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The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
New Top Oversight Democrat: Stephen Miller ‘biggest piece of s—‘ in US
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the newly elected top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, laid into White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller Thursday over his support for President Trump's robust immigration crackdown. 'Stephen Miller is doing what he loves to do, which is be essentially the biggest piece of s— in this country,' Garcia said in an appearance on the Pod Save America podcast. 'Stephen Miller should be ashamed for the way he's acting. I can't even believe he's from our state, which actually makes me more, uh, more, more sick,' he told host Jon Favreau. The California lawmaker went further, warning the American dream is being 'ripped away' from immigrants through continued raids and deportations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as well as large-scale arrests and subsequent protests. In response to the initiative, hundreds in California, Texas, New York and beyond have taken to the streets to demonstrate against Trump's mass deportation agenda. Garcia encouraged individuals to attend the non-violent demonstrations while lawmakers continue to fight what he called injustices in court. 'We've got to continue winning in the courts, and that's going to continue,' the lawmaker said. 'And the other piece of it, people's reaction, the protesting, the anger, the rising up against these actions also is having an effect. And you're seeing that, I mean, what's happening in LA, which was widely, as you know, mostly peaceful.' The president and White House have contended that the demonstrations, primarily those in Los Angeles earlier this month, could put ICE agents in danger. In response, the president authorized the deployment of National Guard soldiers and Marines to California to quell the unrest. 'Yes, there were some incidents of violence we denounced as we get that, but widely peaceful,' Garcia continued on the podcast. 'The protests are energizing the population and the public to stand up against us, and we are seeing the impact it's having on the Republicans electorally.' He added, 'I mean, Trump's immigration numbers have never been as low as they are right now because they're seeing what he wants to do implemented across the country.' The administration has also touted record low border encounters in recent weeks, citing border security policies implemented when Trump returned to the Oval Office. 'In the last 24 hours the Border Patrol encountered a total of 95 illegal aliens across the entire southern border. That is the lowest number EVER recorded,' border czar Tom Homan wrote in a statement on social platform X. 'To continue this great work and make it more permanent, we need the Big Beautiful Bill passed so we can finish the job, to include the biggest deportation operation the American people voted for,' he added, citing the massive reconciliation package currently making its way through the Senate. Republicans have just a week to get the tax and spending bill to Trump's desk before a self-imposed July 4 deadline — but that timeline has faced some road bumps due to internal divisions over cuts and the Senate parliamentarian's latest decisions.
The Hill
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Ex-Obama aide: ‘Insane' to think Cuomo better than Democratic socialist
Former Obama aide Dan Pfeiffer said it is 'insane' to think former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is better than a democratic socialist amid the race for New York City mayor. During a Tuesday episode of 'Pod Save America,' Pfeiffer said support for Cuomo from the Democratic Party establishment 'is really unforgivable.' 'Like this isn't — you're not doing it for another good Democrat,' Pfieffer continued. 'You're doing it for someone that the entire Democratic Party leadership, including the president of the United States at the time, wanted to resign from the governorship because he sexually harassed 11 women, he abused his power, involved in this nursing home scandal, and everyone's getting behind that?' 'You would rather — the idea that we are more scared about a democratic socialist as the mayor of New York, than Andrew Cuomo, with his record of corruption and sexual harassment, is insane to me,' he added. State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who is a democratic socialist, has seen his star in the mayor's race rise in the last few weeks as he has battled it out with Cuomo in the Democratic primary, which takes place Tuesday Mamdani was found to be almost even with Cuomo in the Democratic primary for mayor and went past him in the final round of a ranked-choice simulation in a poll released Monday. Cuomo, however, is still coming into Tuesday's race as the likely favorite and recently nabbed an endorsement from influential Congressional Black Caucus member Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) 'Shocker that the pod people continue to show the world that they're out of touch and don't know what they're talking about. Five DAs looked at that discredited AG report — which a judge has ruled as hearsay — and they found not there,' Rich Azzopardi, a Cuomo spokesperson, said in likely reference to a report from New York state Attorney General Letitia James (D) that found the former governor 'sexually harassed a number of current and former New York State employees.' 'As far as the nursing home situation, Biden's DOJ IG investigated and found that it was Trump appointees who corruptly misused DOJ resources to go after New York because it was campaign fodder in the 2020 election.'
