Keeping San Francisco's left in the cold

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Programming Note: We'll be off this Thursday but back in your inboxes on Friday.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: HOLD THE CENTER — One of San Francisco's most deep-pocketed advocacy groups will relaunch today with a new name, a $2 million annual budget and a mission to stop progressives from regaining any ground in the city.
The group, Blueprint for a Better San Francisco, joins a constellation of moderate advocacy groups that have spent millions in recent years to reshape local politics in one of America's bluest major cities, which has shifted dramatically to the political center.
But San Francisco city politics has a long history of swinging between moderate, business-friendly Democrats and those aligned with the party's ultra-liberal left flank.
Jay Cheng, a political strategist behind Blueprint, said its main purpose is to make sure moderates keep winning. He said the group wants to turn San Francisco — which Republicans often ridicule for its problems with homeless encampments and drug addiction — into a model for how blue cities … hence Blueprint … can be effectively governed.
'We're very serious about sustaining momentum in the city,' Cheng told Playbook in an exclusive interview. 'We can't afford to take our foot off the gas.'
Blueprint's emergence speaks to the broader stakes of San Francisco's shifting political environment as tech executives and other powerful business groups seek to move major American cities away from progressive policies on issues like criminal justice and homelessness, which, they argue, have contributed to a widespread sense of lawlessness and urban decay.
That pivot is well underway in San Francisco. Last year, the left lost control of the Board of Supervisors and the county Democratic Party. Voters passed ballot measures to require drug screening for welfare recipients and expand police surveillance — and, in 2022, ousted progressive District Attorney Chesa Boudin and three progressive school board members.
Blueprint's organizers said they will keep the pressure on San Francisco's supervisors and its new mayor, Daniel Lurie, to lower crime rates, reduce homelessness and improve street conditions. Other priorities include reducing the city's budget deficit and alleviating taxes on downtown real-estate sales.
Blueprint will mark its launch tonight with a swanky kickoff party on the top floor of the Westin St. Francis hotel, overlooking the Union Square shopping district — a symbol of the city's emerging recovery. Scotty Jacobs, Blueprint's new director and a former candidate for supervisor (who's known locally for his Instagram and TikTok reels), said more than 700 people have RSVP'd.
It's a splashy launch for the next iteration of Together SF, the predecessor to Blueprint that went dormant last year when its largest donor, billionaire venture capitalist Michael Moritz, backed away. Together was absorbed by Neighbors for a Better SF, the most financially formidable PAC in the city that's relaunching it as Blueprint.
Cheng, who's also the director of Neighbors for a Better SF, said Blueprint will be bankrolled by the same network of donors. Neighbors' largest contributors are wealthy tech entrepreneurs and real-estate investors. Among them: billionaire Bill Oberndorf, venture capitalist Ron Conway, venture capitalist Steven Merrill, billionaire hotel magnate John Pritzker and former bank executive Katherine August-deWilde.
The group's ties to megadonors could be a liability. Progressive activists have repeatedly targeted Neighbors for a Better SF over its ties with the city's ultra wealthy, including donors who've given heavily to Republicans.
The Phoenix Project, an advocacy group on the left, has a derisive nickname for the collection of moderate advocacy groups: the 'Astroturf Network.' It accuses them of working on behalf of 'oligarchs' and 'right-wing billionaires.'
Jacobs said Blueprint is a 'very Democratic group' that rejects Trumpism. But he concedes the city's moderate political forces have often worked behind the scenes, creating a sense of suspicion about their funding and motives. The new group, he said, will have a more public face. The group is preparing to open a public gathering space in the trendy Hayes Valley neighborhood next month with the goal of building stronger social ties — especially among younger voters dismayed by the city's decline.
'In the absence of a face or faces, people make up narratives about who's behind the curtain pulling the levers,' Jacobs said.
GOOD MORNING. It's Wednesday. Thanks for waking up with Playbook.
You can text us at ‪916-562-0685‬‪ — save it as 'CA Playbook' in your contacts. Or drop us a line at dgardiner@politico.com and bjones@politico.com, or on X — @DustinGardiner and @jonesblakej.
