Peanut the Squirrel: MAGA's Cutest Martyr Immortalized in Statue in NYC Art Exhibit
NEW YORK, N.Y., May 28, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — A movement's beloved squirrel is being unveiled as a heroic MAGA icon in New York's Chelsea gallery district. In 'Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art,' Peanut the Squirrel is memorialized in a gruesome form as a tiny martyr alongside political titans Elon Musk, RFK Jr., and President Donald Trump, ready to do their bidding for a fantastical third-term campaign, the Iconoclast Room announced today.
Peanut's story began in 2024, when city officials euthanized a squirrel suspected of rabies. What could have been a fleeting public health incident was transformed by MAGA outrage and a viral post by Elon Musk into a right-wing folk tale of 'government overreach.'
In 'Opposing Visions,' a MAGA-hat-clad Peanut reappears at the base of Daniel Edwards's ' Project 29: The MAGAnaut ' – a towering, grotesque cyborg hybrid of Trump, Musk, and RFK Jr.
Here, Peanut haunts the exhibit in a kind of afterlife, clawing for relevance from beyond the grave. 'Peanut is back to exact revenge on the liberal government that killed him,' Post-Internet artist XVALA says. 'He's the spirit of the culture war—scrappy, and unwilling to stay dead.'
XVALA's own contribution is a gold-plated bronze MAGA hat designed for ceremonial display atop the Resolute Desk, offering a reverent counterpoint to Edwards's dystopian satire. Where Edwards skewers Trump's persistence with a grotesque vision of biotech-fueled power, XVALA treats the MAGA movement as revolutionary heritage. This tension between dark satire and genuine veneration animates the volatile heart of Opposing Visions.
Alongside Edwards and XVALA, Jarva Land's stark pen-and-ink courtroom sketches of Trump's ongoing legal battles add a sobering counterpoint – a reminder of the real-world consequences behind the pageantry.
WHEN AND WHERE:
Experience 'Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art' at the Iconoclast Room, located in the West Chelsea Building at 526 W 26th Street, Room 511, New York, NY. The exhibition runs from May 27–31, 2025.
There will be a press opportunity on Thursday and Friday mornings, an art gallery walk on Thursday evening, and an Artists' Reception on Friday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. ET.
LEARN MORE: https://www.iconoclastroom.com/
For press inquiries, interview requests, or additional information, please contact us at [email protected] or call (646) 657-8028.
VIDEO (YouTube): https://youtu.be/HZzAMu4CbUw
IMAGE LINKS FOR MEDIA:
[1] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0528-s2p-de-peanut-300dpi.jpg
[2] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0528-s2p-de-maganaut-peanut01-300dpi.jpg
[3] https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-0528-s2p-de-maganaut-peanut02-300dpi.jpg
Photos Caption: Peanut the Squirrel in 'Project 29: The MAGAnaut,' featured in 'Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art' at Chelsea Gallery District, New York. Underlying art shown in images is Copr. © Daniel Edwards.
NEWS SOURCE: Iconoclast Room
Keywords: Fine Art and Artists, the Iconoclast Room, Peanut the Squirrel, artist Daniel Edwards, XVALA, Opposing Visions: The Trump Era in Art, NEW YORK, N.Y.
