A former CNN pundit has offered a mea culpa for shrugging off concerns about President Biden‘s mental decline. 

Chris Cilizza, who served as CNN’s editor-at-large before leaving the network in 2022, spoke candidly about his lack of journalistic curiosity about Biden’s condition to serve following a pair of damning reports this week from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal that shed light on the president’s diminished state. 

“As a reporter, I have a confession to make,” Cillizza began his “apology” on his YouTube channel Thursday. “I should have pushed harder earlier for more information about Joe Biden’s mental and physical well-being and any signs of decline.”

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Cillizza acknowledged how Republicans would “regularly ping me” during his time at CNN, asking him why he hadn’t addressed Biden’s decline and how he would “brush them off” since he had not seen “evidence” of the president’s decline.

And not only did he admit to taking the word of the White House, he conceded he felt guilty of “age shaming” Biden. 

“The White House and the people around Joe Biden were absolutely adamant that suggesting anything- asking the question about whether he was in some physical, mental or both decline, was offensive. ‘How could you? It’s age shaming.’ And I think that impacted me at some level,” Cillizza said. “Because while I did ask the question from time to time… I didn’t really push on it, if I’m being honest. Now, once I left CNN and once it became a little bit more clear to me about Biden’s age, I think I did write pretty regularly and talk pretty regularly about how I wasn’t sure that this guy was up to it. And then obviously, after the June 27 debate, everybody, including me, was writing and talking about it.”

The former CNN pundit went on to read excerpts from the Journal report about Biden’s limited interactions with his own cabinet members and Democratic lawmakers, as well as the Times’ assertion finding it “hard to imagine” Biden lasting in the job for another four years.  

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President Joe Biden appears to rest his eyes during summit with African leaders in Lobito, Angola, on Dec. 4, 2024.  (Reuters)

“I probably should’ve pushed harder on the Biden age stuff because, in retrospect, it’s clear that the people close to him knew that at best, he had some good days and some bad days. June 27, the debate clearly was a bad day. But if the bad day was that bad, as bad as he performed on that debate stage, the fact that he had been president without a whole lot of questions being asked about his physical and mental decline, and I’ll add the fact that he continued to be president from June 27 until January 20, 2025, I think is a little bit concerning and begs the question of, like, when did people near him know, what did they know, and why did they not share?” Cillizza said. 

“I know journalists did ask, and I can tell you, I mean, I know from my experience, there was a shame factor that went into that. People around Biden worked to make you feel bad when you asked whether he was up to the job of being president, running for president again and serving as president for another four years. ‘How could you?’ … And they did a very good job, at least until they couldn’t hide it anymore, of hiding it,” he continued. “But journalists, and I put myself here, we should have been pushier. We should have- I should have not let the shame campaign to make you feel bad for asking the question get to me because it’s now clear from both the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times piece that there was real deterioration… and significant decline in Joe Biden, and that it was being managed by the people around him. They were insulating him. They were keeping sort of the world, the political world, out, and keeping him sort of bunkered in.” 

“And so I think it’s a lesson that we have to learn going forward. Because again, Donald Trump will be the oldest person ever to hold office if he serves for four years, and I will be mindful of that. Because again, asking those questions isn’t a partisan thing. Asking those questions is a journalism thing, and I should have pushed harder and not been as willing to accept the ‘Nah, he’s fine. Look at him when he’s in public’ campaign,” Cillizza added. 

Cillizza said he fell for the White House’s “shame campaign” whenever he broached the subject of Biden’s mental acuity.  (William B. Plowman/NBC/NBC Newswire/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)

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Some critics took aim at Cillizza’s delayed apology. One of them, conservative podcast host Meghan McCain, drew scrutiny towards his sincerity, invoking his past commentary of her late father, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., during his 2008 presidential run.

“When I say this is too little too late, I mean this is absolutely pathetically too little too late,” McCain reacted on X. “There was no bigger and more obsessive ‘McCain truther’ regarding my dad’s age when he ran in 2008 (when he was 71 mind you) than Chris. He ignored Biden because he’s a hack.”

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NCAA President Charlie Baker claimed TV ratings for the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament rose “100%” this year during an interview on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” Thursday. 

The surge comes just one year after the 2023 tournament saw a 115% increase from 2022. 

“The ratings this year grew a little too, by another 100%,” Baker boasted during the interview. “People love to see competition. People love to see young people compete, and we got to stop talking about sports other than football and basketball as ‘non-revenue.’” 

