Trenton leadership looks for reform of police department after scorching DOJ investigation
The Brief
New policies in the Trenton Police Department after a year-long investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. The initiatives are aimed at improving public safety, community relations and law enforcement operations.
It's part of their vision to improve safety in the city.
TRENTON, N.J. - Trenton leadership is responding to a scorching U.S. Justice Department Civil Rights Investigation Division of its police department. It found violence within the ranks of the police department and alleged constitutional violations of its residents.
What we know
There are 236 Trenton police officers in a department budgeted for 50 more. Their base pay is $40,000, under what nearby communities pay, and the U.S. Justice Department says Trenton cops are violent toward citizens.
A probe of Trenton police by the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney, released in November, also found police routinely violated residents constitutional rights against unreasonable government searches and seizures.
What they're saying
Fearing trouble, a female resident of the city asked FOX 29 to withhold her identity in its broadcast report. She said, "I agree, I believe they're always looking for a problem, always looking for someone they feel they can overpower or lash out against no questions asked."
In City Hall Friday, the mayor and police director spoke of reform. Mayor Reed Gusciora said, "We disbanded the tactical units that were out there. We initiated the 'Arrive Together' program. We've conducted training and brought in more supervision." The Arrive Together program pairs police with mental health providers.
The mayor says Trenton is also working toward police accreditation, plans to train and hire 30 officers and has strengthened internal affairs. Gusciora says all of this is happening despite resignations and uncertainty surrounding the Justice Department's Civil Rights division under Donald Trump.
Steve Wilson, the Trenton Police Director, said, "The idea is the police are part of the community, not separate from the community.
Big picture view
Funded at $37 million, Trenton leadership wants to hike the police budget by $6 million and says it's committed to "top-notch" public safety in a struggling city where residents demand change.
Rasheed Zareef is a lifelong resident of Trenton. He says, the police, "Need to build trust with the community, number one, and get to know the citizens that they interact with everyday instead of being so gung-ho."
In a statement, Jason Woodhead, the President of the Trenton Superior Officers Association, and also representing Trenton Police supervisors, wrote, the union "…fully supports constitutional policing and accountability. If improvements are necessary, we are committed to making those changes." He added, "To our community, we hear you and respect your concerns."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
36 minutes ago
- Business Insider
The real 'Epstein files' story is misunderstood. Here's what the government is still keeping secret.
The ghost of Jeffrey Epstein is haunting the Trump administration. Among his many campaign promises, President Donald Trump said he would make government files related to the now-dead financier and sex trafficker public. So far, the effort has fallen flat. In February, Attorney General Pamela Bondi published about 350 pages of documents. All but one three-pager had previously been made public through court proceedings. Some of the documents were redacted when they had previously been published in full. "The Epstein files: Phase 1," as Bondi's binders were titled, disappointed those hoping for new revelations about the financier. Months later, Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel have not released anything else. Meanwhile, the Justice Department has fought or been unresponsive to Freedom of Information Act requests for documents about Epstein in its possession and lawsuits seeking to enforce those requests. The issue resurfaced last week when Elon Musk, during his brief and public feud with Trump, accused the president of holding up the release because "he's in them." Many members of the public are eagerly awaiting some sort of "Epstein client list," but it's unlikely one will turn up. No such list is referenced or even alluded to in all of the thousands of pages of records that have already been made public. Nor are we likely to get any revelations about some sort of shadowy sex-trafficking operation involving various members of the international elite, which isn't consistent with claims made in lawsuits. That's not to say that there aren't still lingering questions that the unreleased documents could clarify. The US government's files, if made public, could help answer some of the mysteries about Epstein. Depending on what the documents reveal, they may also bring new scrutiny on how the Justice Department handled its investigations and fuel litigation against Epstein's estate, which has over $100 million remaining in assets. Questions about Epstein have persisted since his death by suicide in 2019, in a Manhattan federal jail. How did he get so rich? Did he really have connections to intelligence agencies? Why didn't the FBI pursue him sooner? The public already has plenty of records related to Epstein, much of it stemming from a lawsuit that Virginia Giuffre, his accuser who killed herself in April, filed against Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking girls to Epstein for sex. Over the years, Business Insider has catalogued Epstein's flight logs, published a version of his "little black book" of contacts, and reported on his estate's victim compensation program. While Bondi has been under the most scrutiny over the "Epstein files," other agencies also have the opportunity to release records. The Federal Aviation Administration and the US Marshals Service haven't published unredacted versions of Epstein's flight information. And the CIA and other intelligence agencies have been quiet on the question of any files they may have. Here are the Epstein documents that the government has kept secret, and that could arrive in future "Epstein files" drops: Evidence seized in the 2019 criminal investigation The biggest cache of documents could come from the Manhattan criminal investigation into Epstein and Maxwell. In 2019, following the publication of the Miami Herald's "Perversion of Justice" series that reported on how Epstein got a light plea deal in 2007, federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York opened a new investigation into the financier. On the same day the FBI arrested Epstein in July 2019, agents raided his Manhattan mansion and collected computer hard drives, message books, photos, CDs, and other records. Following Epstein's death in jail about a month later, law enforcement agents searched his properties in the US Virgin Islands. The FBI has declined to make public any of these records beyond a small amount entered into evidence during Maxwell's criminal trial. "Phase One" of Bondi's "Epstein files" included a list of some of the evidence obtained in the investigation. Business Insider filed a FOIA request for the records last year. The FBI declined the request. Business Insider appealed the denial and pointed the FOIA office to Bondi's public remarks promising to release the "Epstein files." The agency gave a May 16 date to resolve the appeal. After that deadline passed, the agency said it would take at least another three months to handle the appeal. The conservative government watchdog organization Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department in April over the rejection of a similar FOIA request, which is still pending. The Justice Department hasn't responded to Business Insider's requests for comment. Epstein's hard drives Maxwell's Manhattan criminal trial featured hard drives that might solve a mystery from the Palm Beach investigation into Epstein. During the earlier criminal investigation in Florida, detectives searching Epstein's Palm Beach house found that "six computer hard drives in the house had been hastily removed, leaving dangling wires attached to monitors in several areas of the house," according to Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown's book about the investigation. Years later, in Maxwell's trial, one FBI agent testified they found a box full of hard drives while raiding Epstein's Manhattan mansion. Evidence in Maxwell's trial shows that one of the drives contained data from the early 2000s. It's unclear what was on the hard drives removed from the Palm Beach house. Other evidence seized in the 2007 investigation The public doesn't have all the evidence collected during the investigation into Epstein between 2005 and 2007. Palm Beach County has made some of the material public, and other files have surfaced in various civil lawsuits. Much of it remains redacted, partly to protect the privacy of victims. Radar Online filed a lawsuit against the FBI in 2017 seeking to enforce a FOIA request for the material. A federal judge rejected the suit in 2024. It's on appeal. Alan Dershowitz, who represented Epstein during the Palm Beach investigation, has pushed for making the material public. He says the FBI should release any interview notes and recordings that may mention him, and that he waives any privacy concerns. Dershowitz says the records would disprove the sexual misconduct allegations brought against him by Virginia Giuffre. Dershowitz and Giuffre reached a settlement after a long legal battle in which she agreed she may have mistaken him for someone else. Dershowitz said he viewed some of the records as part of a civil lawsuit involving Epstein, but they are sealed. "They're in court. I've seen them," Dershowitz told Business Insider. "And if they were unredacted, they would give you the names of lots of people who were accused — some falsely accused, some truthfully accused." Epstein grand jury records Federal court rules and Justice Department policies sharply limit the disclosure of information from grand jury proceedings. The public doesn't have a full accounting of all the evidence presented to grand juries in Manhattan when prosecutors were preparing indictments against Epstein and Maxwell. Some evidence in the 2006 Florida grand jury was made public last year through litigation, following the passage of a state law pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Investigation into Epstein's death A 2023 Justice Department inspector general report about Epstein's death in the Manhattan Correctional Center concluded that he killed himself. FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy, Dan Bognino, have backed up the conclusion in media interviews — much to the ire of some right-wing influencers who believe he was murdered. The 128-page report details how the jail failed to prevent Epstein's death, but the Justice Department hasn't released much of the underlying evidence it collected. Mark Epstein, his brother, has