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Politico
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Appeals court blocks Newsom's bid to reclaim control of National Guard from Trump
A federal appeals court has indefinitely blocked an effort by California Gov. Gavin Newsom to reclaim control of the National Guard troops President Donald Trump deployed to Los Angeles following unrest related to immigration enforcement. The three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously that Trump appeared to have acted within his authority when he took control of 4,000 California National Guard troops under a law that has never been invoked without the consent of a state governor. Despite a debate over the level of violence accompanying the protests, the judges — two appointed by Trump and one by President Joe Biden — concluded that the law gives Trump enormous latitude to determine that the protests and related violence were interfering with execution of federal law. The judges said there are limits to the president's ability to call up the Guard, but there was enough evidence of civil unrest and danger to federal officials to justify Trump's actions. The ruling indefinitely sets aside a decision by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who last week issued a temporary restraining order against Trump's deployment of the Guard. Breyer is scheduled to hold another hearing in the case on Friday to consider Newsom's request for a longer-term block of both the Guard deployment and Trump's subsequent deployment of 700 Marines. The three judges on the panel were Trump appointees Mark Bennett and Eric Miller and Biden appointee Jennifer Sung. All three appeared skeptical of Newsom's position during oral arguments on Tuesday. Their Thursday night order was issued on a 'per curiam' basis, which means no judge was identified as the author of the opinion. Newsom, a Democrat, could ask a larger, 11-judge panel of the appeals court to take up the issue or seek emergency relief from the Supreme Court. Despite ultimately ruling for Trump, all three judges flatly rejected his administration's claim that the courts had no role in reviewing his call-up of the military to Los Angeles. Had Trump's call-up been 'obviously absurd or made in bad faith,' they said, courts would clearly have a role in assessing it. However, the appeals court said a line of legal precedents dating to the early 19th century indicated that the court's review of Trump's decision should be 'especially deferential' and that the president's orders should be upheld if they reflect 'a colorable assessment of the facts and law within a 'range of honest judgment.'' Newsom and his attorneys argued that Trump's involvement of the National Guard was likely to fuel more anger from protesters and inflame an already tense situation on the streets of L.A. But the appeals judges said those concerns were too remote to entitle the state to an order reversing Trump's action. 'California's concerns about escalation and interference with local law enforcement, at present, are too speculative. We do not know whether future protests will grow due to the deployment of the National Guard,' the court wrote. 'And we do not know what emergencies may occur in California while the National Guard is deployed.' There are signs that the protests and altercations with authorities have actually diminished in the days since the deployment. After imposing a curfew in downtown L.A last week, Mayor Karen Bass eased the curfew Monday and lifted it on Tuesday. The 9th Circuit judges also concluded that a technical aspect of the law — a requirement that Trump issue his order to call up the Guard 'through' Newsom — was not violated, even though the order was delivered to Newsom's subordinate. Even if it were a violation, they added, it wouldn't justify Breyer's ruling to rescind the order altogether. The appeals court panel had put a temporary hold on Breyer's ruling shortly after he issued it — an administrative measure to give the panel time to hear arguments. The decision Thursday grants the Trump administration's request to keep the hold in place as litigation proceeds. While it's not a final ruling on the legality of Trump's deployment order, by the time those issues are resolved by another panel of the appeals court, the Guard deployment could be over and the dispute could be moot.
