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Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting

Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting

Politico9 hours ago
Kelly didn't cite California Gov. Gavin Newsom by name, but he is the most high profile, and likeliest, example of a Democrat considering a counteroffensive remapping effort to squeeze more seats from a blue state. On Thursday, Newsom said he'd seek a November special election to have voters approve a new House map that would boost Democrats' numbers. It's an expensive and potentially perilous gamble that his Democratic colleagues throughout the country appear to be backing — a notably more aggressive posture for the party.
Various mid-decade redistricting efforts could launch a partisan arms race, as the parties look to redraw competing congressional maps to their own advantages. Democrats face a tougher path, as several blue states are bound by independent redistricting commissions and state constitutions, which would prevent them from quickly remaking maps. By contrast, discussions are already underway in several other Republican-controlled states that could follow Texas' lead, including Missouri, Indiana and Florida.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz acknowledged there's 'validity' to concerns that Republicans might gain even more seats, should redistricting wars escalate.
But, Walz and Kelly said, 'there's a bigger risk in doing nothing.'
'We can't just let this happen and act like it's fine, and hope that the courts fix it,' Kelly said. 'We have no idea, quite honestly, at this point, what the courts might do, but by virtue of us responding in kind, we do send a message. We're not going to take this line down.'
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Chappaquiddick Tapes Reveal New Details Into Ted Kennedy's Involvement in Mary Jo Kopechne's Death
Chappaquiddick Tapes Reveal New Details Into Ted Kennedy's Involvement in Mary Jo Kopechne's Death

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Chappaquiddick Tapes Reveal New Details Into Ted Kennedy's Involvement in Mary Jo Kopechne's Death

Damning tapes that paint a dark picture of an alleged cover-up of the 1969 death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick Island — and the involvement of the late Ted Kennedy in the tragedy — have finally resurfaced after conveniently vanishing over 30 years ago, a disappearing act that allowed the powerful Massachusetts senator to walk away from the deadly scandal virtually unscathed, sources say. Now, insiders believe the discovery may reveal a sinister cover-up that threatens to permanently shatter the reputation of the once-revered Camelot clan. Sources say the Kennedy crisis recently exploded when the son of now-dead investigative writer Leo Damore revealed that he uncovered his father's cache of audiotaped interviews with significant figures linked to the evening of Mary Jo's death. No explanation of how or why they disappeared was given. 'Kopechne's parents died feeling like they never got justice — because Ted got away with murder,' longtime Kennedy insider Leon Wagener tells GLOBE. 'Ted covered it up — and the cops helped him. 'These tapes have the potential to finally reveal the truth about Chappaquiddick and ruin the Kennedy family's reputation!' Recently, a Globe report exposed allegations that former President John F. Kennedy — Ted's brother — impregnated trailer park mistress Joan Lundberg before ascending to the White House, but paid her to have an abortion. News of the bombshell tapes also comes amid claims that staunch Democrat Kerry Kennedy banned her U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — an appointee of Republican President Donald Trump — from the family's annual July 4 shindig in Hyannis Port, Mass. As Globe readers know, Mary Jo attended a late-night party in 1969 that Ted hosted on Chappaquiddick for the 'Boiler Room Girls' — a group of politically ambitious young women. Married Ted left the party with Mary Jo, 28, and detoured to the Massachusetts island's lover's lane, but his 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont ultimately plunged off a bridge and landed on its roof in a pond. Ted survived — but Mary Jo was left to die in the wreckage. The big shot, who succumbed to a brain tumor in 2009 at age 77, didn't report the crash for 10 hours and later claimed he'd tried to rescue Mary Jo, who some say was pregnant with his child. Leo Damore had used the resurfaced tapes to write his explosive 1988 best-seller, Senatorial Privilege: The Chappaquiddick Cover-Up, which alleges that Ted utilized the Kennedy political machine to bury the sketchy incident and attempt to salvage his White House ambitions. However, the tapes disappeared after Leo's 1995 suicide as he worked on a book about JFK mistress Mary Pinchot Meyer, who in 1964 was gunned down in Washington, D.C. Many suspect her unsolved murder was orchestrated by the CIA to keep her from revealing the agency's supposed role in JFK's 1963 assassination. Leo's son, Nick, 39, tells People the tapes were found in a briefcase under the bed of one of his father's late lawyers and contain hours of interviews, including extensive chats with Ted's late cousin Joe Gargan. In another book, Chappaquiddick Revealed: What Really Happened, author Kenneth Kappel alleges drunken Ted crashed into a tree, thought Mary Jo was dead and sought help from Gargan and friend Paul Markham. Kappel writes that the trio pushed the Olds off the bridge to make it appear as if Mary Jo had been at the wheel alone to keep Ted from being charged with vehicular homicide. Officials believe Mary Jo survived inside the death trap for hours in an air pocket. According to Leo's book, when Gargan suggested Ted call the police, the pickled politician replied, 'I'll take care of it,' but went home to sleep it off instead! Ted later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and received a two-month suspended sentence. Nick Damore declined to comment for this article.

