logo
ENFRع
#

Latest news with #BenKamisar

Democrats stoke the flames of MAGA world's Epstein saga: From the Politics Desk
Democrats stoke the flames of MAGA world's Epstein saga: From the Politics Desk

Yahoo

time3 days ago

  • Politics
  • Yahoo

Democrats stoke the flames of MAGA world's Epstein saga: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today's edition, Ben Kamisar explores how Democrats have changed their tune on the Jeffrey Epstein files as they try to exploit a divide between President Donald Trump and his base. Plus, Alexandra Marquez and Alex Tabet preview tomorrow's special House primary in Arizona, which is serving as a test for young progressives. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. — Adam Wollner Democrats are echoing criticism from the right of how President Donald Trump and his administration have handled case files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It's a stark reversal for a party that swiftly condemned Trump's unfounded claims about the investigation into the financier and his death nearly six years ago. Democrats have now spent days poking the bear after an administration memo knocked down conspiracy theories related to Epstein's past activities and his suicide in 2019. Democratic lawmakers are demanding that the Trump administration release more documents related to the investigation into Epstein, accusing the president and his allies of either a cover-up or a cynical ploy to exploit conspiracy theories about Epstein for political gain. And Democratic candidates and committees have been fanning the flames as some of Trump's most prominent right-wing supporters threaten a revolt over the issue. With MAGA world seething, key members of his administration at odds and Trump himself on the defense, Democrats are embracing the raw politics of the situation, despite their previous scolding. On social media: The DNC launched a new account on X that posts daily messages reminding its followers that Trump has 'not released the Epstein files.' The account has also reposted Trump-focused, Epstein-related criticism from key social media influencers. On Capitol Hill: Rep. Marc Veasey, D-Texas, announced he would introduce a resolution 'demanding the Trump administration release all files related to the Epstein case.' On the campaign trail: Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who is running for re-election in a state that went red in last year's presidential election, criticized Trump on the issue while invoking the sexual misconduct and abuse allegations against the president and his past social relationship with Epstein. (Trump has denied allegations of sexual misconduct and has denied any impropriety related to Epstein's crimes.) Red more from Ben → Related: Tucker Carlson leads MAGA's worried warriors in questioning Trump, by Allan Smith It's hot election summer — at least according to Democrats who are organizing behind youthful and progressive candidates in a series of off-year primaries. First was Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old state legislator who won New York's Democratic mayoral primary over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (More on that race below.) Now, a special election for a vacant congressional seat in southern Arizona is grabbing attention in part because of a young Democrat's campaign. After Rep. Raúl Grijalva died in March at 77, Deja Foxx, 25, is gaining ground ahead of Tuesday's special Democratic primary in Arizona's 7th District, running on a message of generational change and hoping to leverage support from her almost 400,000 TikTok followers and 240,000 Instagram followers. But she doesn't have a clear path against former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva, the late congressman's daughter and former state Rep. Daniel Hernandez. Grijalva, 54, with endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., doesn't give Foxx the same ideological opening that Mamdani exploited in New York. Not only did Grijalva's father serve the district in Congress for over 20 years, but Hernandez also has siblings who serve in the state House. Still, the race has become part of a broader nationwide conversation among Democrats about the ages of their party's elected leaders and the desire for generational change. In a recent interview, Foxx acknowledged that her age has played a role in her campaign messaging and the support she has drawn from young people across the country. 'We have lost ground with young people as a party for the first time in decades ... and it's not enough to just put our members of Congress on TikTok, right, or brief them on the trends or put mini-mics in their face. We need to give young people real leadership,' Foxx said. Whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely to win September's general special election to represent a stretch from Tucson to the U.S.-Mexico border. Read more from Alexandra and Alex → 🇺🇦 Tough talk: Trump said the U.S. will send weapons to Ukraine through NATO, which will pay for and distribute them, and threatened secondary tariffs targeting Russia if a ceasefire deal isn't reached. Read more → ⚖️ SCOTUS watch: The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move ahead with plans to carry out mass layoffs at the Department of Education that were blocked by a federal judge. Read more → 🗽 Only in New York: Andrew Cuomo announced that he will run for New York City mayor as a third-party candidate after losing to Zohran Mamdani in last month's Democratic primary. Read more → ➡️ Mass deportation fallout: Immigrants in overfilled ICE centers are complaining of hunger, food shortages and spoiled food, detainees and immigration advocates say. Read more → 🪙 Crypto surge: Bitcoin hit a new record price amid bullishness about developments on Capitol Hill and concerns about inflation and the U.S. dollar's declining value. Read more → 👑 Royal visit: Trump will make an unprecedented second state trip to the United Kingdom in September along with first lady Melania Trump. Read more → 👀 2028 watch: Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said on 'Meet the Press' that he will 'take a look' at running for president. Read more → 📺 More from MTP: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said that Trump wants the Federal Emergency Management Association 'remade' rather than dismantled entirely. Read more → Follow live politics updates → That's all From the Politics Desk for now. Today's newsletter was compiled by Adam Wollner and Dylan Ebs. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@ And if you're a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here. This article was originally published on