This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Iconoclast Room) who is solely responsibile for its accuracy, by Send2Press® Newswire. Information is believed accurate but not guaranteed. Story ID: S2P126522 APNF0325A
To view the original version, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/peanut-the-squirrel-magas-cutest-martyr-immortalized-in-statue-in-nyc-art-exhibit/
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Yahoo
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Historian Federico Finchelstein: Trump's "abuse of the law fits an old autocratic pattern"
The Age of Trump wrapped itself in the flag of false patriotism while simultaneously destroying America's sacred civic myths about its national greatness and the permanence of its democracy. This paradox has left many, white Americans in particular, dizzy as they are forced to confront the harmful consequences caused by their belief in a country that never existed. President Ronald Reagan famously talked about a 'new day in America' as he encouraged the American people to shrug off their old cynicism and to embrace a new optimism. So many Americans believed that their country was truly 'a shining city on the hill' and a beacon of democracy and freedom for the world. There is also the common belief in the fundamental decency and goodness of the American people and that such 'universal values' would make the likes of President Trump and other such demagogues an impossibility, as they were judged to be incompatible with the national character and temperament of the American people. 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Finchelstein also reflects on the danger caused by how 'respectable' elites and other mainstream voices in the political class and news media were and continue to normalize Trumpism because they are not (yet) being targeted in the same way as undocumented people and other marginalized communities. At the end of this conversation, Federico Finchelstein warns that Donald Trump and his forces have moved at a very fast rate to consolidate power, but that their victory is not guaranteed — especially if pro-democracy Americans and their leaders finally decide to commit themselves earnestly instead of being bystanders who are mostly looking away. How common or distinct is America's experience with democratic backsliding and democracy collapse as compared to other countries? This belief in exceptionalism is both American and part of a global history. All countries have a myth of their own uniqueness. America's experience with the erosion of democratic beliefs and experiences is quite common at the level of everyday practice. Intolerance, racism and violence have always been part of modern global history, this country included. However, at the federal level, Trumpism represents a change from previous norms and administrations. It is way more disruptive. Extreme forms of populism that are oriented towards fascism are now at the helm of the most powerful country in the world. Trumpism is more anti-democratic than its predecessors, and it also exerts a big influence outside of the United States. Trumpism is toxic for democratic life here in the United States and around the world. Donald Trump has now been back in power for more than 100 days. Are things as you expected? Better? Worse? I am not shocked by the extremism of Trumpism. But the Trump administration has failed in many ways, and yet it will keep trying to degrade American democracy as much as it can. A troubling question is, how will Trump and MAGA escalate their attacks on democracy and the rule of law to remain in power? I am very pessimistic in this regard. It is always more dangerous when totalitarians rule in the face of imminent defeat. Trump has clearly not yet achieved that level of power — I emphasize "yet". This explains why Donald Trump and his administration and forces more broadly are not as bold as they could be in terms of advancing Trump's goal of destroying constitutional democracy. Where are we in the story of the Age of Trump and his return? We do not have the wisdom of hindsight that future historians will have. My own view, an educated guess of sorts, is that we are in the middle, at least, of Trump's radicalization towards fascism. The American people were repeatedly warned about the calamity that would befall the United States if Donald Trump were put back in power. Why didn't they listen to the warnings? Many people do not care about the harm that Trumpism is causing democracy. Many of the Trump followers are hardcore, diehard believers in fascism in its varied forms and the quest for total domination that is fueled by hatred. But many other Trump supporters, a majority of them, are just hoping for a better economic situation. It is dubious that Trump's policies will create that outcome. And of course, those Trump supporters have ignored or otherwise put aside many of the most troubling dimensions of Trumpism, such as racism, nativism, sexism and wanton cruelty. At some point, the Trump supporters who are not the diehards and de facto cultists will recognize that they voted against their own interests. This is part of the history of fascism and dictatorship. Unfortunately, history shows us that such realizations often come very late in the game after there has been a lot of suffering inflicted on the country. The centrists, institutionalists and other establishment voices were very wrong about Donald Trump and his MAGA authoritarian populist movement's rise to power. These errors