Politico
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
The new media strategy scrambling the New York mayor's race
LEFT AND CENTER — Just a few short months ago, Zohran Mamdani was languishing in the polls, with one February survey of the New York City mayor's race placing his support at 1%. Today, on the eve of Tuesday's Democratic primary, that same pollster released a survey that suggests he could be the next mayor of America's largest city. That Mamdani has gone from being a virtual unknown to cementing himself as the clear closest challenger to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a crowded Democratic field is a remarkable story of campaigning in the age of social media. The 33-year-old democratic socialist dominated the online universe for months, producing slick videos for TikTok and X, appearing on everything from morning shows to a dedicated menswear podcast. He even had New York's quintessential downtown-cool publicist sign up to work for the campaign for free. But as Mamdani attempts to close the deal, he'll need to prove that he can appeal to more than just young, college-educated progressives. That makes his candidacy a test for the left in how to expand beyond the progressive bubble and win in a broader city electorate that moved well to the right in 2024. Eric Adams, New York's current mayor who won with a centrist coalition, is running in the general election as an independent. Mamdani's media strategy in the closing weeks of the campaign has subtly shifted in an effort to broaden his appeal. He's continued to do longform interviews with popular podcasters and leftist streamers like Hasan Piker, along with members of the city's abundant hothouse of new media. But, along with the more traditional staples of campaigning for mayor, he's now spending the crucial final days of the campaign talking to national — and center-left — podcasts like The Bulwark, Pod Save America and Derek Thompson, one of the co-authors of the new book Abundance. The Bulwark was founded by Never-Trump Republicans. Pod Save America features veterans of the Obama administration. And Thompson's book Abundance, which he co-authored with New York Times columnist Ezra Klein, has sparked anger among parts of the American left who see it as anti-union, among other complaints. Thompson introduced Mamdani as someone with 'very different politics on a range of issues' from him and pressed him on some of his major policy goals like freezing the rent for New York's tenants in rent controlled buildings or a pilot program of city-owned grocery stores. In turn, Mamdani talked about why government needs to be efficient in order to get people to believe in it, a major theme of Abundance and how he's evolved on questions like 'defund the police' from 2020 to now. It hasn't always worked to Mamdani's benefit. On The Bulwark's podcast, host Tim Miller asked about the phrase 'globalize the intifada' and whether it makes him uncomfortable, to which Mamdani replied: 'To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights. The very word [intifada] has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it's a word that means struggle.' The answer sparked a round of controversy, given that a common interpretation of the phrase is that it's an appeal towards global political violence, often against Jews, in the name of Palestinian rights. The major Cuomo-supporting Super PAC and Cuomo allies hammered him for his answer. Mamdani has had to answer questions on it since and tried to clean up his remarks somewhat on the Brian Lehrer show on WNYC — another serious-minded medium that appeals broadly to center-left New Yorkers — earlier today. Mamdani's experience in the race has served as an example of the possibilities for the progressive movement in an age of new media, but also the drawbacks. Anti-establishment figures like Mamdani who are willing to sharply criticize the traditional ways government functions can find purchase online, driving up engagement and name recognition. But attempts to broaden that coalition — such as drawing in more 'normie' Democrats who historically make up much of the Democratic primary electorate in New York City — can carry risks. The very same positions that can make someone a social media star can make them unappealing to the majority of people who show up to the polls. At a recent rally at the music venue Terminal 5 on Manhattan's West Side, Mamdani told the raucous crowd that 'to everyone who pulls me aside to whisper with the best intentions: 'You have already won,' I am sorry, but the days of moral victories are over.' The thousands of assembled onlookers screamed their support. If he's proven correct after ranked choice tabulations — in the primary, New Yorkers can rank up to five candidates in order of preference, and tabulations occur a week after the first round is reported — it will mean he's expanded well beyond his narrow lane. If not, it will suggest that a push to court the center-left through expanding the aperture of media appearances is limited in what it can accomplish. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at cmchugh@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @calder_mchugh. What'd I Miss? — Iran targets US air base in Qatar in apparent retaliatory strike: A U.S. air base in Qatar was attacked today by ballistic missiles fired from Iran in what appears to be a retaliatory strike, the Pentagon said.'Al Udeid Air Base was attacked by short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles originating from Iran today,' the Defense Department said in a statement. 