Latest news with #SouthDakotan
New York Post
3 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
John Thune warns Dems are in ‘big trouble' if Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race — as Chuck Schumer faces potential AOC primary
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told The Post Wednesday that long-serving Democratic Party figures are in 'big trouble' if Zohran Mamdani wins the New York City mayoral race in November — with even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer facing a possible primary challenge from 'Squad' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). In an exclusive interview on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Thune weighed in on the stakes of the off-year NYC vote and warned that Dems have 'moved so far left to where the American people are, at least most places.' 'Now, maybe he wins in New York City,' Thune, 64, added of Mamdani, 33, 'but if he becomes the face of the Democrat Party nationally they're in big trouble.' The South Dakotan added that the likelihood of the far-left Empire State legislator triumphing over the likes of incumbent Democratic Mayor Eric Adams and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo was 'scary,' adding 'I feel for the people of New York City.' Thune became the latest high-ranking Republican to opine Wednesday on the prospect of Mamdani taking over Gracie Mansion, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent dubbing the socialist's platform — which notoriously includes plans for government-run grocery stores — as turning the Big Apple into 'Caracas on the Hudson.' 6 In an exclusive interview on Capitol Hill Wednesday, Thune weighed in on the stakes of the off-year NYC vote and warned that Dems have 'moved so far left to where the American people are, at least most places.' Mattie Neretin – CNP for NY Post Mamdani has yet to nab endorsements from either Schumer or House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), as both grapple with a rebellion from their activist-and-donor base that has elevated AOC to one of the top fundraisers in Congress. 'I think he's under a lot of pressure — it's not just her,' Thune said of Schumer, his counterpart in the Senate. 'I've called it the tail wagging the dog in his caucus.' 'The far left in the Democrat caucus right now is where the energy, the money, the volunteers, the activists — it's all in that,' he added. 6 'Now, maybe he wins in New York City,' Thune, 64, added of Mamdani, 33, 'but if he becomes the face of the Democrat Party nationally they're in big trouble.' LP Media Rumors of a primary challenge from Schumer's left gained steam in March, when the Democratic leader caught flak — including from House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-NY) — for joining with Republicans to pass a stopgap bill averting a government shutdown. 'He wisely took the move to keep the government open, but of course, he got lit up for it by his political base, which is the challenge he has,' Thune said of a potential 2028 primary. 'And whether it's AOC or somebody else, you know, it's just this is the politics of the moment on the Democrat side of the aisle.' More recently, Schumer has gone along with Democrats in their fight against the Senate confirming President Trump's political appointees. 6 Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, whose current term ends in January 2029, faces a possible primary challenge from 'Squad' Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). REUTERS None of Trump's picks have been approved by voice vote — despite every administration since former President Bill Clinton's having gotten a majority of nominees through. 'As recently as Bill Clinton, 98% of all the noms considered were handled either by voice [vote] or UC [unanimous consent] and and it's just deteriorated over time to where Trump's, you know, we're at zero here,' Thune remarked. 'It's got to be fixed.' The Senate is scheduled to break for its month-long August recess at the end of this week, but President Trump has implored the majority leader to keep senators in town to confirm additional nominees. 6 Thune has been lobbying the White House and others to strike deals over a handful of Democratic slots for positions in the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission to break the nominees' logjam. Mattie Neretin – CNP for NY Post Thune has been lobbying the White House and others to strike deals over a handful of Democratic slots for positions in the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission — and provide input for some ambassadorships — to break the logjam. The 'trade bait' Republicans have held out hasn't budged Schumer, he noted, or gotten other Democrats to make any handshake agreements for the nominations process. 