
LI Rep. Garbarino to lead powerful House Homeland Security Committee
The South Shore representative edged out fellow Congressmen Michael Guest (R-Miss.), Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) and Clay Higgins (R-La.) in a committee vote Monday for the highly coveted role, which oversees the panel that deals with a portfolio of domestic security issues.
'As a lifelong New Yorker and representative of a district shaped by 9/11, I understand the stakes of this responsibility. 'Never forget' is more than a slogan,' Garbarino said in a statement. 'It is a commitment I have carried with me throughout my entire adult life and one that will continue to drive my work.
'We have serious work ahead of us. Securing the border, confronting terrorism, strengthening our cybersecurity, and hardening our national defenses are all critical to keeping Americans safe.'
Advertisement
Garbarino will be succeeding former Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who has resigned from the House, shrinking the GOP's razor-thin edge in the lower chamber.
3 Long Island GOP Rep. Andrew Garbarino has served on the House Homeland Security Committee throughout his tenure in Congress.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
3 The committee's previous chairman, Mark Green, resigned from the House this month to pursue another gig.
REUTERS
Advertisement
Green tendered his resignation after the passage of President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act for a mysterious new job that reportedly involves business opportunities in Guyana.
The retired rep drew headlines in September after his wife accused him of having an affair and filed for a divorce. She alleged that he was having a dalliance with a woman employed by Axios at the time but later backtracked.
3 Garbarino pointed to his experiences in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks while vying for the chairmanship role.
CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Garbarino, who was first elected to the House in 2020, raised eyebrows himself in May for snoozing through an all-night marathon session of Congress debating the House's first iteration of the Big Beautiful Bill.
Advertisement
The rep, who has served on the Homeland Security Committee throughout his tenure, won the panel' chairmanship in a vote by the House Steering Committee, which works to assign lawmakers to various committees in the lower chamber.
Now his nomination will head to the House Republican Conference, which usually rubber stamps recommendations from the steering panel.
The Long Island Republican has been the chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection since 2023.
Advertisement
He also previously served as an impeachment manager against former Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who survived the effort by the GOP-led House to oust him.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Number of Democratic voters who are ‘extremely motivated' to vote in next election skyrockets
Nearly three-quarters of Democratic voters say they are 'extremely motivated' to cast their ballots in the 2026 midterm elections, a dramatic uptick from four years ago, polling shows. Just six months after Republicans took control of the White House and Congress, 72 percent of Democrats and Democratic-aligned voters say they are 'extremely motivated' to vote in the next election, a CNN poll conducted by SSRS this month found. By contrast, only 50 percent of Republicans say the same. Democrats are now looking to enter midterm elections in 2026 under similar circumstances as 2018 in an attempt to break up the GOP's control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. During the 2018 elections, voters dealt a massive blow to President Donald Trump's first-term agenda, with House Democrats gaining 23 seats to take control of the House. In October 2022, two years into President Joe Biden's term when Democrats narrowly controlled the trifecta, just 44 percent of Democratic voters expressed the same motivation to vote in the midterm. That figure was just slightly higher for Republicans, with 48 percent saying they were eager to vote. In that election, Republicans clinched the House of Representatives while Democrats retained control of the Senate. Still, the poll shows Democrats could have some work cut out for them. Just 28 percent of respondents said they view the Democratic Party favorably. Meanwhile, 33 percent expressed a favorable view of the Republican Party. 'I think that the Democratic Party, we have a lot of work to do to make sure we are meeting voters where they are, listening to what they have to say, and talking to them about issues that they want us to take action on,' Virginia Democratic Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan told CNN in response to the poll. "What's going to matter is what we're doing on the ground in these districts.' Recovering from Kamala Harris' defeat to Trump in 2024, Democrats are looking to harness an electorate that they lost in the last election. A separate poll by Lake Research Partners and Way to Win analyzed 'Biden skippers,' those living in battleground states who voted for Biden in 2020 but sat out of the 2024 presidential election. The survey poked holes in the idea that Harris was 'too far left.' Progressive lawmaker Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders and New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez topped the list of public figures respondents viewed positively, with 78 percent having a favorable view of Sanders and 67 percent having a favorable view of Ocasio-Cortez. Republicans are also making moves ahead of the 2026 midterms. The White House is already strategizing to ensure the GOP retains the trifecta. The plan reportedly includes Trump returning to the campaign trail as well as him having a hand in advising which candidates run and which 'stay put' in the upcoming election, sources told Politico.