Democrats are set to make their first big post-election decision: From the Politics Desk
Democrats are set to make their first big post-election decision: From the Politics Desk

NBC News

time31-01-2025

  • Business
  • NBC News

Democrats are set to make their first big post-election decision: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. President Donald Trump's second week in office brought another flood of news that at times felt very similar to his original go-round in the White House, as Kristen Welker writes. But first, we shift gears to what's next for the Democrats, with Ben Kamisar previewing this weekend's race to chair the national party. — Adam Wollner 👀 Weekend outlook: The White House said that Trump would impose a 25% tariff on goods coming to the U.S. from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on those from China on Saturday, a move that could drive up prices for products coming into the U.S. from those countries. Read more → Democrats are set to make their first big post-election decision By Ben Kamisar Democrats are still without a leader after a bruising 2024 election loss. But this weekend they will take their first tangible step to drag themselves forward by choosing the next chairman of the party's national committee. Democratic National Committee members will meet Saturday in National Harbor, Maryland, to vote on a replacement for outgoing chair Jaime Harrison, whom Joe Biden tapped to helm the party during his time in office. The incoming DNC chair will take the reins of the fundraising, spending and staffing plans for an organization that spent just shy of $1 billion the last four years. While the committee helps set the Democrats' message and can serve as a home base for a party out of the White House, whoever wins Saturday's vote will be more in charge of laying groundwork for a Democratic renaissance than leading the party back to power himself. That's why the DNC race has become less of a battle for the soul of the party and more a nuanced debate between front-runners who agree on a lot — and understand that the next chair will need to wade into the nitty-gritty of party-building instead of grabbing headlines. The front-runners: Two Democratic state party chairs from the Midwest are touting the most support from DNC members: Minnesota's Ken Martin and Wisconsin's Ben Wikler. Martin regularly touts how his party-building in Minnesota has coincided with an uninterrupted streak of statewide wins for Democrats since he took over, amid GOP victories in some other Midwestern 'blue wall' states. Wikler has built up permanent campaign infrastructure in battleground Wisconsin and promoted it as a model for the party nationwide. The other contenders: Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who ran for president in 2016, is the only other candidate to tout significant support from DNC members. He's the only major candidate who has been elected to public office. And Faiz Shakir, a longtime adviser to Bernie Sanders, jumped into the race just a few weeks before the election. The process: DNC members' votes aren't made public until after the election, giving ample room for members to change their mind ahead of time. And if no candidate walks into the first ballot with the majority, a multitude of dynamics could determine the eventual winner as the race goes to several rounds of voting. 🔵 Resistance 2.0: Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is offering some of the most direct Democratic pushback yet to the start of Trump's term. Natasha Korecki scoops that he is blocking those who took part in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol from working in state jobs, rejecting Trump's attempt to offer them a clean slate last week in a wave of pardons. How Trump's second week was reminiscent of his first term By Kristen Welker President Donald Trump faced the first national tragedy of his second term and caused widespread confusion with a major policy move this week. Both instances were reminiscent of his first term in office. On Thursday, with the investigation into the deadly collision between a passenger jet and an Army helicopter still in its early stages, Trump took to the White House briefing room to blame the crash on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Asked if he had evidence to support his claims, Trump said, 'It just could have been.' He later also said that he came to that conclusion 'because I have common sense.' The response hearkened back to Trump's first stint in the Oval Office, as he responded to the Covid pandemic. Trump frequently addressed the country at length from the briefing room about his administration's response to the virus, at times contradicting public health officials. In late March 2020, for example, Trump initially said he disagreed with Dr. Anthony Fauci about the effectiveness of a drug that could treat the virus. When my colleague Peter Alexander pressed him on those comments, Trump said his assessment was 'just a feeling.' This week also saw confusion around the Trump administration's attempt to freeze most federal grants and loans. The move prompted questions from agencies and officials, pushback from lawmakers, and legal challenges. The administration eventually rescinded the order. The episode brought to mind another Trump administration order that was issued almost exactly eight years earlier: the so-called travel ban, Trump's executive order blocking citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries. That order also sparked widespread confusion and pushback. A legal battle ensued, and the Trump administration revised the order. The legal fight eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which upheld the travel restriction. We'll delve more into Trump's response to the tragic crash and the attempted spending freeze on Sunday's 'Meet the Press,' where I'll speak to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Mark Kelly, D-Ariz.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store