Latest news with #Trump-aligned
Politico
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Kathy Hochul has a plan for Stefanik
With help from Amira McKee STEFANIK BEGONE-IK: Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik might not be running for governor yet, but Gov. Kathy Hochul is preparing for it anyway. A new campaign strategy memo, shared first with Playbook, reveals how Team Hochul plans to win the governor's race next year: She will relentlessly tie Stefanik to President Donald Trump. 'Governor Kathy Hochul is delivering for New Yorkers. Elise Stefanik is delivering for Donald Trump,' says the memo, which was prepared by Hochul's campaign manager, Preston Elliot. 'Throughout her career, Stefanik has been a champion for Donald Trump's extreme, unpopular agenda — putting her vastly out of touch with New York voters in a state Trump lost twice,' Elliot writes. 'Stefanik brags about being Trump's 'top ally,' and she's right – she has voted to benefit Trump at the expense of her constituents at every opportunity.' The document is the first of its kind from Hochul's campaign since her closer-than-expected victory three years ago. It's also timely. It was shared less than 24 hours after Republican Rep. Mike Lawler — who once pitched himself as the practical, moderate option for a GOP gubernatorial victory — announced Wednesday morning he won't run for governor. The Hochul playbook is an early bet that Trump's unpopularity in New York will effectively hamper Stefanik's run for governor, or a similar bid from a MAGA-minded Republican like Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. Lawler's exit from consideration has made it almost certain the state's GOP will be running with a Trump-aligned candidate next year. In June, Lawler made the case that 'you can't win a statewide election in New York just by pounding your chest and saying that you're the most MAGA candidate.' Team Hochul agrees. Her campaign's memo highlights how Stefanik backed Trump's tariffs, supported DOGE and federal funding cuts to public radio, and called for a 15-week national abortion ban. It argues Stefanik's votes on the House floor show she is in favor of gutting Medicare. While Hochul's favorability dipped to a record low of 34 percent in September — Trump was even more popular than her in New York at the time — the governor has slowly improved her numbers. A Siena poll from late June found 42 percent of registered voters view Hochul favorably, though she remained underwater with 47 percent unfavorability. The poll also found Hochul beat Stefanik 47-24 percent in a head-to-head, with 29 percent of voters undecided or wanting someone else. A separate Siena poll conducted over the same period found Trump is viewed unfavorably by 60 percent of voters and favorably by 37 percent of them. Trump lost New York by 23 points in 2020. In 2024, that gap shrank to 13, and he won the suburban counties of Rockland, Suffolk and Nassau. As Hochul aims to make Trump the boogeyman of 2026, Stefanik is already tying Hochul to Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. 'Kathy Hochul is bending the knee to the raging Antisemite Communist who may be elected Mayor and would destroy New York City,' her spokesperson, Wendell Husebo, said in a statement. Mamdani's spokesperson Jeffrey Lerner responded, saying, 'There's an affordability crisis in New York and it's because corrupt politicians like Elise Stefanik have sold out to billionaires and corporations. New York will resoundingly reject her at the ballot box next November.' Husebo contended Hochul's attempt to tie Zeldin to Trump fell flat last election and that Stefanik has yet to tap into her base of large-dollar donors from around the country. He said she has already activated small-dollar donors and predicts she'll significantly outraise what Zeldin brought in. 'Hochul owns her catastrophic record,' Husebo said. 'Unlike Kathy Hochul who quietly grovels to President Trump behind closed doors because she sees his skyrocketing polling numbers and her plummeting polls, Elise Stefanik is proud to publicly work with President Trump on making New York more affordable, safer, and Make New York Great Again.' — Jason Beeferman From the Capitol REDISTRICTING REDUX: Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul is not ruling out a mid-decade redrawing of New York's House lines as deep red Texas and Ohio move to reshape their maps through redistricting. 'All's fair in love and war. We're following the rules, we do redistricting every 10 years,' Hochul said during an unrelated event Thursday in Buffalo. 'But if there's other states violating the rules and are trying to give themselves an advantage, all I'll say is, I'm going to look at it closely with Hakeem Jeffries.' The governor's comments are her first since Republican Gov. Greg Abbott announced a special session of the Texas Legislature to focus on redistricting. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' team spoke with Hochul's office about redistricting earlier this month following Abbott's announcement, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversation. 'I'm not surprised that they're trying to break the rules to get an advantage,' Hochul added. 'But that's undemocratic and, not only are we calling them out, we're also going to see what our options are.' Not all Democrats are on board with the tit-for-tat idea. State Democratic Party Chair Jay Jacobs, a Hochul ally, said in an interview this week that mid-decade redistricting would be a mistake. 