Making sense of the mayor's race

The Democratic primary for New York mayor on Tuesday has been such a surprising race as to capture the attention not just of the city, but of the nation. The current mayor isn't on the ballot, planning to run as an independent in the general. The frontrunner resigned the governorship over allegations of sexual harassment. And the up-and-comer making him sweat is a democratic socialist with a notably short political resume.
To make sense of an election full of the unexpected, POLITICO's team of New York reporters sat down for a lively roundtable conversation. Which do voters want more — youth or experience? Why are many New Yorkers backing Cuomo despite his well-documented misdeeds? And could the massive heat wave expected on Tuesday have an impact on the polls?
Read the conversation.'You're a senator who is calling for the overthrow of the government and you don't know anything about the country!'
Can you guess who said this to Sen. Ted Cruz in an exchange about Iran? Scroll to the bottom for the answer.**If the Bomb Drops … Trump has set a two-week deadline to decide how the U.S. will respond to the central foreign policy question facing the country, a question dividing the isolationists and nationalists from the hawks and interventionists within the MAGA coalition: Will the U.S. attack Iran? So far, he's said, 'Nobody knows what I'm going to do.' So we reached out to a range of experts to game out the possible scenarios. What happens if Trump drops the bomb? 'The most likely event is that a much wider set of targets will be struck than the set narrowly associated with Iran's nuclear program,' one expert said. 'Retaliation is all but certain,' said another.Cuomo Bullies His Way Back … Cuomo has a reputation for being aggressive — or, as some would describe him, a bully. Former colleagues and fellow politicians say he's threatened to 'destroy' them, that he governed through fear and went scorched-earth on anyone who got in his way. 'That philosophy won Cuomo few genuine allies in New York politics,' write Calder McHugh and Nick Reisman. 'But his well-known reputation for bullying is also key to understanding his comeback.'Didn't get the invite to Huma Abedin and Alex Soros' wedding? How embarrassing. Luckily you can fake your way through happy hour with your friends in the Democratic establishment this weekend — just drop in these talking points. (From Associate Editor Dylon Jones)
— Keep it subtle. If anyone asks what you were doing last weekend, just tell them you 'had a little engagement out in the Hamptons.'
— Yes, of course you saw celebs. Feel free to name-drop any of the following: Hillary and Bill Clinton, Kamala Harris and Doug Emhoff, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi or even Anna Wintour. No, of course you didn't get any selfies to prove it — that would be crass.
— You loved the grilled prawn. The Wagyu bavette looked scrumptious. The truffle agnolotti? To die for.
— Everyone else was there for the wedding. You were just there to listen to Boyz II Men.Make America Beautiful Again … Devotees of neoclassical architecture see it as the aesthetic of American democracy — and the perfect look for Trump's promised 'golden age.' But before they launch a counter-revolution to change America's look, they need a proof-case. Which is why, with Republican mega-donor support, a team of architects has come up with a multimillion-dollar plan to remake New York's Penn Station. All they need now is some political muscle — and they seem to be finding it from President Donald Trump, writes Ian Ward. In fact, one person familiar with the situation says that Trump personally contacted the backers of the 'Grand Penn' vision to express interest in their design.The New New York … For much of the last century, political life in New York has been defined by the tension between powerful party machines and a hyper-engaged voting public. Democratic Party organizations both fostered corruption and uplifted average citizens; average citizens punished the party's worst failures. But according to Will Bredderman, all that's beginning to change. 'The strange political resurrection of ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo … illustrates how badly the city's institutions, both the political machines and the civic consciousness that were both a product of them and checked them, have broken down,' he writes. What will take the place of that old status quo? It could be what one social sciences professor termed 'superstar politics' — name recognition above all.Murders at Sea … The thousands of migrants crossing in small vessels from West Africa to the Canary Islands face a perilous journey — and not just because of the ocean. A monthslong investigation by the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network reveals the level of violence they also face, and just how difficult it can be to hold anyone accountable for crimes committed in international waters.A Survivor With a Gun … Former Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) was at home plate in 2017 when a gunman opened fire, badly wounding Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Now, in the aftermath of the assassination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman over the weekend, Davis and members of Congress are navigating how to protect themselves in a toxic political environment. After the congressional shooting, Davis tells Ben Jacobs he carries a gun when he can 'in order to fire back if somebody decides to come and kill me and my friends again.'This Year in Jerusalem … Bernard Avishai, the author of The Tragedy of Zionism and The Hebrew Republic, among others, lives half the year in Jerusalem. 'I can hear squadrons of Israeli Air Force fighters in the skies, heading east in waves,' he writes. He can also see the flames of missiles streaming overhead. But what he can't see is 'how, given our experts' preemptive logic, this war ends.'From the drafting table of editorial cartoonist Matt Wuerker.Who Dissed? answer: It was Tucker Carlson, who challenged Cruz in a contentious viral interview.
politicoweekend@politico.com

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