began in 2015, continued in the years to follow, and were fully exposed when so many of these 'respectable voices' continued to claim that there was no way Donald Trump could win in 2024. Per their logic, 'the American people would never do such a thing!' Alas, here we are. What does that dynamic look like in other countries when the so-called respectable voices are so wrong? Are they discredited when the autocrat-authoritarian takes power — and with widespread popular support? One of the key problems is how Trumpism is enabled by normalization. This represents the opposite of understanding the reality and facts of what is happening. Many scholars and pundits on the center as well as the right and the left denied the fascist dimensions of Trumpism. They kept trying to locate Trump as part of an older continuity and tradition of American presidents and other leaders. Trump is separate from that democratic tradition. These pundits, scholars and other public voices had a range of responses to being so wrong. Some of them recognized their mistake, but just want to move on and not have to explain their error and how they arrived at such incorrect conclusions. Others are telling the American people not to worry that much about Trump because it won't get that bad, and that Trump is not the real problem or danger anyway. The real problem and danger is that liberal democracy itself is flawed. That, too, is not entirely correct. I have a different perspective. When I was a kid, I lived under a gruesome dictatorship in Argentina. As a historian but also as a citizen, I never forget the key difference between an imperfect democracy and a total dictatorship. It is always fascinating to observe how these normalizing views are presented from a place of privilege and far away from the obvious victims of repression and demonization. If you never interact with the victims, it is harder to notice the change. Is America now in the grips of authoritarianism? If so, what type? Moreover, why were so many in the news media and political class afraid to use the 'f-word,' i.e., fascism, when it was readily apparent years ago that Donald Trump and his anti-democracy movement fit that definition. In my own work, I describe the Age of Trump and this version of authoritarian populism as 'wannabe fascism.' Wannabe fascism is an incomplete version of fascism, it is characteristic of those who seek to destroy democracy for short-term personal gain but are not fully committed to the fascist cause. As I explain in my books, the more we know about past fascist attempts to deny the workings of democracy, the more alarming these wannabe fascists appear. There have been many public discussions of the so-called authoritarian's playbook and how Donald Trump and his agents are following it very closely. What are some specific examples? Some of them are learned in the ways of fascism, others, like the leader himself, are intuitively antidemocratic, but the effects are the same, namely, the irrational rule of a leader who would like to rule as a king or dictator. The examples are many and they range from deportations for racist/and or other authoritarian ideological reasons, attacks against the press, attempts to destroy the independence of universities, the replacement of legality with manipulations of the law in the name of the leader and the attacks against idea and the practice of anti-racism and in favor of diversity. And last but certainly not least, are the events of Jan. 6 and the larger attempt to usurp democracy. Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat recently warned that the speed of Donald Trump and his forces' attacks on democracy and civil society is more like a coup than autocratic capture. Do you agree? My friend and colleague Professor Ben-Ghiat is absolutely right! This is not a gradual process. It is unclear, yet, exactly what type of authoritarian end goals they want or will be able to reach. Do they want a full-on fascist dictatorship? An elected populist autocracy? Traditional tyranny? What is clear is that Donald Trump and his MAGA forces and their allies want to leave constitutional democracy behind. I don't want to be too strict with path dependency. But was there a moment(s) when Trump's return to power could have been stopped? Or was this democracy crisis and now the rise of naked fascism and authoritarianism more probable than not? What I focus on is that the architects and visionaries who did the intellectual work never faced justice for their role in the events of Jan. 6 and the larger attempt to nullify the results of the 2020 election. This is a key ingredient of the success of Trumpism. Without the link between history and justice, democracy cannot properly function or expand. The opposite happened, and we can now see the horrible consequences of these mistakes. The news media and free press are supposed to function as the Fourth Estate and the guardians of democracy. How would you assess the American mainstream news media's performance in that regard? The mainstream American news media continues to normalize Trumpism when it is labeled or framed as a 'conservative' or 'center-right' movement. Trumpism is radical and revolutionary. We are witnessing a new ultra-right populist phenomenon in the form of Trumpism and MAGA that is close to fascism. The extremism must be emphasized when discussing it so that the American people understand the dire reality that they are facing. The American news media need to put more history and context into their discussions