Baker celebrated the surge in viewers ahead of the semifinals Thursday night, when Pittsburgh takes on Louisville and Penn State takes on Nebraska. 

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This year’s tournament nearly had an appearance by San Jose State amid a national controversy that overshadowed much of the college volleyball season. San Jose State volleyball player Brooke Slusser has an active lawsuit against the NCAA and leads another lawsuit with several other players against the Mountain West Conference. 

The lawsuits allege Slusser and other players were forced to compete with transgender player Blaire Fleming without ever being told of Fleming’s natural birth sex. The controversy and the transgender athlete’s continued presence on the team throughout the season resulted in forfeits of seven regular-season matches and a conference tournament semifinal. 

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It was an unprecedented string of forfeits in the sport’s history. The backlash to the situation resulted in a threat against Slusser and added police protection for the team at all home and away games this year, Fox News Digital previously reported. 

The controversy even drew criticism from Donald Trump during a Fox News town hall in October. 

San Jose State previously confirmed to Fox News Digital the team did not notify any opponents on its schedule of the situation involving Fleming throughout the season, unless it was coordinating police protection.

The inclusion of the transgender player was even challenged in court. Slusser and other players involved in her lawsuit sought to have Fleming removed from the Mountain West tournament.

Colorado District Judge Kato Crews allowed Fleming to play in the tournament, ruling the plaintiffs’ request for an emergency delay “was not reasonable” and “would risk confusion and upend months of planning and would prejudice, at a minimum, [San Jose State] and other teams participating in the tournament.”

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So Fleming, Slusser and the other SJSU Spartans went to Las Vegas for the tournament and even got a bye in the first round by virtue of six conference games forfeited by opponents. 

Boise State had already forfeited two regular-season meetings to San Jose State amid the controversy because the university’s home state of Idaho has an executive order in place to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports. So, after Boise State beat Utah State in the quarterfinal round, the Broncos forfeited a third time in the semifinal to send San Jose State to the championship match. 

San Jose State University Spartans head coach Todd Kress speaks with reporters after a loss in an NCAA Mountain West women’s volleyball game against the Colorado State University Rams in Fort Collins, Colo., Oct. 3, 2024. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

Colorado State defeated San Jose State in the final, keeping Fleming and the Spartans out of the NCAA tournament.

After that match, Spartans head coach Todd Kress provided a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Each forfeiture announcement unleashed appalling, hateful messages individuals chose to send directly to our student-athletes, our coaching staff and many associated with our program,” Kress said.

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Earlier this week, Patrick Mahomes said he didn’t want to put himself in “harm’s way” and wanted to “protect” himself after sustaining an apparent ankle sprain.

Now, it seems Mahomes has nothing to be worried about.

The two-time NFL MVP is off the Kansas City Chiefs’ injury report and is good to go for Saturday against the Houston Texans.

Head coach Andy Reid told reporters Thursday Mahomes will “likely” play.

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The injury comes at an inopportune time with the Chiefs in a stretch of three games in 11 days due to playing on Christmas Day, a rare Wednesday NFL contest.

“It’s not a good feeling,” Mahomes told reporters last week about the schedule. “You never want to play this amount of games in this short of time. It’s not great for your body. But, at the end of the day, it’s your job, your profession. You have to come to work and do it.

“All you can do is focus on the game. The practice you have that day,” he added. “I try to prepare my body all year long for this stretch. That’s tailoring my workouts, tailoring how you practice and prepare, and the coaches do a great job of taking care of us on the practice field. We practice as hard as anybody, but they know how to dial it back when needed.”

Mahomes injured his ankle in the fourth quarter Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. X-rays were negative, but backup Carson Wentz entered the game for a brief period.

Mahomes said he wanted to “be able to move” and “get out of the way” if he were to take the field this weekend.

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr. (51) and linebacker Devin Bush (30) rush Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) during the second half at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland Dec. 15, 2024. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)

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“You don’t want to go out there and put yourself in harm’s way. It’s football. You’re going to take hits, but you want to be able to protect yourself,” Mahomes said this week.

“I don’t want to limit the game plan,” Mahomes said. “That’s another thing for me. I want to be able to still be able to move around the pocket so we’re not just sitting in one spot the whole entire game and leading the D-line to get after it. So, it’s about me finding that balance and seeing where I’m at and, like I said, I won’t know until closer to the end of this week.”