Republicans are afraid of Mamdani in New York. That's a good thing.
Republicans are afraid of Mamdani in New York. That's a good thing.

USA Today

time35 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Republicans are afraid of Mamdani in New York. That's a good thing.

Republicans think Zohran Mamdani will turn NYC into a socialist mecca because they forgot what a functioning government looks like. We're a few months out from New York City's municipal election, and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani is still the frontrunner in the mayoral race. It's a positive sign for progressives who want to see democratic socialists transform the party. In a July poll by Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions, Mamdani received 50% of support while the rest of the candidates trailed behind. Former Democratic governor Andrew Cuomo, who is now running as an independent, received 22% of support, followed by Republican Curtis Sliwa at 13%. Current Mayor Eric Adams, who is also running as an independent, received just 7% support. Mamdani may be polling well, but his path to victory in November is anything but smooth. There are already five anti-Mamdani PACs that have formed since the primary, backed by business moguls and real estate tycoons who warn that the Democratic nominee would be bad for the city's economy. He's also having to answer for some of his previous posts about 'defunding the police' and comments on Israel. Republicans criticizing Mamdani for 'defund police' comment are hypocritical The biggest criticism of Mamdani has come from his previous comments about the New York City Police Department. In the wake of George Floyd's murder in 2020, Mamdani posted to X that the NYPD was 'racist, anti-queer & a major threat to public safety' and called for defunding the force. Mamdani has also proposed creating a Department of Community Safety separate from the police department, which would respond to mental health calls. But the Democratic nominee is attempting to distance himself from these previous claims, calling the posts 'out of step' with his current stance on public safety. He recently met with the family of Officer Didarul Islam, one of the four people killed in a recent shooting in Midtown Manhattan. Republicans criticizing him seem more than willing to ignore the way President Donald Trump pardoned Jan. 6 rioters who attacked police officers, or his own criminal convictions. But he is the "law and order" president, for sure. And the GOP is the "law and order" party, right? Voters are increasingly agreeing with Mamdani on Gaza Another criticism from the right is that Mamdani is too critical of Israel. Fox News recently resurrected a clip of Mamdani from a 2024 panel where the mayoral candidate claimed, 'Israel is not a place, it is not a country.' Mamdani seems to be taking these attacks to heart. He recently said he would not use the phrase 'globalize the intifada,' and would also discourage others from using it. Mamdani had previously refused to condemn the phrase. On the other hand, Mamdani's criticisms of Israel proved to be popular with voters in the Democratic primary. A poll from Data for Progress and the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project found that his 'support for Palestinian rights' was important for 96% of his voters, while his 'willingness to criticize the Israeli government' was important to 88% of his voters. Opinion: People are starving in Gaza. Why are we so comfortable just letting that happen? While conservatives are trying to attack Mamdani for his previous stances on Israel and his sympathy for the Palestinian people, it doesn't seem like it'll work. Democrats should listen to their voters, not conservatives, to know how to approach this issue. Only 8% of Democrats support Israel's actions in Gaza, according to a recent Gallup poll, while 71% of Republicans support it. Some Republicans are even breaking with the party to denounce mass starvation in the region, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, who recently called the crisis a "genocide." Republicans are afraid of what Mamdani stands for. Good. Mamdani won the primary largely thanks to his mobilization of young voters. It worked out for him: voters under 40 made up 40% of early voting turnout. Now, the question is whether they'll turn out for the general election. I'm hopeful that they will. I have personally seen the way my generation has reacted to Mamdani's campaign. There is a palpable excitement reminiscent of Barack Obama's first run for the presidency, an excitement fueled by the idea that the Democratic Party can change, in spite of itself. Opinion: Zohran Mamdani rallied Gen Z voters. We can't abandon him now. The reasons conservatives are criticizing Mamdani are the reasons people my age voted for him. We believe in moving funding from the NYPD into areas like mental health care and community building. We support Palestinian rights. We want to see that working-class New Yorkers can remain in this city. We see taxing corporations and the wealthy as a good thing. Some may call these things unrealistic, and they may have a point. There's no way New York City becomes a socialist utopia if Mamdani is elected, since he must work with the city council, state and national governments to achieve many of his campaign priorities. But his very election could signal to the Democratic Party that they should run to, not from, progressive politics. Mamdani's path to victory is not an easy one. He will continue to face criticism from the right throughout the next few months. But if polling is any indication, he's still likely to be the next mayor of the largest city in the United States. Follow USA TODAY columnist Sara Pequeño on X, formerly Twitter, @sara__pequeno

How Democrats can stop talking past each other and start winning
How Democrats can stop talking past each other and start winning

Boston Globe

time2 hours ago

  • Boston Globe

How Democrats can stop talking past each other and start winning

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