MARK HALPERIN: Secret bond that unites Trump and the 'communist lunatic' plotting his destruction
They couldn't be more different—or so one might think at first glance.
One, the bronzed billionaire of Queens, hair like spun sugar, born with a gold telephone in his hand, whose idea of public service was once described as self-service.
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The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, launches re-election campaign
Eric Adams, the New York mayor, launched his reelection campaign on Thursday, days after socialist Zohran Mamdani sent political shockwaves through the New York and national Democratic party by winning its mayoral nomination for November's election. Adams, who did not mount a campaign for the Democratic nomination as his popular support cratered due to a corruption scandal, will now run as an independent candidate. Mamdani's decisive win against the former governor Andrew Cuomo, could see Adams get wider appeal in his, though much will depend if Cuomo also runs in the November race. 'I will fight for everyday New Yorkers who just want their city to darn work for them,' Adams said at a press conference on the steps of City Hall, contrasting himself with Mamdani who he attacked as a 'silver spoon' socialist. 'It's a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a silver spoon,' he said. 'I'm not interested in slogans, I'm not interested in solutions. I don't work with special interests, I work for the people.' Adams said his record as mayor stands above the noise of politics, and his record surpasses his critics. 'There are some critics who spend more time attacking than achieving. They have a record of tweets, I have a record on the streets, a record of results.' Adams' formal entry into the race comes as the city's business community has reacted harshly to Mamdani's nomination and policy proposals that include a freeze on rents, free bus services, city-run groceries and higher taxes on the wealthy. They may now shift their support from Cuomo to Adams. The business community is 'struggling to understand the implications of Mamdani's victory', Kathy Wylde, CEO of Partnership for New York City, said in an interview with Semafor. Wylde acknowledged that Mamdani's focus on affordability tapped into 'the financial insecurity young people feel and their anger that the established political class has done nothing to fix it. It's not an endorsement of socialism but rather a rejection of the status quo, which threatens to bring on the kind of political instability that business hates.' But Adams' reputation took a beating when he was indicted on federal corruption charges – charges that were later dropped in an apparent deal with the incoming Trump administration. Since Trump returned to the White House Adams has developed an ever closer political relationship with the US president – dismaying many Democrats. In any second term, Adams promised to continue to bring down crime, launch a citywide mental health initiative, advance vocational training and expand affordable housing. He promised that the campaign 'is going to be the most interesting political campaign in the history of the city'.
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
North Carolina legislature leaves after passing Helene aid package, but still no budget
The North Carolina legislature wrapped up the chief portion of its annual session Thursday, passing another Hurricane Helene aid package this week after Republican majorities pushed through divisive bills to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs and target transgender rights. Lawmakers in the ninth-largest state also fell short on completing their primary responsibility — enacting a two-year budget by July 1. There's no risk of a government shutdown, and House and Senate negotiators will keep meeting to reach budget agreements. Other legislation can be voted on when lawmakers return occasionally, possibly starting next month. More vetoes from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein likely will be waiting. Chambers remain far apart on 2-year budget House and Senate Republicans are split on competing budget bills they approved in the spring. Teacher and state employee pay, the scope of tax cuts and vacant government position eliminations are among the disagreements. Each package would spend $32.6 billion in the upcoming fiscal year and $33.3 billion in the next. 'The massive details behind each of our budgets doesn't allow us quick and urgent resolution,' GOP Rep. Donny Lambeth, a chief budget writer, told colleagues Wednesday. The inability of budget writers to work out a stopgap spending measure that usually contains noncontroversial or critical spending provisions gave fodder to Democrats. 'The people of North Carolina should expect better of us,' Rep. Deb Butler said. 