Moderates win weekend elections in Romania, Poland, Portugal
Moderates won elections across Europe over the weekend, though anti-immigrant blocs showcased their growing strength.
In Romania's presidential election, the centrist mayor of Bucharest — who 'ran a campaign that was pro-Europe, pro-NATO, and pro-Ukraine' — triumphed over a nativist firebrand who had been leading the polls, while the center-right narrowly took the first round of Poland's presidential vote and emerged victorious in Portugal.
'Europhiles can exhale today,' Politico wrote, although the ballot box successes risk masking the power of Europe's populist movements: Romania's centrists needed near-record turnout to win, Poland's second round will be a neck-and-neck affair, and Portugal's far right saw its best-ever result.
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Politico
34 minutes ago
- Politico
Cuomo's history on housing vouchers
SUBSIDIZE MY CUT: Mayoral front-runner Andrew Cuomo thinks the state should take on a larger role funding rental subsidies for homeless New Yorkers — a pledge that's at odds with his actions as governor. During his tenure in Albany, Cuomo did the opposite: he cut off state funding in 2011 for a rental voucher program known as Advantage, prompting City Hall to eliminate the program altogether. Housing experts have long blamed the subsequent sharp rise in the city's homeless shelter population on those critical decisions, even as they disparaged the voucher program at the time. It was part of a pattern during Cuomo's tenure of shifting the cost of social services from the state onto the city, according to those policy experts and homeless advocates. Cuomo dismissed those criticisms during a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO last month. 'It was 100 years ago,' he said, when asked about his oversight ending Advantage. When reminded he is running on his record as governor — including accomplishments as old as the cancellation of Advantage — he dismissed the program as minor. 'I don't even remember what happened with that program, but since then there's been 50 other programs to do the same (thing,)' he said. He also criticized Section 8 vouchers as too expensive, without providing much of an alternative to quickly create adequate housing that's affordable to the citys' lowest-income residents who are sleeping in shelters. 'Gotta find another way,' he said, when asked about the high cost to the city for funding affordable housing for New Yorkers with especially scarce means. 'I can't pay you. I'll give you the air rights above libraries. I'll give you the air rights on city properties all across the city. I'll give you old city buildings.' If he's elected mayor, Cuomo will have to grapple with those decisions as he manages a mammoth homeless crisis, with some 86,000 people sleeping in city shelters on a recent night. 'The confounding thing about Andrew Cuomo as governor is he really claimed to be this expert on homelessness, and had such profound missteps in the course of actually playing it out,' said Shelly Nortz, who spent decades as deputy executive director of policy at the Coalition of the Homeless and has since retired. 'The Advantage mistake was just colossal, you just can't even make that up.' Read more from POLITICO's Janaki Chada on the program Cuomo cut FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL CUOMO PRESSED ON ISRAEL: Cuomo declined to express support for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine today, just saying that he supports 'peace' and the strategy is up to the prime minister of Israel to decide. Middle East politics has become a prominent issue in the mayoral race as Cuomo and his supporters have hammered rival Zohran Mamdani over his criticism of Israel, calling it antisemitic, while Mamdani's pro-Palestinian activism has energized many of his supporters. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has long opposed a two-state solution. American Democrats overwhelmingly don't trust Netanyahu to do the right thing in global affairs, and a majority believe a two-state solution is possible. Cuomo announced last year that he joined the legal team defending Netanyahu from war crime charges in the International Criminal Court. But Netanyahu hasn't been arrested, and Cuomo has not actually done any work on the potential case, his campaign told POLITICO in April. On WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show today, he said he wouldn't be doing legal work for Netanyahu as mayor. Nine Democratic candidates in the primary gave closing arguments on the radio show this morning. Cuomo emphasized the operational nature of executive jobs and said of New Yorkers, 'They know me. Intimately. After 11 years as governor. Especially after COVID every day.' Lander said he offers 'honest leadership, real public integrity' and a 'bold progressive vision for a more affordable and safe city and the management chops and track record to deliver.' And Mamdani said he's made 'addressing the affordability crisis the centerpiece of this campaign' and that 'New Yorkers are done with the cynical politics of the past.' When pressed on Cuomo's criticism that he's only been the lead sponsor on three state Assembly bills that have passed into law, Mamdani pivoted to winning a fare free bus pilot and debt relief for taxi drivers. — Jeff Coltin AHEAD OF 'THE LATE SHOW': Several Jewish community leaders — led by Elisha Wiesel, son of author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel — are urging late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert to question Mamdani and Lander about the phrase 'globalize the intifada' and related rhetoric when they appear as guests tonight. The candidates, who endorsed each other, are set to make an appearance together on CBS' 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' on the eve of the primary. 