The Chiefs are in a race to maintain their hold on the top seed in the AFC. At 13-1, they have the best record in the league and have a two-game lead over the Buffalo Bills for a first-round bye. But the Bills would hold the tie-breaker over the Chiefs if they finish with the same record because Buffalo beat Kansas City, 30-21, Nov. 17. 

Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) helps up Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) after a tackle during the third quarter at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland Dec. 15, 2024. (Scott Galvin/Imagn Images)

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A win would improve the Chiefs to 13-1 and closer to clinching the top seed in the AFC.

Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos and Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

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Presidents past and present have displayed breathtaking Christmas trees at the White House. 

Former President Benjamin Harrison is credited by the White House Historical Association as the first to display a Christmas tree in the White House, having placed one in the Second Floor Oval Room in 1889. 

That first known Christmas tree to be displayed in the White House was adorned with candles for Harrison’s grandchildren, according to the White House Historical Association. 

PRESIDENT FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT SOLD CHRISTMAS TREES TO LOCAL RESIDENTS ON HIS OWN ESTATE IN THE 1930S

It is believed that when Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901, the Christmas tree tradition was absent throughout his presidency. The answers to whether the Christmas tree was “banned” during this time, and why, are not explicitly clear. 

According to History.com, Roosevelt “banned the Christmas tree from the White House,” with “environmental reasons” possibly to blame. 

The National Christmas Tree Association echoed a similar idea, noting on their website that in 1901, Roosevelt tried to stop the practice of having Christmas trees in homes because of concern about the destruction of forests. 

According to the Forest History Society, the tradition of a Christmas tree at the White House was one not established until the 1920s, with presidents prior to Roosevelt making a decision to have a tree and others choosing not to. 

Today, the White House features many Christmas trees, including one that is lit at an annual ceremony. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

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During the early days of the Christmas tree, it was mainly those families with young children who chose to display and decorate one in their homes, according to the source. 

The White House Historical Association described the alleged Roosevelt ban on Christmas trees at the White House as a “myth,” with little evidence to support the claim other than the simple fact that the family chose not to put up a tree. 

The Roosevelt’s did celebrate Christmas with many popular traditions like gift exchanges, attending church service and enjoying a lovely meal as a family, but chose not to put up a tree, according to the source. 

Though, in 1902, young Archibald “Archie” Roosevelt, the president’s son, sneakily put a miniature tree in a closet of the White House that he decorated and proudly presented to his family. 

Former President Theodore Roosevelt’s son, Archibald Roosevelt, introduced a small decorated tree into the White House during his father’s presidency. (Stock Montage/Getty Images)

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After that, according to the White House Association, the president allowed the tradition to continue. 

Many researchers have provided the reason for Roosevelt not having a large tree on display during his presidency as one connected to his conservationism, but according to the White House Association, it was because the Christmas tree tradition was simply one not practiced by the family. 

It was several years later, in 1912, when the very first Christmas tree was put up on display in the Blue Room by former President William H. Taft’s children, according to the source, as a means to surprise their parents when they returned from being away. 

It was during former President Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency when the Christmas tree found a home in the Blue Room consistently by first lady Mamie Eisenhower. This was continued by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, according to the White House Association. 

Every year, the National Christmas Tree Association provides a tree to be displayed at the White House. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

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Kennedy was also responsible for the tradition still held today of decorating the Blue Room tree with a theme, which she began in 1961.

The initial Christmas tree theme chosen by Kennedy was the “Nutcracker Suite” ballet. The 2024 White House theme chosen by first lady Jill Biden was a “Season of Peace and Light,” according to WhiteHouse.gov.

Another modern tradition that has withstood the test of time is the annual National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, which was started in 1923 by former President Calvin Coolidge.

The tree lit in 1923 was a 48-foot Balsam fir, according to the National Christmas Tree Lighting website. 

Beginning in 1966, the National Christmas Tree Association has provided a Christmas tree to be displayed in the Blue Room of the White House.

The 2024 White House tree came from the family-owned and operated Cartner’s Christmas Tree Farm in Newland, North Carolina.

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday submitted a notice that he would be filing a defamation lawsuit against a former aide, who previously filed a federal lawsuit against him for sexual harassment, claiming that she defamed him through the process.