WHERE'S GAVIN? Nothing official announced.
ON THE HILL
WON'T BACK DOWN — The news cycle has whirred at warp speed in the days since Sen. Alex Padilla was handcuffed for disrupting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's news conference in Los Angeles. But the senator is continuing to speak out about the incident — not just to highlight his own ordeal, he says, but to warn that it could happen to others who object to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Our colleague Melanie Mason spoke with Padilla about the ordeal on Tuesday, just after he took to the Senate floor to deliver an emotional speech. His speech came as New York City Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander was arrested in a courthouse after demanding to see a judicial warrant for an immigrant federal officials were attempting to detain.
One highlight from the interview: 'My escorts — again, a National Guardsman, an FBI agent — escorted me to the press briefing. They opened the door for me, they walked in and were standing near me as I was listening for several minutes during the press conference.'
Read Melanie's Q&A with the senator for more details about what led up to — and followed — the jarring, headline-grabbing incident.
CLIMATE AND ENERGY
DATA DASH — California is falling behind in the race to build (and regulate) data centers despite billing itself as a leader in both tech and climate. Can lawmakers make headway while balancing conflicting demands from environmentalists, utilities and Silicon Valley? Find out in last night's California Climate.
TOP TALKERS
ARNOLD'S ADVICE — Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger championed bipartisanship, reform and inclusivity in response to the state's recent wave of immigration raids in Los Angeles County. Schwarzenegger, an immigrant from Austria, emphasized his pride in the U.S. and was quick to give his input when asked how he would handle the situation if he was still governor, saying local, state and federal governments need to work together to reform the system and supply the workforce with enough visas.
'Democrats and Republicans have to come together and solve this issue if they really want to be public servants. If they want to be party servants and be party hacks and be tied to their ideology then it won't happen,' Schwarzenegger said during an interview on 'The View'.
COLLECTION PLATE — A Southern California pastor who took Gov. Gavin Newsom to court is now hoping to take the governor's office. Harvest Rock Church minister Che Ahn, whose challenge to California's Covid-19 restrictions on worship yielded a partial Supreme Court win, has dropped more than $100,000 into a 2026 governor campaign. Back in 2020, frustration with Newsom's limits on religious gatherings drove major funding for a failed recall attempt in September 2021.
ICE VISIT — Democratic Rep. Judy Chu made her way into the Adelanto ICE facility in San Bernardino County after being stopped at the door earlier this month. Afterward, she said the visit only heightened her urgency surrounding immigration issues in the state. Chu described the conditions of the facility in a post on X as 'filthy' and 'inhumane,' with detainees 'cut off from lawyers, family, and basic necessities.' She left the processing center 'demanding answers and accountability from ICE.'
AROUND THE STATE
— As water deliveries increase, Trump has quietly been relying on Biden-era and state water rules that he previously decried. (E&E News)
— The Fresno City Council approved taking on $100 million in debt to repave the area's deteriorating streets. (The Fresno Bee)
— Bay Area tech giant Intel is expected to lay off more than 10,000 workers globally, following a more than $800 million loss in the first quarter of 2025. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Compiled by Juliann Ventura
PLAYBOOKERS
PEOPLE MOVES — Matthew Dumlao has been appointed executive officer of the California State Lands Commission. He also serves as chief of staff and environmental policy adviser to Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis; he was previously her deputy chief of staff.
— Adrian Martinez has been named director of Earthjustice's Right To Zero campaign, which aims to electrify the transportation, building and industrial sectors. He will transition from his role as deputy managing attorney of the group's California office.
BIRTHDAYS — state Sen. Jerry McNerney … LA County Democratic Party Chair Mark Ramos … Ryan Kenny at Clean Energy Fuels … former national security adviser Robert O'Brien … Rachel Alben at the Motion Picture Association … Ryan Darsey in the office of San Diego Councilmember Stephen Whitburn
WANT A SHOUT-OUT FEATURED? — Send us a birthday, career move or another special occasion to include in POLITICO's California Playbook. You can now submit a shout-out using this Google form.