'I understand those in New York who are watching what's happening in Texas and Ohio want to offset their unfair advantage,' Jacobs told POLITICO earlier this week. 'But I think we need to be careful about democracy, because I'm finding it to be pretty fragile at this time in our history.' Read more from POLITICO's Nick Reisman. FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL NOT 'IN ANY CAPACITY': London Mayor Sadiq Khan is not advising Mamdani's campaign either formally or informally, a spokesperson for the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor stressed Thursday, after a British outlet reported otherwise. 'Mayor Khan and Zohran spoke briefly and warmly, as Zohran has with several elected officials after his primary victory,' Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec said in a statement to Playbook. 'We value the support of leaders who are watching what's happening in New York, but it's important to clarify that Mayor Khan is not advising the campaign in any capacity.' The clarification from Mamdani's team came after the London-based outlet The Times reported that Khan — a leader of the left-leaning Labour Party and, like Mamdani, a Muslim elected official — serves as an informal adviser to Mamdani's general election bid. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has sought to broaden his base of support as he faces incumbent Mayor Eric Adams, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican Curtis Sliwa and independent business leader Jim Walden in the general election. But whether Mamdani will shift his platform from the hard left closer to the center is an unanswered question. The Times cited unnamed Khan sources who said Khan and Mamdani have been exchanging text messages. The outlet quoted an unnamed London City Hall source who said Mamdani 'needs to moderate or he could lose the more centrist Democrats.' — Emily Ngo NEW YORK IS THE ISTANBUL OF AMERICA: Adams comfortably jokes about allegedly receiving bribes from the Turkish government in a campaign video posted today — months after the Trump administration dropped the charges he strongly denied. 'I can think of many places I'd go to get away from y'all: Ankara? Istanbul? Or Zero Bond!' Adams says in a campaign video, referring to Turkey's two largest cities and his favorite downtown private club. 'But I realized, I'm not a wannabe mayor. I'm the actual mayor. I can't just get up and leave,' Adams continues. Adams was playfully knocking Democratic nominee Mamdani for traveling to Uganda 'to celebrate winning half an election' and Andrew Cuomo for going to the Hamptons, speculating he's 'writing another book on failed leadership.' It's odd criticism coming from Adams, who himself vacationed in Monaco after winning the 2021 primary, has written two books and has also left the city to fundraise in Fort Lauderdale and the Hamptons in the past month. Adams is turning on the charm in the video as he looks to the general election. The style and tone of it evokes Mamdani's own much lauded social media content. Cuomo is also testing a more conversational video style after the primary, with news outlet Zeteo making its own video joking about establishment Democrats copying the style. — Jeff Coltin IN OTHER NEWS — 'THEY'RE SHUTTING ME UP': Former Rep. George Santos has a few final thoughts before beginning his 87-month prison sentence on Friday. (POLITICO) — BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: New Adams 'donors' say they never gave to his reelection campaign. (THE CITY) — $1 POT FARM: The Erie County Legislature is considering transferring 152 acres of land to the scions of a famous products business for the price of $1 so they can build a $40 million industrial marijuana farm on the site. (Buffalo News) — DEFENSE DEAL: Attorneys at New York City's largest public defender organization reached a tentative contract deal two days before they were set to go on strike. (Gothamist) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
LeMonde
a day ago
- Entertainment
- LeMonde
From Mark Zuckerberg to Elon Musk, the Palo Alto 'boys' club'
On January 10, the mood was laid-back and unmistakably masculine in Joe Rogan's studio – a space decked out like an American heartland bar, with flashy neon lights and wooden partitions. The comedian, martial arts youth champion and top-ranked podcaster in the United States had landed a major guest: Mark Zuckerberg. The Meta CEO rarely gives interviews but made a three-hour-long exception with Rogan, a vocal supporter of Donald Trump, to talk bowhunting, the excesses of the American left and progress in artificial intelligence. With his gentle smile, the "nice Zuck" delivered a line that stood out against his usually careful phrasing. The man whose progressive image has long obscured the fact that his first college project was a "Hot or Not"-style app comparing the looks of Harvard women, made a striking claim: "The masculine energy is good. Society has plenty of that, but I think corporate culture is really trying to get away from it. All these forms of energy are good, and I think having a culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits." Still, it was hard to see how Meta – where just 36% of employees are women and only four of 15 board members are female – could be suffering from a masculinity deficit. But that is the spirit of the times: Zuckerberg's new Trump-aligned allies believe society has become "neutered or emasculated," as he put it to Rogan. And he seemed eager to show them he was firmly on their side in this Battle of the Sexes.