of the Age of Trump and the attacks against democracy. This would also involve interviewing and otherwise featuring more scholars and other real experts. In your conversations with colleagues in higher education, what is the environment like now, given the Trump administration's attacks? There is, of course, the desired and planned chilling effect. There are attacks on media and universities, legal firms, judges, and others across civil society and the country's democratic and governing institutions. As I see it, what is even more troubling and deeply concerning is how the American people, the majority, are becoming increasingly numb to the abnormal behavior of Trump and his allies. Expert voices and others who have a trusted platform must continue to sound the alarm to wake the American people up from their complacency about Trumpism and the extreme danger it represents to the nation. Going beyond language and concepts, what are some practical, day-to-day things that the average American can do to defend democracy and civil society? It is critically important to be informed and alarmed about the extreme dimensions of Trumpism. In practice, we all need to continue reading independent media accounts of what is going on. We need to defend the independence of institutions and the separation of powers. I think it is important to oppose anti-democratic attempts by defending key dimensions of democracy and not giving up out of frustration and exasperation. This involves voting but also convincing others to do so. It also involves clearly and peacefully expressing one's own positions in conversations, in the streets and on social networks. History demonstrates that the worst thing we can do vis-à-vis wannabe dictators is being silent and apathic. What are some books, articles, creative work, films, movies, etc. that you recommend to those Americans who are trying to make sense of Trump's rise to power and the ascendant authoritarianism and fascism in this country? I would recommend novels such as "It can't happen here' or the recent movie about Trump and his relationship to Roy Cohn. The works of Hannah Arendt on totalitarianism and obedience are essential readings as well, especially her classic book On the Origins of Totalitarianism. I would also recommend the analysis of Nazi language by Viktor Klemperer, 'The Language of the Third Reich.' I also believe that the works of Latin American writers such as Jorge Luis Borges or Roberto Bolaño are of key importance in understanding the logic of fascism. I would recommend movies like the Argentines' 'The Official Story' and 'The Secret in their Eyes' to understand how important it is to know the links between history and legality when confronting propaganda, demonization and violence. I also think the second season of the Star Wars series 'Andor', starring Diego Luna, offers an excellent portrayal of the authoritarian manipulation of the truth through lies and propaganda. It is really well done and quite entertaining as well! The graphic novel "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi is also an excellent representation of how the Iranian dictatorship distorts the lives of an entire population. The novel focuses on the life of a young woman who resists in her own way. As different from the United States as all these cases are, there are still troublesome connections. The United States is becoming more and more like those real and fictional contexts where fascism and dictatorship are part of the picture, and a government wants its people to be less diverse and less tolerant of others. As you see it, what is the most disturbing aspect of Trump's return to power during these first four months? For fascists, what the leader wants is more legitimacy than legality, because while the former was the result of a cult of heroism and leadership principle, the latter was regarded as artificial and even boring. For example, this meant that everything Hitler wanted was legitimate and beyond the rule of law. This was the rationale for Jan.6 and Trump's arguments that he is above the law and that the courts should not have co-equal power to interfere with his actions as president. These actions take place in the context of lies and propaganda; one helps the other. Fascists, and wannabe fascists, imagine that all actions in defense of the law and democracy are part of a conspiracy against them. Donald Trump and his allies' abuse of the law fits an old autocratic pattern, one that has been given a new life in America. I hate applying sports analogies to politics, especially given a situation as serious as the Age of Trump. But who is 'winning right now? Trump and his 'team'? Or the other team? (the institutions and democracy, the 'Resistance,' civil society and the norms, etc.) Donald Trump and his 'team' started very aggressively, but they also made many mistakes. These mistakes include their approach to the economy and the rule of law. The apparent corruption will also not be forgotten by many American citizens. The apparent corruption and using public office to make money embodies the heart of the extremist politics of Trumpism and other forms of extreme populism and wannabe fascism. At this point, it is too soon to conclude how well Trump and his 'team' are playing the 'game.' There is another side to this 'game' that must be included. The other 'team' is those Americans who believe in democratic institutions and if they are going to go on the offense and get involved in the 'game' instead of mostly looking the other way.