Politico
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Divergent focuses for Cuomo, Mamdani in the NYC mayoral race's final sprint
NEW YORK — The final, frenzied sprint in New York City's Democratic primary for mayor featured Andrew Cuomo homing in on Zohran Mamdani's refusal to condemn the phrase 'globalize the intifada' and Mamdani blasting the millions of dollars Michael Bloomberg has poured into a pro-Cuomo super PAC. In campaign stops Thursday, the rivals both name-checked the billionaire former mayor, who has contributed $8.3 million to the pro-Cuomo PAC in an effort to blunt Mamdani's momentum. Mamdani slammed the spending as an affront to democracy. Cuomo praised Bloomberg for taking a stand. 'Michael Bloomberg has sought to buy elections before. He spent an unbelievable amount of money when he ran for president,' Mamdani told reporters at an Astoria, Queens, bar. 'It's to fulfill the vision that he shared with New Yorkers many years ago: that this city should be a luxury product. And what we want this city to be is a city for working- and middle-class people.' Cuomo acknowledged Bloomberg's endorsement but devoted more pointed attention to Mamdani's recent remarks about the 'globalize the intifada' phrase, which many Jews view as a call to violence against them. Mamdani is not being criticized for using the phrase, but for his response when asked to opine on it. 'He happens to be a billionaire. Good for him. He also happens to have been a highly successful mayor of New York City,' Cuomo said of Bloomberg during a campaign stop in the Co-op City section of the Bronx. 'Mr. Bloomberg is also concerned, as are many Jewish New Yorkers, about statements that Mr. Mamdani has made. You know, when you say 'globalize the intifada,' that is basically repugnant to the Jewish community and is basically inciting violence.' With the June 24 primary just around the corner and early voting already underway, several candidates for the Democratic nomination crisscrossed the city on the Juneteenth holiday. Brad Lander, a third candidate who enjoyed a recent breakthrough with his arrest by federal immigration officials, continued his push to stay in the conversation. But he stepped gingerly into the 'intifada' debate, trying to inject nuance into the flashpoint topic. 'I don't like the phrase 'globalize the intifada,'' Lander, who is Jewish, told reporters after voting in Park Slope, Brooklyn. 'Some people, when they say it, they might mean 'fight for the rights of Palestinians,' but I'll tell you, all I can hear is 'open season on Jews.'' Lander, the city comptroller who has cross-endorsed with Mamdani under the city's ranked-choice voting system, also defended the democratic socialist. 'We do not agree on everything about Israel and Palestine, but I do believe that he will protect Jewish New Yorkers and our rights,' he said. 'And I was proud to rank him second.' Mamdani, a critic of Israel's military offensive in Gaza, was asked this week if the phrase, which has become a rallying cry for some pro-Palestinian protesters, made him uncomfortable. He did not condemn or reject it and was asked again about it Thursday. 'These words have different meanings for many different people,' Mamdani said, repeating his vow to combat antisemitism. 'I've been clear that any incitement to violence is something that I'm in opposition to, and that the use of any language to that end is clearly something that I oppose.' In recent days, Mamdani has also discussed threats he's faced over the course of his campaign, often for being Muslim. On Thursday, his campaign released a statement saying the NYPD is investigating a car bomb threat against him. In the statement, Mamdani said the threat 'is not surprising after millions of dollars have been spent on dehumanizing, Islamophobic rhetoric designed to stoke division and hate.' Recent polls put Mamdani, a state lawmaker, in second place behind Cuomo. Lander has placed third in recent polling. Mamdani said his surge just behind Cuomo is what's motivating Bloomberg's largesse — and that it highlights Cuomo's alignment with the wealthy. He also pointed to the NYPD's post-9/11 surveillance of Muslims under Bloomberg, including at mosques and schools. 'I am very critical of their limited vision as to who belongs in New York City and who is worthy of support and who is worthy of suspicion,' he said. While Cuomo and the super PAC backing him have focused many of their attacks on Mamdani's views around Israel, Cuomo has also called into question his experience. Mamdani, who's 33, has rebutted those broadsides by pointing to Cuomo's own record, including sexual harassment allegations that the former governor has denied and his handling of Covid. Cuomo continued to hammer away at Mamdani's relatively light resume Thursday. 'Mayor of New York, you need to have experience, you need to have credentials,' he said. 'You need to have had a job where you managed something before, right?'