CNN
2 days ago
- Business
- CNN
Skydance pledges to Trump's FCC it'll eliminate DEI, install ‘ombudsman' to root out ‘bias' at CBS News
Donald Trump Corporate news Federal agencies MediaFacebookTweetLink Skydance Media needs the approval of President Donald Trump's Federal Communications Commission in order to take over Paramount Global. It's now promising to root out 'bias' at CBS News in order to get it. In a pair of letters filed Tuesday with the FCC, Skydance committed to a post-merger 'comprehensive review of CBS,' including a promise to install an ombudsman to evaluate complaints of 'bias or other concerns' at the news network and report their findings to the new Paramount's president. Skydance also committed to eliminating Paramount's diversity, equity and inclusion practices at the entertainment giant once it takes over. The letters touted that Skydance does not and will not have any DEI programs in place. The letters demonstrate Skydance CEO David Ellison's eagerness to complete the deal to merge with Paramount, which was first agreed upon in July 2024. Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, was spotted meeting with Trump ringside at multiple UFC events this year. Amid its push for Trump administration approval of the merger, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million earlier this month to settle a lawsuit filed last year by President Trump over a '60 Minutes' interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. The settlement generated outrage both inside and outside Paramount, not least because legal experts believed the lawsuit to be frivolous. Critics of the settlement used words like 'bribe' to describe the payment because of the leverage President Trump held over the pending merger. However, Paramount maintained that 'this lawsuit is completely separate from, and unrelated to, the Skydance transaction and the FCC approval process.' FCC chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump loyalist, has also said the merger review process is separate — despite previously stating the '60 Minutes' case would be 'likely to arise' in his agency's review. Less than two weeks after the settlement, Ellison met with Carr and other FCC officials. Those meetings took place amid reports that Skydance had made a 'side deal' with Trump for an additional $15 million or more in airtime for public service announcements promoting Trump-aligned causes. In Skydance's first letter to Carr, Stephanie Kyoko McKinnon, the entertainment company's general counsel and co-president of business operations, committed to a 'comprehensive review' of CBS, stressing Skydance's recognition that the broadcast network is 'charged with operating in the public interest.' Kyoko McKinnon further said that Skydance will 'make any necessary changes to ensure compliance' and ensure CBS upholds 'viewpoint diversity.' 'After consummation of the proposed transaction, New Paramount's new management will ensure that the company's array of news and entertainment programing embodies a diversity of viewpoints across the political and ideological spectrum, consistent with the varying perspective of the viewing audience,' Kyoko McKinnon wrote to Carr — promising to install the ombudsman for at least two years. Such a commitment plays directly to President Trump and the MAGA movement's long-held belief that news outlets like CBS are biased against conservative viewpoints. Similarly, the second letter's signaling that the new Paramount will eliminate the company's existing DEI policies speaks to a key conservative initiative of Trump's second term. Over the last six months, the Trump administration has rolled back DEI policies, largely through threats to investigate the private companies that maintain them. The most recent high-profile example of this was Verizon's merger this spring with Frontier, which was greenlit only after the telecom giant made DEI concessions. Paramount and Skydance did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Politico
2 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Trump's new AI action plan
OPERATING ROOM President Donald Trump's announcement Wednesday about his plans for artificial intelligence include a push to grow AI adoption in health care and across the federal government by testing it in regulatory free zones. The White House AI Action Plan says the government should set up regulatory sandboxes, or regulation-free environments, where AI can be tested in real world scenarios with heavy oversight. Kev Coleman, a fellow at the Trump-aligned Paragon Health Institute, suggested such an approach last year. The strategy could allow developers to demonstrate their products' utility, he told Ruth at the time, while also giving policymakers insight that could help shape future policy. Outside the government: AI Centers of Excellence around the country will enable 'researchers, startups, and established enterprises' to test AI tools with the understanding that they will have to publicly share the data and results of their experiments. The Food and Drug Administration will oversee testing of tools related to health care with support from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The action plan also charges NIST with convening a broad range of health care industry stakeholders — academics, company executives, nonprofits, and industry groups — to develop national standards for AI systems, including measurements for understanding how much AI increases productivity. It calls on both NIST, the National Science Foundation, and federal agencies to develop methods for evaluating the performance and reliability of AI systems using regulatory sandboxes. Inside the agencies: The action plan establishes a Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Council to coordinate interagency collaboration on AI. This group would work with the White House's Office of Personnel Management to create a talent exchange program that would allow federal employees to be quickly detailed to other agencies in need of expertise. It would also develop an AI procurement toolbox, managed by the General Services Administration in coordination with the White House Office of Management and Budget, that would allow any federal agency to adopt a model already in use within the federal government and customize it