'Why are you doing this?': Sen Booker erupts, Dems walk out after clash with Chairman Grassley
Show more
Show less
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Saikat Chakrabarti vs Nancy Pelosi: Meet Indian-American challenging Godmother of Dem Party — in her own backyard
TL;DR Saikat Chakrabarti , ex-AOC aide and Justice Democrats co-founder, is running against Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi in California's 11th Congressional District. The Harvard-educated techie turned political organiser accuses Pelosi of refusing to adapt after Trump's re-election. His campaign, 'Mission for America,' is a policy-heavy successor to the Green New Deal — with big plans for jobs, climate, and public investment. He's betting on grassroots support in a district long dominated by Democratic royalty. In a city where even startups go to die, Saikat Chakrabarti is trying to revive something far more difficult: the soul of the Democratic Party. The 39-year-old Indian-American political organiser, best known as the architect behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's stunning 2018 win, has now trained his sights on a political Goliath — Nancy Pelosi, the longest-serving member of Congress from California. And yes, she's running again. 'I've decided to run against Nancy Pelosi,' Chakrabarti posted earlier this year, somewhat matter-of-factly, on X. 'I know some of you might be surprised... but she is — for her 21st term.' Pelosi, who has represented California's 11th District (essentially, San Francisco) since Ronald Reagan was president, remains a towering figure in Democratic politics. But for Chakrabarti, her endurance is exactly the problem. 'She basically made the case for how the Democrats don't really need to change,' he told local reporters, referencing Pelosi's post-2024 remarks after Donald Trump reclaimed the White House. That statement, for Chakrabarti, was a red line. If the Democrats weren't willing to course-correct after a second Trump term, then maybe it was time someone else forced the issue. The long arc from Fort Worth to Capitol Hill Saikat Chakrabarti Born to Bengali immigrant parents in Fort Worth, Texas, Chakrabarti went from Harvard computer science grad to co-founding a tech startup, to an early engineering role at Stripe, the financial giant. Then came 2016. Disturbed by the political chaos of the Trump-Clinton showdown, he joined the Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, building grassroots digital tools and witnessing the gap between Democratic messaging and working-class concerns. What followed was the co-founding of Justice Democrats, a left-wing insurgent group aimed at replacing centrist Democrats with progressive ones. Their biggest success? Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old bartender from the Bronx who took down 10-term Congressman Joe Crowley in 2018 — with Chakrabarti as campaign manager and later, her chief of staff. But the Capitol didn't suit him for long. He exited in 2019 amid friction with Democratic leadership, after a series of now-deleted tweets criticising moderates. One compared them to segregationists, prompting then-Speaker Pelosi to issue a rare internal warning to members: stop fighting on Twitter. The establishment didn't forget. A campaign without big donors — or safety nets Now back in San Francisco, Chakrabarti has set up shop with a policy think tank focused on climate and economic transformation, and is trying to do what many progressives dream of — take on the system from within. His campaign is anchored by the Mission for America plan — a sweeping public investment programme that blends climate action, job creation, and universal social protections. If the Green New Deal was the first draft, this is Chakrabarti's second chapter: technocratic, detailed, and unapologetically radical. 'I've talked to so many people in San Francisco who respect Pelosi,' he said. 'But they can't believe she's running again.' Critically, he's not taking money from corporate PACs, fossil fuel lobbyists, or AIPAC, relying instead on small donors and direct engagement. As of March 2025, he'd raised just under $300,000 — a David's purse next to Pelosi's $1.7 million Goliath. But Chakrabarti seems unfazed. His campaign style mirrors his politics — more Zoom calls than glad-handing, more policy briefings than Instagram reels. Why this race matters (AP Photo/Harry Hamburg, File) To be clear, defeating Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco is a long shot. She's a household name. Her district is deeply blue and deeply loyal. Even progressives who complain about the Democratic establishment tend to do so while sipping espresso in Pacific Heights cafés that fundraise for her. But Chakrabarti's bid is less about unseating Pelosi and more about challenging the Democratic status quo. He sees the party as dangerously out of touch — too slow on climate, too reliant on billionaire donors, and too comfortable with losing. His candidacy is a shot across the bow, signalling that progressive energy won't sit quietly on the sidelines — even in the party's bluest bastions. And let's not forget: Pelosi isn't just any incumbent. She's the embodiment of a Democratic era that, depending on who you ask, either held the line against Trump or failed to stop him — twice. The Subhas Chandra Bose shirt and other landmines Like many progressive stars, Chakrabarti has courted controversy. In 2019, he was criticised for wearing a T-shirt with Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian freedom fighter. Right-wing media pounced. Chakrabarti defended it as a nod to anti-colonial resistance, but the optics stuck — and were later compounded by his social media critiques of centrist Democrats. It didn't help that some of those tweets came while he was officially employed by a sitting Congresswoman. Still, his supporters argue that the Democratic Party needs more uncomfortable truth-tellers, not fewer. What happens next? If Pelosi retires before March 2026 — a possibility some local insiders whisper about — Chakrabarti could face a very different race, likely against local heavyweights like State Sen. Scott Wiener or Pelosi's daughter Christine. If she stays in? He'll be up against a political machine three decades deep, with the donor list to match. But Chakrabarti's bet is long-term. Win or lose, he's placing a wager that San Francisco — and by extension, the Democratic Party — is ready for generational, ideological, and tactical change. Whether the voters agree is something even Silicon Valley's best algorithms can't predict. FAQ Q: Is Chakrabarti a serious threat to Pelosi? Not at the moment. Pelosi remains dominant in fundraising, name recognition, and local loyalty. But Chakrabarti's campaign could influence the political discourse. Q: What's 'Mission for America'? A comprehensive policy plan focused on clean energy, job creation, public healthcare, and economic transformation — meant as a modern successor to the Green New Deal. Q: Has he held elected office before? No. Chakrabarti has been a campaign strategist, activist, and policy thinker — not an elected politician. Q: Why is Pelosi still running? Officially, to continue serving her district. Unofficially, many believe she's trying to control her succession, possibly paving the way for her daughter or an establishment ally. Q: Could Chakrabarti become the next AOC ? Unlikely, unless lightning strikes twice. But he doesn't need to be. He just needs enough spark to remind the Democratic Party that some progressives aren't waiting for permission.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Solving Homelessness Isnt a Partisan Experiment
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Much as he did during his first term, President Donald Trump has been insisting lately that he — and perhaps he alone — knows how to fix the homelessness crisis that has long bedeviled American cities. In an executive order issued last week, Trump called for the mass removal of street encampments, and proposed sending the nearly 300,000 people who live in them to jail or long-term institutional facilities for substance abuse or mental health treatment — whether they want to go or not. To accomplish this goal, crucial federal funding for housing and social services would be used as leverage, given only to cities and states that adopt a more permissive stance on involuntary commitments and crack down on open-air drug use and loitering. Trump described the plan as a 'public safety' approach designed to end 'endemic vagrancy' and 'disorderly behavior.' And to be sure, it will have supporters, especially in Democratic-run Western states where most people who lack housing sleep outdoors rather than in shelters. California, with its reputation for squalid encampments in middle-class neighborhoods, accounts for almost half of the nation's unsheltered homeless population. But ultimately, Trump's plan is bound to fall short of its vaguely stated goals. That's because his executive order misdiagnoses the problem of homelessness as a failure of strategy by Democrats, rather than as a failure of both political parties to consistently provide cities and states with adequate resources. Consider that much of what Trump is proposing, draconian though it may seem to some, isn't all that different from what many Democratic mayors and governors are already doing. Last year, dozens of elected officials from California, Oregon, Washington and Arizona filed amicus briefs in a case involving Grants Pass, Oregon, asking the US Supreme Court to grant them greater authority to clear encampments from public spaces and arrest homeless people. The court's conservative majority did as asked. In response, California Governor Gavin Newsom promptly issued an executive order directing state agencies to remove tents from state-owned property and urged cities and counties to do the same — even threatening to withhold housing funds from jurisdictions that failed to comply with his demands. California was also among the first of many Democratic-run states to expand its involuntary commitment laws, making it easier to force homeless people into treatment for substance abuse. Newsom has called it a way to ensure 'people get the help they need and the respect they deserve.' New York, meanwhile, now allows first responders to involuntarily commit severely mentally ill people who cannot care for themselves. And, after years of contentious debate, Oregon is moving forward with similar legislation. Newsom's spokesperson, Tara Gallegos, called Trump's executive order an 'imitation' that 'even poorly executed