, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Matt Rosendale of Montana.

The nine additional Republicans who pledged to vote against McCarthy in the Sunday letter are Representatives Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Chip Roy of Texas, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Andy Harris of Maryland and Andrew Clyde of Georgia; along with Representative-elects Andy Ogales of Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Eli Crane of Arizona.

Perry, who is Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, posted the letter to his Twitter calling for change and a shake-up in leadership.

‘Nothing changes when nothing changes, and that must start from the top,’ Perry wrote. ‘Time to make the change or get out of the way.’

Good slammed McCarthy for allowing massive omnibus spending bills to pass the House before breaking for the holidays.

‘There is nothing that indicates to me that he is going to change his pattern since he has been in leadership where he is part of the swamp cartel,’ the Virginia Republican said. ‘He is the reason on the Republican side why we pass massive omnibus spending bills that just got rammed down our throats by Republicans in the Senate. He was part of that in leadership.’

The ‘swamp cartel’ reference stems from Trump, who dubbed Washington, D.C. a ‘swamp’ in his 2016 presidential campaign and said he was going to go to the nation’s capital to ‘drain the swamp’. 

‘There is nothing about Kevin McCarthy that indicates he will bring the change that’s needed to Washington or that’s needed in the Congress, or he will bring the fight against Biden-Schumer agenda and represent the interest of the voters who sent us to Washington to bring us real change.’

On Sunday, McCarthy held a private conference call with Republicans in an attempt to garner support for his speakership vote on Tuesday, January 3, which is when the new Congress takes office.

‘For someone with a 14-year presence in senior House Republican leadership, Mr. McCarthy bears squarely the burden to correct the dysfunction he now explicitly admits across that long tenure,’ the nine GOP members wrote in their letter.

They added that his ‘statement comes almost impossibly late to address continued deficiencies ahead of the opening of the 118th Congress on January 3rd.’

‘At this state, it cannot be a surprise that expressions of vague hopes reflected in far too many of the crucial points still under debate are insufficient. This is especially true with respect to Mr. McCarthy’s candidacy for speaker because the times call for radical departure from the status quo – not a continuation of past and ongoing, Republican failures,’ the letter stated. 

Ceres Power, one of the biggest companies on AIM, leaps to the defence of the London Stock Exchange after series of departures

By Francesca Washtell, Financial Mail On Sunday

Updated: 06:21 EDT, 4 June 2023

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KSI DESTROYS Joe Fournier in round two as ‘The Nightmare’ defeats a 9-0 ‘professional’ boxer to remain undefeated… with Brit now looking for a bout against Tommy Fury, who he clashed with in the ring

• KSI claimed a stunning knockout victory over Joe Fournier on Saturday night
• Replays suggested the winning punch may have been an illegal elbow, however
• The Misfits event itself was marred by numerous brawls that broke out ringside

By Matt Davies For Mailonline

Published: 17:49 EDT, 13 May 2023 | Updated: 19:29 EDT, 13 May 2023

Hunter Biden moves toward creating a legal defense fund – raising concerns inside the White House about appearances when Democrats start cutting checks

• Move comes as a federal probe is wrapping up and GOP probes escalate
• Some Democrats worry how the solicitations would appear
• Hunter Biden was in Arkansas court this week in child support battle 

By Geoff Earle, Deputy U.S. Political Editor For Dailymail.com

Published: 10:44 EDT, 5 May 2023 | Updated: 12:51 EDT, 5 May 2023