demanded data from the 911 call that was supposed to be made after jail officers found Jeffrey Epstein dead. The NYPD said it was unable to find any records of the call when Business Insider asked for them in June 2023 after the release of the report. Business Insider filed a FOIA request with the Justice Department inspector general earlier this year requesting transcripts of interviews with key people around Epstein at the time he died, information about inmate interviews, phone call records, and photos and videos referenced in the report. The office says it has "a backlog of FOIA requests and very limited resources with which to process requests" and hasn't provided a timeline for completion. In recent interviews, Patel and Bognino said the FBI would publish video of the area outside Epstein's cell demonstrating no one else entered it. "There's just no way that you could have run an op and had people go into that cell and not have any video of it," Patel told podcaster Joe Rogan earlier this month. Investigation into Epstein's plea deal The Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility completed a report in 2020 about US Attorney Alexander Acosta's "poor judgment" in granting Epstein a light plea deal for his conduct in 2007. The office has not released all of the underlying evidence for that investigation. Business Insider filed a FOIA request for that information earlier this year, and the agency acknowledged the request without saying if or when it would provide the records. All of the Epstein flight logs While many of Epstein's private flight records were disclosed by the Federal Aviation Administration and through litigation, certain periods have gaps. The US Marshals Service could also publish its documents from its inspections of his planes, which flew between the US Virgin Islands and the US mainland. The FAA and the US Marshals Service did not respond to requests for comment. How the FBI missed Epstein earlier Across several legal complaints, dozens of Epstein victims have alleged that the FBI failed to stop him earlier, ignoring tips and pleas as early as the 1990s. The FBI has not said whether it's in possession of intake forms or other records of those complaints. In court, the Justice Department has avoided answering whether it has looked for them. The agency asked a judge to dismiss the most recent lawsuit, filed in Washington, DC, on procedural grounds. The request is pending. If the FBI were to find records from the 1990s and early 2000s, they could shed more light on what Epstein was doing during that time period, and whether the FBI took any action. "Unfortunately, the FBI continues to fight survivors of Jeffrey Epstein despite their public proclamations otherwise," Jordan Merson, an attorney representing Epstein accusers in the lawsuit, told BI.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Justice Department says Trump can undo national monuments; California areas could be on list
President Trump has the authority to abolish national monuments set aside by past presidents to protect areas of historic and scientific interest, the Justice Department said in an opinion this week, potentially laying the groundwork to dismantle California's two newest monuments — Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands. The May 27 legal opinion released Tuesday overturns a more than 80-year-old Justice Department determination that presidents can't revoke national monuments created by their predecessors under the Antiquities Act. The finding follows an Interior Department effort to explore altering monuments as part of a push to expand U.S. energy production, a move that set off alarm bells among conservationists that certain public lands could be on the chopping block. Then-President Biden signed proclamations designating Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands national monuments in California's desert and far north shortly before leaving office early this year. The Justice Department, in its new opinion, said it was asked to look into whether the Antiquities Act — the 1906 law permitting presidents to create monuments — can be used to revoke them. The opinion, titled, "Revocation of Prior Monument Designations," says it can. In the 50-page document, Deputy Assistant Atty. Gen. Lanora Pettit wrote that presidents can find "that the 'landmarks,' 'structures,' or 'objects' identified in the prior declaration either never were or no longer are deserving of the Act's protections; and such an alteration can have the effect of eliminating entirely the reservation of the parcel of land previously associated with a national monument.' Since its passage, the Antiquities Act has been used by 18 presidents — split evenly between Republicans and Democrats — to designate monuments. California is home to 21 national monuments, more than any other state. Read more: Interior Secretary Burgum eyes national monuments for energy resources During a Wednesday hearing in Washington, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned Interior Secretary Doug Burgum about the opinion, which he called "extremely dangerous." He specifically asked what the secretary's intentions were with regard to the Golden State's newest monuments, which he described as enjoying strong bipartisan support. 