for its own purposes. The new council is also supposed to set up a technology and capability transfer program, such that agencies can more easily share knowledge and tools. Finally, the plan requires agencies to ensure employees who could benefit from AI tools have access to them. And it asks that agencies facilitate uses of AI that could improve delivery of services to the public. The big picture: Health systems want to be sure AI tools are safe before deploying them but there is no established framework for doing that. Several industry groups are trying to get consensus on the issue. Trump has largely pursued a deregulatory approach to advancing AI, but his new plan acknowledges the industry's desire for guardrails. WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. According to Science, researchers developing a new type of dental floss to protect against the flu ran into a challenge while testing their needleless vaccine: trying to floss a mouse. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@ Ruth Reader at rreader@ or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@ Want to share a tip securely? Message us on Signal: CarmenP.82, RuthReader.02 or ErinSchumaker.01. AROUND THE AGENCIES The National Institutes of Health is capping the number of grant applications researchers can submit each year. The agency posted a notice last week about the new restrictions, which limit principal investigators to six new, renewal, resubmission or revision applications each calendar year. The stated reason behind the change: the risk of researchers overwhelming reviewers with artificial intelligence-generated applications. The NIH said it had identified instances of principal investigators who submitted large numbers of applications that might have leaned heavily on AI. In one instance, an investigator submitted more than 40 different applications in one submission round. 'While AI may be a helpful tool in reducing the burden of preparing applications, the rapid submission of large numbers of research applications from a single Principal Investigator may unfairly strain NIH's application review processes,' the notice says. Since NIH policy requires that grant applications be the original work of the applicants, the agency won't consider applications 'substantially developed' by AI or with sections that are AI-generated. Reality check: The percentage of investigators submitting an average of more than six applications has been low, according to NIH. Carrie Wolinetz, a lobbyist at Lewis-Burke Associates and former senior adviser to NIH director Francis Collins, told Erin that she thinks the impact of the cap will vary by institution. 'I don't think it's a bad idea as a matter of policy. If funding is robust, it could increase the quality of applications,' Wolinetz said. 'I am a little skeptical that limiting applications somehow disincentivizes the use of AI,' she said, adding, 'Although I also don't think limiting the use of AI for application writing is a bad idea.' Do as I say: The White House acknowledged in May that a Make America Healthy Again report spearheaded by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. contained 'formatting issues' and pledged to correct them. The acknowledgment came after the news outlet NOTUS reported that the MAHA report cited sources that didn't exist, a hallmark of AI use. What's next: The policy goes into effect on Sept. 25.
Politico
3 days ago
- Business
- Politico
Republicans once said the free market should decide how the US uses energy. No more.
Addressing grid reliability is crucial for a Trump economic agenda that places a huge priority on growing artificial intelligence, which forecasters have said will require vast amounts of electricity. Trump administration officials contend that ending renewable power subsidies and reversing Biden's environmental rules will attract more AI investment by preventing retirement of coal and natural gas power plants. 'The need for power is scaling so fast that if President Trump hadn't been elected president, I think we would already be in trouble,' said Carla Sands, vice chair of the center for energy and environment at the Trump-aligned think tank America First Policy Institute. 'The American regulatory environment had become anti-production, anti-energy, anti-business, and this is changing under President Trump's brilliant leadership.' An energy and AI summit that Sen. David McCormick (R-Pa.) convened last week in Pittsburgh — which included an appearance by Trump — crystallized the emergence of the president's brand of industrial policy. The administration touted $90 billion in announcements for new AI investments from U.S. tech companies, investment houses and the 'hyperscalers' that build the data centers such as Google, CoreWeave, Blackstone and Brookfield Asset Management. 'The AI revolution will change the way the world works, and we cannot lose. The Trump administration will not let us lose,' Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said during the event. 'We need to do clean, beautiful coal. We need to do natural gas. We need to embrace nuclear. We need to embrace it all because we have the power to do it — and if we don't do it, we're fools.' But wind, solar and battery storage projects have been the United States' leading source of new power in recent years, while backlogs for new natural gas turbines, yearslong timelines to build nuclear power plants and the remote chances of greenlighting new coal-fired power plants have stunted growth of those sources. Solar, wind and batteries accounted for 93 percent of all new power added to the grid last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. People who identify themselves as traditional small government conservatives expressed wariness of some of Trump's moves. They say the party is using the same heavy-handed tactics to reward favorites for which they criticized Democrats. Republicans have even dialed it up a notch, they said. Republicans have cast aside the all-of-the-above mindset of the pre-Trump era, said Drew Bond, CEO of conservative climate organization C3 Solutions and an Energy Department adviser in the George W. Bush administration. Now, they preach a 'best of the above' mentality that invites subjective choice over the ebbs and flows of a free market, he said.