'We have one job and that's to pass a budget, and we haven't done that.' Any final budget goes to Stein, whose own budget proposal spent more and froze planned income tax cuts. With the GOP one House seat shy of a veto-proof majority, Republicans will seek a final budget that enough Democrats support to override. Next Helene spending installment finalized Before adjourning, House and Senate Republicans hammered out another tranche of state funds to assist with Helene recovery in the mountains. Not including federal aid, the General Assembly already has appropriated or allocated more than $1.6 billion in recovery funds since last September's historic storm. This latest allotment — approved unanimously and now heading to Stein — moves $700 million to the state's Helene relief fund and appropriates $500 million of that. There's also nearly $1 billion more allocated in federal water and sewer grants and state transportation money with a focus on Helene repairs. Stein had urged lawmakers this week to set aside their differences 'and get this relief out the door.' GOP focused on eliminating DEI programs Cutting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives were a major priority for GOP lawmakers. State agencies, local governments, public K-12 schools and higher education institutions would be impacted if the bills become law. Training, staff positions and hiring decisions that incorporate DEI are banned in state agencies under one bill. The legislation also would outlaw those agencies or local governments from using state funds for DEI programs. Two other bills would bar 'divisive concepts' and 'discriminatory practices' across public education in the state. Republicans have repeatedly said DEI programs have strayed too far from their original goal and create unfair treatment. 'When it's done right, it opens a door for more students to compete fairly,' Sen. Michael Lee, the bill's sponsor, said in committee Tuesday. 'When it's done wrong, it prioritizes identity over ability.' But Democrats said the legislation will 'chill' state employees' speech and may reverse progress for students of color who weren't historically afforded certain opportunities. 'A multiethnic, diverse society has to learn how to grapple with things that can make you feel uncomfortable,' Rep. Brandon Lofton said on Wednesday. 'This bill puts an end to that.' Shrimp ban proposal gets loud It was shrimp that elicited a giant response from the public this week. A bill pushed by the state Senate would ban shrimp trawling — which uses a cone-shaped net to scoop up the crustaceans — inshore and within a half-mile (.8 kilometers) of coastal North Carolina shorelines. Proponents say shrimp trawling has negative environmental impacts, such as killing juvenile fish populations and disrupting ecosystems. But several coastal Republican legislators were outraged, saying the bill would completely devastate North Carolina's shrimping industry. About 75% of North Carolina shrimp are caught inshore, according to the North Carolina Local Food Council. Hundreds of shrimp industry members and their allies on Tuesday crowded inside and outside the Legislative Building to oppose the bill. A dozen semitrailers — draped with banners like 'NC Seafood for All. No Trawl Ban' — circled the building and blasted their horns for hours. Bill opponents cheered Wednesday outside a House Republican caucus meeting where members said they decided not to act on the bill. Many bills get over the finish line, head to the governor Legislators gave final approval this week to a host of bipartisan bills, such as a measure sought by the governor to require public school districts to pass policies barring students from having cellphones turned on during instructional time. There would be exceptions. Others were divisive, like a bill prohibiting state funds for gender-affirming care for prisoners and stating there are only two sexes. Another measure would allow private school boards to authorize a trained, permitted adult to carry a handgun on a school's campus for security. These measures now head to Stein's desk. The governor vetoed three GOP measures last week. No override attempts have yet occurred.
Reuters
40 minutes ago
- Reuters
Canadian dollar notches biggest gain in one month as greenback slides
TORONTO, June 26 (Reuters) - The Canadian dollar strengthened to a nine-day high against its U.S. counterpart on Thursday as the greenback posted broad-based declines and ahead of domestic GDP data that could help guide expectations for additional easing from the Bank of Canada. The U.S. dollar (.DXY), opens new tab fell to a three-year low against a basket of major currencies after a report that U.S. President Donald Trump had toyed with the idea of selecting and announcing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's replacement by September or October undermined faith in the soundness of the country's monetary policy. Investors also weighed U.S. gross domestic product data that showed the economy shrinking at a downwardly revised annualized rate of 0.5% in the first quarter. "It's simply a USD move today on the softer U.S. GDP revision along with the Shadow Fed Chair story," said Amo Sahota, director at Klarity FX in San Francisco. "I think trend traders will want to see how Canadian GDP turns out tomorrow. If it's strong then it looks like we are heading to a fresh USD-CAD low for the year." The Canadian dollar was trading 0.7% higher at 1.3625 per U.S. dollar, or 73.39 U.S. cents, after touching its strongest intraday level since June 17 at 1.3619. It was the currency's biggest advance since May 23. Canada's GDP report for April, due on Friday, is expected to show no change in the level of activity from March. Preliminary data on Thursday showed that wholesale trade fell 0.4% on a monthly basis in May, adding to recent evidence of a slowdown in the Canadian economy. Investors see a nearly 40% chance of the Bank of Canada resuming its easing campaign at the next policy decision on July 30. The price of oil , one of Canada's major exports, settled 0.5% higher at $65.24 a barrel, while Canadian bond yields moved lower across the curve, tracking moves in U.S. Treasuries. The 10-year was down 3.8 basis points at 3.323%.