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Politico

37 minutes ago

• Politico

Centrist Dems sweat DSA NYC candidate

Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco Good Saturday morning. This is Adam Wren. Get in touch. TODAY: President Donald Trump flies back to Washington today from Bedminster, New Jersey, to attend another national security meeting in the Oval Office at 6 p.m. THE CONVERSATION: Ever since Trump's victory in November, Democrats have been asking some variation of one question: Why did we lose the election? Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) has a few answers. 'Well, one, we became the party of war,' Khanna tells Playbook's Dasha Burns on this week's episode of 'The Conversation,' which comes out tomorrow morning. 'I think the Gaza situation really hurt us with a lot of young people, certainly in Wisconsin and Michigan. We would have won those two states, but for that. 'Second, inflation,' Khanna continued. 'We were too late in recognizing how much people were hurting. We kept calling it 'transitory.' We didn't have the urgency of a plan of what we were gonna do to tackle inflation. Let me give you one example. Donald Trump, erroneously, is calling in the National Guard to Los Angeles to deal with the situation there. I oppose that. Did we ever call in the National Guard to say, you know what, we've got a supply chain shortage, we don't have enough people manning the ports, we're going to have an all-out mobilization and call the National Guard to deal with these supply chains shortages? …I think people just thought we weren't on top of it.' More from Jacob Wendler DRIVING THE DAY EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: Centrist Democrats are sounding the alarm that a surging democratic socialist mayoral candidate in New York City's Tuesday primary could further set back the party's already beleaguered national brand. Third Way, the center-left Democratic think tank, wrote in a memo Friday that they are 'deeply alarmed' by Zohran Mamdani, whom they argue holds positions 'that border on anti-semitism' and scan as if they were 'cooked up in the offices of a Trump-aligned ad maker.' At a time when the Democrats are searching for a way out of the wilderness, moderates in the party say that given New York City mayors' outsized role in national politics — three of the last four have run for president — Republicans could exploit Mamdani's positions for their gain up and down the ballot. 'We've seen the MAGA right's ability and eagerness to weaponize over steps by the left,' Third Way's executive vice president Matt Bennett tells Playbook. 'If you just think about the way the Trump campaign attacked [former Vice President Kamala] Harris, the way the MAGA right has attacked Democrats generally, it is by attaching them to ideas that are outside of the mainstream. Flipping [Minnesota Gov.] Tim Walz on its head: It turns out, they made us into the weird ones, and nothing's weirder than the stuff that's in the DSA platform, and we just cannot hand that to the Republicans.' The Third Way memo highlights defunding the police, closing jails, banning private healthcare and operating city-owned grocery stores as positions American voters would find beyond the pale. In a statement, campaign spokesperson Lekha Sunder said 'Mamdani's campaign is a model for the direction our party must head in: towards the people.' And Mamdani has repeatedly pushed back against the antisemitism label. 'I've said at every opportunity that there is no room for antisemitism in this city, in this country,' he said at a press conference earlier this week, adding the reason he does not have a more visceral reaction to being labeled that is because it has 'been colored by the fact that when I speak, especially when I speak with emotion, I am then characterized by those same rivals as being a monster.' At a post-election retreat for Democrats in Virginia earlier this year, Third Way conceded in a memo that the 'party needed to own failures of Democratic governance in large cities and commit to improving local government.' STATE OF THE RACE: Playbook checked in with one of our top POLITICO New York reporters, Emily Ngo, to get a pulse on Tuesday's primary, which she tells us is 'chaotic' and 'expensive.' 'The super PAC backing Andrew Cuomo has $24 million in contributions as of Friday, a third of that from former Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who does not want a democratic socialist as one of his successors,' Ngo writes in. 'The race is effectively between Cuomo, a former governor who resigned in disgrace in 2021, and Mamdani, a DSA state lawmaker who's 33 and was an unknown until he surged toward the front of the pack. But Brad Lander, the progressive city comptroller, is in the mix after grabbing national headlines upon being detained by federal officers while protecting a defendant outside immigration court.' Ngo also notes that the race has become a 'proxy battle' between progressives and moderates nationally: Mamdani has not just the endorsements of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), but Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), while Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) backed Cuomo Friday. 