Biden Withdraws; Clooney, Newsom, Trump Respond

Actor George Clooney responded to Hunter Biden’s profanity‑laced attack over Clooney’s New York Times op‑ed urging President Joe Biden to step aside, calling many of Hunter’s claims “outright lies” but declining a public spat and saying he would wish Hunter well in his recovery. Clooney defended the op‑ed, said he would write it again, and called the decision to make Kamala Harris the nominee a mistake; the piece preceded Biden’s withdrawal and Harris’s nomination. Hunter’s extended interview accused Clooney of trying to undermine his father and dismissed Clooney as a “brand,” prompting Clooney to decline a line‑by‑line rebuttal. Separately, former President Donald Trump used a CBS “60 Minutes” interview to repeatedly invoke Joe Biden while attacking Biden‑era trade and investment policies and touting his own accomplishments. California Gov. Gavin Newsom, while criticizing dishonest politicians, defended Biden’s fitness to serve based on personal interactions and said his priority was preventing Trump’s return to office.