is the highest form of flattery.' The partisan politics of homelessness has clearly changed. But the need for resources has not. If a more aggressive approach to clearing encampments is going to succeed, it will only do so if there is sufficient money for both treatment and housing for the people who live in them. Yet the Trump administration, through its One Big Beautiful Bill Act, will gut Medicaid — the program that funds many of the services that keep homeless people, many of whom are disabled, off the streets and in care. In addition, the administration previously announced plans to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in grants used to treat addiction. Drug overdoses kill more than 84,000 Americans every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet it's no coincidence that overdoses from fentanyl and other street drugs have been on the decline in recent years, following a flood of Covid-era grants during the Biden administration. Scores of federal homelessness and affordable housing grants also are at risk — a potentially dire scenario in high-cost cities and states. As Jesse Rabinowitz of the National Homelessness Law Center put it — echoing many civil liberties groups — Trump's executive order 'does nothing to lower the cost of housing or help people make ends meet.' It's even unclear whether states, many beset with budget deficits, will have the money to fund enough beds in institutional settings — or in jails — for all of the additional homeless people that Trump wants off the streets. He apparently doesn't see resources as the issue, though. As he says in his executive order, 'the Federal Government and the States have spent tens of billions of dollars on failed programs that address homelessness.' It's a fair point. The unhoused population increased by 18% nationwide last year, according to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. But it's worth pointing out that in California — which spends more money on homelessness than any other state and, under Newsom, has been more aggressive in removing encampments — the increase was only 3%. Trump should remember that no matter the strategy, fixing the homelessness crisis requires investment in American cities, not budget cuts. More From Bloomberg Opinion: This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. Erika D. Smith is a politics and policy columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. She is a former Los Angeles Times columnist and Sacramento Bee editorial board member. More stories like this are available on
NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
Trump's Former Personal Lawyer Confirmed As US Judge
US President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer was confirmed by the Senate Tuesday to become a federal appellate judge in a 50-49 partisan vote. The Republican-led Senate confirmed Emil Bove as a judge on the 3rd US Circuit Court of Appeals, a lifetime appointment, despite fiery opposition from Democrats, who walked out of a Senate committee meeting in protest earlier this month. Two GOP Senators -- Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Maine's Susan Collins -- voted against the nomination, but Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the chamber and were able to carry the vote anyway. A former federal prosecutor, Bove, 44, was nominated by Trump while serving as the third-ranking official in the Justice Department. His nomination drew fierce criticism, and Senator Dick Durbin, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement Tuesday night lambasting Bove after he got the new job. "Mr. Bove's primary qualification appears to be his blind loyalty to this President," Durbin said, adding that Bove sided with January 6, 2021 rioters who rushed in the Capitol, and fired career prosecutors who held them to account. The Third Circuit covers the eastern states of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim issued a joint statement saying Bove's "professional record is marred by a pattern of abusive behavior, ethical breaches, and disdain for the norms of judicial integrity." Opposition to Bove's appointment was vocal in legal circles ahead of Tuesday's vote. More than 900 former Justice Department attorneys recently sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee saying "it's intolerable to us that anyone who disgraces the Justice Department would be promoted to one of the highest courts in the land." A group of more than 75 retired state and federal judges also wrote the committee, saying it is "deeply inappropriate for a president to nominate their own criminal defense attorney for a federal judgeship." Bove represented Trump in the New York case that ended in his conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to a porn star. He also defended Trump in two federal criminal cases which never reached trial and were shut down after Trump won the 2024 presidential election. Earlier this year, Bove ordered federal prosecutors to drop bribery and fraud charges against New York Mayor Eric Adams, triggering a wave of resignations in the Manhattan US attorney's office and the Justice Department in Washington. Bove has denied allegations that the decision was a quid pro quo in exchange for the Democratic mayor's support for Trump's immigration crackdown.