'Schumer, he's got folks over there who keep approaching members on our side about wanting to make a deal on noms,' Thune said, 'but he's not having it.' 6 'Schumer, he's got folks over there who keep approaching members on our side about wanting to make a deal on noms,' Thune said, 'but he's not having it.' AP 'If they would nominate some folks to those slots,' he added, 'we'd have more actually to trade with, but, that notwithstanding … it's without precedent and it's not sustainable, so this is gonna have to be fixed and right now there's just a conversation going on with our colleagues about the best way to do it.' One topic that won't come up before the Senate is additional gun control legislation after mass shooter Shane Tamura gunned down four people in a Midtown office building — including an off-duty NYPD officer working security — before taking his own life Monday evening. Thune added that the tragedy has generated 'a lot of conversations' in Congress after Republicans previously rejected frantic calls for stricter national gun laws. 6 'I feel for the people of New York City,' said Thune, who added that the tragedy has generated 'a lot of conversations' in Congress after Republicans previously rejected frantic calls for stricter national gun laws. Mattie Neretin – CNP for NY Post 'I don't think making, you know, decisions in the heat of the moment, when something like that happens leads to the best outcome or the best policy,' he added. Reps for Mamdani's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans rebel against messy and uncertain tax-bill play
GOP senators of all persuasions are balking at their leaders' still-evolving version of President Donald Trump's tax and spending megabill, even threatening to stall it on the floor absent more changes to their liking. And some colleagues of the resistant Republicans think it's time to force their hands. 'On legislation like this, the only way to know whether you got the votes to get on the bill is to take the vote. You're having a lot of people say, 'they can't vote for the bill, they can't vote for the bill,' that in my judgment, will vote for the bill,' Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told Semafor. Despite the unrelenting pressure coming from Trump and Majority Leader John Thune to finish the bill before next week's July 4 recess, there are not currently 50 votes to advance the bill on the floor, multiple senators said after a closed-door lunch on Wednesday. There's also not even a complete bill to advance yet, a side effect of the harried last-minute negotiations and parliamentary litigation over its substance. Those talks make it hard for GOP senators to commit to Trump's marquee legislation — and relatively easy for them to pan it, even as its public approval flounders. Thune still may be able to use Trump, and his own whipping acumen, to push the bill onto the Senate floor amid the uncertainty. The South Dakotan was noncommittal on Wednesday when asked about a possible vote to proceed to the bill on Friday, although he told senators in private that 'we're on track to start Friday,' according to one attendee. Kennedy said senators should prepare for one: 'Do I think Thune's going to go forward? Yes.' 'I don't think the leader wants a failed vote,' said Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, when asked about a possible Friday roll call. The biggest headache right now is the bill's projected impacts on rural hospitals. Many Republicans now want to create a fund that would cushion the blow of Medicaid cuts to those hospitals. The party is nowhere near agreement on the size of the fund, though: Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and several other senators want $100 billion — but conservatives say they can get the job done for one-tenth of that. 'My proposal was $10 billion. I thought we could do it with $6 billion,' said Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla. 'No one's explained to me why we need a higher amount.' Thune said ultimately the proposal will not be as large as $100 billion. But several GOP senators said $15 billion, as proposed by the Senate Finance Committee, is insufficient. Scott was one of several Republicans who said they could not commit to voting to start debate on the bill until they see the final legislative text. Asked about those concerns in his conference, Thune responded: 'Everybody's going to have their own vote. We're working with all our members to get everyone comfortable with the bill. And hopefully, in the end, they'll be there.' Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said several of his colleagues made clear during a party lunch Wednesday that they would not support taking up the megabill until 'unless we get further clarity on the rural hospital issue and what we're doing there.' 'They're not voting to proceed until they get some clarity,' Hawley said. 'So I think it's a problem.' Count Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., among them. He's told Senate leaders he cannot advance the bill until he's gotten 'answers on the state-specific Medicaid impacts' on North Carolina from the bill that he can give to his state legislature. He said holding a procedural vote before everything is locked down 'is not out of the realm of possibility, but you've got to know that you're close; I leave that to Sen. Thune.' Collins said in an interview that she's one of the undecided, adding that the Senate should take more time, while Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., was noncommittal and said he needs answers on Medicaid and energy questions he has about the bill. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., agreed that there are not 50 votes to move forward on the bill, saying that he 'can't' support it without the party going line by line through the bill to figure out what to keep and what to toss. 'I understand the pressure,' Johnson said. 