Latest news with #NBCNews
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Detroit's mayor tries to capitalize on voter disdain for both parties with independent run for governor
With well over a year until the 2026 midterm elections, Democrats and Republicans are already gearing up for expensive fights in House, Senate and governor's races across the country. Enter Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, who is betting that there is a path to becoming Michigan's next governor without embracing either of those party labels. Duggan, a longtime Democrat who has served for over a decade as Detroit's mayor, announced in December that he would run an independent campaign to succeed Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who cannot run for a third term next year. It's an audacious bet, in one of the nation's most tightly divided swing states, that voters who say they are fed up with both parties are ready to back another choice. But while some of the political conditions seem ripe, recent independents running in three-way elections haven't been able to push that sentiment to victory. 'Every place I go, the depth of anger at the two parties runs deep,' Duggan told NBC News in an interview. He said he decided to run as an independent to escape the political expectations that come with serving one party or the other in Lansing, describing the current environment in the state capital as 'toxic.' Michigan currently has a divided state Legislature, with Democrats narrowly controlling the state Senate (and the governorship) while Republicans control the state House after wresting it back from Democrats in 2024. 'Every single conversation in Lansing was, 'Will this bill help me keep the majority?' 'Will this bill help me get the majority?' And nobody was solving any problems,' Duggan said. 'They wanted to create a moment that they could [use to] send out fundraising appeals off of some type of conflict.' Across the country, the appetite for third-party candidates is growing. A recent NBC News analysis found that Americans are increasingly registering to vote as unaffiliated voters, opting not to identify with a political party. Voters hold negative views of both parties, and the Democratic Party earlier this year notched its lowest ratings in 35 years of NBC News polling. Some prominent political figures have sought out a third option, away from both major parties. In the past three years, two former senators — Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — left the Democratic Party and registered as independents. More recently, Elon Musk, a tech mogul and former adviser to President Donald Trump who spent more than a quarter-billion dollars to help him in 2024, posted on X amid a feud with Trump about the appetite for 'a new political party in America that actually represents the 80% in the middle,' though it's unclear how serious Musk was. (Duggan wrote in response to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, 'Now you've got my attention…' alongside a smiley emoji.) That sentiment aside, turning the broad idea of unhappiness with the two parties into actual statewide victory for an independent candidate is difficult, as recent years of elections show. In Oregon, former state Sen. Betsy Johnson mounted a well-funded independent campaign for governor in 2022, at times receiving almost 20% of voters' support in public polling. But on Election Day, Johnson received under 9% of the vote, with Democrat Tina Kotek winning the race. Last year in Nebraska, Navy veteran Dan Osborn ran an independent campaign for Senate that gained national attention. Democrats didn't field a candidate in the race and Osborn lost to incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican, by over 6 points, though he held Fischer well below Trump's margin in the state. In Michigan, Duggan insists that he's received support from voters on both sides of the aisle, saying he's simply offering them a choice outside of the traditional two-party binary. 'This whole evenly divided, Republican and Democrat 'attack each other every two years in an election cycle' isn't working for Michigan, and maybe I give the voters a different choice,' Duggan said. Duggan's presence adds another layer of complexity as both parties gear up for a competitive race. Though Whitmer won her second term by more than 10 points, Michigan is typically a tightly balanced battleground. In 2024, the state backed Trump for president by less than 2 points and Democrat Elissa Slotkin for Senate by an even slimmer margin. Four years earlier, Biden defeated Trump in the Great Lakes State by nearly 3 points. But Democrats and Republicans still have to sort out who their nominees for governor will be, and voters don't head to the polls in the state's primary until August of next year. On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson have launched campaigns to succeed Whitmer. Republican Rep. John James, state Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, former state House Speaker Tom Leonard and former state Attorney General Mike Cox have all jumped into the GOP primary. '[Duggan] announced right at the beginning of the year, which gives him a full two years with no primary to get around the state and tell his story,' Jason Roe, a Republican strategist in Michigan who is not currently working for any gubernatorial candidate, told NBC News. With Democrats and Republicans focused on their own primaries, 'there's really no reward to any of those candidates to attack him,' Roe said, adding: 'And so I think he gets to go around, you know, talking about rainbows and unicorns' without getting attacked. Democrats have targeted Duggan recently, if not in a way many voters would have seen, accusing him of corruption in one digital ad funded by the Democratic Governors Association's Victory Fund in May. 