Latest news with #Dems
USA Today
a day ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Potential 2028 Dems quiet after Supreme Court upholds ban on care for some transgender minors
Potential 2028 Dems quiet after Supreme Court upholds ban on care for some transgender minors Show Caption Hide Caption Activists react to SCOTUS ruling gender-affirming care ban for minors Transgender activists are reacting to a new SCOTUS ruling upholding Tennessee's ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The Supreme Court's conservative-leaning justices this week upheld a Tennessee ban on some gender-affirming care for youths, prompting immediate criticism from their liberal-leaning colleagues. Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that 'the court abandons transgender children and their families to political whims.' But one group on the left has been quiet since the ruling sent shockwaves: Democratic leaders across the country eyed as potential 2028 White House picks. The lack of response to the 6-3 ruling underscores what some political observers have called the party's continued nervousness over how to address an issue that became pivotal in the 2024 election. It also shows how fraught the topic may remain heading into the 2026 midterms that will decide control of Congress. President Donald Trump campaigned heavily on a promise to ban gender-affirming care for youth and prevent transgender athletes from competing – and he's taken several executive actions impacting transgender Americans since the start of his second term. Here's what to know about how prominent Democrats responded to the Supreme Court's ruling. What happened? The decision, in which the court said preventing minors from using puberty blockers and hormone therapy does not violate the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment, was immediately criticized by liberal and progressive groups, like Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. The court's ruling comes after Trump and Republicans made transgender rights a key part of the final weeks of the 2024 campaign. "Kamala supports tax-payer funded sex changes for prisoners," one of Trump's campaign ads alleged about then-Vice President Kamala Harris. "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you." Some Democrats called the ads among the most effective of the campaign, according to multiple reports last year. And in recent months some Democrats have worked to separate their party from elements of transgender rights efforts. For example, California Gov. Gavin Newsom made headlines in March when he suggested transgender athletes' participation in women's sports was 'deeply unfair' and acknowledged the campaign ad was "devastating." Since taking office in January, Trump has signed executive orders to ban transgender athletes from girls' and women's sports, end federal support for gender-affirming care and prevent transgender people from serving openly in the military. Trump also signed on his first day back in office an order declaring that the government recognizes only two sexes, male and female. Governors quiet Newsom of California, Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland, the three governors considered leading contenders to run for president in 2028, all kept quiet after the Supreme Court's decision this week. Most forthcoming of the party's potential 2028 contenders was Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, who has a transgender cousin, and who wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Illinois has protections to "meet this very moment.' 'In a time of increasing overreach and hateful rhetoric, it's more important than ever to reaffirm our commitment to the rights and dignity of the LGBTQ+ community,' he added. 'You have a home here always.' Rank and file Reaction among Democrats on Capitol Hill was largely quiet as well, though several members of Congress did make statements. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York denounced the decision on the Senate floor as part of a 'cruel crusade against trans Americans.' On social media he called it a distraction from issues impacting all people, regardless of gender identity. His counterpart in the House, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York did not mention it in a news release or on social media. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, pointed out in a statement that 24 other states have similar laws blocking some gender-affirming care for transgender youths. "Today, hate won," he said, alleging the Supreme Court's conservative-leaning justices "endorsed hate and discrimination by delivering a win for Republicans who have relentlessly and cruelly attacked transgender Americans for years." 'Once again, politicians and judges are inserting themselves in exam rooms,' Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Delaware, the nation's first openly transgender member of Congress, said Wednesday on X, formerly called Twitter. 'This ruling undermines doctors in delivering care to some of the most vulnerable patients in our country.'
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Dem shredded for calling to put 'every single' illegal immigrant on a quick path to citizenship
Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., was blasted for arguing Wednesday that the best way to solve the illegal immigration crisis is by providing everyone with a path to citizenship. Frost hosted a press conference alongside multiple immigrant advocacy groups to announce his "Stop Unlawful Detention and End Mistreatment" or "SUDEM" Act. This legislation pushes for transparency in immigration detention by requiring all ICE-operated or ICE-affiliated facilities to be held accountable for their actions. Frost declared that he and his allied groups are "fighting to hold Donald Trump, his administration and this state accountable for a taxpayer-funded kidnapping program trafficking our people across the entire world that they're running under the disguise of an immigration system." After declaring that "being undocumented in this country is not a crime," the lawmaker proposed that the best way to lower the number of illegal immigrants is simply to legalize them. "We are an immigrant-filled community. We are a community filled with people. And yes, people are going to have different statuses, and to my Republican colleagues that say, "I don't want any undocumented people in this country,' I actually agree with you. So, let's document every single one of them with a speedy path to citizenship. That's how we fix this problem," Frost said. Video of his comment drew immediate backlash online, with many arguing this is a mask-off moment for the Democratic Party agenda. "If citizenship is reduced merely to a piece of government-issued paper then it is entirely meaningless," The Federalist correspondent Brianna Lyman argued. Trump's homeland security advisor, Stephen Miller, responded to the clip by warning, "If the Democrats were to obtain full political control of Washington they would swiftly complete the project of relocating the destitute and developing nations of the world in your communities and then giving them the full rights and privileges of US citizenship." "Dems say the quiet part out loud - make EVERY illegal alien legal, including the murderers, rapists, and other criminals," White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said. "No way in hell." "Here is an idea: no," Townhall columnist Dustin Grage replied to the video. Christina Pushaw, spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, replied with a simple, "Nope."