'We're supposed to vote on a motion to proceed? Do you guys understand the absurdity of this?' There's a common view among Senate Republicans that all the bellyaching will fade once the bill comes to the floor and they actually have to vote. That proved true for House Republicans last month, particularly once Trump got involved. 'I get that people are continuing to advocate for different things,' said Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. 'You know how it is. People are going to continue to push … I'm hoping we get it filed and vote on the motion to proceed so we're on it Saturday. I'm optimistic.' Clinching a deal on rural hospitals may be the key to unlocking the votes of senators like Hawley, Collins, and Tillis. But could that alienate Johnson and Scott, or other like-minded conservatives? Maybe. Both have been back-channeling directly with Trump, who has shown an ability to convince diehard fiscal hawks to change their minds — in the House, at least. At this point, it would still be more of a surprise if this bill fails than if it passes. And that's saying something, since I've thought several times over the past few weeks that this bill had little chance of becoming law. Earlier Wednesday, we about specific changes she wants to the bill.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
South Dakota confirms 2nd case of measles in 2025
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — The South Dakota Department of Health (DOH) says a second case of measles has been detected in the state in 2025, this one also in West River. The DOH sent the announcement out at 4:48 p.m. on Friday, informing the public that there was potential of a measles exposure at two locations in Pennington County. 21-year-old Brookings man arrested for rape of minor These were the Sam's Club at 925 Eglin St in Rapid City on June 1 from noon to 6:00 p.m., and the Dakota Premier Medical Clinic at 2006 Mt Rushmore Rd in Rapid City on June 2 from 11:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. The DOH is advising any person who visited those locations during the mentioned time frames that they may have been exposed to measles, and are asked to self-monitor for symptoms of measles for 21 days after the exposure date. Measles symptoms appear in two stages. In the first stage, the individual may have a runny nose, cough, and a slight fever. The eyes may become reddened and sensitive to light while the fever consistently rises each day. The second stage begins on the third to seventh day of symptoms and consists of a temperature of 103-105°F, and a red blotchy rash lasting for four to seven days. The rash usually begins on the face and then spreads down to the trunk and out to the arms and legs. Information from the DOH 'We are sharing this information to help individuals who may have been exposed take steps to protect their health,' said State Epidemiologist Joshua Clayton. 'Any South Dakotan who lack immunity from vaccination or past infection can get the MMR vaccine to prevent measles infection and its complications.' South Dakota's first measles case of 2025 was reported on June 2, and was identified in a man in Meade County who developed the infection after traveling internationally. That man had visited the following locations, where people who may have been exposed are also asked to self-monitor: Rapid City Medical Center Urgent Care waiting room (2820 Mt Rushmore Road, Rapid City, SD May 28, 2025, from 7:15 am to 10 am MT Monument Health Sturgis Urgent Care waiting room (2140 Junction Ave, Sturgis, SD) May 29, 2025, from 9:45 am to 3 pm MT Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Intercept
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Intercept
Trump Could Use Sacred Native Land for a Monument to… Columbus
A provision buried deep in the House budget bill allocates $40 million toward President Donald Trump's plan for a vast garden of larger-than-life statues — and it could get built on sacred Native land. The House version of the budget reconciliation bill passed last month contains funding for Trump's proposed National Garden of American Heroes, which would lionize figures ranging from Andrew Jackson to Harriet Tubman. While the garden does not have an official location yet, one candidate is minutes from Mount Rushmore National Memorial, the iconic carvings of presidential faces in South Dakota's Black Hills. Trump first announced his plan for a national statue garden during a July 4, 2020, address at Mount Rushmore in response to the racial justice protesters toppling Confederate statues. 'I'm quite sure that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased.' The potential statue garden site near Mount Rushmore belongs to an influential South Dakotan mining family that has offered to donate the land, an offer that has support from the state's governor. The Black Hills, however, are sacred land to the region's Indigenous peoples, and its ownership following a U.S. treaty violation is contested. One Native activist decried the idea of building another monument in the mountain range. 