Politico
an hour ago
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Trump changes the subject
Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Bethany Irvine On this morning's podcast, Jack and Adam discuss the chances of another Oval Office bust-up later today … and why Elon Musk just can't keep quiet about the 'big, beautiful bill.' Good Thursday morning. This is Jack Blanchard. My Hoosier colleague Adam Wren is probably a better follow for Pacers-related content if you're watching the NBA Finals tonight ... But hey — if you're one of the three people in D.C. interested in test cricket, do hit me up. In today's Playbook … — Trump kills off the Musk headlines with a blizzard of executive orders … — … before facing the media for the first time this week with the German chancellor in town. — But another barrage of court defeats spells trouble for the White House. DRIVING THE DAY THE LEVERS OF POWER: When Donald Trump departed the stage shortly after 7 p.m. last night after addressing thousands of staffers enjoying a 'summer soiree' on the White House lawn, there was still only one story in town. Elon Musk's row with the GOP — and by extension, with Trump himself — had escalated through the day. Musk had continued his relentless attacks on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' dropping another 32 hostile posts in the hours before Trump took to the stage. Speaker Mike Johnson admitted publicly what Playbook had already told you — that Trump was not impressed. The WSJ had just dropped a buzzy follow-up about the anger in the White House. Almost every major news site was leading on the Musk story for a second-consecutive day. And then, everything changed. At the push of a button just before 7:45 p.m. Trump delivered a blizzard of headline-grabbing announcements which sent even the world's richest man tumbling down the news agenda. There was something for everyone — a major policy shift on immigration; a vindictive attack on a world-famous U.S. institution; a conspiracy-fueling inquiry into an old political foe. All three were red meat for the MAGA right. And no one was talking about Musk any more. Elon has quite the platform — 220 million followers on one of the world's most-influential social media platforms. But even Musk cannot compete with the bully pulpit of the American presidency. Musk can only tweet. Trump can pull the levers of power, and with brutal force. Let's take those executive orders, one by one: 7:40 p.m.: Trump's meatiest policy move — and the story leading most of the major news websites this morning — was a sweeping new travel ban for people from 19 countries around the world. Trump cited national security risks and painted it as a major expansion of the highly controversial travel ban he slapped on people from a handful of Muslim-majority nations during his first term. For the record: The new ban fully restricts people from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States. The president is also partially restricting and limiting U.S. entry for nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Obviously … something of this magnitude wasn't just dreamed up in the past 24 hours, as my POLITICO colleague Myah Ward confirms — but you'll have to decide for yourselves why it was suddenly unveiled last night as part of a trio of headline-grabbing moves. Trump explicitly linked the ban to the recent firebombing attack in Colorado, though it's worth noting that people from Egypt — the country of origin of the chief suspect in that incident — aren't actually affected. 7.45 p.m.: Trump's most MAGA-pleasing move was the launch of an investigation into Joe Biden, and the alleged use of a so-called autopen to sign presidential orders. For the uninitiated, this is a conspiracy theory that has swirled around MAGA world for months: that Biden became so mentally incapacitated that his aides were using an automated pen to sign orders the president barely knew about. There's been no credible reporting so far that this happened — and autopens have been used by presidents, including Trump, for years — but MAGA types point to the identikit signatures on some of Biden's documents and extrapolate from there. Pres says yes: Trump is certainly on board, and writes social media messages about 'the autopen' on a regular basis. Helpfully, the theory allows Trump and his allies to claim many of Biden's actions — including the preemptive pardons he issued in his final weeks in the White House — were illegitimate. Let's see where it goes. For what it's worth: Biden issued a statement last night dismissing the investigation as a stunt. 'Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn't is ridiculous and false,' Biden said. 8.05 p.m.: Trump's most vindictive move — and the announcement most likely headed for the courts — was a fresh attack on Harvard, the first elite university that had the temerity not to simply fold under presidential pressure but instead to hire hard-hitting lawyers and fight back. Having seen his first