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The actor and Ventaneando host has passed away at 51 after weeks of hospitalization. Colleague Pati Chapoy confirmed the news with heartfelt words.eloved actor and Ventaneando host Daniel has passed away at 51 after weeks of hospitalization due to a severe health crisis. The entertainment world is mourning the loss of one of Mexico’s most beloved television personalities. The news was confirmed through the official social media accounts of Ventaneando, the TV Azteca program that had been his professional home since the 1990s.

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His longtime colleague, friend, and mentor, Paty Chapoy, echoed the heartbreaking news, sharing a photo of them together. On X, she wrote, "It is with immense sadness that I inform you that Daniel Bisogno has passed away." Her brief yet poignant message captured the deep loss felt by many.

Daniel Bisogno’s Health Struggles

A talented actor, comedian, and TV host, Daniel Bisogno was born on May 19, 1973, in Mexico. He rose to fame after joining Ventaneando, where his sharp wit, humor, and unapologetic criticism captivated audiences. In addition to his work in television, he pursued acting, having studied drama at Televisa’s Centro de Educación Artística (CEA) in his youth.

© Alan Espinosa

A career cut short by illness

Affectionately nicknamed "El Muñe," Bisogno remained a staple on Ventaneando until health concerns began affecting him in recent months. Amid public speculation, he candidly disclosed his battle with serious health issues that led to intensive care and, ultimately, a liver transplant.

His brother, Alejandro Bisogno, recently shared details about the complications: "The problem is that a bacterium settled in the bile ducts. It’s a bacteria that has been mutating—each time antibiotics are administered, it becomes stronger," he explained.

Alejandro further revealed that Daniel had been in and out of the hospital frequently. During his most recent hospitalization, doctors had to remove bile duct prostheses, which had become a breeding ground for the bacteria. The removal caused the infection to spread into his bloodstream. Reports indicated that Daniel was awaiting another liver and kidney transplant.

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A devoted father and unforgettable personality

Following the tragic news, an outpouring of condolences flooded social media from friends, colleagues, and fans. Many extended their sympathies to his family, particularly his eight-year-old daughter, Michaela, whom he shared with his former partner Cristina Riva Palacio. The couple was married from 2014 to 2019.

Remembering Daniel Bisogno

Daniel Bisogno leaves behind a legacy in Mexican entertainment, remembered for his sharp commentary, quick humor, and charismatic on-screen presence. His absence will be deeply felt by those who knew and admired him.

 The Senate on Thursday voted 51-49 to confirm Kash Patel as FBI director. 

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., voted "yes" on the conservative firebrand's confirmation, even while moderates Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, voted "no." 

A vote to invoke cloture and begin two hours of debate on the nominee passed 51 to 47 earlier Thursday. 

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted earlier this month, 12 to 10, to advance Patel to the full floor for a vote. 

Still, Patel faced a rockier path to confirmation, even in the Republican-majority chamber, after Democrats on the panel used their political weight to delay Patel’s confirmation vote earlier this month. 

TRUMP FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL PICKS UP SUPPORT FROM KEY GOP SENATOR

Kash Patel, President Donald Trump's choice to be director of the FBI, appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for his confirmation hearing at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 30. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Top Judiciary Democrat Dick Durbin claimed on the Senate floor that Patel had been behind recent mass firings at the FBI, citing what he described as "highly credible" whistleblower reports indicating Patel had personally directed the ongoing purge of FBI employees prior to his confirmation.

But that was sharply refuted by Senate Republicans, who described the allegation as a baseless and politically motivated attempt to delay Patel's confirmation, and by a Patel aide, who described Durbin's claim as categorically false.

This person told Fox News Digital that Patel flew home to Las Vegas after his confirmation hearing and had "been sitting there waiting for the process to play out."

Patel, a vociferous opponent of the investigations into President Donald Trump and one who served at the forefront of Trump's 2020 election fraud claims, vowed during his confirmation hearing last month that he would not engage in political retribution against agents who worked on the classified documents case against Trump and other politically sensitive matters.

But his confirmation comes at a time when the FBI’s activities, leadership and personnel decisions are being closely scrutinized for signs of politicization or retaliation.

Attorney General Pam Bondi and President Donald Trump have promised to reform the FBI and end political "weaponization" of law enforcement. (Getty Images | iStock)

Thousands of FBI agents and their superiors were ordered to fill out a questionnaire detailing their roles in the Jan. 6 investigation, prompting concerns of retaliation or retribution. 

A group of FBI agents filed an emergency lawsuit this month seeking to block the public identification of any agents who worked on the Jan. 6 investigations, in an attempt to head off what they described as potentially retaliatory efforts against personnel involved. 

"There will be no politicization at the FBI," Patel told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing. "There will be no retributive action."

But making good on that promise could prove to be complicated. 

Trump told reporters this month that he intends to fire "some" of the FBI personnel involved in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riots, characterizing the agents' actions as "corrupt," even as he stopped short of providing any additional details as to how he reached that conclusion.

"We had some corrupt agents," Trump told reporters, adding that "those people are gone, or they will be gone — and it will be done quickly, and very surgically."