NBC News
14 minutes ago
- NBC News
Trump strikes a deal with the E.U., and a bipartisan duo wants the Epstein files: Weekend Rundown
President Donald Trump on Sunday announced a trade agreement with the European Union that would set tariffs at 15%, ending what had been months of uncertainty surrounding trade with the United States' largest trade partner. The tariff rate is a reduction from the 30% that Trump threatened on July 12 and the 20% he said he would impose on April 2. Announcing the agreement, Trump said the E.U. will not impose a tariff on U.S. imports. He added this agreement was 'satisfactory to both sides.' European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday alongside Trump that the pact 'will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.' However, Trump said 50% tariffs on steel would remain unchanged and more tariffs could still be on the way for pharmaceutical products, which Ireland is one of the top sources of. Trump recently threatened 200% tariffs on pharma goods. 'Meet the Press' Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who are working together to push the Trump administration to release federal files related to Jeffrey Epstein, disagreed over whether Trump should pardon Epstein's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Massie told NBC News' 'Meet the Press' during a joint interview with Khanna that 'whatever they need to do to compel [Maxwell's] testimony, as long as it's truthful, I would be in favor of.' Khanna, on the other hand, said, 'No, I don't' believe that Maxwell should be pardoned or have her sentence commuted and that he is 'concerned' that she met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last week. 'Look, I agree with Congressman Massie that she should testify, but she's been indicted twice on perjury. This is why we need the files,' Khanna added. In a separate interview, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he would defer to the president on whether Maxwell should be pardoned, telling moderator Kristen Welker, 'That's not my lane.' Johnson later added, 'If you're asking my opinion, I think 20 years was a pittance. I think she should have a life sentence at least. I mean, think of all these unspeakable crimes, and as you noted earlier, probably 1,000 victims. I mean, you know, this, this is, it's, it's hard to put into words how evil this was.' Politics in brief Close to home: Democrats are planning to make Rep. David Valadao's support for Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' — and his vote for Medicaid cuts — a focal point of their campaign in a key midterm race. Charting old territory: As Texas Republicans plow ahead with a plan to redraw congressional maps ahead of schedule, many governors are increasingly grappling with the issue sooner than expected. First up: The Democratic Party shook up its presidential primary schedule in 2024, placing South Carolina out in front. State leaders want to keep it that way in 2028. More South Carolina: Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a member of the Freedom Caucus, announced he is running for governor, looking to succeed GOP Gov. Henry McMaster. As Israel announces a 'tactical pause' in fighting, Sen. Lindsey Graham says there's no way to negotiate with Hamas Israel announced it was pausing fighting in some areas of the Gaza Strip to facilitate aid delivery after international outrage swelled in recent days over surging deaths by malnutrition and widespread starvation caused by Israeli restrictions on humanitarian aid. The announcement issued by the Israel Defense Forces said it would be implementing 'humanitarian corridors' for the safe movement of United Nations aid trucks and 'humanitarian pauses' in some of Gaza's most densely populated areas. Meanwhile, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an interview on NBC News' 'Meet the Press' that he believes there is no way for Israel to safely negotiate an end to the war with Hamas and that Israel would take over Gaza, comparing the move to U.S. actions at the end of World War II. 'They're going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin, take the place by force and start over again, presenting a better future for the Palestinians, hopefully having the Arabs take over the West Bank and Gaza,' he later added. How armed gangs are hunting the internet's high rollers As the price of bitcoin rises, criminals are increasingly reaching beyond cyberspace, with a growing number of real-life kidnappings aiming to empty people's crypto wallets. Crypto-related abductions increased every year since 2019, an NBC News analysis found, with a review of news reports and legal documents identifying 67 incidents of crypto kidnapping in 44 countries involving a target or their family member. Muhammad Arsalan, a 23-year-old crypto influencer from Pakistan, was forced to surrender $340,000 worth of tether when he was kidnapped and held at gunpoint in December. 'I had no options left. This is my whole life savings. This is all my life's money,' Arsalan said. Food manufacturers across the U.S., big and small, are facing hurdles as they seek to phase out synthetic food dyes. Kraft Heinz, Nestle, General Mills and major ice cream makers have all recently vowed to shift to natural coloring amid the Trump administration's push to eliminate artificial dyes from the country's food supply, as well as a broader movement by states to ban them because of safety concerns. The transition presents challenges for food companies in developing reliable, cost-effective natural dyes, which are generally more expensive and difficult to make, requiring higher concentrations to achieve the same hue. The shift has also raised questions about the long-term impact of natural dyes on consumers' health. The Texas-based Atkinson Candy Company, which makes the Chick-O-Stick candy bar, is among smaller manufacturers struggling to maintain a distinctive hue while phasing out synthetic food dyes. 'They say in the industry that taste is king, but color is queen,' CEO Eric Atkinson explained. 'The queen is very important.' Notable quote The former senior CIA officer who helped oversee the intelligence assessment on Russia's interference in the 2016 election told NBC News that Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and the White House are 'lying' when they claim that it was an attempt to sabotage Trump. In case you missed it Michigan officials are seeking a terrorism charge in addition to 11 counts of assault with intent to murder against a man who allegedly stabbed nearly a dozen people at a Walmart in what they described as a seemingly random attack. The Illinois man who was sentenced to 53 years in prison for the murder of a young Palestinian American boy in a 2023 hate crime died in prison, authorities said. Four adults were arrested after being accused of abusing nine children in their home by caging them with plywood under a bunk bed and spraying them in the face with vinegar as a form of punishment, Florida officials said. Beyoncé reunited Destiny's Child for the final 'Cowboy Carter' tour date, with Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams appearing onstage in Las Vegas. Thailand and Cambodia on Sunday an end to a deadly border dispute following mediation efforts by Trump, who has pressed for ceasefire talks. back-to-back Women's European Championships.