attempt to block Harvard from taking on foreign students struck down by judges last month, Trump is now having a second go via presidential proclamation. Trump's new order bans students from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard, again citing national security terms. The president said in a statement he's also empowered Secretary of State Marco Rubio to begin revoking visas of foreign students at the Ivy League school. Harvard immediately issued an angry response, and you can expect Robert Hur and co. to drag the administration straight back to a courtroom as soon as this afternoon. POLITICO's Gregory Svirnovskiy has more. While all that was going on … Musk was still furiously tweeting his displeasure at the GOP megabill, late into the night. Your Playbook author has counted at least 70 X posts and reposts attacking the bill since his OG on Tuesday afternoon … Where will it end? Fingers in ears: For now, GOP senators are trying to ignore the noise — and the threats — and get on with their job of debating the bill. My ace colleagues on Inside Congress report the latest Senate scheme is to pare back the House GOP's painstakingly negotiated SALT deal and spend the cash on making other tax cuts permanent. If confirmed, the move would obviously set up another big, SALTy brawl in the House later this month. FUN SPOTTED: Reps. Nick LaLota, Mike Lawler and a host of other Empire State electeds filing into Butterworth's — one of the places to see and be seen among the Trump tribe in D.C. — just as Senate Majority Leader John Thune was publicly discussing possible changes to the SALT provisions on Capitol Hill. UKRAINE ON THE BRAIN OUT OF THE SHADOWS: Having somehow made it through the week without taking any media questions, Trump will emerge blinking into the sunlight today when German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrives in town. The two leaders have the usual working lunch-plus-Oval Office mini-presser-thing planned, which means Trump should be on camera and in front of media around 12:45 p.m. This will be the first time anyone's had the chance to ask him about Musk since the row kicked off, so it's worth tuning in just for that. But there's more … much more. Given Merz's devout support for Ukraine, we can expect the White House pool to press both leaders for their thoughts on the latest developments in the war. Because some might say not nearly enough attention is being paid to the deeply ominous tone of Trump's readout from his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday. ICYMI amid yesterday's newsageddon, Trump posted on Truth Social that Putin 'did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields.' The U.S. president offered no further commentary on Putin's warning; gave no public pushback to the implied threat; made no clear statement that Putin must show restraint. But if the Russian president is calling Washington to warn in advance about the scale of a military attack he has planned, we should probably be concerned about what lies ahead. And what about those peace talks? Trump, as if you needed reminding, said he'd get this done on Day One. More than four months later, we have Putin amping up nightly bombing raids on Ukraine civilians and — yesterday — refusing to negotiate with 'terrorists,' and you have Ukraine carrying out jaw-dropping tactical strikes on military targets deep inside Russia. On that topic: 'Exclusive: Ukraine hit fewer Russian planes than it estimated, US officials say,' by Reuters' Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali … But POLITICO's Joe Gould and Connor O'Brien report the attack still shows just how 'easily and cheaply uncrewed systems can cripple sophisticated air forces' — potentially including here in the U.S. First in Playbook — How to make peace actually happen: Trump and his aides are struggling to understand that 'you can't make Putin walk away from Ukraine; you have to put Ukraine out of his reach,' Nahal Toosi writes in her latest 'Compass' column. Analysts warn 'new sanctions alone won't make Putin back down. Neither will continued military aid to Ukraine, nor tough-talking posts on social media. Showing Putin that he absolutely cannot subsume Ukraine will require all these tactics, and more. It will also require patience.' Good luck with that. Not helping: The Trump administration is redirecting Ukraine-earmarked antidrone technology to U.S. forces in the Middle East, in a move 'that reflects the Pentagon's waning commitment to Kyiv's defense,' WSJ's Michael Gordon scoops. In a private memo to Congress last week, Pentagon officials informed the Senate Armed Services Committee that the reallocation was a 'Secretary of Defense Identified Urgent Issue.' Speaking of the secretary of Defense … Pete Hegseth is at a NATO summit in Brussels today, and this morning urged allies to meet Trump's 5 percent defense spending target, per AFP. The expectation is NATO countries will pledge to do just that — albeit over a seven-year period, and with only 