Politico
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
GOP lawmaker says he was ‘run off the road' by man with Palestinian flag
Rep. Max Miller said on Thursday that he was 'run off the road' by an aggressor with a Palestinian flag in his home state of Ohio, drawing condemnations from across the aisle. The Ohio Republican recounted the incident in a post to his account on X on Thursday afternoon, saying that a driver ran his car off the road and threatened the congressmember and his family, before he 'proceeded to show a Palestinian flag' and drove away. 'The deranged hatred in this country has gotten out of control. Today I was run off the road in Rocky River, and the life of me and my family was threatened by a person who proceeded to show a Palestinian flag before taking off,' Miller wrote in the post, saying that he had filed a police report with both the Capitol Police and the local Ohio station. 'We know who this person is and he will face justice,' Miller added but did not identify the alleged assailant. Miller, who is Jewish and is a self-described 'staunch defender of Israel,' decried the incident as an act of antisemitism. 'We will not hide,' Miller said in a video appended to the post. 'And I will continue to fight against antisemitism, Islamophobia and all other forms of hate.' The incident comes as tensions run high amid an increasing number of politically motivated attacks across the political spectrum. Just last weekend, two Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses were shot in their homes, leaving two dead and two seriously injured. House Democratic leadership was quick to denounce the incident, tying it to a 'rise in political violence' in the country. 'We condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Congressman Max Miller and his family and are thankful they are safe,' the statement by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar read. 'The rise in political violence in this country is unacceptable.'
Politico
9 hours ago
- Climate
- Politico
As New York mayor's race heats up, Cuomo warns of inadequate weather plans
NEW YORK — The New York City mayoral race is heating up – literally. With temperatures predicted to hit 100 degrees on Election Day, front-runner Andrew Cuomo is anxious to get his voters into polling sites — and he's demanding better preparation from city officials. Cuomo, the Democratic frontrunner in the tightening race, posted on X, 'The steps outlined to meet the heat at polling locations are not sufficient. Water must be passed out and A/C systems must be installed to ensure that people who are voting can do so in a cool and comfortable environment.' The city Board of Elections' heat plan 'is insufficient, it's unacceptable,' Cuomo spokesperson Jason Elan said. 'We've been clear that the city should be distributing water on site, and that they would be installing a/c systems to make sure that everybody who wants to can make their voice heard on election day.' The former governor has reason to be concerned about turnout next Tuesday: His anticipated victory relies upon robust support from older voters, who are more susceptible to dangerous heat conditions. Board of Elections spokesperson Vincent Ignizio declined to comment on the Cuomo's campaign complaint. The board emphasized its preparation for the heat wave, releasing a statement earlier Thursday that staffers are finding fans for poll sites without air conditioning, 'ensuring a steady supply of water' and pledging a continuous supply of electricity, given the increased possibility of power outages. Ignizio couldn't say Thursday how many of the city's 1,213 poll sites lack air conditioning since the board's 'site-by-site assessment' was ongoing. Contingency plans are in place to keep voting going through power outages, he added. And the board doesn't expect any voters having to wait in long lines, whether indoors or out. 'Our anticipation is that there is ample amount of bandwidth in the system to accommodate the voting,' he said. There are just as many poll sites for the local primary as there were for the presidential election last year, which had roughly triple the turnout expected for the race to replace Mayor Eric Adams. Cuomo was the first candidate to publicly raise concerns about the heat wave. On Wednesday, he called on Mayor Eric Adams' administration to guarantee every poll site is 'cool, comfortable and accessible,' and ensure bottled water is provided to every voter. The former governor is running on his experience and take-charge attitude, and has taken digs at Adams' management. In a statement, City Hall spokesperson Kayla Mamelak Altus deferred to the Board of Elections, adding that it's an independent agency. 'As Andrew Cuomo should know, elections are managed by the New York City Board of Elections – an independent body, separate from the Adams administration,' she said. 'Mayor Adams believes that all New Yorkers should exercise their democratic right to vote, and we are coordinating closely with the New York City Board of Elections in advance of Tuesday's forecasted heat to monitor for impacts.' Cuomo isn't the only candidate with concerns. 'It's going to be blazing hot,' mayoral candidate Brad Lander said Thursday after casting his vote early. 'Let's make sure now that the air conditioning is working in every polling site, and let's make sure it's on in advance.' 'I do not have confidence that Eric Adams' administration will do it,' Lander added. Hot temperatures hurting Cuomo's vote total has been the subject of jokes from supporters of Zohran Mamdani. Cuomo's leading rival has a highly motivated base of younger voters who may be more likely to vote early, or to show up Tuesday despite the weather. 