Latest news with #DebbieWassermanSchultz


New York Post
11 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Jewish Democrats in Congress on edge after Zohran Mamdani's NYC primary win: ‘Huge problem'
Jewish Democrats in Congress are on edge after Zohan Mamdani's party primary win in the race for New York City mayor — calling it a 'huge problem' that he's had an anti-Israel stance while antisemitism is on the rise. The Dems in the US House of Representatives — including former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee Debbie Wasserman Schultz — are uneasy over Mamdani's outward support for the anti-Israel BDS movement and his refusal to condemn the controversial 'globalize the intifada' slogan. 'To not be willing to condemn the term 'globalize the intifada,' it just demonstrates his callous disregard for antisemitism, terrorist activity,' Wasserman Schultz, now a Florida congresswoman, told The Hill newspaper. Advertisement 6 Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani receives the endorsement from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Union at their Manhattan headquarters. Matthew McDermott 'Globalize the intifada' is viewed by many critics to be a rallying cry to terrorize and kill Jews. 'Anyone that I care about couldn't possibly distance themselves from him more,' she added. 'It's really terribly disturbing and potentially dangerous.' Advertisement Mamdani also supports BDS — boycott, divestment and sanctions — against Israel and once said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal. Ohio Rep. Greg Landman, who sports a tattoo written in Hebrew, called Mamdani's election in the city that has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel 'a huge problem.' 6 Jamie Raskin, Sarah Jacobs, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Brad Schneider, Laura Friedman, speak outside the Capital Jewish Museum the afternoon after two Israeli Embassy staff members were shot and killed in Washington, DC, on Thursday, May 22, 2025. Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock 'It is happening in the context of a violent surge in antisemitism,' Landman told The Hill. 'Two Jews murdered here in Washington, D.C., at an event that some of us would have gone to had we not been voting, and then in Boulder, [Colorado] where Jews were set on fire. Advertisement 'And now this. It's definitely something that we're worried about.' President Trump is already targeting Mamdani as a political foil, calling him a 'communist' as Republicans are eager to link Democratic opponents to him in battleground House seats ahead of next year's midterm elections. New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer said in a recent CNN interview, 'Someone who refuses to condemn hate speech is not acceptable. Why would he not condemn antisemitic language?' 6 President Trump has spoken out on Mamdani, calling him a 'communist.' Matthew McDermott Advertisement Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who represents a part of Florida with a large Jewish population, also told The Hill, 'If he can't tell people 'globalizing the intifada' — if he can't say that that's antisemitic, then obviously he's going to continue to add to the problem, not deflate it.' Jewish legislators and Dem leaders from New York have been more muted in their response and the senior member of the House delegation — Manhattan Rep. Jerrold Nadler — endorsed Mamdani after his ranked-choice primary victory over a crowded field of candidates, including ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who he beat 56% to 44%. State Democratic Party chairman Jay Jacobs — a closely ally of Gov. Kathy Hochul who is Jewish and also the Nassau County Democratic leader — has yet to comment on Mamdani's victory. 6 Wasserman Shultz said she was uneasy over Mamdani's support for the anti-Israel BDS movement. Bonnie Cash/UPI/Shutterstock Two Nassau County Democratic congressional representatives in swing districts — Laura Gillen and Tom Suozzi — have distanced themselves from Mamdani. Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Brooklynite who is the highest-ranking Jewish Democrat in Congress, congratulated Mamdani but has stopped short of an endorsement. They all praised him for running a successful campaign that focused relentlessly on affordability. Criticism of his anti-Israel stand didn't hurt his election result in the five boroughs though. Advertisement Rep. Dan Goldman, who represents lower Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn, also stopped short of an endorsement following a meeting with the Democratic nominee. He urged Mamdani to let Jewish New Yorkers know he will fight antisemitism. 6 Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) speaks during a press conference held by members of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on July 20, 2023 in Washington, DC. Getty Images 'I explained why Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe in the City and that, as he continues this campaign, he must not only condemn anti-Jewish hate and calls for violence, but make clear that as Mayor he would take proactive steps to protect all New Yorkers and make us secure,' Goldman said in a statement. The Mamdani campaign had no immediate comment. Advertisement But he has promised during the campaign that he would protect Jews and all New Yorkers and fight to crack down on discrimination. 6 Mamdani has promised during his campaign to fight to crack down on discrimination. Matthew McDermott Mamdani said he would increase funding for hate violence programs from $3 million to $26 million. 'There's no room for antisemitism in this city and this country,' Mamdani said before the primary. Advertisement 'It pains me to be called an antisemite. It pains me to be painted as I'm somehow in opposition to the very Jewish New Yorkers that I know and love and that are such a key part of this city,' he said. On NBC's Sunday 'Meet the Press' program, Mamdani said he doesn't use the phrase 'globalize the intifada' but refused to condemn it. 'I don't believe the role of the mayor is to police speech,' Mamdani said.


Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
CNN praises Trump's successes in stunning U-turn on his record: 'Much better than expected'
CNN anchor Sara Sidner stunned viewers this week by highlighting Donald Trump 's recent wins. The host - who has called out the president in the past - laid out a list of Trump-era successes now taking center stage while interviewing a skeptical congressional democrat Thursday. 'Look, here are some things that have happened. Gas prices down. Economic indicators are decent. Brand new jobs report shows that it's much better than expected, and border crossings are down,' Sidner first told Florida Rep Debbie Wasserman-Schultz during the exchange on CNN News Central. 'And now, Trump's mega-spending bill looks like it's going to be passed by Republicans.' The bill - dubbed the Big Beautiful Bill - has since been passed. Sidner went on to pose a pointed question. 'How do you Democrats fight back against the wins that Trump can tout?' Wasserman-Schultz immediately bristled, firing back: 'Well, it depends how you define wins, Sara,' before launching into a heated tirade against Trump - even pointing out that his bill goes against past promises not to touch Medicaid or Medicare. A meltdown ensued, months after CNN CEO Mark Thompson reportedly demanded a drastic tone-down in anti-Trump rhetoric from staff amid tanking ratings. Sidner appeared to abide, as Wasserman-Schultz refused to acknowledge Trump's recent wins. 'I mean, the way I can summarize this - this big, ugly bill best is, Republicans caved, Trump lied, and people will die,' Wasserman-Schultz said. 'This bill does kick 17 million people off of their health care. 'That's people who are on Medicaid, who are extremely vulnerable, like veterans and the elderly, the disabled and children.' Forecasting people going hungry due to incoming cuts to nutrition assistance, the congresswoman declared: 'This is a bill that is going to cause tremendous pain.' She maintained the bill 'is incredibly unpopular with the public' due to it stripping away things she said 'ensure that [Americans] can remain healthy and safe. 'And that their families can be cared for, and that they can have a middle class lifestyle.' The final version of the bill is set to strip funding from the federal health insurance programs over the next 10 years - a prospect progressives have painted as a means to give tax cuts to billionaires. Wasserman-Schultz, 58, made that claim as well, telling Sidner: 'This bill is all in service to taking care of the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans. 'It explodes the deficit, and it raises the debt ceiling by $5 trillion to give tax breaks to the wealthy.' The congresswoman then turned to the jobs report, which she refused to accept at face value. A stronger-than-expected 147,000 jobs was added to the US economy in June, Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Thursday revealed - statistics Wasserman-Schultz argued were misleading. 'That jobs report you just mentioned, the overwhelming majority of those jobs are actually government jobs and education jobs that look to be more like substitute teachers,' Wasserman-Schultz said, despite an almost identical amount being added to industries like health care, leisure, and hospitality 'There are really not many jobs in that jobs report that they can point to that are in the private market. She concluded by branding the report 'hollow', not addressing Trump's successes along the Southern Border. Crossings there have dropped to levels not seen in decades, numbers released Thursday showed. On Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed the bill late Thursday by a vote of 218 to 214 - a vote Wasserman-Schultz said was purposely being done 'in the dead of night [so] people don't know what's going on.' Sidner then asked if Democrats had a strategic response for midterms next year. She said the party will continue to call attention to rural hospitals and nursing homes closing and approved tax cuts for a group she framed as 'the wealthiest, most fortunate Americans.' 'It's an abomination, and they will pay for it at the ballot box next year when Democrats take the majority back because people are going to rebel.' Sidner, 53, then changed the subject, pivoting to Trump's promised Alligator Alcatraz in Wasserman-Schultz's home state. 'It's an outrage, an abomination. It is going to upend and waste hundreds of billions of dollars that we've already spent on Everglades restoration. 'It should be abandoned immediately,' she said. Sidner ended the segment there, not offering any opinion on the matter. Unlike Sidner, who simply reported the news, Collins played a supercut on The Source Monday that honed in on the president's repeated promises to avoid such cuts. Last week, Collins and Trump had a testy back-and-forth during a press conference at a NATO summit in the Netherlands, where Trump ripped CNN as 'fake news CNN'. They also had a heated exchange aboard Air Force One last month, after Collins floated a series of questions about the conflict between Israel and Iran. Sidner, in May, stood up against Trump as well, during a fiery exchange with Congressman Pat Harrigan (R-NC) over the president's comments defending his tariffs. 'Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30,' Trump has said - leading Sidner to take issue. 'Congressman, would your constituents think it's funny to tell them to stop buying things and to stop buying dolls for their children while the economy is in a decline?' Sidner said after Harrigan laughed off one of her questions. She also pressed the congressman on April's more lackluster job report, which June's appeared to address. 'You think the economy is good even though the GDP has actually receded for the first time in many years?' she asked, months after calling out the conservative for his complaints about Democratic rhetoric amid the ongoing threats across Springfield, Ohio, following his 'eating the pets' claims. A few weeks before, last July, Sinder chided Trump for calling Kamala Harris 'real garbage.' Trump has been at odds with CNN since his first term, repeatedly slamming its coverage since.


Bloomberg
03-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Trump Tax Bill Hits Roadblock in the House
"Balance of Power: Late Edition" focuses on the intersection of politics and global business. On today's show, Representative French Hill (R) Arkansas discusses what he expects to happen tonight in the House on the tax bill. Greta Peisch, Former General Counsel to the Office of the US Trade Representative during the Biden Administration, talks about President Trump striking a trade deal with Vietnam. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) Florida voices her frustrations over the Trump tax bill and her thoughts on Florida's new migrant facility. (Source: Bloomberg)


Bloomberg
02-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Rep. Wasserman Schultz on Tax Bill, 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) Florida voices her frustrations over the Trump Tax Bill discussing various reasons why she doesn't support the legislation, from cuts to Medicaid, potentially increasing the US deficit, and decreasing nutrition assistance. She also talks about the new migrant facility in Florida and why she doesn't support it. Representative Wasserman Schultz speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg's "Balance of Power." (Source: Bloomberg)


Forbes
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Debbie Wasserman Schultz Says Trump-Backed Big Beautiful Bill ‘Will Kill People'
On "Forbes Newsroom," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) slammed the Big Beautiful Bill, lambasting Republicans who support it as willing "to have a lot of people die," and gave her take on Speaker Johnson's ongoing attempt to win enough support to pass it by President Trump's favored July 4th deadline. Watch the full interview above.