3.5 percent being 'pure' defense spending. At any rate, it's still a massive increase from a year ago. Back to Germany: Despite possible disagreements over Ukraine — not to mention trade — POLITICO's James Angelos, Eli Stokols and Nette Nöstlinger suggest today's Trump-Merz summit could prove a match made in heaven. Merz, after all, is a rich, elderly business executive who loves jet planes, golf and defense spending — and hates mass immigration. COURT IN THE ACT IMMIGRATION FILES: The Trump administration has just one week to provide due process to more than 100 Venezuelan migrants deported to a supermax prison in El Salvador, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg ruled last night. Boasberg — who has been entangled in the case over the fate of the deportees for months — ruled the 137 men had been 'plainly deprived' of their right to due process and announced that the White House must produce a plan for how they 'can pursue cases in U.S. courts challenging their deportations,' POLITICO's Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney report. Expect plenty of Trump world fury about that one. Also upsetting Stephen Miller: A Colorado federal judge issued an order last night blocking the Trump administration's efforts to rapidly deport the family of Mohamed Sabry Soliman, the Egyptian man accused in Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colorado, WSJ's Victoria Albert reports. Judge Gordon Gallagher prevented the government from removing Soliman's wife and five children for the time being, saying that deporting them without due process could be detrimental. Returned: The Trump administration has obeyed a court order to return a Guatemalan man improperly deported to Mexico in February, it was confirmed last night. The man — identified only as O.C.G. — is back in the U.S. and expected to be taken into federal custody, Kyle reports. BEST OF THE REST JUST POSTED: Trump is considering Florida Atlantic University — which is nearby to his Mar-a-Lago compound — 'for a presidential library, on a site where he has been offered free land, as planning begins for the MAGA mecca he eschewed during his first term,' WSJ's Meridith McGraw, Josh Dawsey and Annie Linskey scoop. 'Florida lawmakers are preparing the red carpet for Trump, recently passing legislation that gives the state full regulatory control over presidential libraries — and prevents local governments from potentially obstructing the project.' EMPIRE STATE OF MIND: The NYC Democratic mayoral rivals clashed last night in their first televised debate, with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo standing out as the frontrunner, despite a slew of attacks from his eight opponents, POLITICO's Nick Reisman reports. The evening forum, co-sponsored by POLITICO and WNBC, was marked by 'periods of extensive crosstalk from the candidates mostly trying to pile on Cuomo,' Nick writes. The unlikely standout? Former Assemblymember Michael Blake delivered some of the sharpest barbs against Cuomo last night, alluding to the allegations of sexual harassment and a controversial Covid record that led to his 2021 ousting: 'The people who don't feel safe are the young women, mothers and grandmothers around Andrew Cuomo — that's the greatest threat to public safety.' Blake said. MISS INDEPENDENT: The pile-on continues following Karine Jean-Pierre's announcement that she's becoming an independent — helpfully timed with the rollout of a new book — after years as Biden's mouthpiece in the White House. You've surely already read the brutal verdicts of her former colleagues via an unmissable piece by POLITICO's Eli Stokols — sample quote: 'Everyone thinks this is a grift' — and there's plenty more where that came from this morning. Jonathan Kott, a longtime aide to former Sen. Joe Manchin ( said he was 'sick and tired of Democrats not being proud to be Democrats and fighting for what we believe in,' per NYT. TALK OF THE TOWN A DIFFERENT KIND OF SPOTTED — 'Leopards on the Potomac! Trump Is Delighted by Deal With Saudis for Rare Cats,' by NYT's Shawn McCreesh DINNER IS NOT SERVED: The Members' Dining Room in the Capitol and the House Carryout will both close this summer for renovations lasting up to two years, per Punchbowl's John Bresnahan. NEWS FROM POLITICO TOWERS: Playbook is delighted to announce eight (count 'em!) new hires to the POLITICO ranks. Cheyanne Daniels is joining from The Hill as part of our Breaking News team … Isa Dominguez is joining the Energy team to helm the Morning Energy newsletter. She previously reported on state politics as an intern in POLITICO's Florida bureau … Katherine Hapgood is joining the Financial Services team to report on regulation and small business policy on the Hill. She was an investigative policy reporter at the Center for Public Integrity … And there's more: Simon Levien is joining POLITICO's Health Care team from the NYT … Aaron Mak is joining our national Tech team after graduating from Yale Law School … Olivia McCormack joins from WaPo