Politico
2 days ago
- Climate
- Politico
Playbook: Inside Trump's thinking on Iran
Presented by With help from Eli Okun, Bethany Irvine and Ali Bianco Good Thursday morning, and Happy Juneteenth. This is Jack Blanchard. INCOMING: The first big heatwave of the summer is on its way to D.C., per the Capital Weather Gang. 'Starting Sunday, high temperatures are predicted to reach at least the mid-90s,' writes chief meteorologist Jason Samenow, 'and could flirt with 100-degree levels early next week.' Yeesh. And there's more: 'Brutal humidity levels will make it feel even hotter. Heat indexes, which factor in humidity, could reach 110 degrees or so by Monday,' he adds, noting these conditions could last up to a week. 'If the most aggressive models are accurate, the heat could approach or even exceed records between Monday and Wednesday.' Your Playbook author is already regretting promising to take the kids to the zoo … Send me your tips on how to survive. In today's Playbook … — Inside Trump's thinking as the world braces for U.S. strikes on Iran. — New 8,000-person megapoll offers a sliver of midterm hope for the House GOP. — Dems in disarray as DNC infighting hits new heights … Who's surprised? BREAKING OVERNIGHT: One of Israel's main hospitals, the Soroka Medical Center, was hit by an Iranian ballistic missile strike overnight, with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu vowing Iran will 'pay a heavy price.' 'A hospital statement said several parts of the medical center were damaged and that the emergency room was treating several minor injuries,' per AP. Israel, too, carried out another wave of strikes last night, including on Iran's Arak heavy water reactor. NYT reports hundreds of Iranian civilians have been killed over the past seven days. DRIVING THE DAY THE WAR PRESIDENT: Donald Trump will be back in the Situation Room with his top intelligence officials this morning as expectation grows of an imminent U.S. strike on Iran. As Playbook told you yesterday, the president is leaning firmly toward military action to take out Iran's nuclear facilities — but insists he won't make a final call until the very last moment. In the meantime, America continues to build up military firepower within striking distance of Iran … while Europe launches a last-minute diplomatic bid to avert war. Quote of the day: 'I have ideas as to what to do,' Trump said during an impromptu Oval Office press huddle yesterday afternoon. 'I like to make a final decision one second before it's due.' He's not kidding: It's worth recalling how, in 2019, Trump was minutes away from ordering airstrikes against Iran before pulling the plug at the final moment, with the planes literally in the sky. (The NYT reported at the time that Trump 'liked the 'command' of approving the strike, but also the decisiveness of calling it off.') And while today's situation is too serious for TACO jokes, it's worth remembering too what we've learned from Trump's on/off tariff moves — that this president likes to build up extreme leverage before suddenly moving to cut a deal. But let's be clear: That is definitely not the signal coming out of the administration this morning, as multiple outlets are now reporting. WSJ's Alex Ward and colleagues say Trump has approved final attack plans on Iran, but has yet to give the final green light. ABC's Mary Bruce and colleagues confirmed the story and say Trump is 'getting comfortable' with the idea of a targeted strike. Bloomberg's Stephanie Lai and colleagues have got wind of 'potential plans' for an attack this coming weekend. 'The next week is going to be very big,' Trump said yesterday. 'Maybe less than a week.' SCOOP: And now read this: A senior White House official has given my Playbook colleague Dasha Burns a glimpse inside the president's thinking, as he mulls perhaps the most momentous decision of his presidency. This well-placed person says Trump is very conscious of the moment he finds himself in. 'He's in his last term of his presidency,' the official said. 'He may or may not see a window to do something that is something he's always believed is right and is important for the world, and has the added benefit of being legacy-building. And this is a window. It's never existed before. It will likely never exist again insofar as he can do anything about it. So while he has that window, he's going to take a shot, even if it is not something that everybody agrees with.' Nuclear fallout: It's certainly true that attacking Iran is not something that everybody agrees with — a snap WaPo poll last night found 45 percent of Americans are against military strikes, vs. 25 percent in support. Most importantly for Trump, the issue continues to cleave his supporters down the middle, as this viral diatribe from Candace Owens neatly illustrates. It was striking, too, to see Theo Von — who famously interviewed Trump last year on what is the fourth-biggest podcast in the U.S., per Spotify — come out against military action yesterday. Here's the clip But but but: Trump remains unfazed, the senior official quoted above tells Dasha, and confident his supporters will back him to the hilt. 'He's always aware [of the criticism],' the person said. 