'At this time, there are no reports of U.S. casualties.' — Oil prices tumble as Iran attack avoids crude infrastructure: Oil prices fell sharply this afternoon following an Iran attack against U.S. military bases in Qatar and Iraq in what was seen as a symbolic move that did not disrupt the supply of Middle Eastern crude into the global market. Prices tumbled below $70 a barrel, down more than $5 from the day before when the U.S. military action against Iran's nuclear facilities drove prices higher. President Donald Trump, who had campaigned on lower energy costs, had taken to his Truth Social account earlier today to warn against higher oil prices amid the Middle East conflict, saying 'I'M WATCHING!' Iran said it fired the same number of bombs against the base — avoiding Qatar neighborhoods — as the U.S. dropped in a weekend bombing of three Iranian nuclear facilities. The move was interpreted as an attempt to ratchet down hostilities, and as fears that Iran would target the Strait of Hormuz and oil infrastructure in the region dissipated. — White House tries to find messaging balance on Trump's regime change comment: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to explain President Donald Trump's comment suggesting he's open to regime change in Iran today, saying that the president 'believes the Iranian people can control their own destiny.' In an interview with Fox and Friends, Leavitt said, 'If the Iranian regime refuses to come to a peaceful, diplomatic solution, which the president is still interested and engaging in by the way, why shouldn't the Iranian people take away the power of this incredibly violent regime that has been suppressing them for decades?' — Florida asks Supreme Court to let it enforce state illegal immigration law: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed an emergency appeal with the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a state immigration law that recently landed him in contempt of court. The law makes it illegal for an undocumented immigrant to enter Florida. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams put the law on hold in April, predicting it would eventually be found unconstitutional. Now, Uthmeier wants the Supreme Court to stay her order as the case makes its way through appeal, saying Williams' decision 'inflicts irreparable harm on Florida and its ability to protect its citizens from the deluge of illegal immigration.' — Supreme Court OKs rapid deportations to countries where immigrants have no ties: The Supreme Court today cleared the way for the Trump administration to swiftly deport foreigners to countries where they have no previous ties. The justices lifted an order from a federal judge in Boston who had placed restrictions on the deportations to those countries. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy had issued a nationwide injunction that required the administration to give immigrants 'meaningful' advance notice and a chance to raise objections before they are sent to so-called third countries — nations not specified in their original deportation orders. But the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration's emergency request to put Murphy's injunction on hold. The high court's majority offered no explanation for its ruling, but all three of the court's liberal justices dissented. AROUND THE WORLD LOW EXPECTATIONS — The outbreak of open conflict between Israel and Iran — and the U.S. decision to join the attacks — has further dampened Ukraine's already low expectations of what it might be able to get out of this week's NATO summit. Leaders of the alliance, seeking to avoid a blowup with President Donald Trump, have sought for weeks to focus more on upping the alliance's spending commitments rather than Kyiv's plight or its future in the group. That's a significant shift from the group's approach for most of the time since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy intends to attend the two-day summit, which starts Tuesday, and hopes to meet with Trump, but a meeting isn't confirmed, according to a person who speaks regularly with the Ukrainian government, granted anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic discussions. While such meetings usually come together at the last minute, the focus on Iran could make that less likely to happen. In the days leading up to the summit, it was not clear whether Zelenskyy would participate amid fears that the visit wouldn't be worth his time without a guarantee of significant American face time. RETURN FROM EXILE — The exiled son of Iran's last shah today offered himself up as interim leader to take over running the country, as he called on the West to give its full-throated backing to regime change. Reza Pahlavi, whose supporters style him as the 'Crown Prince of Iran,' appealed to the international community to help the Iranian people force out Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his religious dictatorship. In part that requires military action to dismantle the regime's apparatus of terror but it also needs practical steps to support opposition groups with better internet and communications, as well as backing for mass strikes, Pahlavi told POLITICO in an interview in Paris today. He offered an amnesty to those working inside the state machinery who defect and help to bring it down, 'provided that they commit now to join with the people.' A new 'secure platform' is being set up for dissidents and internal opponents to coordinate their efforts to overthrow the dictatorship and help bring about a 'free and democratic' society, he said. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP DISAPPEARING ACT — How far would you go to protect your personal information? As data breaches become more common and new technologies can track everything from what floor you're on in a building to how long you look at a product in stores, those who can afford it are investing in more extreme security measures. Clients of HavenX, a privacy management firm, pay tens of thousands monthly to stay off the grid by sustaining a network of aliases, decoy addresses, and multiple phone numbers. Benjamin Wallace writes on the costs and sacrifices of keeping your information offline for The Atlantic. Parting Image Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Handcuffed Senator Calls BS on ICE Barbie's Lies About Him
