Actor George Clooney, one of the Democratic Party’s leading fundraisers, on Wednesday made an emotional and heartfelt plea for President Joe Biden to end his faltering reelection campaign.

Clooney — a member of the Hollywood elite that provides key support to the Democrats — joined a growing list of public figures calling for Biden, 81, to step aside after his terrible debate performance against Donald Trump last month.

“I love Joe Biden,” Clooney wrote in the New York Times. “I consider him a friend, and I believe in him… But the one battle he cannot win is the fight against time.”

A self-described “lifelong Democrat,” Clooney co-hosted a star-studded fundraiser with Biden in Los Angeles only last month featuring former president Barack Obama.

The Biden campaign said that the event brought in a record $28 million.

“It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote, referencing a famous hot-mic clip from Biden’s vice presidency.

“He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney said — a direct challenge to Biden’s claim that his poor debate showing was a one-off.

“The dam has broken” on Democratic lawmakers publicly calling for Biden to withdraw, Clooney said, asking more come forward.

“Top Democrats — Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi — and senators, representatives and other candidates who face losing in November need to ask this president to voluntarily step aside.”

The Oscar-winner brushed aside worries that Biden’s exit would create chaos four months before an election in which the Democrats hope to keep Trump from power, and did not endorse a replacement candidate.

The party should hear from contenders such as Vice President Kamala Harris, Maryland Governor Wes Moore and others, “then we could go into the Democratic convention next month and figure it out,” he wrote.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New details have emerged about Puja Khedkar, the on-probation IAS officer in Maharashtra who was recently transferred over alleged misuse of power. Sources said she had demanded a separate house and a car from the Pune District Collector before taking charge as assistant collector.

The 2023-batch IAS officer faces several allegations, including the use of a siren, VIP number plates, and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private luxury sedan.

She was also found using the Pune Additional Collector Ajay More’s office while he was away. She reportedly removed office furniture and even demanded letterheads. These perks are not available for junior officers – who are on probation for 24 months. Reports suggest that her father – a retired administrative officer – had even pushed for her demands to be fulfilled.

Ms Khedkar was transferred to Washim after Pune Collector Suhas Divase complained to the Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra government.

Questions have now arisen over the selection process of Ms Khedkar, especially her claim of OBC, or Other Backward Classes, status.

To avail concessions in the selection process, she had claimed to be visually and mentally impaired, but refused to undergo a mandatory medical test to confirm her disabilities.

Unconfirmed reports suggest she skipped the tests five times and only half-attended a sixth – she did not appear for an MRI test to assess vision loss.

The Union Public Service Commission, which recruits officers for civil services, too had challenged her selection, and a tribunal ruled against her in February, 2023. Nevertheless, she managed to have her civil service appointment confirmed. She passed the uber-competitive Civil Services Exam despite scoring a relatively low all-India rank of 841.

IAS probationary officer Pooja Khedkar was transferred from Pune district collector’s office to Washim for using beacon lights on an Audi A4 and seizing the ante chamber. Pune collector Suhas Diwase reported misconduct, and chief secretary Sujata Saunik acted on June 24. Administrative reasons were cited. Washim collector Bhuvaneswari S confirmed.