'It's also a proxy battle in the sense that Israel and antisemitism have come up again and again, which Cuomo wants to keep the spotlight on the topic,' Ngo tells us. 'In these final days, Cuomo has focused on Mamdani's response to a podcast question on whether the phrase 'globalize the intifada' makes him uncomfortable. Mamdani did not reject or condemn the phrase. He has said it means different things to different people and reiterated that he would protect Jewish New Yorkers and combat antisemitism.' 5 MINUTES WITH Welcome to '5 Minutes With,' a new Playbook weekend segment featuring a quick chat with a newsmaker. Rep. Greg Casar, the 36-year-old Texas Democrat, is backstage as the nu-cumbia DJ El Dusty warms up a crowd for another stop on Bernie Sanders' 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour. On Friday evening, in McAllen, the Congressional Progressive Caucus chair is getting ready to introduce the Vermont senator in Hidalgo County, in South Texas, which Trump flipped last November. It's part of the outreach Casar has been doing in red spaces — including three stops in GOP congressional districts, two town halls in Texas, Fox News, and Truth Social. 'We have to go talk to all the folks that voted for Trump and were lied to—all these folks that are feeling betrayed by a president who put corrupt billionaires first,' Casar says. 'At these rallies, I'm asking the thousands of attendees to go do the exact same thing that Bernie and I are doing — go and talk to their friends and coworkers who voted for Trump, who now have been betrayed by the president and his party.' Casar isn't afraid to punch right, including at those in his own party who argue the abundance approach can help Democrats win again: 'I saw Josh Barro the other day at this corporate Walmart fest — or whatever it was — out there saying that abundance means going and crushing labor unions,' Casar says. 'That's absurd. I think it's just like the 1988 Republican platform trying to disguise itself in abundance.' In the crowd, Casar can see people dancing as they wait for Sanders to speak. Casar says Democrats must nominate a progressive in 2028 to find their way back. 'If we don't transform the brand of the Democratic Party into an economically populist one, and one that is about everyday people's economics first,' he says, 'it won't matter who our candidate is, we'll lose.' FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who is speaking at the Florida Democratic Party dinner today in Hollywood, Florida, is expected to burnish his ability to win in red parts of the country ahead of a possible 2028 presidential campaign, according to excerpts first shared with Playbook: 'The actions of the Trump administration are providing a huge opportunity for Democrats to go out and regain the trust of the American people — to be the party of common sense, common ground and getting things done,' Beshear is expected to say. 'To do that, we have to talk to people and not at them. And we have to explain our 'why.' That's how I won counties in Eastern Kentucky that normally vote for Republicans by large margins. Including Breathitt County, which is the county JD Vance pretends to be from.' He continues: 'For me, my 'why' is my faith. As governor, I restored voting rights to almost 200,000 Kentuckians who had paid their debt to society and deserve to have their voices heard at the ballot box. I got medical marijuana passed because no one who is going through cancer or dealing with PTSD should have to suffer instead of having access to relief. I removed the statue of Jefferson Davis from our State Capitol, because a glaring symbol of bigotry and division does not belong in any Capitol in our country, and that includes here in Florida. The current federal administration wants to make diversity a dirty word. They want people to believe that equity means everyone isn't worthy of opportunities. They want to rewrite the hard truths of our history.' 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. IRAN-ISRAEL LATEST: As the conflict between Israel-Iran hits a full week mark, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fearful of being assassinated, now mostly communicates with his commanders through a trusted assistant and 'has picked an array of replacements down his chain of military command in case more of his valued lieutenants are killed,' NYT's Farnaz Fassihi scoops. Khamenei also named 'three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, as well — perhaps the most telling illustration of the precarious moment he and his three-decade rule are facing.' The Iran leader's extraordinary precautions come as Israeli officials announced today they had killed a veteran Iranian commander, Saeed Izadi, in what Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called 'major achievement for Israeli intelligence and the Air Force,' per Reuters. Though Trump has given Tehran a two-week deadline to reach a deal that will claw back its nuclear program, the country reiterated it will not enter into negotiations while under threat. Meanwhile, Israeli officials insisted yesterday that they will keep up their bombing campaign against the country until they believe their nuclear capabilities are fully eliminated, POLITICO's Nahal Toosi and Eli Stokols report. Iran has threatened to retaliate if the U.S. decides to strike, and the Iran officials have also suggested Washington may be using talks as a 'cover' for attacks: 'So they had perhaps this plan in their mind, and they just needed negotiations perhaps to cover it up,' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News. 