CMS Administrator Dr. Oz fact-checked live on Fox News after claiming butter costs $1; host Ingraham says price is around $4

Dr. Oz Embarrasses Himself on Fox News with Butter Price Claim

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator and former television doctor, demonstrated a striking disconnect from everyday American life during an appearance on Fox News Monday night.

Holding up a pack of butter, Oz told host Laura Ingraham: "Stick of butter, bag of peanuts. Butter in America, it's about a buck [for] a stick like this."

Ingraham immediately corrected him. "Where are you shopping? It's not a buck, it's like $4," she said.

Oz stumbled in response: "I just bought this, so it's close to that. Maybe it's going bad!"

According to the Department of Labor, butter costs approximately $4 per unit.

Former American Heart Association Chairman Craig Beam challenged Oz on social media: "I want to challenge Dr. Oz. I will fly out on my own dime to D.C. and we can go to every grocery store he chooses, but at least 20 and we'll stop when he finds butter for $1 lb. I'll arrange a video crew to film it all."

This is not the first time Oz has shown a lack of connection to average consumers. During his failed 2022 Senate run in Pennsylvania, he was widely criticized for posting an embarrassing video of himself shopping at "Wegner's" (not a real store) while complaining about the cost of crudités.

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Trump Says Losing Los Angeles and San Diego Would Be "a Small Price to Pay"

At a rally in Nebraska Tuesday night, President Trump told supporters that the prices of goods and services—which have risen due to his Iran war and tariff policies—were "just a little bit high. It's a small price to pay for keeping the world safe—keeping our country safe."

"They can take out a city. Let them take, let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego. This is a very small price to pay," Trump said. "And it's going to be over with very soon. It's essentially almost over with."

Conservative activists have argued Trump was referring to high gas prices, not the cities themselves. Under that interpretation, Trump was arguing that his war—which has killed scores of civilians in the Middle East and an estimated 23 U.S. soldiers—is preventing Iran from waging large-scale attacks on American cities. However, Iran's targets during the war have been U.S. installations in the Middle East, and it was not targeting American cities before the conflict.

California leaders responded sharply:

• Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blasted the remarks as "irresponsible," saying they "could potentially compromise" the city's safety. "The role of a president is to protect the country, not to actively threaten it and encourage attacks on American lives," Bass said.

• San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria wrote in a post on X that his city was "not collateral damage. We are not expendable. And we are never a 'small price to pay.' Keep our city out of your reckless war talk."

• California Democratic gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra said: "Thirteen million Californians call LA and San Diego counties home. Their lives are not a 'small price to pay' or a punchline for Donald Trump."

Meanwhile, gas prices continue to rise due to Iran's control of the Strait of Hormuz and Houthi militia control of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. As of Tuesday morning, the average price of gas nationwide is $4.37 per gallon, while diesel fuel is $6.32 per gallon.

Trump's claim that the war is nearly over contradicts the reality that talks are stalled. The president rejected Iran's peace proposal at the U.N. General Assembly last month, and mediators have made little headway. The conflict has escalated in recent days as Houthis have attacked Saudi airports, with Saudi Arabia bombing Yemeni targets in response. The midterms are less than one month away.

Editor's Pick: Trump Had a Practice Run for Iran. He Messed It Up Too.

Trump Melts Down Over Reports of Empty Seats at Ohio Rally

President Donald Trump launched a series of angry posts on Truth Social Monday after news outlets reported on sparse attendance at his weekend rally in Ohio.

Trump held a rally at a 4,500-person-capacity high school gymnasium in Vandalia, Ohio, on Saturday. By the time he finished speaking, several areas of an upper deck had completely emptied out, The New York Times reported.

Multiple photographs confirmed empty seats in the upper sections. In his Truth Social posts, Trump claimed the reporting was false and called for the arrest of news outlets.

"The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim—And yet these people were still trying to get in," Trump wrote, including a 30-second clip of a long line of people waiting outside. It is unclear whether these people were not admitted.

Trump claimed there were no empty seats and that "thousands of people had to be turned away."

"The New York Times, and many other Artificial Media Outlets, should be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country," Trump wrote. "When Bernie Sanders has 500 to 1,000 people, they make it sound like it's the biggest event that ever took place. When PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP has 50,000 people, they make it sound like nobody showed up!"

In another post, Trump insisted the "arena" was "totally MAXED OUT." (It was a high school gymnasium.)

Trump then attempted to explain the empty seats: "What does happen at all of my SOLD OUT Rallies, is that the people in the upper sections tend to migrate down to the Main Floor—The 'migration' process always happens! The Times knows this, and so does everyone else. I never have empty seats—Never have, and never will!"

"In actuality, my Events for very good Republican Politicians are probably more crowded than ever. There are no empty seats, there haven't been for years, and there never will be. The Rallies are 'HOTTER' than ever," he wrote.

The Times reported that Trump's dismal turnout in Ohio was part of a wider trend of waning enthusiasm for his speaking events, which have come to feel "more like a farewell tour."

Trump also took aim at Fox & Friends on Sunday for choosing not to cover the event.

Read more: Trump Is Still Banning News Outlets From Air Force One

Trump's Confusing Response to Suspected Plague Outbreak in Russia

President Trump's reaction to the death of a lab worker in Russia due to a suspected plague has raised concerns.

Speaking to reporters Monday, Trump was asked if he was concerned and attempted to explain the U.S. government's response, referring to what he called "the pneumonia plague."

"Well, I hate to see them having it, it's a rough, it's a rough disease, you know that's a disease that we used to be able to control, but somehow those microbes have gotten stronger and smarter, they're like an army. And we don't have the same medical," Trump said. "Even with great advancement, the germs have really become relatively stronger than they were, and things that used to work on pneumonia don't work as well anymore, so, uh, but we'll help. Anybody that has that kind of a problem, we're always willing to help, we'll help."

Trump's response echoes his disastrous handling of the Covid-19 pandemic during his first term. Unexplained pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China, were the first signs of the Covid-19 outbreak, which led to a pandemic that left approximately 2.05 million people worldwide dead, with the U.S. accounting for 400,000 of those deaths—close to 20 percent of the total.

Trump's claim that the U.S. is "always willing to help" contradicts his administration's cuts to Ebola response funding in Africa, which has exacerbated the spread of that infectious disease on the continent.

Editor's Pick: The Long and Extremely Urgent To-Do List if Democrats Take the House

Democrats Vow to Block Trump's Supreme Court Nominations if They Win Senate

The Democratic Party will refuse to approve any of President Trump's Supreme Court nominations in the event it takes back control of the Senate, drawing perhaps the strongest line in the sand against the White House to date.

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