'Mr. Mamdani and Mr. Lander's appearance on your show is arguably the highest-profile media appearance they will have, and a public audience of millions of Americans,' the 10 signatories wrote in a letter to Colbert. 'And while yours is an entertainment show and a comedy experience, these are no laughing matters.' Asked about it on a recent podcast, Mamdani, a critic of Israel accused of antisemitism, did not disavow or condemn the use of 'globalize the intifada' phrase, which has been used by pro-Palestinian protesters. He has said the phrase means different things to different people. The candidate was asked again about the phrase today on WNYC's 'The Brian Lehrer Show.' 'That is not the language that I use,' Mamdani responded, 'And I do not believe it is the mayor's position to be policing language.' Spokespeople for CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. — Emily Ngo with Jeff Coltin DEFUND PIVOT: Mamdani credits his evolution on 'defund the police' to colleagues and friends who don't hesitate to challenge him, he said in a podcast that dropped today. And he would govern New York City with the same flexibility on issues and ideas, including with an inner circle that isn't made of yes men, the candidate told 'Plain English with Derek Thompson.' 'I think that allows you the ability to learn, to grow and I think that leadership can look a lot more like that than someone who pretends they know all the answers, all the time,' Mamdani said. In the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020, Mamdani had posted, 'What we need is to #DefundTheNYPD.' But at a recent mayoral debate, he said, 'I will not defund the police. I will work with the police.' — Emily Ngo From The Port Authority SECURITY CONCERNS: Amid fighting with Iran and heightened concern about attacks on America, the Port Authority today canceled soccer watch parties at the World Trade Center campus. It said the decision was made in consultation with the NYPD and denied any specific threat against the World Trade Center. 'While there is no specific or credible threat, we are taking prudent measures to ensure the safety of all visitors to the WTC campus,' Port Authority spokesperson Seth Stein said in an email. 'We'll continue to coordinate closely with our law enforcement partners to keep the region safe.' The Port Authority previously announced it would host public viewings of FIFA Club World Cup games later this month through mid-July. The tournament pits professional soccer clubs from around the world against each other. Some of the games are being played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Separately, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she convened more than 100 religious and community leaders on a call to talk about security issues today. She said there are no credible threats against the state, but that authorities have contemplated vulnerabilities and are on alert. 'We are a place that has been attacked before,' she said. — Ry Rivard IN OTHER NEWS — THE GARDEN LIVES!: Elizabeth Street Garden will remain just that after City Hall officially scuttled a hard-fought plan to build housing on the site. (POLITICO Pro) — A 'GHOUL HAIKU': A top ex-Cuomo aide translates the former governor's campaign to poetry: A grim and joyless campaign, as befits a battle for a prize never wanted, one long viewed with disdain….(READ) — LOOK AT THE MTA: The former governor's management of the MTA might reveal what he would be like as mayor. (POLITICO) — PRISON REFORM: In the wake of inmate Robert Brooks' killing, Hochul is tasked with signing a slate of prison reforms advocates wish went further. (The New York Times) Missed this morning's New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Spike in homelessness followed Cuomo's move to cut off voucher funds as governor
NEW YORK — Mayoral frontrunner Andrew Cuomo thinks the state should take on a larger role funding rental subsidies for homeless New Yorkers — a pledge that's at odds with his actions as governor. During his tenure in Albany, Cuomo did the opposite: he cut off state funding in 2011 for a rental voucher program known as Advantage, prompting City Hall to eliminate the program altogether. Housing experts have long blamed the subsequent sharp rise in the city's homeless shelter population on those critical decisions, even as they disparaged the voucher program at the time. It was part of a pattern during Cuomo's tenure of shifting the cost of social services from the state onto the city, according to those policy experts and homeless advocates. Cuomo dismissed those criticisms during a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO last month. 'It was 100 years ago,' he said, when asked about his oversight ending Advantage. When reminded he is running on his record as governor — including accomplishments as old as the cancellation of Advantage, he dismissed the program as minor. 'I don't even remember what happened with that program, but since then there's been 50 other programs to do the same (thing,)' he said. He also criticized Section 8 vouchers as too expensive, without providing much of an alternative to quickly create adequate housing that's affordable to the citys' lowest-income residents who are sleeping in shelters. 'Gotta find another way,' he said, when asked about the high cost to the city for funding affordable housing for New Yorkers with especially scarce means. 'I can't pay you. I'll give you the air rights above libraries. I'll give you the air rights on city properties all across the city. I'll give you old city buildings.' If he's elected mayor, Cuomo will have to grapple with those decisions as he manages a mammoth homeless crisis, with some 86,000 people sleeping in city shelters on a recent night. 