as our new Weekend & Evenings Audience Editor … Aaron Pellish is joining the Breaking News team after eight years at CNN … And Calen Razor is joining the Congress team and will be a co-author of our Inside Congress newsletter. He comes to us from NOTUS. Welcome to all! OUT AND ABOUT — Starboard, Tactic Global and Touchdown Strategies last night held an after party for the White House's summer soirée event at The Ned Club, hosted by Ryan Coyne, Caroline Wren and James Davis. SPOTTED: Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Beth Van Duyne (R-Texas) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, Kellyanne Conway, Andrew Giuliani, Alice Marie Johnson, Alexandra Preate, Sean Spicer, Hogan Gidley, Lynne Patton, Kari Lake, Calley Means, Frank Cassidy and Alex deGrasse. — SPOTTED at Steve Rattner and Maureen White's annual spring dinner on the rooftop of the Hay Adams last night: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Robin Hickenlooper, Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and John Bessler, Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Susan Blumenthal, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Anne Holton, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Robert and Elena Allbritton, Afsaneh and Michael Beschloss, Tony Blinken and Evan Ryan, Margaret Carlson, Lael Brainard, E.J. and Mary Boyle Dionne, Tom Donilon, Tom and Ann Friedman, H.P. Goldfield, Mike Froman and Nancy Goodman, John Heilemann, David and Eve Ignatius, Jonathan and Maria Karl, Dorothy and Terry McAuliffe, Andrea Mitchell, Bruce Reed and Bonnie LePard, Steve and Amy Ricchetti, Justin Smith and Tania Dominguez and Steve Weisman and Elisabeth Bumiller. — P&G and International Paper hosted an event, 'U.S. Manufacturing: Delivering for Moms, Girls & Babies,' yesterday afternoon at the American Trucking Association. Guests joined in showcasing the U.S. manufacturing of absorbent hygiene products and helped pack kits to be donated to local moms, children and babies, in partnership with March of Dimes and Mary's Center. SPOTTED: Reps. David Rouzer (R-N.C.) and Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), Rob Seidman, Jonny Slemrod, Kyle Nevins, John Leganski, Lisa Goldman, Rosemary Gutierrez, Meghan Joyce, Julie Alsup, Kate Sighinolfi, Nicole Collier, Tara Hogan Charles, Robert Cusmano, Sean Mulvaney, Julie Henson, Meghan Plotz and Mimi Vance. STAFFING UP — Michael Jensen will be senior director of Western Hemisphere affairs at the NSC, per Reuters. He'd previously been nominated to serve as assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict. TRANSITIONS — Sophia Kim is now director of media relations and comms strategy for the Council on Foreign Relations. She is an Obama White House and Small Business Administration alum. … Dezenhall Resources is adding Phillip Bogdan and Diane Chaaban as senior directors. Bogdan previously was director of research and comms at Reach Global Strategies. Chaaban previously was head of comms for the City of El Segundo and is a State Department and National Geographic alum. … … GPS Impact is adding Mariafernanda 'Marifer' Zacarias and Lidya Mesgna. Zacarias will be VP of campaigns and previously was national engagement director at the DCCC. Mesgna will be VP of digital mobilization and previously was director of paid media at Voto Latino. … Amy Hopcian is now a strategic adviser at Comella & Co. She most recently was head of state and local public affairs at CLEAR. … Allison Smith is now a VP at Lot Sixteen. She previously was deputy assistant USTR for environment and natural resources. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Jummy Olabanji, morning anchor at NBC4, and Darren Sands, a freelance national reporter, welcomed Lola Catherine Sands on Tuesday. Pic COMING SOON — POLITICO PRO SPACE: Need an insider's guide to the politics behind the new space race? From battles over sending astronauts to Mars to the ways space companies are vying to influence regulators, this weekly newsletter decodes the personalities, policy and power shaping the final frontier. Try it for free for a limited time starting tomorrow, before it becomes exclusive to POLITICO Pro subscribers. Find out more HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.) … Jack Smith … Megan Beyer … Jeff Rapp of Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester's (D-Del.) office … Rob Engstrom … Elan Kriegel of BlueLabs … Jordan Dickinson of Target … Carol Guensburg … Mary Kirchner of Sen. Roger Marshall's (R-Kan) office … Mike Heimowitz … Todd Zubatkin … POLITICO's Katie Schneider and Sophia Cai … Kara Hauck … Matt Vasilogambros … Everytown's Kate Brescia (3-0) … Daniella Landau of Penn Avenue Partners … Socko Strategies' James Cecil Kemmer ... Taylor Avery Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath. Correction: Yesterday's Playbook mischaracterized USDA's response to a POLITICO report about a delayed and redacted trade forecast document. A spokesperson for the agency provided comment.