'We don't know how we can trust them anymore. What they did was, in fact, a betrayal to diplomacy,' Araghchi said. And the distrust goes both ways: FBI Director Kash Patel is reportedly ramping up surveillance of Iran-backed operatives and sleeper cells in the United States, CBS News' Jennifer Jacobs scoops. And from the West Wing: Trump publicly dismissed Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard's assessment of Iran's nuclear capabilities for a second time this week, flatly telling reporters 'She's wrong' about the existing program, per Eli. 2. THE HEAT IS ON IN CALIFORNIA: In a visit with state and federal officials in Los Angeles yesterday, VP JD Vance used a planned news conference to go after California Gov. Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Karen Bass, suggesting they had encouraged violence during the recent slew of anti-ICE protests across the city, per the LA Times: 'What happened here was a tragedy,' Vance said. 'You had people who were doing the simple job of enforcing the law, and you had rioters, egged on by the governor and the mayor, making it harder for them to do their job.' Bass clapped back at Vance's characterization yesterday in a separate news conference: 'Unfortunately, the vice president did not take time to learn about our city and understand that our city is a city of immigrants from every country and continent on the planet … How dare you say that city officials encourage violence … We kept the peace.' Vance also accused Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) of indulging in 'political theater' after the senator was handcuffed and removed from a DHS press conference last week, referring to the lawmaker he served in the Senate with by the wrong name: 'Well, I was hoping Jose Padilla would be here to ask a question, but unfortunately, I guess he decided not to show up because there wasn't the theater,' Vance said. 3. MAHMOUD KHALIL LATEST: Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil has been released from an ICE detention center in Louisiana, where he has spent more than three months after he was arrested outside his apartment on Columbia University's campus, per CNN. Exiting the center wearing a keffiyeh, Khalil pumped his fists in the air, grinning: ''Although justice prevailed but it's long, very long overdue, and this shouldn't have taken three months,' Khalil told reporters outside the detention center, adding he couldn't wait to reunite with his wife and newborn son.' Khalil's release came hours after U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered yesterday he was not a flight risk or a danger to public safety, adding his detainment was 'highly unusual.' As a reminder: Khalil has not been charged with any crime, though the Trump administration wants to deport him via a 'rarely used provision of immigration law that allows the government to deport any non-citizen,' Erica Orden and Kyle Cheney report. 4. SCHOOL DAZE: Trump posted on Truth Social yesterday that Harvard is in active settlement talks with the White House, suggesting a possible resolution could be announced within the next week: 'If a Settlement is made on the basis that is currently being discussed, it will be 'mindbogglingly' HISTORIC, and very good for our Country,' Trump wrote. 'It was not clear whether Trump was referring to formal settlement talks in one of the University's two ongoing lawsuits against the federal government, or informal discussions around the Trump administration's demands on Harvard,' The Harvard Crimson's Dhruv Patel reports. The post comes after the Trump administration launched a 'multi-front war' against the Ivy League institution, where it's 'accused Harvard of perpetuating antisemitism; terminated $2 billion in grants; and tried to ban the school from granting admission to foreign students,' POLITICO's Cheyanne Daniels and Josh Gerstein report. The supposed detente also comes after a federal judge directed the administration yesterday to restore 'every visa holder and applicant to the position that individual would have been' before the ban was enacted per NBC News. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs 'issued the preliminary injunction after having granted a temporary restraining order against the federal government this month.' 