'The confounding thing about Andrew Cuomo as governor is he really claimed to be this expert on homelessness, and had such profound missteps in the course of actually playing it out,' said Shelly Nortz, who spent decades as deputy executive director of policy at the Coalition of the Homeless and has since retired. 'The Advantage mistake was just colossal, you just can't even make that up.' Cuomo, who is now leading a packed field to unseat Mayor Eric Adams, has a background in homelessness and housing going back decades — something he often touts. In the 1980s, he created the organization HELP USA, which continues to be a major homeless services provider. Under former Mayor David Dinkins, he chaired a Commission on the Homeless, and he later spent four years as the secretary of the federal housing department. But his record as governor is being scrutinized anew for choices that impacted the city's massive housing crisis that continues today. A Cuomo spokesperson questioned the link between ending the voucher funding and the spike in shelter arrivals, and pointed to other state contributions towards affordable housing and homeless services. 'As Governor, he invested billions in housing and consistently delivered real results,' spokesperson Esther Jensen said in a statement. 'Now, with decades of proven experience and dedication, he's ready to bring that same commitment to City Hall — which is why New Yorkers across the city support him for mayor, knowing he is the only candidate with the vision and ability to tackle homelessness and deliver truly affordable housing.' The Advantage program, established in 2007 during the Bloomberg administration, offered rent subsidies for up to two years to help people move out of shelters. At the time it was shuttered, there were some 15,000 families housed as a result of the vouchers. But it was facing growing criticism from advocates due to onerous requirements — including the time limits and work rules — with some describing it as a 'revolving door back to homelessness.' After Cuomo eliminated $65 million in funding toward the program in the 2011 state budget, the city declined to shoulder the cost on its own and ended the initiative altogether. At the time, a spokesperson for the governor cited New York's 'significant fiscal challenges' in pulling the money. 'There were issues with the Advantage program, but the solution to that would have been to improve the program in a way that made it more successful, not to say, oh here are some issues so we're just not going to do to anymore,' said Joshua Goldfein, an attorney focused on homelessness for the Legal Aid Society. Indeed, the shelter census immediately surged: between March 2011, when the program ended, and the end of 2013, the population in municipal shelters spiked 35 percent. 'Unfortunately, when it ended, a number of families went back to homelessness. It was really a tragedy,' said Lilliam Barrios-Paoli, deputy mayor for health and human services during the first year and a half of the de Blasio administration. The effects of the elimination continued into the early years of de Blasio, according to Steven Banks, former commissioner of the Department of Social Services. People were gradually evicted from their homes after the subsidy was cut off; some entered shelters immediately, while others tried to double up with friends or family and entered the shelter system later on. The de Blasio administration eventually replaced the Advantage program with a series of subsidies that became CityFHEPS. 'When we created new rental assistance programs, they were almost entirely city-funded, so the state succeeded in shifting the costs of subsidizing rents for New York City residents moving out of shelter,' Banks said in an interview. Throughout his tenure, which stretched from 2014 through 2021, 'there were repeated requests [to the state] for cost-sharing of the rental assistance program and other social services programs that were denied,' he added. The city continues to bear significant, and growing, costs for the CityFHEPS program. The subsidies are projected to cost at least $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2025, up from $25 million in 2019. Cuomo acknowledged the steep price tag in his housing plan and called for supplemental state funding in a questionnaire submitted to the New York Housing Conference. 'CityFHEPS is a vital tool for keeping families out of shelters, but it needs to be supplemented with a state housing voucher program so New York City is not bearing the full cost of preventing homelessness,' the former governor wrote. There's been a push from housing advocates in recent years to create a state-funded rent subsidy known as the Housing Access Voucher Program. Gov. Kathy Hochul had resisted that legislation since she took office in 2021, but agreed to establish a small pilot as part of the state budget this year. The elimination of the Advantage program had lasting impacts beyond the availability of funding and affected attitudes towards vouchers in the private sector, advocates say. 'Landlords were furious and to this day, having been burned by that, are skeptical of government commitments of housing subsidies,' Goldfein said. 'So we have rampant source of income discrimination,' he continued, referring to landlords declining to rent to tenants who use vouchers. Goldfein and others hold both the Bloomberg and Cuomo administrations accountable for the outcome, and note that the city could have handled the situation differently after state funding was cut off. 'I think they're both responsible, but Mike Bloomberg is not running for a fourth term,' Goldfein said. 'Cuomo easily had the ability to solve that problem and did not.' Sally Goldenberg contributed reporting.