'I'm quite sure,' said Taylor Gunhammer, an organizer with the NDN Collective and citizen of the Oglala Lakota Nation, 'that Harriet Tubman would not be pleased that people trying to build the statue of her on stolen Lakota land have apparently learned nothing from her.' Trump's vision has had a rocky road to realization. Trump's announcement was meant to offer his own competing vision to the activists who sought to remove statues — by force or by politics — of figures like Andrew Jackson or Confederate generals. In one of the final acts of his first term, he issued a list of potential figures that alternately baffled, delighted or outraged observers. They included divisive — but inarguably historic — figures such as Jackson, who signed the Indian Removal Act that began the Trail of Tears. Also listed, however, were unexpected choices such as Canadian-born 'Jeopardy' host Alex Trebek, who was naturalized in 1998. Some of the names never got American citizenship at all — including Christopher Columbus. Joe Biden canceled the idea after taking the presidency, but Trump quickly revived it after his second inauguration. The National Endowment for the Humanities was placed in charge of commissioning artists, who are required to craft 'classical' statues in marble, granite, bronze, copper, or brass and barred from abstract or modernist styles. The statue-making process has drawn its own skeptics about whether Trump can fulfill a vision of having the garden ready by July 4, 2026, the nation's 250th birthday. The process of selecting a site and building Trump's vision of a 'vast outdoor park' in time could be just as daunting, however. The Interior Department declined to comment on the site selection process, with a spokesperson saying that the garden was still in the 'planning and discussion phase.' 'We are judiciously implementing the President's Executive Order and will provide additional information as it becomes available,' spokesperson J. Elizabeth Peace said. One of the few publicly known site candidates emerged in March, when Republican South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden issued a press release flagging the Black Hills as a potential location. In his announcement, he noted that the Lien family of Rapid City, South Dakota, had already offered land it owns near Mount Rushmore. The Lien family, which has major interests in South Dakota mining projects, is also developing a theme park resort in Rapid City and a lodge nearby in the Black Hills. The family owns dozens of acres near the historic Doane Robinson tunnel, which offers motorists a framed view of Mount Rushmore. The vision of another monument in the Black Hills, however, would place South Dakota politicians on a collision course with some Native tribal members who have long lamented the creation of Mount Rushmore. The Lakota Sioux called the mountain the Six Grandfathers and ventured to it for prayer and devotion, according to National Geographic. The entire Black Hills were sacred ground for the Lakota and other tribes. The Black Hills were promised to the Oceti Sakowin peoples as part of a Great Sioux Reservation in an 1868 treaty, but the U.S. government broke its promise when gold was discovered there. 'The fact that it was built in the Black Hills was not an accident or happenstance.' The Oceti Sakowin Oyate, commonly known as the Sioux Nation, won a 1980 Supreme Court case finding that they had been wrongfully deprived of the land. They rejected the court's finding that they should receive monetary compensation and continued to seek return of the land. (Several tribes involved in the case did not respond to requests for comment about the proposed statue garden.) Some Indigenous people in South Dakota see the carved faces on Mount Rushmore as a defacement of land that rightfully belongs to them. 'The fact that it was built in the Black Hills was not an accident or happenstance,' Gunhammer said. 'It is representative of the exact colonial presence that the settler colonial project has always been trying to have in the Black Hills.' Mount Rushmore is a point of pride for other South Dakotans, as well as an economic boon. Sam Brannan, a Lien family member who supports the project, said she was hopeful that the White House would take them up on their offer to build another patriotic attraction nearby. 'We're just honored and hopeful that they will consider our site,' she said. 'The people they have selected are amazing. I hope everybody goes through those 250 names. They are very representative of the United States.' The statue garden proposal comes at the same time as a family-owned company, Pete Lien and Sons, seeks to conduct exploratory drilling for graphite in the Black Hills near Pe' Sla, another sacred ceremonial site for the Lakota. Gunhammer has been active in organizing tribal members against the proposed mining activity, which would happen on U.S. Forest Service land. 'The same company trying to build this national hero garden in order to preserve history is currently trying to undertake a project that destroys history for everyone,' he said. 'The same company trying to build this national hero garden in order to preserve history is currently trying to undertake a project that destroys history for everyone.' Brannan referred questions about the mining project to Pete Lien and Sons, which did not respond to a request for comment sent through its website. With regards to the national garden, Brannan said that Native tribes have not been consulted on the family's offer yet. 'Why would we? It's been privately held for 60 years,' she said. Still, Brannan said the tribes could be consulted if the project advances. She said no one organization can claim to speak for all the Lakota people, and that her family maintains warm relations with Native leaders. 