Boston Globe
43 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
What will it cost to renovate the ‘free' Air Force One? Don't ask.
Officially, and conveniently, the price tag has been classified. But even by Washington standards, where 'black budgets' are often used as an excuse to avoid revealing the cost of outdated spy satellites and lavish end-of-year parties, the techniques being used to hide the cost of Trump's pet project are inventive. Which may explain why no one wants to discuss a mysterious, $934 million transfer of funds from one of the Pentagon's most over-budget, out-of-control projects — the modernization of America's aging, ground-based nuclear missiles. Advertisement In recent weeks, congressional budget sleuths have come to think that amount, slipped into an obscure Pentagon document sent to Capitol Hill as a 'transfer' to an unnamed classified project, almost certainly includes the renovation of the new, gold-adorned Air Force One that Trump desperately wants in the air before his term is over. (It is not clear if the entire transfer will be devoted to stripping the new Air Force One back to its airframe, but Air Force officials privately acknowledge dipping into nuclear modernization funds for the complex project.) Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Qatar's defense minister and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed the final memorandum of understanding a few weeks ago, paving the way for the renovation to begin soon at a Texas facility known for secret technology projects. The document was reported earlier by The Washington Post. Advertisement Trump's plane probably won't fly for long: It will take a year or two to get the work done, and then the Qatari gift — improved with the latest communications and in-flight protective technology — will be transferred to the yet-to-be-created Trump presidential library after he leaves office in 2029, the president has said. Concerns over the many apparent conflicts of interests involved in the transaction, given Trump's government dealings and business ties with the Qataris, have swirled since reports of the gift emerged this spring. But Trump said he was unconcerned, casting the decision as a no-brainer for taxpayers. 'I would never be one to turn down that kind of an offer,' the president said in May. 'I mean, I could be a stupid person and say, 'No, we don't want a free, very expensive airplane.'' It is free in the sense that a used car handed over by a neighbor looking to get it out of his driveway is free. In this case, among the many modifications will be hardened communications, antimissile systems, and engine capabilities to take the president quickly to safety as one of the older Air Force Ones did Sept. 11, 2001, when Al Qaeda attacked the United States. And there is the delicate matter of ridding the jet of any hidden electronic listening devices that US officials suspect may be embedded in the walls. Then, of course, it has to be stuffed with the luxuries — and gold trim — with which the 47th president surrounds himself, whether he is in the Oval Office or in the air. The jet's upper deck has a lounge and a communications center, while the main bedroom can be converted into a flying sick bay in a medical emergency. Advertisement So it's no surprise that one of Washington's biggest guessing games these days is assessing just where the price tag will end up, on top of the $4 billion already being spent on the wildly behind-schedule presidential planes that Boeing was supposed to deliver last year. It was those delays that led Trump to look for a gift. Air Force officials privately concede that they are paying for renovations of the Qatari Air Force One with the transfer from another massively over-budget, behind-schedule program, called the Sentinel. That is named for the missile at the heart of Washington's long-running effort to rebuild America's aging, leaky, ground-launched nuclear missile system. The project was first sold to Congress as a $77.7 billion program to replace all 400 Minuteman III missiles, complete with launch facilities and communications built to withstand both nuclear and cyber attack. By the time Trump came back into office, that figure had ballooned by 81 percent, to $140 billion and climbing, all to reconstruct what nuclear strategists agree is the most vulnerable, impossible-to-hide element of America's nuclear deterrent. In testimony before Congress in June, Troy E. Meink, the Air Force secretary, said that he thought the cost of the Air Force One renovations would be manageable. 'I think there has been a number thrown around on the order of $1 billion,' he said. 'But a lot of those costs associated with that are costs that we'd have experienced anyway, we will just experience them early,' before Boeing delivers its two Air Force Ones. 'So it wouldn't be anywhere near that.' Advertisement 'We believe the actual retrofit of that aircraft is probably less than $400 million,' he said. If so, that would be a bargain. But engineers and Air Force experts who have been through similar projects have their doubts that it can be accomplished for anything like that price. Members of Congress express concern that Trump will pressure the Air Force to do the work so fast that sufficient security measures are not built into the plane. When asked last week, the Air Force said it simply could not discuss the cost — or anything else about the plane — because it's classified. This article originally appeared in