5. NEW RULES: In an effort to curb an alleged 'surge of improper enrollments' and reduce insurance prices, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced proposed rule changes that would further limit eligibility for Obamacare coverage, POLITICO's David Lim reports. In a press release yesterday, Kennedy suggested the administration would save $12 billion by changing the eligibility rule, though critics say the changes will 'cause eligible people to miss out on a chance at subsidized health insurance and increase the uninsured rate.' More on the numbers: 'CMS estimates about 725,000 to 1.8 million people will lose coverage as a result of the final rule. In January, CMS said about 24 million people had signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2025.' The final rule also 'shortens the annual open enrollment period from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31. The previous enrollment period ran from Nov. 1 to Jan. 15.' 6. SUNSHINE STATE UPDATE: A Senate disclosure form shows that Florida state Judge Ed Artau was already meeting with Senate staff about securing a nomination to the federal bench when he sided with Trump in a case, raising serious doubts among legal groups about his objectivity, POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs scoops. The Florida district court nominee 'met with staff in the office of Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott to angle for the nomination less than two weeks after Trump's election last fall,' Hailey writes. About two weeks after Artau published his opinion in favor of Trump's case against members of the Pulitzer Prize board, 'he interviewed with the White House Counsel's Office. In May, Trump announced his nomination to the federal judiciary.' 7. A LOOK AHEAD: 'Trump wants one thing from the NATO summit. Europe is going to give it to him,' by Eli Stokols: In a major win for the president, the '32-nation transatlantic military alliance will pledge to dramatically increase spending on defense to 5 percent of gross domestic product — 3.5 percent on hard military expenditures and 1.5 percent on more loosely defined defense-related efforts. … But Trump's victory won't prevent him from pressuring countries to do even more, faster, which could prove difficult for some in the alliance.' 8. THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN: 'Stephen Miller's Fingerprints Are on Everything in Trump's Second Term,' by WSJ's Josh Dawsey and Rebecca Ballhaus: '[White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen] Miller's portfolio covers almost every issue Trump is interested in. In recent months, he talked to CEOs about a coming tariff announcement; joined a meeting between Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and Trump about the company's antitrust case; and met with other tech companies on artificial intelligence. … Several White House staffers said Miller always takes the most 'extreme' view of any issue, and his positions have cost the administration in court.' 9. IMMIGRATION FILES: 'Abandoned by Trump, a farmer and a migrant search for a better future,' by WaPo's John Woodrow Cox, Sarah Blaskey and Matt McClain: 'Swept up in the freeze was JJ [Ficken] and the $50 million grant program he'd signed up for along with 140 other farmers across the country. All of them had agreed to hire and, in many cases, house domestic workers or lawful immigrants willing to take jobs that Americans would not, but with the reimbursements in doubt, farmers worried they'd miss payrolls, default on loans or face bankruptcy. Many feared the checks would never come.' CLICKER — 'The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics,' edited by Matt Wuerker — 15 funnies GREAT WEEKEND READS: — 'MAGA and the single girl' by WaPo's Kara Voght: 'What do the young women of the modern right want? It's complicated.' — 'The Cost of Passage: Violence and Death on the Atlantic Route to Spain,' by POLITICO Mag's By Tim Röhn, Marie-Louise Ndiaye and Antonio Sempere: 'Every year, tens of thousands of migrants set off to Europe from Africa in fragile wooden boats. But there's growing evidence that these perilous journeys are marred by horrific crimes.' — 'What Happened to the Women of #MeToo?' by The New Yorker's Alexis Okeowo: 'Tina Johnson accused Roy Moore of sexual assault. Then the world moved on, and left her behind.' — 'The Army Was the Only Life She Knew. Trump's Trans Ban Cast Her Out,' by NYT's Greg Jaffe: 'Maj. Erica Vandal's superiors called her 'a superb officer.' The president said transgender soldiers like her lack the 'honesty,' 'humility' and 'integrity' to serve.' — 'Threat in Your Medicine Cabinet: The FDA's Gamble on America's Drugs,' by ProPublica's Debbie Cenziper, Megan Rose, Brandon Roberts and Irena Hwang: 'The Food and Drug Administration's 2022 inspection of the Sun Pharma factory in India warned of contaminations and deficiencies. But the plant received permission from the FDA to continue shipping more than a dozen generic medications to Americans.' — 'The Myth of the Gen Z Red Wave,' by The Atlantic's Jean Twenge: 'The best available evidence suggests that the youth-vote shift in 2024 was more a one-off event than an ideological realignment.' TALK OF THE TOWN FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Second Lady Usha Vance recorded her first longform, on-camera interview with Meghan McCain on 2Way and it is set to publish Wednesday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) … Chad Wolf … Maury Riggan … NYT's Elizabeth Williamson and Elizabeth Dias … Mary Beth Donahue … WaPo's Laura Meckler … Cody Uhing … Shara Mohtadi … Madeleine Morgenstern … David Makovsky … Bully Pulpit's Caroline Weisser … Sanam Rastegar … POLITICO's Delece Smith-Barrow, Wiktoria Brodzinska and Rachel James … Axios' Mike Allen … Gary Maloney … Jake Maccoby … Forbes' Emma Whitford … Max Clarke … Greg Hitt … Sam Nunberg … former Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Marjorie Margolies (D-Pa.), Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) and Dan Burton (R-Ind.) … Kate Kochman … Jill Farquharson … former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown … Brian Kamoie… Tony Carrk … Iyanla Kollock of Rep. Shomari Figures' (D-Ala.) office THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): POLITICO 'The Conversation with Dasha Burns': Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). FOX 'Fox News Sunday': DHS Secretary Kristi Noem … Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) … Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). Supreme Court panel: Tom Dupree and Jonathan Turley. Panel: Matt Gorman, Stef Kight, Roger Zakheim and Juan Williams. CBS 'Face the Nation': Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) … Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) … Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter … retired Gen. Frank McKenzie. NBC 'Meet the Press': Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) … Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Panel: Lanhee Chen, Ashley Etienne, Jonathan Martin and Andrea Mitchell. ABC 'This Week': Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) … Steve Ganyard … Karim Sadjadpour … Chris Christie. 'Powerhouse' Roundtable: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus and Sarah Isgur. CNN 'State of Union': Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.). Panel: Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Kristen Soltis Anderson, Xochitl Hinojosa and Scott Jennings. NewsNation 'The Hill Sunday': Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) … Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.). Panel: Ian Swanson, James Hohmann, Molly Ball and Jasmine Wright. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.

Newsweek

42 minutes ago

• Newsweek

Gavin Newsom Challenges JD Vance: 'How About Saying It to My Face?'

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. California Governor Gavin Newsom on Friday challenged Vice President JD Vance to a debate after the vice president visited Los Angeles and accused him of "egging on" violent disorder in the city. In a post on his X, formerly Twitter, account, the governor wrote: "...Since you're so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face?" Newsweek contacted Vance for comment on Saturday via email to the White House press office outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have expanded their operations in Los Angeles and across the country as President Donald Trump seeks to deliver on his campaign promise to carry out the largest deportation operation in United States history. ICE conducted raids in Los Angeles and faced large protests in the city that largely remained peaceful with some instances of violence that prompted Trump to order the deployment of 4,000 members of California's National Guard and 700 U.S. Marines to assist in stopping violence, even as Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass insisted local law enforcement had the matter under control and a legal battle has pursued. The raids are following legal directive from federal authorities, but critics have raised concerns about the treatment of migrants by federal authorities as well as the tactics used by immigration agents during the raids. What To Know During his visit to Los Angeles on Friday to meet with troops, including Marines who have been deployed to protect federal buildings in the city, Vance said rioters had been "egged on" by Newsom and Bass, telling reporters: "The president has a very simple proposal to everybody in every city, every community, every town whether big or small. If you enforce your own laws and if you protect federal law enforcement, we're not going to send in the national guard because it's unnecessary. He added: "But if you let violent rioters burn great American cities to the ground, then of course we're going to send in federal law enforcement to protect the people the president was elected to protect." Vance also referred to Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who was handcuffed and forcibly removed from a press conference DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was holding in Los Angeles earlier this month, as "Jose Padilla." Noem has said Padilla did not identify himself when he arrived at the conference, but Padilla disputes the