'We have a responsibility and direction to take a look at the recently created ones,' Burgum replied. "There are people in communities, when we create restrictions on land use, that does restrict some of their economic opportunity, and we want to listen to those as well,' he said, adding that the department is seeking "a balanced approach" and would be open to further dialogue. Padilla and fellow Sen. Adam Schiff were among the federal lawmakers from California who pushed for the creation of the monuments. "The Trump administration is seeking to rewrite the Antiquities Act without the approval of Congress and erase all precedent prohibiting the elimination of lands designated as a national monument,' Schiff said in a statement. "And, continuing his assault on the Golden State, the president seems to have at least two California treasures in mind: Chuckwalla and Sáttítla national monuments.' 'But the law is clear: Congress did not intend for the Antiquities Act to give Donald Trump or any other president the power to reverse the decades of hard work undertaken by conservationists, tribal leaders, and local California communities to safeguard precious lands and cultural sites,' he added. Chuckwalla spans 624,000 acres of dramatic canyons and rugged land adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, while Sáttítla encompasses 224,000 acres of pristine forests and unique geological features near the Oregon border. Native Americans led the charge to safeguard the land they consider sacred. Critics of the way the Antiquities Act has been used to set aside vast tracts of land often point to a mandate for monuments to be limited to the "smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected." But public lands advocates note that the law has long been used by presidents to protect large landmasses — including the designation of the Grand Canyon by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. Padilla said that Western states skew large relative to their Eastern counterparts, "so the appropriateness and size of monuments and other areas of designation tend to be larger." John Leshy, an emeritus professor at UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a former solicitor at the Interior Department, sees the new opinion as a largely symbolic gesture being made by the Trump administration on behalf of a faction of the Republican Party that "hates public lands." 'I think they're throwing that out to try to placate them and say, 'We're on your side,'' he said. 'But will that quiet them down until the president actually takes some sort of action? I don't know.' Even before California's youngest monuments were designated, there were fears they could be rolled back by the Trump administration. During his first term, Trump sharply reduced the boundaries of two monuments in Utah — Bear's Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante — and stripped protections from a marine monument off the coast of New England to allow commercial fishing. The Biden administration reversed the changes. In February, Burgum issued an order that many saw as opening the door to potentially eliminating or shrinking monuments. He directed his assistant secretaries to 'review and, as appropriate, revise all withdrawn public lands,' citing a federal statute corresponding to the law that allows presidents to create monuments. Then, a little over a month later, the Trump administration caused confusion when it issued and then appeared to roll back an announcement implying the president had rescinded his predecessor's orders creating Chuckwalla and Sáttítla. Last month, a federal suit was filed by a Texas-based conservative think tank on behalf of plaintiffs to invalidate the Chuckwalla monument, arguing Biden had overstepped his authority when he created it. Some believed California's new monuments were at most risk of being targeted, in part because Trump might seek to undo his predecessor's actions. Read more: Biden created Chuckwalla monument in the California desert. A lawsuit aims to undo it Whether presidents have the authority to alter monuments is hotly contested. Litigation challenging Trump's previous monument reductions was still pending when Biden reversed them and the matter was never settled. "Courts have never ruled on this issue one way or another," Leshy said. "They've just been silent on whether one president can undo another president's proclamation." If Trump moves to undo monuments in California, litigation is likely. Krystian Lahage of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the California desert, said his group is trying to raise awareness of the broad support for Chuckwalla. Sunday marked the 119th anniversary of the Antiquities Act, and to celebrate the group co-hosted an event that Lahage said drew more than 100 people. There was an off-roading tour, an exploration of the geology and wildlife, stargazing and a community BBQ. 'Our goal there was to show folks all the different things they can do in the national monument — and what it's protecting,' he said. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Morning Report — Trump dismisses Democratic second guessing
