Former President Joe Biden made a rare public appearance on Friday at the International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference in Washington, D.C., where he once again struggled through parts of his speech. In a noticeable verbal slip, he declared, “We’re the United States of Amerigotit,” a gaffe that quickly drew attention. Biden urged attendees to “fight back” against what he described as constitutional violations by the Trump administration. He insisted that the core struggle was about defending democracy and ensuring dignity and equality for every American. He also criticized Trump and his supporters for attempting to “distort and derail” progress on equality, emphasizing that the goal remains to guarantee basic decency and respect for all.
Meanwhile, Biden faced renewed scrutiny related to the long-stalled investigation into the Jan. 6 pipe bomb case. The topic resurfaced after members of the Trump administration criticized the FBI for years of inactivity during Biden’s presidency. On Thursday, authorities arrested Brian Cole Jr., 30, of Virginia, accusing him of planting pipe bombs outside the DNC and RNC headquarters on Jan. 5, 2021. According to a New York Post report, Cole is scheduled to appear in federal court for arraignment, with investigators linking him to the explosives through bank records and cellphone data dating back to 2019.
FBI Director Kash Patel sharply condemned the bureau’s earlier lack of progress, calling it “sheer incompetence or complete intentional negligence.” He noted that the new administration re-examined more than three million lines of evidence, revisiting cell tower data, provider records, and prior search warrants. Patel argued that previous failures — such as unvetted phone numbers and missing geolocation analysis — either reflected unacceptable negligence or severe mismanagement. He emphasized that renewed investigative efforts over the past eight months finally allowed authorities to narrow their focus and advance the case significantly.