The White House has not responded to questions over how it reached that conclusion, or how many personnel could be impacted, though a federal judge in D.C. agreed to consider the lawsuit.

4 OF THE BIGGEST CLASHES BETWEEN PATEL, SENATE DEMS AT HIS CONFIRMATION HEARING

And in another message meant to assuage senators, Patel said he didn’t find it feasible to require a warrant for intelligence agencies to surveil U.S. citizens suspected to be involved in national security matters, referring to Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

"Having a warrant requirement to go through that information in real time is just not comported with the requirement to protect American citizens," Patel said. "It’s almost impossible to make that function and serve the national, no-fail mission."

Patel has faced steep Democratic opposition throughout the confirmation process. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

"Get a warrant" had become a rallying cry of right-wing conservatives worried about the privacy of U.S. citizens, and almost derailed the reauthorization of the surveillance program entirely. Patel said the program has been misused, but he does not support making investigators go to court and plea their case before being able to wiretap any U.S. citizen. 

Patel held a number of national security roles during Trump's first administration — chief of staff to acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller, senior advisor to the acting director of national intelligence and National Security Council official. 

FORMER TRUMP OFFICIALS REJECT WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIM THAT FBI DIRECTOR NOMINEE KASH PATEL BROKE HOSTAGE PROTOCOL

He worked as a senior aide on counterterrorism for former House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, where he fought to declassify records he alleged would show the FBI's application for a surveillance warrant for 2016 Trump campaign aide Carter Page was illegitimate, and served as a national security prosecutor in the Justice Department. 

Trump has called Patel the right man to clean up the FBI. (AP/iStock)

In public comments, Patel has suggested he would refocus the FBI on law enforcement and away from involvement in any prosecutorial decisions. 

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, he suggested his top two priorities are to "let good cops be cops" and transparency, which he described as "essential."

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"If confirmed, I will focus on streamlining operations at headquarters while bolstering the presence of field agents across the nation," Patel wrote. "Collaboration with local law enforcement is crucial to fulfilling the FBI’s mission."

He went on: "Members of Congress have hundreds of unanswered requests to the FBI. If confirmed, I will be a strong advocate for congressional oversight, ensuring that the FBI operates with the openness necessary to rebuild trust by simply replying to lawmakers."

 With help from Cris Seda Chabrier

Gov. Kathy Hochul is not taking any prisoners on congestion pricing.

The otherwise mild-mannered moderate from Buffalo was fired up at an impromptu Grand Central news conference-turned-primal yell after the Trump administration moved to rescind federal approval of the controversial toll program.

She invoked the American Revolution. She swore. She mockingly referenced Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s “Real World” appearance. And Hochul jokingly disclosed she’s been watching the first of the hyper-violent Rambo movies, “First Blood,” as she prepares for the legal fight.

The governor pledged to counter Trump’s effort to halt congestion pricing in federal court and appeared to relish the coming battle after the president leaned into a monarchial image of himself.

“The streets of this city, where battles were fought; we stood up to a king,” she said. “And we won then. And in case you don’t know New Yorkers, when we’re in a fight, we do not back down.”

At that moment, Hochul fully embraced congestion pricing — a program she had been so skeptical of less than a year ago that she put it on pause out of concern the tolls would hurt Democrats running in crucial House races.

She subsequently put the toll program back on track after Election Day and lowered the toll from $15 to $9, arguing it was a savings.

Congestion pricing’s advent on Jan. 5 came with little fanfare from the governor’s office. And as President Donald Trump weighed whether to kill it, she negotiated with him.

Her Wednesday blast of Trump after he rescinded the tolls was a different Hochul than the staid and cautious version usually seen in public. She couched her opposition to Trump in an argument that state governments should be able to set their own policies.

“I don’t care if you love congestion pricing or hate it,” she said. “This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington. And we are a nation of states. This is what we fought for.”

Toll supporters had stressed the program was working as intended by reducing Manhattan traffic below 60th Street. The tolls are also expected to help raise $15 billion in bonds in order to upgrade the region’s decaying mass transit infrastructure.

Opponents have decried the tolls’ impact on commuters as inflation continues to impact blue-collar workers. Democrats lost a bruising November election, in part, over the rising cost of living.

Even some Democrats cheered Trump’s action on Wednesday.

“I’m thrilled,” Democratic Assemblymember David Weprin told Playbook. “This is something that the public didn’t want, and to try to pretend it’s about reducing congestion was wrong from the beginning.”

Hochul’s aggressive support for keeping the tolls in place comes with clear political risks. The program has supporters — left-leaning transit advocates and business-backed organizations who believe the infrastructure boost will help the city’s economy.

But her likely Republican opponents plan to capitalize on the governor lashing herself to the tolls.

“This is what happens when you play politics rather than implementing sound policy,” Rep. Mike Lawler said. “The governor is going to own this one way or the other.” — Nick Reisman

IT’S THURSDAY Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.

WHERE’S KATHY? In New York City with no public schedule.