'We have been in mining for 80 years in the Black Hills, so we have been great neighbors to the Lakotans here,' she said, referring to one of the subgroups that makes up the Oceti Sakowin people. In a statement, Josie Harms, the press secretary for the South Dakota governor, noted that the potential list of figures to be honored includes Native leaders such as Sitting Bull, the Lakota leader who defeated George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 'The tract of land in question is private property owned by Chuck Lien and his family,' said Harms, referring to the family patriarch who died in 2018. 'As a result, it will cause no disruption to either state or tribal land. As a federal project, the state will be a partner with the federal government as it seeks to comply with its regulations or consultation, as needed.' The Trump administration has yet to detail how it will select the site for the statue garden, although numerous states and counties pitched the Interior Department five years ago. Brannan said it was her understanding that more than 20 sites are being considered. Her family has not had direct contact with the Trump administration, she said. One factor in the Black Hills site's favor is that the garden is gaining momentum at a high-water mark for the political influence of the twin Great Plains states of North and South Dakota. Former South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who first championed the idea, is serving as Trump's Homeland Security secretary. South Dakota Sen. John Thune is the upper chamber's majority leader. Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is serving as the secretary of the Interior Department, the executive tapped with finding the location for the garden. South Dakota's lone U.S. representative, Dusty Johnson — like Noem, Thune, and Burgum, a Republican — told The Intercept that the Black Hills have a strong shot. He has been pushing the idea with the Trump administration. 'I don't want to speak for the administration, other than I would tell you every conversation I have had with them, they understand the value of this particular parcel, and that they are going to give the Black Hills of South Dakota a full and complete look,' he said. 'We're going to have a real chance to win.' The House's plan to spend tens of millions of dollars on the garden is laid out in the same reconciliation bill that would kick 11 million people off health insurance, according to a recent Congressional Budget Office estimate. To make it into law, the spending provision would have to win Senate approval. Thune's office didn't respond to a request for comment. The House bill does not specify whether the money should be spent on the site or the statues. Money from hundreds of National Endowment for the Humanities grants that the Trump administration canceled could be redirected to pay for the statues, the New York Times reported in April. The National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts have jointly committed $34 million for the project, including $30 million from this year's budget for the statues. Some of the National Endowment for the Humanities grants that were canceled would have supported Native cultural projects in South Dakota. The roster of grants killed includes $60,000 for an anthology of Lakota and Dakota literature in translation and $205,000 for an Oglala language archiving project, according to a list maintained by the Association for Computers and the Humanities.
Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Xcel customers to receive $5 credit on monthly bill
SIOUX FALLS S.D. (KELO) — South Dakotan Xcel Energy customers will receive a $5 monthly credit to their bill starting in June, according to a news release from Xcel. Xcel Energy is moving forward with plans to deliver $25 million back to North Dakota and South Dakota customers on their bills through federal tax credits on the energy generated by the company's nuclear fleet. Former state worker accused of forging marijuana card Xcel Energy's two nuclear power plants, Monticello and Prairie Island, together account for nearly 25% of the electricity used by customers across the company's five-state Upper Midwest system, a news release said. This is the first time customers will see savings from the federal tax credit on nuclear energy generation, which the company advocated for in recent law. Starting this month, the average residential customer in South Dakota will receive $5.08 a month in savings, totaling $50.80 through February 2026. Xcel Energy services most of the Sioux Falls area, along with other areas of southeastern South Dakota. 'Our nuclear power plants have produced safe, reliable, always-available electricity for our customers across the Upper Midwest for more than 50 years. Now, tax credits on the energy they generate will produce savings for our customers,' Ryan Long, president of Xcel Energy—Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a news release. 'Nuclear energy is an important piece of American energy security. It helps us support economic growth in the Upper Midwest, deliver reliable and resilient electricity, and keep customers' bills as low as possible,' Long said in a release. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