Editor's note: The Hill's Morning Report is our daily newsletter that dives deep into Washington's agenda. To subscribe, click here or fill out the box below. Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here In today's issue: President Trump's Justice Department today will argue in a federal district court that California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has no legal standing to second-guess the president's decision to use the military to protect federal immigration agents in Los Angeles from demonstrators. The governor, who sued this week to try to block Trump's mobilization of 4,000 National Guard members and 700 Marines in his state, wants a temporary restraining order that would limit military forces to guarding federal buildings — with no other law enforcement activity. The New York Times: The Justice Department filed a 29-page brief outlining its view of Trump's expansive authority. Newsom, who is coordinating with Los Angeles and state law enforcement to try to suppress civil unrest and disperse protesters opposed to federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids that began last week, is the face of Democratic resistance and repeatedly denies GOP assertions that California protects criminals. 'I have coordinated and collaborated with ICE for six years,' Newsom told The Wall Street Journal during an interview this week. 'I have transferred over 10,500 individuals into ICE custody, over the objections of my legislature.' The governor, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, argues the administration barreled into California eager to stage partisan political theater with immigration as the script. 'When people are lawfully playing by the rules and coming for court hearings and you're deporting them, that crosses a line,' he told the Journal. The tensions between the White House and the most populous blue state quickly ensnared Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass (D), who is seeking reelection and insists there is zero tolerance for rioters, property destruction and violence. A curfew she imposed that quieted her city Tuesday and Wednesday will remain in place, but she urged the administration to voluntarily cease Los Angeles ICE raids. The White House has rejected that idea. 'We are stuck in this no-man's-land of not having any idea when the policy will end,' she said at a Wednesday news conference. ▪ The Hill: Bass has been thrust back into the hot seat amid LA unrest. ▪ The New York Times: Authorities arrested 700 people in seven cities, including in New York City and Chicago, between Friday and Wednesday. Most arrests occurred in Los Angeles. What are the charges? As demonstrations against ICE and Trump spread across the country, states' strategies vary. In Georgia, for example, the attorney general warned Wednesday that protesters who 'engage in violence to change public policy' could be charged with domestic terrorism. In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, a Trump ally in a border state, called up Texas National Guard troops to San Antonio and Austin in anticipation of protests against federal deportation raids. 'Peaceful protest is legal,' the governor posted on social media. 'Harming a person or property is illegal & will lead to arrest.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators during a Wednesday hearing that the same legal grounds the Pentagon used to send Marines and National Guard troops to LA could be employed in other cities 'if there are riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened.' 👉 Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday released an Uncle Sam poster asking people to become informants and report 'all foreign invaders' to ICE, referencing 'criminal activity' and including a phone number, The Los Angeles Times reports (with the image). SMART TAKE with NewsNation's BLAKE BURMAN Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) and Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) co-introduced the Lawless Cities Accountability Act in Congress. The bill would withdraw federal funds from cities that don't stop violent unrest or don't accept help from federal law enforcement. 'We have to use the tools in our toolbox to ensure that our mayors and our governors, like Gavin Newsom, are following the law in this country because if we don't have laws, we're not a country at all,' Mace told me. But will Republicans back measures like this? Of the more than 9.7 million people who live in Los Angeles County, more than 1.1 million people voted for President Trump in 2024. When I brought up the potential threat of funding to Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) earlier this week, he warned not to 'lump everyone in California in with the actions of a few leaders.' Burman hosts 'The Hill' weeknights, 6p/5c on NewsNation. 3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY: ▪ It will cost less than $400 million to turn a luxury Qatari jet into Trump's new Air Force One, the U.S. Air Force estimates. ▪ FBI leadership is pushing to move one of the bureau's elite training academies from Quantico, Va., to Huntsville, Ala. ▪ U.S. inflation remains muted, according to the consumer price index. LEADING THE DAY © The Associated Press | Andy Wong TARIFF DEALS: Trump said Wednesday his administration reached a tentative agreement on a trade truce with China following talks between the two sides in London. The president's announcement was light on details but gave Trump and his team the chance to tout a victory during a crucial stretch for his trade agenda. As part of the agreement, China will supply 'full magnets, and any necessary rare earths,' the president said on Truth Social. Rare earths had been a key sticking point in negotiations, and China cut off much of its exports to the U.S. and Europe. Still, China is putting a six-month limit on rare-earth export licenses for U.S. automakers and manufacturers, The Wall Street Journal reports, preserving leverage if trade tensions flare up again. It was also unclear whether the agreement reached this week was substantively different from the initial truce the U.S. and China struck in May following discussions in Geneva. Trump indicated the U.S. would impose 55 percent tariffs on Chinese goods, while China would impose a 10 percent tariff on U.S. products. The announcement comes after top Trump economic officials met in London with their Chinese counterparts. Meanwhile, Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday before the House Ways and Means Committee that the 90-day pause on 'reciprocal' tariffs could be extended even further for countries willing to negotiate with the U.S. 