Newsweek
2 hours ago
- Newsweek
Democrat Edges Republican Incumbent in New Iowa Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Democrat Christina Bohannan held a lead over Republican Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks in a new Democratic-sponsored poll of Iowa's First Congressional District, according to Politico. Why It Matters Bohannan nearly unseated Miller-Meeks in 2024, losing by only 799 votes despite President Donald Trump carrying the district by more than 8 percentage points. It was among the closest races and went to a recount. Bohannan announced last week she is taking on Miller-Meeks for a third time in hopes of flipping the seat in the 2026 midterms. The election will likely become one of the most competitive races as Democrats aim to regain control of the House, particularly if Trump's falling approval rating fuels a 2018-style "blue wave." Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan speaks to supporters during an election night watch party in Iowa City, Iowa, on November 5, 2024. Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan speaks to supporters during an election night watch party in Iowa City, Iowa, on November 5, 2024. Nick Rohlman/The Gazette via AP What To Know Politico reported a new poll of the district showing Bohannan with an early lead over the incumbent Republican. The internal poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling and commissioned by the House Majority PAC. Bohannan received 43 percent support to 39 percent for Miller-Meeks, while 18 percent were undecided. Bohannan told Newsweek that the poll is a "reflection of what we are seeing in the district." "Hundreds of people reached out to me asking me to run again. That's why we launched our campaign last week," Bohannan said. "People are very fed up with what they are seeing with Representative Miller-Meeks and what's happening in Washington, D.C. She has voted three times to protect the tariffs that are hurting Iowa's farmers and hurting everyday people with increasing the cost of everything from groceries to lumber." Internal polls are sometimes viewed as less reliable than independent polls, as they are typically selectively released by those who sponsor them. No independent polls have been conducted for the race, but analysts view the district as a toss-up. The poll surveyed 555 voters in the district from June 18-19, Politico reported. Newsweek also reached out to Miller-Meeks' campaign via email for comment. Bohannan's campaign wrote in a press statement last week that her campaign raised more than $500,000 in the first day after launching her run, underscoring how competitive the race may be. The district includes much of the southeast areas of Iowa, ranging from Des Moines suburbs to Davenport and Iowa City, as well as much of the rural areas across the region. It's illustrative of the sort of rural district Democrats once did well in but have struggled in recent elections. Democrats view Bohannan as a strong recruit, pointing to her strong showing in the district compared to former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024. They are hoping that performance, along with a more favorable national environment, could propel her to victory next November. What People Are Saying Katarina Flicker, House Majority PAC press secretary, on X, formerly Twitter: "NEW POLLING commissioned by @HouseMajPAC finds Dem candidate Christina Bohannan leading GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) in what is expected to be one of the most competitive congressional races of the 2026 cycle NRCC Spokeswoman Emily Tuttle, in a statement after Bohannan announced her campaign: "When will Christina learn? Iowans have rejected her twice already, and now she has to run to the left to beat radical Bob Kraus and Bernie-bro Travis Terrell in the primary. There's no doubt whoever comes out of this liberal rat race will be sent packing when Iowans re-elect America First fighter Mariannette Miller-Meeks next fall." What Happens Next Bohannan will compete in the primary on June 2, 2026. The general election is set for November 3, 2026. The Cook Political Report currently classifies the race as a pure toss-up.
