Democrats Join LARGEST Government Workers Union To Protest DOGE Cuts
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The Hill
15 minutes ago
- The Hill
EPA axes union contract
'The Trump administration and EPA's unlawful and authoritarian move to unilaterally strip EPA workers of their collective bargaining agreement and workplace rights is nothing short of an assault on our democracy, the rule of law, and the lives of working people in America,' said Justin Chen, president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Council 238, which represents 8,000 EPA staffers, in a written statement. He also said the union would fight the decision, saying 'AFGE Council 238 is united in our fight to defend our rights, our agency's mission, and to protect the future of our country and planet. We will see the administration in court.' An EPA spokesperson cited a March executive order that sought to limit union activity at various agencies. 'EPA is working to diligently implement President Trump's Executive Orders with respect to AFGE, including 'Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs,' in compliance with the law.' an EPA spokesperson told The Hill on Friday. A similar decision was made at the Department of Veterans Affairs this week. Both agencies' actions come after a federal court sided with the Trump administration on the issue.
Politico
16 minutes ago
- Politico
What Kamala Harris can learn from John Kerry
HISTORY LESSON — A failed Democratic presidential nominee who's thinking about running again. A party that isn't thrilled about the prospect of a repeat bid. It sounds a lot like the situation currently facing Kamala Harris, but it's actually the dilemma that confronted Democrat John Kerry after his 2004 presidential defeat. And for Harris, what came next for Kerry could prove instructive as she weighs her options ahead of 2028. Back then, Democrats were reeling after George W. Bush's election to a second term. Many in the party expected the race was theirs for the taking; in the end, Bush won both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College. Kerry, however, kept the door open to a second White House bid long after Bush's victory. It wasn't until Jan. 2007 that Kerry announced he would not make a second run. While his experience offers a roadmap for Harris, it's also a cautionary tale about the hurdles facing failed candidates. For much of the two years before the 2006 midterms, Kerry actively campaigned across the country like a potential presidential candidate. He gave a formal speech on patriotism at Grinnell College, the elite liberal arts institution in Iowa, and was the guest of honor at the New Hampshire Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner in 2006. And all throughout, he stumped for candidates in swing races across the country in places from rural Iowa to south Florida. Yet what doomed Kerry was the first time he put his foot in his mouth. Speaking to students on the eve of the midterms, Kerry said, 'Well, you know, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you — you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq.' Critics immediately seized on the remark as an insult to the troops, and candidates in both parties called on him to apologize. His aides insisted that it was a botched joke about George W. Bush and that he meant to say 'you get us stuck in Iraq.' It didn't matter. Coming only days before the midterms, Democrats panicked as Republicans raced to condemn the former presidential nominee. Kerry was abruptly dropped from an event in Iowa where he was scheduled to appear with Bruce Braley, a Democrat running in a swing district and canceled other campaign trips as well. It was a fresh reminder of Kerry and his various blunders on the 2004 campaign trail, but also a sign of how little room for error he had within his own party after losing to Bush. Harris is in a far stronger position than Kerry ever was. The former vice president consistently leads Democratic polls in advance of the 2028 primary — Kerry, on the other hand, lagged behind Hillary Clinton in public polls. And Harris isn't held entirely culpable for the party's 2024 defeat — an abbreviated campaign marked by Joe Biden's abrupt, mid-campaign decision to bow out — the same way that Kerry was held responsible for blowing a lead against Bush. However, Harris has been far less visible so far than Kerry at a similar point. Part of that is simply a function of the fact that Harris is no longer in public life — she announced recently she would not run for California governor in 2026 — while Kerry remained in the Senate. But the Massachusetts Democrat also kept a far more active schedule than Harris did after his loss — within five weeks of his general election loss, Kerry had already returned to both Iowa and New Hampshire to thank supporters who had backed him in his primary campaign. All of that could change with Harris' coming book tour. The book, titled '107 Days,' is set to release Sept. 23. Even if she isn't campaigning with state Senate candidates in the suburbs of Webster City, Iowa, Harris is still likely to get more than sufficient eyeballs on the late night talk show circuit. The return to the spotlight risks opening up all the old wounds. It's hard to dodge questions about past decisions when promoting a book that is intended to be a chronicle of her 107-day presidential campaign. Hillary Clinton utilized a simple yet very effective putdown of Kerry after his 2006 gaffe. 'No one wants to have the 2004 election replayed,' she said, prompting bad memories among Democrats about the devastating loss two years earlier. For Harris, that will be the first challenge if she wants to mount a presidential bid — erasing fears that her nomination would look like a re-run. Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at bjacobs@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @Bencjacobs. What'd I Miss? — Trump places DC police under federal control, deploys National Guard: President Donald Trump said today he would place the Washington, D.C., police department under federal control and deploy the National Guard, an escalation of federal power in his campaign to tighten control over the nation's deep-blue capital city. 'This is liberation day in D.C. and we're going to take our capital back,' Trump said. Although crime in Washington hit a 30-year low last year, Trump on Monday said he was declaring a public safety emergency in the District. The president in recent days has seized on violence against a Trump administration staffer to cast the city as dangerous, pledging earlier today that 'Crime, Savagery, Filth, and Scum will DISAPPEAR.' — House Republicans back Trump on DC crime push: House Republicans moved quickly today to follow President Donald Trump's lead as he took unprecedented action to target Washington's locally elected government — further heightening the GOP's scrutiny of the capital city and its Democratic elected leaders. Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) said he would haul Mayor Muriel Bowser, Council Chair Phil Mendelson and Attorney General Brian Schwalb to Capitol Hill next month for a hearing. The public grilling is likely to come as Trump's takeover of Washington's Metropolitan Police Department approaches a 30-day expiration date, requiring congressional action to continue. — Trump: Russia and Ukraine peace requires 'land swapping': President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in 'land swapping' that will be 'good' and 'bad' for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war. The president's comments on today follow insistence from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that his country would not trade land for peace, and underscore Trump's focus on making a deal with Putin. President Donald Trump said Russia and Ukraine will engage in 'land swapping' that will be 'good' and 'bad' for both countries, a key part of his push to end the years-long war. — Trump defends deal to sell Nvidia export control license: President Donald Trump defended a deal he struck with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to waive national security concerns blocking the sale of certain semiconductor chips to China in exchange for the company giving the U.S. government 15 percent of the revenue. 'I said, 'I want 20 percent if I'm going to approve this for you,' Trump told reporters Monday during a White House press conference. 'For the country, for our country. I don't want it myself ... And he said, 'Would you make it 15?' So we negotiate a little deal.' Trump appeared to brush off concerns that he was weakening national security by approving the sale. He said the H20 chip manufactured by Nvidia is 'obsolete,' even though there is still a market for it in China and other places. — Judge denies DOJ bid to unseal grand jury material in Ghislaine Maxwell case: A federal judge today denied the Justice Department's effort to unseal grand jury material in the Ghislaine Maxwell case, calling the 'entire premise' of the government's move 'demonstrably false.' U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer, in a 31-page decision, chided the Justice Department for its bid to make the material public because, he said, the public would learn virtually nothing new from the documents and 'would come away feeling disappointed and misled.' AROUND THE WORLD LAST MINUTE SUMMIT — U.S. President Donald Trump will join European leaders including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for an emergency virtual summit on Wednesday. The call, organized by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, comes ahead of Friday's summit in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the war in Ukraine. The virtual summit will focus on pressure options against Russia, questions about Ukrainian territories seized by Russia, security guarantees for Kyiv and the sequencing of potential peace talks, a German government spokesperson told POLITICO. JOURNALISTS KILLED IN GAZA — Israel killed five journalists during an airstrike in Gaza, news outlet Al Jazeera reported. Anas al-Sharif, a prominent Al Jazeera reporter, was killed in a tent alongside four colleagues and two bystanders, the Qatari-owned network said. He shared a video of Israel's 'relentless bombardment' of Gaza shortly before he died. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed the strike, claiming that al-Sharif, who is Palestinian, headed a Hamas terrorist cell and led 'advanced rocket attacks' against Israel. Al Jazeera has repeatedly denied allegations about al-Sharif's links to Hamas, and the United Nations special rapporteur for freedom of expression, Irene Khan, said last month that the claims were unsubstantiated. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP THE ATOMIC BOWL — Less than five months after the U.S. bombed Nagasaki in 1945, the U.S. military returned to stage a New Year's Day football game. In an attempt to normalize the U.S. occupation of Japan, some 1,500 people gathered at a debris-riddled middle school to watch professional football players-turned-servicemen play. The long-forgotten game in a city where most of bombings' victims were non-combatants was emblematic of the American military and public's takeaways from the second nuclear bombing, argues Greg Mitchell. He reports on the game and its legacy for Mother Jones. Parting Image Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
Abbott: Texas can ‘eliminate' 10 Democratic districts in response to California
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) warned that Texas could get rid of as many as 10 Democratic districts if California moved ahead with its plan to redraw its House map and neutralize the expected GOP gains in the Lone Star State. 'Listen, all those big blue states, they've already gerrymandered,' Abbott told CNN's Jake Tapper on Monday, when asked if he was concerned about a redistricting arms race as Texas moves forward to create new congressional lines. 'Look at the map of Illinois. Look at the map of California, New York and Massachusetts, and so many other blue states they gerrymandered a long time ago. They got nothing left with regard to what they can do,' Abbott said. 'And know this: If California tries to gerrymander, find more districts, listen, Texas has the ability to eliminate 10 Democrats in our state.' Abbott's remarks underscore how Republicans plan to be as aggressive as possible in trying to knock off as many Democrats as they can. Right now, the state has 25 House Republicans and 12 Democrats, in addition to one vacancy waiting to be filled after the late Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Texas) died in March. So far, the Texas GOP's new map is looking to make five pickup opportunities for the party next year. But Texas Republicans' efforts to pass new congressional lines are stalled as Democrats have fled the state to deny the GOP a quorum, or the minimum number of lawmakers needed present to conduct business. As the redistricting war heats up, blue states have signaled they're moving ahead with their own redistricting plans. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced last week that he would be calling for a special session in November as Democrats in the Golden State look to pass a new House map that looks to offset the gains Republicans are hoping to make in Texas with their new map. New York and Illinois have also signaled they're exploring their options over how to redraw their maps in response to Texas. Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signaled readiness to revisit his state's maps while Missouri and Indiana could also revisit their congressional maps.