'Someone's worried about the old turnout Make it HOTTER!!!' leftist podcast host Stylianos Karoldis posted on X, referring to Cuomo. 'Praying to God it's a temperature only people under 45 can withstand,' he added. Mamdani's campaign is taking a more sober view. 'We're concerned about the health and safety of every voter, and want people to take every precaution,' spokesperson Andrew Epstein said. That includes the campaign's 'tens of thousands' of volunteers who will be standing outside poll sites as well, The campaign is preparing with pop-up tents, snacks, water and 'a lot of very specific guidance to canvassers to dress appropriately for the heat, to take breaks,' Epstein said. The National Weather Service is predicting a high near 94 Tuesday, with the heat index potentially exceeding 100 degrees at times, calling it 'a true summertime hot and humid regime.' Accuweather is also predicting that the high Tuesday could break the New York City record for June 24 of 96 degrees, set in 1888. Later that year, New Yorkers elected 30-year-old Tammany Hall favorite Hugh Grant, the youngest mayor in the city's history. Hoping to hold off the 33-year-old Mamdani, Cuomo's pushing his supporters to vote early, through Sunday, when temperatures will be merely hot, and not yet miserable. 'While it's hot out in New York today, it's only going to get hotter,' Cuomo's campaign wrote in an email to supporters Thursday. 'So please, vote today, and encourage everyone you know to vote now to avoid next week's extreme heat.' Voting rights advocates are pushing the same message. 'I don't ever remember a primary or any election day in New York state being remotely this hot,' said Perry Grossman, director of the Voting Rights Project at the New York Civil Liberties Union. 'My strong message to everybody is: early vote. Whether it's today, tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, it's gonna be a little bit cooler. Take advantage of it.' Joe Anuta contributed reporting
Politico
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Wes Moore accuses Trump of ‘a lack of seriousness' in dealing with Iran
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a combat veteran who led troops in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan, accused President Donald Trump of displaying 'a lack of seriousness' in dealing with the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. 'As someone who has worn this uniform, and you know, along with my fellow service members risked my life in defense of this country, to see such a free-wheeling conversation about issues of life and death is disappointing,' Moore said in an interview Thursday. Moore's comments come a day after Trump said at the White House that he delivered an 'ultimate ultimatum' to leaders in Tehran about disarming their nuclear program while also telling reporters 'I may do it, I may not do it' with regard to the U.S. striking Iran's nuclear sites. On Thursday, the White House said Trump will make a decision on whether to strike Iran within two weeks. Moore, seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party and a potential 2028 presidential contender, emphasized the huge stakes at play in the ongoing and escalating Mideast conflict. 'These are serious issues and these are very serious times,' Moore said. 'The lack of seriousness that is surrounding these conversations, the whole 'will I-won't I' playing games is not helpful to this larger conversation. … These are people's lives on the line.' The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The first-term governor has been sharpening his critiques of the Trump administration after previously saying he was 'not the leader of the resistance.' Moore had previously railed against the Trump administration's issuing pink slips to federal workers and said those moves posed a threat to the nation's national security and global competitiveness. Moore's comments come as the nation is observing Juneteenth, a federal holiday that marks the official end of slavery in the nation and a day where the governor unveiled a series of actions, including one that makes some 7,000 people convicted for simple cannabis possession eligible for pardon. The nation's only Black governor, who is up for reelection in 2026, has been criticized by some in his party over a decision to veto a reparation's bill passed by Maryland's Democratic-controlled state Legislature. The measure called for a yearslong study of race-based inequality in the state. Recently, Moore has been raising his national profile ahead of a potential bid for the White House — even as he continues to publicly deny he's running. He was in early primary state South Carolina last month delivering a brief speech at Rep. Jim Clyburn's annual fish fry, and also served as the keynote speaker at a South Carolina Democratic Party dinner and fundraiser — both must-attend events for Democratic White House hopefuls. In early May, Moore traveled to Pennsylvania, one of the nation's most important swing states, to deliver a commencement address at Lincoln University, a historically Black college, while also appearing on 'The View.' In March, he served as the headliner at the annual Gridiron Club dinner. When asked Thursday whether his time in South Carolina changed his mind about launching a presidential run, he responded: 'The reception was very good. And I'm still not running.'