'He'll bring people along … Some people are trying to shape the discourse a little bit, but he's the primary shaper of discourse at the macro level, and perhaps the micro too.' And there's also this: 'People say we've got to keep the coalition together,' the official added. 'Well, if you're Donald Trump, who, in your heart, knows you're not running again — do you? Or do you just have to do what's right? He is primarily focused on doing what he thinks is right for the country, and what he always wanted to do for the country.' Who Trump listens to: WaPo's Warren Strobel and colleagues have confirmed POLITICO's Tuesday night scoop that DNI Tulsi Gabbard is on the outs — and added a must-read extra layer of juice: They say Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also being frozen out of key decisions. They cite two current U.S. officials who say U.S. Central Command chief Erik Kurilla — profiled by POLITICO yesterday — and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine 'have taken the lead on discussing military options with Trump, largely sidestepping Hegseth and his team at the Pentagon.' Ouch. Brutal quote: 'Nobody is talking to Hegseth,' one official tells WaPo. 'There is no interface operationally between Hegseth and the White House at all.' Naturally, Hegseth's team is pushing back hard. Speaking of the military: One of the (many) remarkable things about 2025 is the ability to watch America's military build-up in the Middle East in real time. The most fearsome air force in the world is currently being tracked by a bunch of online enthusiasts as it traverses the globe — and then filmed whenever it stops to refuel. Your Playbook author got mildly hypnotized last night by some British planespotter's popular livestream of USA F-22 Raptors arriving to refuel in the U.K., en route to the Middle East. (You can watch them coming in to land around 20 minutes in, if you're so inclined.) But there's been no sighting yet … Of those all-important B-2s, the stealth bombers capable of carrying bunker-busting bombs. Axios' Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo report that Trump has specifically asked his military advisers whether these weapons are genuinely capable of destroying Iran's flagship nuclear facility, which is buried under a mountainside at Fordo. 'Pentagon officials told Trump they're confident,' Axios reports. 'But it's not clear Trump was totally convinced.' Might he yet hold back? Plan B: Axios reckons the Israelis told the Trump administration that while they may not be able to reach deep enough into the mountain to blow up Fordo with bombs, they could potentially 'do it with humans' … which is all getting a little bit James Bond. Meanwhile in Europe: A frantic last-ditch diplomacy effort is underway to offer the Iranians a way out. The foreign ministers of Germany, France and Britain plan to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva, a German diplomatic source told Reuters. It says the talks 'are taking place in coordination with the United States' … If there is to be an alternative route out of this crisis, this just might be it. And elsewhere in the world … Other brutal wars continue to play out, while attention is fixed on Iran. Which is fortunate for guys like Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was meant to be under pressure to agree a ceasefire but instead has ramped up nightly attacks on residential apartment blocks across Ukraine. (Just watch this video, via the Kyiv Independent.) And it's fortunate too for Netanyahu, with nobody now paying much attention to his latest incursion into Gaza — where the United Nations yesterday warned of the 'senseless killings' of starving Palestinians as they queue for food. Reuters reports at least 140 people were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire in the past 24 hours. AND NOW … TO POLITICS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Megapoll klaxon: A new 8,000-person megapoll shared with Playbook offers important lessons for both parties ahead of next year's midterms. The new MRP [Multilevel Regression and Post-stratification] poll by Stack Data Strategy has the Democrats on course to win a narrow majority in the House next year — and puts Trump underwater in his handling of the economy. So far, so predictable. But but but: In the underlying data, there are significant crumbs of comfort for the GOP that suggest Trump could yet bring swing voters around ahead of November 2026. On his handling of the economy, Trump's numbers remain far worse than during his first term, with 35 percent approving vs. 41 percent disapproving. There's no sugar-coating that. But when asked about Trump's assertion that the short-term turbulence will be 'worth it in the long-run,' 42 percent of voters agreed vs. 37 percent who disagreed. And this was true across the vast majority of marginal House districts. So swing voters could be more open to Trump's economic messaging than Dems perceive … if the economy picks up. And there's more: The poll also highlights a small but significant portion of registered Democrats who are drawn to Trump's economic nationalism. An eye-catching 22 percent of Dems said the president's handling of the economy makes them more likely to support the Republican candidate in their district in the midterms — despite the chaos of the past three months. (Caveat: There will of course be real-world economic data between now and November 2026 that shifts these numbers either way.) Trump card: There was even greater Democratic (and independent) support for Trump's approach to immigration, suggesting opposition attacks on his controversial deportations are not widely resonating. In total, 49 percent of voters approved of the administration's handling of immigration, vs. 33 percent who disapproved. Strikingly, a quarter of all Kamala Harris 2024 voters approved of the president's immigration policy. That's quite a number. (Another caveat: This poll was in the field for almost three weeks, but ended just before the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles that provoked Trump to send in the National Guard. It's untested how those events affected voters' views.) BILL WATCH: Stack's findings on the 'big, beautiful bill' also contained more positive snippets for the GOP than several smaller polls published this week — including this bleak offering yesterday from Fox News — which all found broad disapproval for the legislation. Stack polled the bill's individual measures using what the firm believes to be neutral language and found net support for most of the bill's individual measures. The 2026 messaging war: Cuts to Medicaid remain the most-divisive aspect, splitting largely down party lines — although Americans do appear open to the idea of Medicaid reform. When asked about new restrictions on Medicaid, including work requirements, 42 percent of voters were supportive vs. 32 percent opposed. It's worth noting previous polls have found strong public opposition to what Dems say will be the real-world impacts of cuts, such as less funding for hospitals or care being stripped from the needy, which suggests the messaging war over Medicaid — i.e. which party can best define these cuts — could be an important theme in 2026. Let's not get carried away: Trump's numbers on the economy are still bad. The Dems should still be anyone's favorites to win back the House — if not the Senate — next year. But the underlying data suggests voters' views are less cut and dry than basic poll questions sometimes suggest. And of course, there's still a long way to go. NEWS FROM THE WILDERNESS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Chair in the hot seat: Less than five months into his time as head of the DNC, Ken Martin's tenure as chair is 'engulfed by bitter infighting,' with DNC members describing him as 'weak and whiny' and calling his leadership 'disappointing,' POLITICO's Holly Otterbein and Elena Schneider report this morning. There's the messaging problem: 'We're in the most serious existential crisis with Donald Trump both at home and abroad — and with the biggest political opportunity in a decade,' says former Obama-era White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel. 'And the DNC has spent six months on a firing squad in the circle, and can't even fire a shot out. And Trump's world is a target-rich environment.' There's the organizational problem: Martin's DNC has seen two major labor leaders — AFT President Randi Weingarten and AFSCME President Lee Saunders — quit their posts with the committee, a major controversy erupt over now-ousted Vice Chair David Hogg's pledge to primary 'ineffective' Dems, and a swell of infighting after Martin purged more than a dozen officials from the DNC's influential rules and bylaws committee. And then there's the money problem: The cash crunch is so bad that DNC leaders are considering borrowing money to pay the committee's bills, NYT's Shane Goldmacher and Reid Epstein report. Major donors have been reluctant to give under Martin's tenure, a hesitance that has deepened as Martin 'has still not spoken with' a number of them. From January through April, the party's 'total cash reserves shrank by $4 million.' Meanwhile, the RNC's 'coffers swelled by roughly $29 million.' For his part … Martin acknowledged to the Times that his efforts to rebuild the party had been 'overshadowed by some of this inside baseball stuff,' and attributed some of the grumbling about his leadership to sour grapes. 'I know there's a lot of people that are carrying grudges, that are still litigating the campaign that their person didn't win,' he said. 'I am not one of those people.' BEST OF THE REST TODAY'S BUZZIEST READ: The NYT is out with a 3,500-word profile on one half of what used to be the ultimate White House power couple — Katie and Stephen Miller. She was operating as Elon Musk's spokeswoman; he was (and remains) the driving force behind Trump's hard-line immigration policy. 'Now, Mr. Musk is gone — or out of Washington, anyway,' NYT's Matt Flegenheimer writes. 'And life in the home of Katie and Stephen Miller has gotten complicated.' I'll bet it has. Knowing Katie Miller: 'A relentless operator often publicly defined by her relationships to others but long determined to leave her own mark on the capital, Ms. Miller finds herself buffeted by the flammable men who had empowered her in the first place,' Flegenheimer writes. 'Many who know Ms. Miller have described her as more of a chameleonic aide than a consistent ideologue in the Stephen Miller mold — the sort of figure most comfortable speaking with the cover of someone else's voice.' SPEAKING OF MUSK: He was back on political X last night with a choice barb for White House personnel chief Sergio Gor — reportedly the guy who got Musk's pick for NASA chief, Jared Isaacman, nixed at the eleventh hour, triggering the final Musk/Trump breakup. 'He's a snake,' Musk complained to his 220 million followers. Musk is also still producing negative drug tests, for those who are interested. RECONCILABLE DIFFERENCES: White House chief of staff Susie Wiles made it clear to Senate Republicans yesterday: The administration is adamant about passing the GOP megabill by July 4 — even as many lawmakers 'cast doubt on whether it will be possible to move that fast,' POLITICO's Jordain Carney reports. Majority Leader John Thune is still eyeing the middle of next week for an initial procedural vote on the measure. Speaker Mike Johnson has already signaled he might cancel the House's planned recess ahead of the July Fourth holiday. The prickly problems: As senators hammer out the details of their version of the bill, a group of so-called Medicaid moderates — including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) — are working with Thune and others to broker a compromise on proposed Medicaid changes they fear would devastate rural hospitals, Jordain and Robert King report. But that, of course, could complicate the House math. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Endorsement watch: The Congressional Black Caucus PAC — which operates with the goal of increasing the number of Black members in Congress — is jumping into the race to replace retiring Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin, endorsing Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), POLITICO's Shia Kapos writes in. Kelly is locked in a crowded race for the seat along with Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.). TRIGGER HAPPY: As the Trump administration works to shrink down the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the DOJ announced yesterday it will eliminate 541 of the estimated 800 inspectors who monitor federally licensed gun dealers and ensure regulations are followed, NYT's Glenn Thrush reports. 'A.T.F. officials, law enforcement groups and gun control activists see such routine monitoring as a fundamental safeguard against abuses that have led some retail outlets to become sources for criminals and straw purchasers paid to buy guns.' TALK OF THE TOWN JD Vance joined — and was quickly booted from — Bluesky, apparently just to troll the libs. Good times. OUT AND ABOUT — SPOTTED on Tuesday night at EU Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė's residence for the EU Alumni Reunion 2025 with a concert by Wicked Game: Halimah Najieb-Locke, Everett Eissenstat, Shiyana Gunasekara, Irene Mingasson, Adriana Brassart, Christina Sevilla, Steve Rochlin, Jack Doll and Michael Mucchetti. — SPOTTED at Consumer Bankers Association's media happy hour last night: Lindsey Johnson, Billy Rielly, Weston Loyd, Molly Meiners, Stephanie Nye, Eileen Kelly, Katy O'Donnell, Evan Weinberger, Claire Williams, Stephanie Dhue, Karen James Sloan, Ian McKendry, Evan Lapiska, Jeff Naft, Brooke Nethercott, Flo Scott, Rachel Stephens, Brendan Pedersen, Rob Sumner, Lauren Williams, Danielle Smotkin and Ali Hattamer. MEDIA MOVES — Bloomberg is adding Liam Knox as an education reporter and Katy O'Donnell as a housing reporter. Knox currently is a reporter at Inside Higher Ed. O'Donnell currently is a senior reporter at POLITICO covering financial services. TRANSITIONS — Nick Alexander is now a legislative assistant for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). He previously was a legislative correspondent for Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska). … Jacob Downs is now press secretary for Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.). He most recently was press assistant for Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.). HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) … Reuters' Jeff Mason … Anne Gearan … Alex Kisling of the Center for Strategic and International Studies … Marcus Brauchli … Aimee Strudwick Gilroy … Axios' Alex Isenstadt … POLITICO's Laura Maggi … Michael Akin … Christina Ruffini … CyberScoop's Tim Starks … David Di Martino … Patrick Rooney … Ben Castagnetti of Sen. Maria Cantwell's (D-Wash.) office … Hodan Omaar … Mary Dalrymple of Eagle Hill Consulting … Mike Naple … former Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.) … former SEC Chair Mary Schapiro (7-0) … Michael Robbins … Melissa Cooke … Zac Rutherford of Rep. Diana Harshbarger's (R-Tenn.) office … Michelle Ringuette … Actum's Alexander Rauda … Jennifer Hazelton … Emily Hoffman… Julia Palomino-Causey and Daniel Causey … Mary Carpenter of the Nuclear Energy Institute … Treasury's Rebecca Karabus … Tate Mitchell of Sen. Tim Sheehy's (R-Mont.) office 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.
Coin Geek
2 days ago
- Business
- Coin Geek
Senate approves GENIUS bill, but House uncertainty awaits
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... The United States Senate has made history by approving stablecoin legislation, a first for Congress, but uncertainty awaits the bill in the House of Representatives. On June 17, the Senate voted 68-30 in favor of the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, marking the first time that the upper chamber of Congress has passed a bill governing digital assets and the first time either chamber has approved legislation governing stablecoins. The House passed a digital asset market structure bill (FIT21) last year that the Senate failed to take up before Congress adjourned for the 2024 elections. Tuesday's margin of victory was identical to last week's cloture vote, with 18 Democrats voting 'aye.' The ever-expanding list of questionable crypto ventures linked to President Donald Trump and his family—including the launch of their own stablecoin (USD1) this spring—proved incapable of dissuading pro-crypto Dems from supporting the bill. GENIUS was supported by all but two Republicans. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) opposed GENIUS because it allows private corporations to issue their own stablecoins. Hawley called this 'a huge giveaway to Big Tech' and filed an amendment to limit tech firms' stablecoin activities. But he said the language was 'gutted' in the final GENIUS text, leaving only 'window dressing' where concrete restrictions were intended. GOP leadership refused to consider other amendments, disappointing those who'd been promised an open amendment process by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD). Some GENIUS critics sought additional language to limit Trump's ability to profit off a financial sector over which he has direct control, while other critics wanted stricter rules governing foreign-based stablecoin issuers like Tether (USDT). Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), who helped steer GENIUS to the finish line, said the bill's 'long and winding journey … would have been much easier if the Trump family wasn't so grossly involved in this emerging sector.' As for what tipped other Dems into the 'aye' camp, well, more on that at the bottom of this article. One of the prime beneficiaries of GENIUS will be the U.S.-based Circle (NASDAQ: CRCL), the issuer of the USDC stablecoin, which is second only to Tether in terms of stablecoin market cap. Circle made its Nasdaq debut less than two weeks ago and the stock closed Tuesday down 1.3%, but news of GENIUS's passage produced a nearly 3% bump in after-hours trading. Tether has previously mused about launching a new U.S.-compliant stablecoin that would limit unwanted regulatory scrutiny on USDT, including subjecting its reserves to a third-party audit. While Circle execs tweeted effusive praise for the Senate on Tuesday, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino has so far tweeted only the word 'GENIUS' alongside some America-themed emojis and a brain. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a celebratory tweet ahead of the GENIUS vote, claiming that the bill's success could boost the overall stablecoin market to $3.7 trillion by the end of the decade. That's nearly twice the $2 trillion market that Bessent predicted during a Senate hearing last week. Either figure would be a significant boost to the current cap of just $261.5 billion. House v Senate for all the crypto marbles All eyes now turn to the House of Representatives, where GENIUS may get a slightly cooler reception than Senate Republicans might prefer. Politico reported that GOP leadership in both the House and Senate are of two minds when it comes to how best to proceed. The House reportedly favors combining stablecoin legislation with a comprehensive market structure bill like the House's Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, which has already cleared multiple markup sessions. The Senate has yet to introduce its own market structure bill and leadership would prefer getting a conference committee to quickly negotiate the differences between GENIUS and the House's STABLE Act, which met with approval from the Financial Services Committee (FSC) but has yet to hit the House floor. The Senate reportedly wants a quick 'win' on stablecoins to distract from its squabbles with the House over Trump's 'big, beautiful' spending bill. House crypto boosters like Warren Davidson (R-OH) told Politico the Senate 'clearly doesn't… have the consensus built to deal with market structure.' Davidson favors bundling stablecoins, market structure and a ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDC) into a single bill that the House can send the Senate. As FSC Chair French Hill (R-AR) told Fox Business last week: 'Both these bills are very, very important to the goal of a digital asset for the future of the U.S. You can't just pass a stablecoin bill and have any place to effectively use it. You need the CLARITY Act to give us that market framework.' Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN), the driving force behind GENIUS, warned that if his stablecoin bill was modified by the House to include market structure language (and whatever else), 'it would have to come back to the Senate for a lot of work.' The House breaks for the summer in the last week of July, while the Senate's last day is August 1. That makes a tight timeline for both chambers to coalesce around a strategy, harmonize bill language, and get something to the president's desk for signing by Labor Day. Back to the top ↑ CFTC chairman or lighthouse keeper? CLARITY would hand the bulk of crypto oversight to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), with a far smaller role for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). But questions remain as to whether the chronically understaffed and underfunded CFTC is up to the task. Brian Quintenz, Trump's nominee to lead the CFTC, has yet to be confirmed by the Senate, but once he is, he'll find only half the usual number of commissioners to help oversee all things crypto (and the two that remain aren't sticking around). That one-man-show could continue should the president not bother to fill those four empty commissioner seats, prioritizing 'efficiency' over consensus building. Trump has long disdained the norms of seeking Congressional approval of key agency appointments, often using the 'acting' designation to sidestep longstanding advise & consent protocols, appointing new 'acting' execs when the original appointee's grace period expires. A new Bloomberg article notes that there's nothing that legally compels Trump to fill the empty chairs anytime soon, which would empower Quintenz to make unilateral decisions on everything from regulatory matters to signing CFTC office leases, as well as dealing with letters from aggrieved stakeholders. Back to the top ↑ Gemini seeks, er, something from CFTC Speaking of angry missives, the CFTC just received a nasty letter from attorneys representing brothers Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and their Gemini exchange. The letter takes issues with the conduct of lawyers representing the agency's Division of Enforcement (DOE) for bringing 'dubious false statements charges' against Gemini. By way of background, in January, Gemini reached a $5 million settlement with the CFTC regarding the 2022 civil complaint accusing Gemini of 'making false or misleading statements of material facts' regarding a BTC-based exchange-traded product (ETP). The complaint accused two unspecified individuals—who may or may not have been the Winklevii—of loaning 'thousands' of BTC at artificially low rates to market-makers to ensure the ETP's trading volume met CFTC standards. Gemini's letter accused DOE staff of having 'selectively and unfairly weaponized the Commodity Exchange Act' against the company. Gemini claims the DOE's original sin was taking seriously 'a false whistleblower report' filed by its former chief operating officer Benjamin Small. Gemini claims Small was fired for hiding the existence of 'a multi-million dollar rebate fraud perpetrated by two Gemini Trust customers.' Following his dismissal, Small allegedly vowed to 'destroy' Gemini and filed the report that Gemini claims convinced the CFTC to launch a probe into the exchange's operations in 2018. The company's letter to CFTC Inspector General Christopher Skinner doesn't ask the regulator to do much, except to act on reforms proposed last month by soon-to-be-ex-commissioner Caroline Pham (who is serving as acting chairman while Quintenz warms the bench). Other than that, the letter is simply a list of grievances detailing how unfairly Gemini feels it was treated at the CFTC's hands. It's possible that Gemini might be seeking to claw back some or all of that $5 million settlement, taking advantage of the 180° attitude shift towards digital assets by federal agencies since Trump took his oath of office in January. If that's the case, Gemini could be taking their cue from Ripple Labs, which last August was ordered to pay the SEC $125 million for violating securities laws. Since Trump's election, Ripple has teamed up with the SEC's new management to press the judge to return $75 million of that sum to Ripple. (The SEC dropped its civil complaint against Gemini in February.) While the climate for crypto operators has indeed undergone a sea change at the federal level, it's perhaps notable that Gemini has yet to file a similar complaint with the New York Attorney General's office, which in June 2024 fined Gemini $50 million for defrauding investors of the Gemini Earn program. But New York Attorney General (NYAG) Letitia James isn't Trump's biggest fan, and she doesn't appear to feel any need to apologize to crypto operators who fail to color within the lines. Back to the top ↑ Fearing crypto cash, Dems go with the flow On June 16, The Lever reported on a private group chat on the encrypted Signal messaging platform featuring Democratic Party operatives and crypto lobbyists. The chats expose the naked self-interest behind some Dems' positions on crypto legislation like GENIUS, as many Dems see Trump's self-interested dealings all too clearly but calculate that publicly opposing the well-funded crypto sector will kill their electability. The 'Dem Crypto Policy Roundtable' chat group reportedly includes Capitol Hill staff, Democratic National Committee members, lobbyists, venture capitalists (including Paradigm and Electric Capital reps), and lawyers for major crypto firms. The chats reportedly discussed various crypto bills, including GENIUS and CLARITY. The Crypto Council for Innovation's Sheila Warren is quoted saying 'Trump's corruption is manifesting dramatically in crypto,' and advising 'ordinary' Dems running in the 2026 midterm elections to 'stay away from crypto apart from being vaguely supportive.' Dems on committees were given the option to 'flag the corruption and be a pro-crypto anti-corruption candidate.' Crypto lawyer Jason Gottlieb suggested it was pointless for Dem senators to performatively file anti-corruption amendments to GENIUS, saying such efforts 'will be doa [dead on arrival].' Gottlieb reasoned that '[n]obody is going to get primaried because they voted for GENIUS.' Gottlieb said if Dems want to win the next election they 'can not [sic] afford to alienate a very vocal and wealthy group of donors.' Electric Capital managing partner Avichal Garg put a finer point on it, saying if Dems didn't vote for GENIUS 'they will get 0 dollars going forward. It would be political suicide for them not to support it.' The crypto sector is clearly adopting a stick-and-carrot approach, as Bloomberg reported Tuesday on the number of Dem-adjacent individuals and companies being hired to advance crypto's cause. This includes Coinbase (NASDAQ: COIN) adding Kamala Harris campaign advisor David Plouffe to its Global Advisory Council last week, Tether hiring a lobbying firm run by former staffers to President Joe Biden, and venture capital giants Andreessen Horowitz hiring former Dem staffer Michael Reed as its new government affairs partner. Bloomberg quoted NYU adjunct professor Austin Campbell (also CEO of digital payment platform WSPN) saying the hires were a reflection of crypto's understanding that the Dems might not always be in the minority. 'If you made this industry explicitly partisan, boy do you have a problem.' Incidentally, Campbell was also in the Signal group chat, where he said opposing GENIUS would make voters see Dems as 'pro-bank.' Campbell also warned that calling out Trump's crypto corruption only makes him 'stronger, not weaker.' Faced with America's first Borg president, it seems resistance really is futile . Back to the top ↑ Watch: Breaking down solutions to blockchain regulation hurdles title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="">
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
How many NYC Democratic mayoral candidates are running in the primary election?
How many NYC Democratic mayoral candidates are running in the primary election? Show Caption Hide Caption NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander detained by ICE Brad Lander, New York City's comptroller and mayoral candidate, was detained while escorting a defendant out of immigration court. The New York City primary election is June 24, with early voting open until June 22. Eleven Democrats are running for mayor, including Adrienne E. Adams and Andrew M. Cuomo. Unofficial, first-choice results will be announced on June 24 after polls close. With less than a week until the New York City primary election, registered Democrats are already heading to the polls in early voting to choose the candidate who will represent them on the general election ballot in November. On June 24, the main focus will be on who can unseat Democratic NYC Mayor Eric Adams, who is now running as an independent. Additionally, there are several other city positions up for grabs and all 51 City Council voting, which began June 14 and is showing strong turnout, especially for an off-year primary. According to unofficial NYC Board of Elections counts, over 130,000 voters have already cast their ballots. The final day for early voting is June 22. More: Primary lessons: Trump rules, Dems are revved. NYC's melee is next. Who is running for NYC mayor? In the race for City Hall, there are 11 Democrats on the ballot hoping to advance to the general election on Nov. (11)Adrienne E. AdamsDr. Selma BartholomewMichael A. BlakeAndrew M. CuomoBrad LanderZohan K. MamdaniZellnor MyriePaperboy Love PrinceJessica RamosScott M. StringerWhitney R. Tilson Whoever wins the Democratic mayoral primary on June 24 will face Republican candidate, Curtis Sliwa and two independents: NYC Mayor Eric L. Adams and Jim Walden in the general election on Nov. 5. What is ranked-choice voting and how does it work? Starting in 2021, NYC only uses ranked choice voting in primary and special elections for city offices, where a voter can rank up to five candidates instead of just one. If a candidate receives more than 50% of first-choice voters, they are the winner. If no candidate receives over 50% of the votes in the first round, subsequent rounds will take place. The candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated in each round. If your top-ranked candidate is eliminated, your vote goes to your next choice. This continues until only two candidates remain, with the one having the most votes declared the winner. If I rank five candidates, do five votes get counted? No. You only get one vote. Your selection will count toward your highest-ranked candidate who has not been eliminated. If your number one choice loses, your vote will count toward your next highest-ranked candidate. Is early voting happening now? Yes! Early voting is underway throughout NYC until June 22, and the final day to register to vote in person is June 23 at your local board of elections. When will NYC announce the results? It all depends. The local Board of Elections will announce unofficial, first-choice-only votes after the polls close at 9 pm ET on June 24. If any candidate wins more than 50% of first-choice votes, they will be declared a winner, but with so many candidates and elections, it's unlikely that any one person will secure half of the total votes. So, when will the primary election be again? NYC's primary election is on June 24, with polls open from 6 am to 9 pm. ET Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
