Trail Mix: Detroit transit mayoral event coming up
Welcome back to our weekly roundup of local election news.
Answer received: The hosts of a Detroit mayoral forum last month asked the candidates to answer who on the ballot they would vote for if they weren't candidates themselves. It took coaxing to get answers, many of which you can read here.
Pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. didn't attend, so when we saw him at the Mackinac Policy Conference last week, we asked him what he would have said.
He told Axios he wouldn't have answered the question — that he was told "a long time ago" that just because someone asked, doesn't mean you need to answer.
Transit advocates, rise: Another mayoral candidate gathering is coming up at 6pm Wednesday — but this one is a deep dive into transit issues hosted by nonprofit Transportation Riders United and partners.
TRU says it won't endorse, but believes better public transit is "crucial to the future of the city," so voters need to hear the candidates' ideas and stances.
In-person tickets sold out, but it can be viewed virtually.
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Axios
5 hours ago
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Scoop: Trump held lengthy Camp David strategy session with top team on Iran and Gaza
President Trump and his entire top foreign policy team huddled in Camp David for hours on Sunday to discuss U.S. strategy on the Iran nuclear crisis and the war in Gaza, two U.S. officials and another source with knowledge tell Axios. Why it matters: Trump's missions to reach a nuclear deal that averts war with Iran and a hostage and ceasefire deal that could end the war in Gaza have both faced recent setbacks. A senior U.S. official told Axios the president sees both crisis as intertwined and part of a broader regional reality he is trying to shape. Behind the scenes: U.S. officials said the "retreat" in Camp David included several policy sessions. The meeting on Iran and Gaza was attended by Trump, Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, chief of staff Susie Wiles, special envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe, director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and other senior officials. Trump said Monday that "generals and admirals" also attended the meetings but declined to say what was discussed. "The retreat allowed all the senior people in the administration to sit together for a long time and discuss these issues," a U.S. official said. The White House didn't respond to a request for a comment. Split screen: Iranian officials have been finalizing their response to the U.S. nuclear deal proposal, and are expected to deliver a formal rejection in the next 24 hours. A senior White House official said the White House has received indications that despite saying "no," Iran will express interest in continuing the negotiations. "We sent the Iranians and very tough proposal, and we expect that they will give a harsh response." Trump said Monday that the Iranians were "good negotiators" but "sometimes they can be too tough," adding: "We're trying to make a deal so that there's no destruction and death. ... I hope that's the way it works out, but it might not work out that way. We'll soon find out." The White House says Trump's original deadline for a deal expires this Thursday, though both sides want to keep talking for now. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is more interested in pursuing a military option — though he's assured Trump he won't make a move while the talks are ongoing, as Axios reported. Trump called Netanyahu Monday before leaving Camp David. After the call, Trump told reporters Iran's demands were "just not acceptable," particularly on uranium enrichment. "So far, they're not there. I hate to say that, because the alternative is a very, very dire one." Iran's Foreign Ministry said a sixth round of talks would take place Sunday in Muscat, Oman. The senior U.S. official said Friday in Oslo was also an option. State of play: Trump and Netanyahu also discussed the situation in Gaza, a U.S. official said.
Axios
6 hours ago
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Freshman wishlist: Adam Schiff vs. Trump 2.0
Sen. Adam Schiff has some advice for President Trump when attempting to demean him: Pick one nickname. Why it matters: Schiff rose to cable TV stardom as an anti-Trump foil while leading the first impeachment. "Shifty Schiff" or "Watermelon Head" learned to give as good as he got. Trump called Schiff names. Schiff ensured he was impeached — twice. "[T]he cardinal rule of nicknames is: Just stick with one," Schiff told Axios in an interview. Schiff translated his MAGA notoriety into a safe Senate seat, first battling through a tough, expensive primary. Now he's ready for round two with Trump. "I've been thrust back into a lot of that responsibility again because what he's trying to do in the second term is even worse than what he tried to do in the first term," Schiff said. Zoom out: Before Trump dominated the national conversation, Schiff considered himself a fairly nonpartisan national security expert. He endorsed Jim Mattis for Secretary of Defense in 2016 when other Democrats didn't. Schiff had hoped for another rebrand in the Senate. "I was expecting a Biden or a Harris presidency, and the ability to just focus exclusively on what positive things I could get done," he told Axios. What to watch: He is enjoying visiting redder areas of the state after spending years representing just a slice of heavily Democratic Los Angeles. He shared about one such visit in the state's northeast. "I knew I had made progress when one of the farmers looked at me and said, 'I don't know why he calls you watermelon head. You have a perfectly normal-sized head.'" But it's doubtful he'll revert back to a less partisan posture, given the direction of Trump's second term. Driving the news: Two days after our interview, Trump deployed National Guard troops to tamp down on ICE protests in Los Angeles in opposition to Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.). "This action is designed to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation," Schiff posted on X on Saturday. He also repeatedly called for violence to stop at protests. "Assaulting law enforcement is never ok," he posted Sunday. Zoom in: Schiff tried to pass a resolution shortly before our interview to stop the administration from stripping civil rights leader Harvey Milk's name from a Navy ship. He has demanded financial disclosures from the White House, written letters to stop DOGE from shutting down USDA offices and tried to block the repeal of EV rules. "Most of my days are spent trying to walk this line between stopping the administration from violating the law and ignoring the Constitution on the one hand," Schiff said, "and continuing to deliver for Californians..." Schiff recognizes that his clashes altered his career trajectory. "I have my brand pre-Trump and my brand post-Trump," Schiff told Axios. Between the lines: Schiff's leadership in the House's first Trump impeachment made him a mortal enemy to Trump and his allies, leading to a "weirdly personal" dynamic, Schiff said.