'Duggan is running a self-serving campaign that has no path to victory,' DGA communications director Sam Newton told NBC News in a statement, adding: 'The DGA has beaten attention-grabbing third-party candidates before — and we're confident that we'll do it again in Michigan in 2026.' Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel also slammed Duggan, telling NBC News that the mayor is only running as an independent because he didn't want to run in the Democratic primary. 'I think most of this is about Mike's ego. It was bruised by the fact that he couldn't actually win a Democratic primary,' Hertel said. 'He has very thin skin.' On the other side of the aisle, Republicans haven't yet engaged in formal campaigning against Duggan. But one national Republican strategist noted that the Michigan race is going to be competitive — and expensive — next fall whether Duggan is drawing significant support or not. Roe noted Duggan's popularity in and around Detroit, adding that he's well-liked by Michigan's business leaders. 'People see the business community, the organized business community, migrating to him,' he said. Roe, who lives in the suburban Detroit area, said that Republicans in his area seem particularly attracted to Duggan's campaign as well. But he cautioned against drawing conclusions about Duggan's popularity among partisans until after next year's primary. 'There's a big but here. They don't have a binary choice. They don't know who the Republicans are. They don't know who Democrats are,' he said. Hertel compared Duggan's support now to that of early support for previous independent candidates elsewhere. 'What we've seen, a lot of times, with these independent candidates, is, you know, they get a lot of attention at first, but when we get closer to election time, people make different decisions,' Hertel said. 'Right now it's, 'Well, I know Duggan, and I feel Duggan has done some great stuff in Detroit. No clue about these other people,' right?' Roe said. 'Once there's nominees, and you have three people to choose from, that will likely change.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Millions of years of evolution could be wiped out on 'Galapagos of the Indian Ocean,' conservationists warn
Sitting off the Horn of Africa, the Yemeni island of Socotra was largely left to its own devices for centuries, its few guests arriving to trade for aromatic frankincense, the healing plant aloe and the crimson sap of the dragon's blood tree, used for dyes. Roughly the size of New York's Long Island, Socotra is about 140 miles off the coast of Somalia, a remote location that has allowed a unique ecosystem to flourish. It has a rich array of bird and animal life, and the coral reefs off its shores teem with colorful marine of its 825 plant species cannot be found anywhere else on Earth, according to UNESCO. Some, including conservationist Kay Van Damme, have called it the Galápagos of the Indian Ocean and along with other experts, he is warning that millions of years of evolution on Socotra could be under 'serious threat.' 'Climate change is by far the biggest threat to the island's biodiversity,' Van Damme, who has worked on Socotra for more than two decades, told NBC News in a call last month. 'It is a relatively small island with a predominantly arid climate. Even small additional impacts from climate change can have an outsized effect, putting further pressure on fragile ecosystems.' Prolonged droughts brought on by climate change are compounding damage from devastating cyclones in 2015 and 2018 that destroyed reefs, eroded soil and uprooted rare plants. The island's lifeblood, endemic species of frankincense trees, are also under threat. Four of the 11 recognized species on the island were classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in March. Five were recognized as endangered.'Their decline reflects the wider degradation of terrestrial habitats across the island and the ecosystems they support,' said Van Damme, adding that overgrazing — predominantly from goats — is another significant challenge, leading to habitat degradation and 'leaving behind overmature trees with fewer younger trees to replace them.' Tourism's growing footprint Attracted by Socotra's pristine beaches, turquoise waters and surreal flora, tourists are also placing mounting pressure on the island's fragile ecosystem. While there is only a handful of hotels, mostly in the capital Hadibo, a growing number of tour operators offer luxury camping and 4x4 tours around the island, some of which are packaged as ecotourism. Authorities have agreed to limit the number of tourists to around 4,500 per year, Ali Yahya, a local conservationist and tour operator, said in an interview last month, adding that when it came to 'very sensitive areas in terms of ecosystems, biodiversity and cultural heritage, it's strictly not allowed to build any big buildings or large-scale hotels.' But despite Socotra's UNESCO World Heritage designation — requiring preservation under international agreements — violations occur frequently, another local guide, Abdulraoof al-Gamhi, said in a series of voice and written messages last month. 'Some tourists build fires under dragon blood trees, carve inscriptions into rare trees, leave trash behind them and scare birds with their drones,' he said. But he added that many of the island's residents benefit from tourism and that it is 'very important' for 'tour companies, car owners, drivers, restaurants, hotels and sellers of handcrafts.' Echoing his concerns, Van Damme also said endangered species were 'being killed just for a selfie,' with rare species like chameleons being captured so tourists can take pictures with them. Al-Gamhi also said he expected the number of tourists to rise as more people discover the unique locale, and 'that will put a lot of pressure on our environment.' 