claim. Responding on X, Newsom wrote: "Hey @JDVance — nice of you to finally make it out to California. Since you're so eager to talk about me, how about saying it to my face? Let's debate. Time and place?" In a separate X post, the governor shared a clip of Vance calling Padilla "Jose Padilla," adding: "JD Vance served with Alex Padilla in the United States Senate. Calling him 'Jose Padilla' is not an accident." California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26 in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance addresses the press following a tour of the multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center at the Wilshire Federal Building on June... California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks on March 26 in Los Angeles. Vice President JD Vance addresses the press following a tour of the multiagency Federal Joint Operations Center at the Wilshire Federal Building on June 20 in Los Angeles. More Frazer Harrison/WireImage/Scott Olson/GETTY What People Are Saying Referring to the Padilla incident, a Vance spokesperson previously told Newsweek that: "He must have mixed up two people who have broken the law." Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said: "Mr. Vice President, how dare you disrespect our senator. You don't know his name," Bass questioned. "But yet you served with him before you were vice president and you continue to serve with him today, because the last time I checked, the vice president of the United States is the president of the U.S. Senate." She added: "You serve with him today and how dare you disrespect him and call him 'Jose.' But I guess he just looked like anybody to you. Well, he's not just anybody to us. He is our senator." President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social last week: "I campaigned on, and received a Historic Mandate for, the largest Mass Deportation Program in American History. Polling shows overwhelming Public Support for getting the Illegals out, and that is exactly what we will do. As Commander-in-Chief, I will always protect and defend the Heroes of ICE and Border Patrol, whose work has already resulted in the Most Secure Border in American History. Anyone who assaults or attacks an ICE or Border Agent will do hard time in jail. Those who are here illegally should either self deport using the CBP Home App or, ICE will find you and remove you. Saving America is not negotiable!" What Happens Next? Vance has yet to respond to Newsom's offer of a debate and it remains to be seen if he will do so. In December 2023, Newsom debated against Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis after the two went back-and-forth on their policies. Meanwhile, a U.S. appeals court on Thursday unanimously blocked a lower court ruling that put Newsom back in control of National Guard troops that Trump deployed to Los Angeles. The appeals court ruled that the president can keep control of the guardsmen while legal proceedings in the case continue.

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Jury awards $2.25 million to Georgia couple in suit over autopsy images of decapitated baby

ATLANTA (AP) — A jury has awarded a Georgia couple $2.25 million in their lawsuit accusing a pathologist of posting graphic videos of an autopsy of their decapitated baby. A Fulton County jury returned the verdict against Dr. Jackson Gates on Wednesday. The couple, Jessica Ross and Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., hired Gates to perform an autopsy on their son, Treveon Taylor Jr., who was decapitated during delivery in July 2023. They have separately sued the doctor who delivered the baby and the hospital where the delivery occurred. That case is pending. In a lawsuit filed in September 2023, the couple said Gates posted several videos of the autopsy on Instagram without their permission. Gates initially removed the videos after receiving a letter from the couple's attorneys, but then reposted them, according to the couple's attorneys. Ira Livnat, an attorney for Gates, said Saturday the jury's finding that Gates did not intend to cause harm 'flies in the face' of the plaintiffs' 'entire case.' His client generally made posts about autopsies to educate other pathologists and advocate for independent evaluations when people felt a hospital had engaged in wrongdoing, he said. The couple received a default judgment for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and fraud after Gates did not immediately respond to their lawsuit. 'Dr. Gates testified that he is deeply sorry for any harm that he unintentionally caused the plaintiffs,' Livnat said. 'Had he known for one second that they would see that and that they would know it was their child, he would never have done it.' Attorneys for the couple said in a statement that the doctor 'poured salt into the couple's already deep wounds.' 'This young couple trusted him with the remains of their precious baby,' they said. 'Gates, in turn, repaid this trust by posting horrific images of their child for the world to see.' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .