Latest news with #U.S.ConferenceofMayors
Miami Herald
10 hours ago
- Climate
- Miami Herald
Midwest cities bake as heat wave blankets the Central US
Dick Kraklow rolled into Minneapolis this past week with three generations of his family and several vintage vehicles in tow, excited for an annual gathering of the Minnesota Street Rod Association that celebrates classic cars. But instead of setting up Saturday morning to display their collection, Kraklow, 42, and his family were loading up to drive back to Wisconsin. Several members of the group are in their late 70s, and the heat radiating off the asphalt at the state fairgrounds in St. Paul on Friday caused the family to change plans. 'We love the show,' Kraklow, a welder from Muskego, Wisconsin, said as his uncle angled a yellow 1957 Ford Thunderbird onto a trailer. But ultimately, he said, 'It's too hot.' Millions of Americans on Saturday faced sweltering conditions as a dangerous heat wave brought rising temperatures to the Midwest and central Plains. By the evening, the National Weather Service reported that the heat index — a measure of how hot it feels that accounts for both heat and humidity — had hit highs of 101 degrees in Des Moines, Iowa, 104 in Chicago and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and 105 in St. Louis and Minneapolis, where the high temperature of 96 degrees broke a record for this date. In Omaha, Nebraska, forecasters said that it would feel this weekend like it was 100 to 110 degrees -- in the shade. The most extreme heat was expected to move east and south over the next several days. New York City, Washington and Philadelphia could all break 100 degrees on the heat index by the end of the weekend. Several cities could see heat records broken. Over the entire country, more than 64 million people were under an extreme heat warning. Climate scientists have found that climate change has made heat waves more common, more intense and longer lasting worldwide, though attributing a specific heat wave to climate change is tricky. Cities and towns across the Midwest on Saturday had opened cooling centers and issued warnings to residents, advising them to stay out of the sun as much as possible and to check on vulnerable neighbors and relatives. Some forecasters worried that more people could be at risk because cooler-than-normal temperatures this spring might make acclimating to this sudden jump in heat more difficult. Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, where the heat index was over 90 degrees and climbing by midday Saturday, said in an interview that he was 'incredibly concerned about the heat wave.' Johnson, who was attending a meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Tampa, Florida, noted that this year was the 30th anniversary of a 1995 heat wave that killed more than 500 people in Chicago. He said city officials were focused this weekend on supporting residents who might be most at risk from heat-related health concerns. 'Our administration has activated the full force of government' to ensure people remain safe, he said, an effort that included the city's parks and libraries; police, fire and public health departments; and a collaboration with utility companies. In the city's Lincoln Square neighborhood, where forecasters expected temperatures to remain in the 90s for several days, Jeremy Underhill and his 9-year-old daughter took refuge in the shade outside a coffee shop. 'I usually drink hot tea, but it's iced coffee today,' said Underhill, a 52-year-old operations manager at a trading firm. He added that his family was having second thoughts about their commitment to attend an outdoor block party later in the day. In St. Louis, some library branches that were serving as cooling centers were seeing an influx of traffic, said Justin Struttmann, chief operating officer for the city's public library. He said some residents who headed there for relief had been affected by the severe storm and tornadoes that damaged large sections of the city in May. 'Where we have more people that are in need of those resources — they don't have AC, maybe their home was destroyed, or their AC was knocked out from the storm -- those locations are getting an uptick of activity,' he said. In some areas, including Des Moines, a slight breeze made conditions more tolerable. Duane Huey, 72, left a Price Chopper supermarket with four 1-gallon jugs of water in his grocery cart. 'Actually, I love the heat,' he whispered, laughing. 'As I've gotten older, the cold gets to me more.' He also said that walking in the warm wind was 'kind of like getting a warm hug.' Others were similarly unfazed. Moe Nuhman, a 39-year-old jewelry trader, who was out walking 3 miles from his Rogers Park home in Chicago, thought the weather was fine. 'This is Chicago. It gets hot. I love it,' he said. 'When you walk, you live longer.' Back in Minneapolis, Kraklow and his family finished preparing their caravan of vintage cars for the trip home to Wisconsin. His son and nephew, both 17, were charged with driving one prized piece of their collection, a 1961 Chevrolet Bel Air, back home along the country roads. The vehicle didn't have air conditioning. Kraklow did not envy them. 'It's going to be a long day of just sweating in the car,' he said. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Copyright 2025
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. Conference of Mayors Statement on the Situation in Los Angeles
WASHINGTON, June 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, U.S. Conference of Mayors President Columbus (OH) Mayor Andrew Ginther released the following statement on the situation in Los Angeles, California. "The streets of American cities are no place for the U.S. military. Law enforcement is a local responsibility, and America's mayors support Mayor Bass as she works with state authorities to promote order in her city. Protest, carried out peacefully, is a bedrock of our democracy. However, violence, theft, and destruction of property can never be tolerated. We have every confidence that Mayor Bass and state officials can manage the situation. The authorities there have the experience, training and resources to maintain peace and protect the rights of legitimate protestors. "With crime plummeting across the country, mayors have demonstrated their ability to promote public safety. Troops should never be deployed to cities without the request of state and local authorities. The U.S. Conference of Mayors stands firmly behind the rights of mayors to determine the best public safety strategies for their individual cities. We urge the president to work constructively with local and state authorities as we all strive to make our cities and the nation stronger." About the United States Conference of Mayors – The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are more than 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Follow our work on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads, and Medium. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
James Carville Says He'll Back AOC If She Wins 2028 Democratic Nomination
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. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville said Tuesday that he'll throw his support behind U.S. Representative Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez of New York if she wins the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. The Context Carville's comments are a stark departure from his longtime criticisms of Ocasio-Cortez, one of the most progressive members of the House of Representatives. Ocasio-Cortez has often clashed with Carville and other members of the Democratic establishment for what she's described as being out of touch with the party's base. James Carville speaks at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors on June 26, 2017, in Miami Beach, Florida. James Carville speaks at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors on June 26, 2017, in Miami Beach, Florida. Lynne Sladky/AP What To Know Carville was asked during an appearance on MSNBC's The Beat with Ari Melber about a recent poll in which 26 percent of likely voters said they see Ocasio-Cortez as the face of the Democratic Party. The longtime strategist and political consultant—who was a key architect of two-term President Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign—began his response by calling the poll "utterly useless." "So all Republicans, all you see is AOC on Fox," he told Melber, referring to the New York lawmaker by her nickname. "So that's the general public's view. That's not the Democratic view. It means nothing." Carville then said he doesn't have a "very favorable opinion of the Democratic Party" and that there "is no leader of the party" at the moment because it "doesn't have a message." He went on to say Democrats will choose their leader during the 2028 election season, adding: "Look, we lost an election. I don't like the party. I don't blame the party reputation for being low, but I think that if AOC wants to run for president and she is the nominee, then God bless you." "You are the leader of the Democratic Party," Carville said, while tipping his hat to the camera. "Whoever gets that nomination is going to be it." Melber pointed out the significance of Carville's comments, saying, "Well, here we've backed into some intraparty news. You heard it here first. James Carville, once a critic of the AOC podcast landscape, now says, 'If you win, you win,' and you've got his support." "If you win, you win," Carville said while laughing. "Look, that's my answer. If you win the election, you've got it." The veteran strategist's comments Tuesday come weeks after he disparaged Ocasio-Cortez, independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressives who have criticized the Democratic establishment. Both Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders are crisscrossing the country on their "Fighting Oligarchy" tour and drawing massive crowds as they call attention to President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other billionaires' vast influence in politics. "Bernie has run for president twice, he's lost twice. AOC and her kind ... they want to run against other Democrats," Carville said during an appearance on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show last month. "They don't want to run against Republicans. When you beat a Republican, come back and see me and I'll be impressed." Carville went on to suggest during his interview with Cuomo that Democratic voters were trying to send a message to Sanders by not selecting him as the party's nominee and that Ocasio-Cortez would see similar results if she runs for the top of the ticket. "Maybe they need to split off from the Democratic Party," he told Cuomo. What People Are Saying Carville told The New York Times last year that the Democratic Party is run by too many "preachy females": "A suspicion of mine is that there are too many preachy females ... 'Don't drink beer. Don't watch football. Don't eat hamburgers. This is not good for you.' The message is too feminine: 'Everything you're doing is destroying the planet. You've got to eat your peas.'" Ocasio-Cortez mocked Carville's comments in the Times piece, writing on X, formerly Twitter: "Maybe he should start a podcast about it. I hear men are really underrepresented in that space." What Happens Next Ocasio-Cortez has refrained from announcing whether she plans to run for the 2028 presidential nomination, saying that her "central focus" is countering Trump's agenda on issues like health care, Social Security and immigration.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tacoma receives ethics complaint about mayor's paid trip to Israel. What's next?
The city of Tacoma has received an ethics complaint about Mayor Victoria Woodards' all-expenses-paid trip to Israel last month. As previously reported by The News Tribune, Woodards traveled to Israel for seven days mid-March as part of a delegation of U.S. mayors organized by the American Jewish Committee in partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors. She was the only mayor from Washington to attend. The trip included round-trip airfare to and from Tel Aviv, luxury hotel accommodations, meals, historic tours, lectures on Israeli politics and society and a meeting with the families and survivors of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Woodards told The News Tribune when she returned from Israel that she went on the trip to better understand the Israel-Palestine conflict and for spiritual reasons as a Christian. Her choice to accept the trip has been criticized by some, including the local Jewish Voice for Peace chapter. One member told The News Tribune the trip 'flies in the face of not just the ceasefire resolution that Mayor Woodards signed onto [in May], but just every standard of human morality.' City spokesperson Maria Lee told The News Tribune the city's Board of Ethics was processing an ethics complaint about Woodards' trip and can't comment on the issue. She did not provide a timeline on when the public would know more. Lee said she was only aware of one complaint. Woodards declined to comment at this time. Longtime Tacoma resident Rob Harrison told The News Tribune he submitted the ethics complaint to the city on March 27. Harrison said he filed the complaint not to target Woodards personally but to get some clarity from the city about whether accepting the trip and its perks was prohibited or an improper use of her position as mayor. 'It's about upholding the principle that city employees should be free from any appearance of being influenced by gifts. As a citizen, I believe this is crucial for maintaining public trust. We citizens have limited power to influence city policies, primarily through our votes,' Harrison said in an email, noting he used AI to craft his message. 'I hope the city will demonstrate its commitment to ethical governance by clearly stating its position on this issue following my complaint.' In his complaint Harrison called attention to two sections of the city's Code of Ethics, which is expected to be upheld by all current and former city officers and employees, elected or not. The complaint was obtained by The News Tribune through a public record request. Under the 'prohibited conduct' 1.46.030 section, Harrison questioned whether Woodards violated Section H that bars city officials or employees from 'knowingly us[ing] his or her office or position to secure personal benefit, gain or profit, or use his or her position to secure special privileges or exceptions for himself, herself, or for the benefit, gain or profits of any other persons.' He also questioned if Woodards violated Section K that bars city officials and employees from 'directly or indirectly, giv[ing] or receiv[ing], or agree[ing] to give or receive, any compensation, gift, favor, reward or gratuity for a matter connected with or related to the City officer or employee's services with the City of Tacoma.' Harrison argued that part of the reason Woodards said she went on the trip was because of her personal beliefs as a Christian. The trip, then, offered her a 'personal benefit … even beyond the substantial monetary value,' he said. 'The trip itself was offered by the American Jewish Committee to United States mayors for the express purpose of affecting U.S. policy at the local level,' he wrote. 'And while politicians on the national level indeed command attention, state and local politics move forward at the same time, often at a quicker pace in terms of legislation and reaction to crises. Thus, Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards used her position as mayor to qualify for this trip. It is not offered to other Tacoma citizens.' In terms of accepting compensation or gifts, the ethics code notes city officials and employees can accept meals 'when it is provided in conjunction with a meeting directly related to the conduct of City business or where official attendance by the City officer or employee as a City representative is appropriate,' such as a public award ceremony or when they accept, 'Nominal promotional items including, but not limited to, items such as ball point pens, calendars, wearing apparel or food items which cannot reasonably be presumed to influence the vote, action or judgment of the City Official or be considered as part of a reward for action or inaction.' Harrison argued the AJC 'hopes to affect politics at the municipal level' and noted the city of Tacoma has conducted business to pass a ceasefire resolution in Gaza. 'Though resolutions are non-binding, any future business regarding Israel, Jewish people or Jewish religion could be perceived to be influenced by this weeklong trip. Indeed, that is the reason the American Jewish Committee offers this free trip,' Harrison said in the complaint. 