'There are 18 important trading partners. We are working toward deals on those, and it is highly likely that those countries — or trading blocs, as in the case of the EU — who are negotiating in good faith, we will roll the date forward to continue good-faith negotiations,' Bessent said. 'If someone is not negotiating, then we will not.' Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) knocked Trump on Wednesday over the tariff extension. 'Does it smell like TACOs in here to anyone else?' Beyer posted on social platform X, using an acronym for 'Trump Always Chickens Out' — a pejorative phrase used by critics to describe Trump's trade policy. ▪ CNBC: U.S. tariffs on China won't change again, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick says after trade talks. ▪ Bloomberg News: China found the world's pain point on trade — and will use it again. MEGABILL: Senate Republicans indicated on Wednesday they are prepared to reduce the size of a key tax deduction in Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' that was backed by moderates in the House, setting up a battle within the GOP over the divisive issue. The fight had long been expected, but the solidifying of the plan in the upper chamber threatens to delay progress on the bill and raises further questions about meeting the GOP's self-imposed July 4 deadline. Multiple senators told The Hill's Mychael Schnell and Al Weaver that the chamber appears ready to chop down the $40,000 state and local tax deduction cap, which was painstakingly negotiated between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House GOP moderates from New York, New Jersey and California who have warned not to touch it. 'There was never a number specifically discussed other than the House's [$40,000] — and it's a lot,' Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told reporters. 'No surprise that there's an interest in reducing it.' ▪ The New York Times: GOP senators are considering whether to further curb the president's favorite tax cuts as they rewrite key portions of the sprawling domestic agenda bill passed by the House. ▪ The Hill: More than half of voters oppose Trump's domestic policy bill, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday. ▪ NOTUS: Democrats are trying to capitalize on Republican regrets to block the rescissions package. ▪ The Hill: Senate Republicans on Wednesday rolled out a suite of proposed changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as a key component of Trump's 'big, beautiful bill.' WHERE AND WHEN ZOOM IN © The Associated Press | Rod Lamkey, Jr. VACCINES: Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has put Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, in a political bind, squeezed by his loyalty to Trump and commitment to medicine. By firing every member of Center for Disease Control and Prevention's 17-person independent vaccine advisory panel, Kennedy seemingly ignored one of the key promises Cassidy claims he extracted from the longtime anti-vaccine activist before casting the deciding vote on his confirmation. It's not the first time Kennedy has walked up to and possibly over one of Cassidy's red lines, writes The Hill's Nathaniel Weixel, but the second-term Louisiana senator and medical doctor chose not to confront him. The continued deference to Kennedy shows the political calculations Cassidy is making as he runs for reelection. Robert Hogan, department chair and political science professor at Louisiana State University, said it seems clear that Kennedy is playing Cassidy for a fool — but that won't matter to GOP primary voters. 'You would think that that would hurt him electorally, but … I think ultimately, what could have hurt him is if he had stuck with his professional standards and the standards of the medical community' and spoken out against Kennedy, Hogan said. ▪ The Hill: Kennedy included vaccine misinformation spreaders among his newly announced vaccine panel members. ▪ The New York Times: Party politics is said to have played a role in Kennedy's firing of vaccine advisers. The health secretary cited financial conflicts, but some said he was also concerned about ties to Democrats. SANCTUARY CITIES: A trio of high-profile Democratic governors are set to take center stage on Capitol Hill today in what is likely to be a contentious hearing on sanctuary states. Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee are expected to grill Govs. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Kathy Hochul of New York, and JB Pritzker of Illinois over their states' status as sanctuary states while unrest rages in California over Trump's immigration policies. However, Thursday's hearing will also present a test for the three governors as Pritzker and Walz have been floated as potential 2028 presidential contenders and Hochul faces reelection in 2026. ▪ The Hill: Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg announced Wednesday that he would be forgoing reelection for his spot in the committee after DNC members voted to redo the vice chair election of Hogg and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta. ▪ The Hill: The Trump administration is moving to ax all climate rules alongside Biden-era and pollution rules for power plants. ▪ The Hill: All members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned Wednesday, citing alleged political interference by members of the Trump administration. ▪ The Washington Post: The ways the federal government is stressing out your child's public school. ▪ The Hill: A district judge ruled Wednesday that Mahmoud Khalil, a green card holder and former Columbia University pro-Palestinian activist, can no longer be detained by the federal government over claims he is compromising foreign policy. HUSH MONEY CASE: A three-judge appeals court panel heard arguments Wednesday in Trump's bid to move his New York criminal conviction to federal court, which would give him a new pathway to attempt to toss the jury's guilty verdict on immunity grounds. ▪ The Hill: The Trump administration's travel ban presents a complex case for immigration advocates who have challenged multiple iterations of the president's efforts to close the door to the U.S. for certain foreigners. ▪ CNN: Trump has broad authority to revoke protected land designated as national monuments by past presidents, the Justice Department said in a new legal opinion. ELSEWHERE © The Associated Press | Rod Lamkey Jr. UKRAINE DIVISION: Republican senators sharply questioned Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday over the Trump administration's effort to end Russia's three-year invasion of Ukraine, moving into public view an ideological divide within the party. Sen. Mitch McConnell (Ky.) — one of three Republicans to oppose Hegseth's confirmation — led the criticism at a Senate budget hearing. 'America's reputation is on the line,' McConnell said. 'Will we defend Democratic allies against authoritarian aggressors?' When McConnell asked who the aggressor was, Hegseth replied, 'Russia is the aggressor.' But the secretary sidestepped a question about who he wants to win the war and said only that Trump is committed to peace. Meanwhile, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan 'Razin' Caine told senators Wednesday that he did not believe Russian President Vladimir Putin will stop at Ukraine if he succeeds in overtaking the country, a marked contrast to Trump's typical ambiguity on the question. 🚨 IRAN: Israel is considering taking military action against Iran — most likely without U.S. support — in the coming days. The White House is in advanced discussions with Tehran about a diplomatic deal to curtail its nuclear program, NBC News reports. One major concern is the possibility of Iran retaliating against U.S. personnel or assets in the region for any action. Details about the Israeli discussions came out before the International Atomic Energy Agency's board of governors for the first time in 20 years formally found that Iran isn't complying with its nuclear obligations. In response, Tehran announced it will establish a new uranium enrichment facility. The U.S. began evacuating nonessential staff from the embassy in Iraq and family members of military personnel from several bases in the Gulf. Why? Iran has threatened to launch missiles against U.S. military bases in the region in retaliation for any attack on Iran's nuclear facilities. 'It could be a dangerous place, we'll see what happens,' Trump told reporters Wednesday night ahead of a crucial round of nuclear negotiations between Washington and Tehran. 'Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. We won't allow it.' ISRAEL AND SYRIA: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. envoy Tom Barrack that he is interested in negotiating with the new government in Syria, Axios reports, with the U.S. serving as mediator. The talks would be the first of their kind between Israel and Syria since 2011. ▪ BBC: Mike Huckabee, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, said that it should be up to 'Muslim countries' to build a Palestinian state on their territory instead of in Gaza or the occupied West Bank. ▪ Reuters: The United Nations General Assembly will vote today on a draft resolution that demands an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza. ▪ CNN: An Air India passenger plane crashed shortly after takeoff in India's western city of Ahmedabad. OPINION ■ Sherrill's race for New Jersey governor points the way for Democrats, by Karen Tumulty, columnist, The Washington Post. ■ I'm a vaccine expert. Here's what keeps me up at night about Kennedy's policies, by Michael Mina, guest essayist, The New York Times. THE CLOSER © The Associated Press | Mead Gruver Take Our Morning Report Quiz And finally … It's Thursday, which means it's time for this week's Morning Report Quiz! Intrigued by the latest international trade trends, we're eager for some smart guesses about lanthanides. Be sure to email your responses to asimendinger@ and kkarisch@ — please add 'Quiz' to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday. China cornered the market on what valued material? What state is home to the only U.S. facility that mines lanthanides? Are ALL lanthanides mined on Earth actually rare and scarce? Which of these U.S. industries is most dependent on lanthanides? Stay Engaged We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger (asimendinger@ and Kristina Karisch (kkarisch@ Follow us on social platform X: (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends.