Axios
6 hours ago
- Axios
Scoop: Clearwater snubs Pride, backs faith month with anti-LGBTQ+ ties
After several years of commemorating LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Clearwater leaders skipped the recognition this year, instead designating June for the first time as "Faith and Family Month." Why it matters: While the celebration on its face seeks to strengthen families through religion, Faith and Family Month's website denies the existence of transgender people and defines marriage as between a man and a woman. It dismisses climate change and critical race theory — a concept that links racial discrimination to the nation's foundations and legal system — as "false doctrines." And it attributes that belief system to the American Pastor Project, a network of church leaders with a mission to "eradicate Wokeism from the American pulpit." What they're saying: The city "is making a statement that they don't want LGBTQ+ people to be acknowledged [or] respected," said Wendy Vernon, a Clearwater resident and the president and founder of LGBTQ+ advocacy group PFLAG Safety Harbor. "That's definitely very hurtful to the community when they're already being shunned away everywhere," Vernon told Axios. She also questioned why city leaders didn't issue a Pride Month proclamation in addition to Faith and Family Month, as was the case in Lakeland. Between the lines: Proclamations are largely symbolic and typically requested by community organizations or city staff. Clearwater's Diversity Leadership Council, made up of city employees, didn't request a Pride proclamation this year due to disruptive protests at a Pride event last year, city spokesperson Joelle Castelli told Axios. "It was very uncomfortable for the members of the committee as they were personally targeted," she said. Committee members instead invited their colleagues to participate in the St. Pete Pride parade this month and offered free tickets to a Clearwater Threshers game. Driving the news: Faith and Family Month was organized by Christian service nonprofit Somebody Cares Tampa Bay, co-founder Daniel Bernard told Axios. Bernard said he was inspired by a discussion with Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector, who said he wanted to see a pro-family event in the city. At the request of Somebody Cares, Rector presented the proclamation at the May 15 City Council meeting. His support features prominently in promotional social media posts and on Faith and Family Month's website. "We look forward to … celebrating an entire month with family-friendly activities and talking about how faith can help families be stronger," he says in a promotional video. Reality check: Navigate to the website's "Statement of Faith" page, and a much broader belief system comes into focus. Zoom in:"We recognize God's created order, in making male and female, determined by divine imprint, genetically encoded at conception, and changeless," it says, echoing language used by the Trump and DeSantis administrations to deny rights to transgender people. It goes on to say that pastors have a role "to protect our nation from the deceptions of false teaching and anti-Christ agendas," including abortion, CRT and "climate alarmist theory." The statement is attributed to the American Pastor Project, an organization founded by Lucas Miles, an Indiana-based pastor, conservative activist and author of "Woke Jesus: The False Messiah Destroying Christianity." Rector said the purpose of the proclamation was to encourage people of all different faiths and belief systems to "celebrate the importance of faith and families." Had an organization approached the city with a Pride proclamation, he "probably" would have signed it, he said, adding that he presented one last year. He said he hadn't seen the statement of faith until an Axios reporter showed it to him. He also wasn't familiar with the American Pastor Project, Rector said. "We're not trying to come against anybody or do anything of that nature," Bernard said. "We are just promoting the truth as we understand it."