'There has been City Council business regarding Israel. There may be future business regarding Israel and Jewish people to come before the City Council. It is a glaring gap that this ethics clause does not mention the perception of bias. It reflects badly on the City of Tacoma for a city leader to accept a gift in the thousands of dollars when that gift is obviously meant to influence them and that gift is not available to everyone.' The city's Board of Ethics will convene to discuss the issue, although Lee said the meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled. The Board usually meets publicly every three months, and members are citizens who are formally appointed by the council although recommended by the Government Performance and Finance Committee, according to the city's website. According to procedures outlined online, upon receipt of an ethics complaint the board will send a copy of the complaint to the person it was filed against and the city attorney. The city attorney will serve as a legal advisor to the board and examine whether the facts of the complaint file the Code of Ethics. Then they will issue an opinion for board members to consider. Board members then will deliberate. The board may subpoena witnesses, take testimony under oath and compel the production of documents that relate to the complaint. The board might also appoint an independent investigator to investigate the facts of the complaint, who might be a city employee if that person is 'sufficiently removed' from the matter and is impartial. Neither the person who filed the complaint nor anyone else 'shall have special standing to participate or intervene in the investigation or consideration of the complaint by the Board,' according to the procedures outlined online. Upon reaching a conclusion, the board would issue findings of fact based on the evidence of record presented and conduct a hearing relaying that information. Hearings are open to the public, but deliberations will be conducted in closed session, according to the procedure.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
N.B. mayor goes to Washington, hears U.S. counterparts share tariff concerns
The mayor of Grand Bay-Westfield flew to Washington on Thursday to meet with municipal leaders from the U.S. and Mexico to talk about the mutual negative impacts of the U.S. trade war. "There was a real sense of solidarity in the room," said Brittany Merrifield, who also serves as president of the Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick. Not knowing what to expect, Merrifield said she felt some apprehension before attending what was described as a friendly meeting of neighbours. "I knew that some of the mayors were going to be Republican so I didn't know what kind of messaging they were going to come with," she said. Merrifield speaks to Daniel Rickenmann, mayor of Columbia, S.C., about the negative impacts of tariff threats. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) What transpired was two days of candid accounts from grassroots politicians who said their constituents are already feeling pain from the tariffs and trade uncertainty brought on by the Trump administration. Merrifield found it remarkable because she thought the U.S. mayors were risking political reprisals. "It was actually quite courageous for them to be there," said Merrifield. "I have huge respect for all of these mayors who came under those conditions to do what they feel is right for the people they serve." The delegates, including eight from Mexico, as well as Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and Rebecca Bligh — a Vancouver city councillor and president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — presented a united front at a news conference Friday. It opened with remarks from Andrew Ginther, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Merrifield attended the summit with Dan Murphy, executive director at Union of the Municipalities of New Brunswick. (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) "The story is the same for all of us," said Ginther, after warning that tariffs were expected to add $21,000 US to the median cost of an American home during a housing supply crisis. "All of us are mayors, we are closest to the people we represent," he said. "We understand that politics and partisanship go on in … Washington, but we just care about what's best for our residents, our workers, our companies, the consumers in our cities, and we're going to make our voice heard." Daniel Rickenmann, mayor of Columbia, S.C., said tariffs could have a $3-billion US impact on trade in his state. He said about one in five jobs in South Carolina connects to the auto, aerospace and textile sectors, which are heavily dependent on international trade. "It supports well north of 10,000 jobs just in our community," said Rickenmann. He said metal packaging manufacturer Sonoco, based in South Carolina, was already feeling the impact of Trump's executive order to impose tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian steel and aluminum. The decision by some provinces to pull American alcohol from their shelves is also hitting Kentucky distillery employees, he said. "That's causing major layoffs already," he said. Anticipation of more tariffs The mayors were speaking in anticipation of more tariffs to come. Late Wednesday, Trump said he'd signed an executive order that will impose a 25 per cent import tariff on vehicles not made in the U.S. Although the full implications of the tariff weren't immediately clear, he said the levy will kick in on April 2. "I know that President Trump cares about Michigan," said Bryan Barnett, the mayor of Rochester Hills, Mich. "I need to relay to the Trump administration how important these decisions are to the auto industry and to the state that supported him." Andy Schor, mayor of Lansing, Mich., which is home of two General Motors auto assembly plants, said tariffs will hurt the working class. "We make on average $48,000 US per year," said Schor. "If cars go up anywhere close to $10,000, you're going to have people that cannot afford to buy cars." Schor also noted that mayors from both sides of the political divide were united in their concerns. "To see a mayor, Bryan Barnett of Michigan, leaning Republican, and Andy Schor of Michigan leaning Democrat … all of us coming together, along with our new friends, I think this is something that people are going to stand up and take notice of," said Schor gesturing first to Barnett, then to himself, then to the other mayors in the room.