'It will be a big challenge,' he added. A cautionary tale Although the Galápagos comparison is often used to celebrate Socotra's biodiversity, it can also serve as a warning, according to Van Damme, who co-authored a 2011 study on human impacts on the island. Since the 19th century, the Galápagos, remote islands some 600 miles off the coast of mainland Ecuador known for their unique flora and fauna, have lost numerous endemic species to habitat disruption, overtourism and invasive species. 'Perhaps Socotran ecosystems,' Van Damme wrote at the time, 'could now be considered as having at least, a similar state of health of those in the Galápagos at the time of [the Ecuadorian islands'] nomination as world heritage site 30 years ago.' He added that Socotra risked a similar fate without 'timely conservation efforts.' 'If we consider the present-day condition in the Galápagos, we might catch a glimpse of Socotra's future, or better, what could happen if trends and threats continue in parallel,' the paper added. That assessment 'turned out to be very predictive,' particularly in terms of climate change, he told NBC News. The Galápagos Islands now host over 250,000 annual visitors, under strict controls including visitor caps, mandatory guides, designated trails and substantial tourism fees, which fund conservation. Socotra needs to implement similar protections before damage becomes irreversible, Van Damme said. Culture and tradition Beyond the environment, there are signs that tourism is also eroding the island's social fabric, according to Yahya, who said there was already a 'cultural shift' among its 60,000 residents, many of whom remain deeply traditional and speak Soqotri, an ancient, unwritten language with pre-Islamic roots. 'International behaviors are influencing locals, and we worry about the erosion of our traditions,' he said, adding that while tourists were welcome, some of them needed to be more respectful. An Instagram picture of a woman posing in a bikini beneath a dragon's blood tree had upset residents of one mountain village, he said, adding that it was seen as highly disrespectful by the conservative residents. Despite the pressures, there are reasons to be positive, Van Damme said, noting that authorities on the island are open to collaboration and local conservation projects are gaining traction. 'Community-led and other ongoing initiatives are vital,' he said. 'As long as they continue, there's genuine hope for the island's future.'
The Intercept
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Intercept
Who's the Real Bully of the Middle East?
A tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Iran announced Monday appears to be holding. President Donald Trump made the announcement after unilaterally dragging the U.S. into the conflict and authorizing strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites using 30,000-pound bunker busters. Israel attacked Iran on June 13, just days before Iran and the U.S. were set to resume talks in Oman over the country's nuclear enrichment program. ' You don't have to be anti-war to understand that diplomacy in this case would've been better,' said Hooman Majd, an Iranian American writer and the author of three books on Iran. Majd is a contributor to NBC News and covered the 2015 Iran deal for the network. This week on The Intercept Briefing, Majd joins host Akela Lacy to discuss what's left of the path to diplomacy after years of sabotage, from Israel's aggressive military posture to Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal. The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aimed to stop Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons development. Majd says that the incentive structure of the deal included increasing transparency, access, and inspections of Iran's nuclear sites and reintegrating the country back into the global economy: What 'Obama recognized was, 'Look, if you guys make this deal with us, your incentive to not build a bomb is very clear. … Inflation will go down. Your people will be happier. The economy won't be suffering the way it is. Sanctions will be lifted. You'll make money from oil sales. We'll have international companies coming and investing in Iran.' In 2018, during his first term, Trump pulled out of the agreement and now, after authorizing military strikes, has obliterated what little trust remained. 'The problem here is that with the Trump administration having once withdrawn from the nuclear deal that was working, and having now agreed to Israel attacking Iran, and then attacking Iran itself — there's no trust in diplomacy anymore on the Iranian side, and that's understandable,' says Hooman. Trump is reportedly set to resume talks with Iran next week. But will the ceasefire hold — given that Israel has repeatedly broken its own truces with other countries, and Trump's own volatility? Is a diplomatic solution still possible? Majd says it may take leaning more into Trump's personal ambitions, 'The only way it could be over, and this is unlikely, is that the U.S. under President Trump makes a deal that makes Mr. Trump, very happy, puts him along the path to his Nobel Peace Prize. And he, who's the only one right now, can prevent Israel from attacking Iran again.' You can hear the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump denies US plan to offer Iran $30bn civilian nuclear deal