“The nature of this action is to recover compensatory and punitive damages for the serious injuries and losses that Governor Cuomo has suffered and will continue to suffer as a result of the December 9, 2024 false statement by Bennett and her agents that Governor Cuomo ‘sexually harassed’ Bennett,” a legal notice filed by Cuomo against Charlotte Bennett on Thursday reads. 

“Bennett’s agents tweeted this statement on December 9, 2024 with the headline: “Debra Katz and Charlotte Bennett issued statements on news that Bennett voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in the SDNY against Andrew Cuomo, who sexually harassed her.” Bennett reposted her agents’ tweet, which has garnered more than 90,000 views. The December 9 Defamatory Statement – which was intended to be and was widely disseminated and which was made in the wake of Bennett and her agents’ numerous prior public accusations against Governor Cuomo – was false and defamatory, and Bennett made it knowing full well that it was false and intending to cause harm to Governor Cuomo.”

Bennett was one of several women to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment, which ultimately contributed to his resignation in 2021. 

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“I would never want to be unhelpful in any way, and I think given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back to governing, and therefore, that’s what I’ll do,” Cuomo said at the time while denying the allegations against him and arguing that state investigators from the office of Attorney General Letitia James were biased against him. 

“I have slipped and called people ‘honey, ’sweetheart’ and ‘darling.’ I mean it to be endearing, but women found it dated and offensive,” Cuomo said at the time. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I have been too familiar with people. My sense of humor can be insensitive and off-putting.”

“In my mind, I’ve never crossed the line with anyone, but I didn’t realize the extent to which the line has been redrawn,” he added. “There are generational and cultural shifts that I just didn’t fully appreciate. And I should have, no excuses.”

Bennett dropped her lawsuit against Cuomo, which she filed in 2022, this December on the eve of her deposition in the case.

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“Since Ms. Bennett filed suit in federal court in September 2022, former Governor Cuomo has used every opportunity to harass our client with an astonishing number of invasive discovery requests and outrageous statements in pleadings to embarrass and humiliate her,” Bennett’s lawyer, Debra Katz, said in a statement as the lawsuit was dropped on Dec. 9. “These include requests for medical records for unrelated specialists, including gynecologists, optometrists, and others, as well as medical records dating back more than ten years ago from when she was a minor.”

“This fishing expedition was designed to dig up material to smear our client and distract from the fact that Mr. Cuomo did, as the New York Attorney General’s Office concluded after a lengthy investigation, sexually harass Ms. Bennett and at least 11 other women.  It is also important not to lose sight of the fact that before engaging in his multi-year, multi-million dollar legal war against Ms. Bennett – funded by N.Y. State taxpayers – Mr. Cuomo apologized for his behavior.  At a March 2021 press conference, he apologized for ‘making anyone feel uncomfortable’ and for ‘whatever pain I caused anyone,’ and said, ‘I acknowledge some of the things I have said have been misinterpreted as an unwanted flirtation. To the extent anyone felt that way, I am truly sorry about that.’ His apologies were empty.”

Richard Azzopardi, a rep for Cuomo, praised Bennett’s decision to drop the case at the time, saying that her claims “falsely smeared” the former governor “for years.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo prepares to board a helicopter after announcing his resignation, Aug. 10, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

“Ms. Bennett’s decision to drop her baseless lawsuit should be viewed as a complete capitulation and a desperate attempt to avoid being confronted with the mountains of exculpatory discovery – including contemporaneous texts and videos that the AG’s office never obtained – that completely refute her claims against Governor Cuomo,” he said, in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

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“After falsely smearing Governor Cuomo for years, Ms. Bennett suddenly withdrew her federal lawsuit on the eve of her deposition to avoid having to admit under oath that her allegations were false, and her claims had no merit,” he said. “If New York State does give in to her public pressure campaign and settles, it will not be on the merits and should require the public release of all the evidence so that New Yorkers finally know the truth: Governor Cuomo never sexually harassed anyone.”

Katz pushed back against Cuomo’s notice of claim in a statement to the Times Union, saying it has “no merit.”

“There is a long history of using defamation lawsuits to silence and punish accusers of sexual harassment,” Katz said. “It is shameful that Mr. Cuomo has apparently now chosen to go down that path.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Katz for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Cuomo’s notice alleges that Bennett “cynically used” conversations with Cuomo to “advance” her career and that her “false allegations materially contributed to a cascade of harm to Governor Cuomo.”

Fox News Digital’s Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report