WHERE’S ERIC? In New York City, where he will speak at the Albanian Islamic Cultural Center’s Interfaith Breakfast, make a public safety-related announcement in the Bronx and speak at the 1,000 Strong Part III event.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This is what we do. We joke at each other. Some of our commentary is, you know, inappropriate if you’re on the stage. And he spoke with me, he says, ‘You know, Eric, I mean, you know, we’re on TV. I should not have said that. I apologize to you.’” — Mayor Eric Adams to NY1 about border czar Tom Homan’s remark last week that he’ll be “up his butt” if the mayor doesn’t cooperate with federal immigration enforcement efforts.

— More on Adams’ latest remarks here by POLITICO’s Emily Ngo.

YO, ADRIENNE!: New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams was on her way to a quiet retirement. Now the low-key politician is being drafted to run for mayor in a last-ditch effort by some of the state’s biggest political power players to block former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, POLITICO reports.

After Playbook and the New York Post reported Wednesday morning on the movement to draft her, Adams spent the day making calls to “tier one” political leaders to discuss a possible candidacy, two people familiar with the conversations said.

And now “she’s seriously considering.”

Unlike her predecessors as speaker, the term-limited Democrat had been firm in her lack of interest in seeking higher office. But she’s warming up to the idea following conversations and phone calls encouraging her to run.

“When I say people are begging, I mean begging,” said one Democratic operative friendly with the speaker. “If she does this, it’ll be 1000 percent because she’s been drafted.”

Among those interested in a run include leaders of District Council 37, the largest municipal union in New York which has been close to Mayor Eric Adams. Attorney General Letitia James is a top booster too, as Playbook first reported.

With little money, less time, a low profile and a leadership style that’s left members all across the political spectrum frustrated at times, Adrienne Adams would have a difficult path to victory if she gets in at all. But the latest recruitment effort speaks to the depth of frustration and anxiety top New York politicos are feeling about their choices in the race.

Mayor Adams has a near-impossible path to reelection and is trying to hold onto power. The ex-governor is poised to jump in and replicate Eric Adams’ outer borough coalition — but many in the political class loathe Cuomo and would do anything to keep him out of City Hall.

Among those speaking highly of Adrienne Adams, the Post reports: the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. Greg Meeks and Cuomo’s one-time punching bag, former Mayor Bill de Blasio. — Jeff Coltin

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: An ethics watchdog group filed a complaint with the New York court system against Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, arguing his effort to dismiss Adams’ case violates state ethics rules.

American Oversight, a nonpartisan nonprofit that’s regularly opposed the Trump administration, complained to the state’s Attorney Grievance Committee on Wednesday night, hours after the extraordinary court hearing reviewing Bove’s decision.

“Letting an elected official off the hook for serious, criminal charges in exchange for political support is textbook corruption and could be grounds for suspension of an attorney’s law license,” said American Oversight interim Executive Director Chioma Chukwu.

The Department of Justice didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Bove, who is a member of the New York bar, has ardently defended the move and said it wasn’t a quid pro quo. — Jeff Coltin

DOGEING THE NEXT ONE: City Comptroller Brad Lander shot off a letter to the city’s finance department Wednesday looking for a plan to safeguard the municipal purse from Elon Musk.

In his missive, Lander asked the beancounters for a debrief on last week’s $80 million federal fund reversal at the hands of the Department of Government Efficiency — and how they are preparing if Musk tries something like it again.

“I believe that additional action is needed to prevent the potential unauthorized and unilateral withdrawal of funds from City accounts moving forward,” Lander wrote.

To that end, he asked the finance department to describe current and future safeguards to prevent the feds from reversing payments without the city’s permission and inquired into whether the department has initiated a review into the yoinking of funds. Lander also asked for information about how the city is typically notified of payment reversals and the process of disputing them.

He gave the finance department until Monday to respond.

“Recovering the … funds, and preventing any additional unauthorized clawbacks, is vital to maintaining our City’s budget and ensuring the continued delivery of essential services,” Lander wrote.

A City Hall spokesperson noted the administration is pursuing a lawsuit and has made changes to immediately alert officials of future large-dollar debits to the bank account in question.

“While it’s alarming that Brad Lander — who is supposed to be the city’s financial manager — lacks a basic understanding of how a federal-regulated banking system works, New Yorkers can rest assured that the Adams administration does,” spokesperson Liz Garcia said in a statement.

Last week, DOGE clawed back $80 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds earmarked for migrant services, employing a clause in banking regulations that allowed the government to pluck the money back without the city’s permission. — Joe Anuta

More from the city:

— A Cuomo supporter is sending around a save the date for a March 4th reception with the former governor — the clearest indication yet he’s readying a mayoral bid. (POLITICO)

— The NYPD has inked contracts for a canine-mounted camera system, an unmanned submersible and spent more than $750,000 on a robot dog with gas-sniffing attachments, per disclosures of its surveillance technology. (POLITICO)

— Targeting Anthony Weiner, fellow City Council candidate Sarah Batchu wants to ban registered sex offenders and people convicted of other sex crimes from holding office. (City & State)