Donald Trump strongly rejected media reports that the US considered giving Iran up to $30bn to develop a civilian nuclear energy programme in exchange for halting uranium enrichment. The reports, published by CNN and NBC News this week, cited unnamed officials who claimed discussions had taken place within the Trump administration about a possible deal involving the release of billions in frozen Iranian assets and regional cooperation to support its non-military nuclear development. 'These proposals were preliminary and under consideration,' CNN reported, quoting officials familiar with the discussions. NBC said such ideas marked a dramatic policy shift from Mr Trump's previous position which had seen him abandon during his first term a nuclear agreement with Iran, claiming it provided Tehran with 'a lifeline of cash'. The idea, if pursued, would represent a significant diplomatic opening during a period of heightened tensions in the Middle East. Tehran and Washington were engaged in talks on Iran's nuclear programme until Israel launched a surprise attack on the Islamic Republic earlier this month. The US quickly joined the conflict on Israel's side, bombing three Iranian nuclear sites last weekend. Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, insists its programme is peaceful. The US maintains its objective is to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Mr Trump furiously denied the reports late on Friday. 'Who in the Fake News Media is the Sleazebag saying that 'President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.' Never heard of this ridiculous idea,' he said on his social media platform, Truth Social. 'Just another HOAX put out by the Fake News.' The denial came just days after Mr Trump declared a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, following a deadly regional conflict that began on 13 June when Israeli forces attacked Iran. The conflict had stoked fears of instability across the Middle East, already volatile due to Israel's ongoing war in Gaza since October 2023. After the US struck Iranian nuclear facilities, Iran retaliated by hitting an American base in Qatar on Monday. Iran's health ministry reported 627 civilian deaths from Israeli attacks while Israel claimed 28 fatalities from Iranian strikes. Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, lashed out at Mr Trump on Saturday for what he described as his 'disrespectful and unacceptable' remarks. The rebuke came after Mr Trump claimed credit for saving supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from an 'ugly and ignominious death'. Mr Araghchi warned that if Mr Trump 'is genuine about wanting a deal, he should put aside the disrespectful tone and stop hurting millions of heartfelt supporters' of Khamenei. 'The Great and Powerful Iranian People, who showed the world that the Israeli regime had NO CHOICE but to RUN to 'Daddy' to avoid being flattened by our Missiles, do not take kindly to Threats and Insults,' Mr Araghchi added in a post. His comments came ahead of a state funeral in Tehran for about 60 people, including top military commanders, killed in the conflict with Israel. Meanwhile, in a separate Truth Social post, Mr Trump, appeared to link the diplomatic rift to Iran's rhetoric. 'During the last few days, I was working on the possible removal of sanctions…But no, instead I get hit with a statement of anger, hatred, and disgust,' he said, referring to Mr Khamenei's declaration of victory in the conflict with Israel. 'The sanctions are BITING!' Israel, widely believed to be the only country in the region with nuclear weapons, said it launched its war against Iran to keep it from acquiring similar capabilities. Unlike Iran, Israel is not a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The UN watchdog has stated it has 'no credible indication' that Iran is currently pursuing a nuclear weapons programme.
Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Trump denies reports of $30bn nuclear offer to Iran
US President Donald Trump walks on the day of a "One Big Beautiful" event at the White House in Washington, DC., US, June 26, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article US President Donald Trump dismissed media reports that said his administration had discussed possibly helping Iran access as much as $30 billion to build a civilian-energy-producing nuclear program. CNN reported on Thursday and NBC News reported on Saturday that the Trump administration in recent days had explored possible economic incentives for Iran in return for its government halting uranium enrichment. The reports cited sources. CNN cited officials as saying that several proposals were floated and were preliminary. "Who in the Fake News Media is the SleazeBag saying that 'President Trump wants to give Iran $30 Billion to build non-military Nuclear facilities.' Never heard of this ridiculous idea," Trump wrote on Truth Social late on Friday, calling the reports a "HOAX." Since April, Iran and the US have held indirect talks aimed at finding a new diplomatic solution regarding Iran's nuclear program. Tehran says its program is peaceful and Washington says it wants to ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon. Trump, earlier this week, announced a ceasefire between US ally Israel and its regional rival Iran to halt a war that began on June 13 when Israel attacked Iran. The Israel-Iran conflict had raised alarms in a region already on edge since the start of Israel's war on Gaza in October 2023. The US struck Iran's nuclear sites over the last weekend and Iran targeted a US base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation, before Trump announced the ceasefire. Israel is the only Middle Eastern country widely believed to have nuclear weapons and said its war against Iran aimed to prevent Tehran from developing its own nuclear weapons.