Senator Alex Padilla has called out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's spin about the news conference chaos that landed him in handcuffs. Noem—nicknamed 'ICE Barbie' for her love of cosplaying as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent for immigration raids, among other bizarre publicity stunts—had claimed that Padilla had failed to identify himself and said he 'lunged' at the podium, after which he was forcibly removed and arrested. Not so, Padilla said in an interview with Pod Save America released Friday. 'Anybody who's seen the video knows I repeatedly introduced myself,' Padilla said. 'They knew who I was. I was not lunging at the secretary.' Padilla said that not only had he introduced himself, he was escorted in by FBI and National Guard personnel and was wearing a U.S. Senate polo. Video of the altercation backs up his claims. Padilla, 51, also refuted Noem's claim on Fox News that he 'burst' into the briefing room to interrupt her. Instead, Padilla said that he was escorted into Noem's briefing by an FBI agent and a National Guardsman, and that he initially stood quietly in the back. He claimed that Noem's rhetoric about demonstrations in Los Angeles eventually became 'too much' for him, so he walked forward and began asking a question to call her out. 'They claim that Donald Trump and Secretary Noem are here to 'liberate the people of Los Angeles' from the governor and from the mayor,' he said, referencing Noem's statement from the podium. 'That's when I spoke up, right? I had a question to ask. [I] want to call them out on their misinformation.' That is starkly different from how Noem described the ordeal on Thursday evening. 'This man burst into the room, started lunging towards the podium, interrupting me and elevating his voice, and was stopped,' she told Fox News. 'He did not identify himself and was removed from the room. So, as soon as he identified himself, appropriate actions were taken.' A clip shared by a Padilla staff member showed that 20 seconds passed between him identifying himself as a senator and Noem's security detail ordering him to lie on his stomach so he could be put in handcuffs. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily Beast regarding Padilla's latest remarks. Padilla alleged that the Trump administration has lied about what happened in the news conference encounter, just as it has inflated the severity of anti-ICE demonstrations in Los Angeles, his hometown. 'I'm not hearing anyone talk about being scared of the protests or the protesters,' he told Pod Save America, 'But I'm hearing, I personally know people, and I have a lot of friends, who are terrified about the impact ICE is having on communities.'
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Padilla faults ‘BS' claims, says Noem ‘misinformation' pushed him to intervene
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), who was handcuffed by security Thursday after interrupting a press conference in Los Angeles held by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, said 'misinformation' from the secretary led him to speak out, adding that many claims about his actions are 'all BS.' Sitting for an interview with 'Pod Save America,' Padilla said a planned briefing he was set to have was delayed because some of those he was to meet with were appearing with Noem at her press conference. 'So as we're waiting, waiting, I say, 'Well, they haven't been responding to our inquiries and our letters. Maybe we go listen in and see if they have anything new to say,'' he said. Padilla said he was 'literally being escorted' by a National Guard service member and an FBI agent and that he was allowed into the room. 'They open the door for me. I'm standing in the back. Trying to listen, you know, I don't want to get in front of the cameras or in front of the reporters and just the rhetoric is too much. Not the first time, but the second time they claim that Donald Trump and Secretary Noem is here to liberate the people of Los Angeles from the governor and from the mayor — that's when I spoke up, right? I had a question to ask. I wanna call 'em out on their misinformation,' Padilla said. 'Anybody who's seen the video knows that I repeatedly introduced myself. They knew who I was. I was not lunging at the secretary. I was, you know, halfway through the back of the room on one side trying to get a question out,' he added. 'It took all of maybe half a second for multiple agents to be on me … and shoved out the door and before I know it, I'm on my knees, I'm on the ground getting in handcuffs.' Administration officials said Noem's security detail acted appropriately by responding to an unknown figure, claiming he did not identify himself despite footage showing him saying 'I'm Sen. Alex Padilla. I have questions for the secretary.' They have also criticized him for not wearing his Senate pin — something lawmakers wear at the Capitol to help them be identified by U.S. Capitol Police when moving through the building. 'Padilla embarrassed himself and his constituents with this immature, theater-kid stunt — but it's telling that Democrats are more riled up about Padilla than they are about the violent riots and assaults on law enforcement in LA,' White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement that also accused Padilla of storming a press conference and lunging toward Noem. Padilla on the podcast said he was wearing a shirt with the U.S. Senate logo on it when he entered the room. 'It says U.S. Senate. And if you watch the video, I repeatedly introduced myself. So this is all BS. It's all spin.' Padilla also discussed his meeting with Noem after the press conference, saying it was the first time the two have ever spoken and yielded few answers to questions he asked. 'That's why despite being in handcuffs one minute when being offered a meeting with her, an audience with her, to the next, I said yes, because I was there to do a job, right? I'm a member of the United States Senate. I have questions. I'm requesting information. And if that's what it took to finally get an opportunity to ask those questions and get some information, then that's why I took it,' Padilla said. He said the discussion lasted about 10 minutes. 'The big takeaway here is if they're willing to — if a senator asking a question scares them so much that they'll deploy agents to put a United States senator in handcuffs, imagine what they're doing to people out there, maybe subject to an immigration raid, who have a question … may be requesting their lawyer but not getting that opportunity,' he said. 'These are dangerous times for the United States of America.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
