The State Department Upheaval Makes China Great Again
And so she became one of roughly 1,350 people at the department, including about 250 FSOs, who got 'RIFed,' as they call it (after the euphemism 'reduction in force'). Having served in the Middle East and Asia for many years, she had stellar performance reviews throughout and had been picked by several top diplomats for specific assignments. If she had stayed overseas, she would have been safe from this round of RIFs, which hit only US-based staff. But she happened to be transitioning from a posting in Asia to one in Europe and was technically classified as 'domestic.'
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US Sen. Ruben Gallego tours Iowa State Fair but dodges talk of 2028 run for president
U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona toured the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Aug. 8, speaking to Democrats about winning back seats in the 2026 midterms and drawing a crowd of national reporters curious about his 2028 presidential prospects. Gallego's message for Iowa Democrats, in between visits to the butter cow and flipping pork burgers at the Iowa Pork Producers Tent, was to focus on working-class issues, "stop going for the easy votes" and reach out to Republicans. "We have to get out to these rural areas or suburban areas, wherever it is where we're maybe not winning Republicans, and we have to actually start having conversations with them," he said in an interview with the Des Moines Register. "And focus on what they want to talk about. Not what makes us comfortable to talk about." Gallego defeated Republican Kari Lake in 2024 to win his seat in the U.S. Senate, becoming the first Latino senator to represent Arizona. Before that, he served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. "The reason we got Trump-Gallego voters in Arizona is because we talked about border security," he said. "And we talked about the cost of living and how things were going bad and we needed to work on it instead of being in denial and hoping that we would win." 'Too early' to talk about running for president, Gallego says Gallego's visit to Iowa comes amid a string of his visits around the country that have sparked speculation about a potential bid for president in 2028. More: Why Arizona's Sen. Ruben Gallego is 2028 presidential longshot as he heads to Iowa Gallego will travel to New Hampshire, the traditional leadoff presidential primary state, on Aug. 22. His stops will include the Politics & Eggs breakfast, a staple for presidential candidates, as well as a town hall and a fundraiser, according to WMUR. In May, he held a town hall in Pennsylvania, a key swing state. In his interview with the Register, Gallego acknowledged that, "yes, I've been prepped" to be asked about whether he'll run for president in 2028. "Too early," he said. "Right now, the most important thing is, I need some help in the House and in the Senate. I know how to help Democrats win in really hard states. That's what we're here to do." Gallego also noted that he has a 7-week-old son, his third child, and "that's going to be the focus for the next couple of years." Asked if that meant he was ruling out a presidential bid in 2028, Gallego deflected the question with a joke about U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst's viral town hall comments about Medicaid. "I mean, like, who knows what the hell is going to happen in the next couple of years, right?" he said. "As Joni Ernst said, we could all be dead, too." Past tweet disparaging Iowa Caucuses 'not my finest moment,' Gallego says But his visit to the fair was also dogged by conservative activists from Turning Point USA seeking to draw attention to past social media posts Gallego made disparaging the Iowa Caucuses. "F--- caucuses," he posted on Feb. 4, 2020. "Iowa failed time to move on. #IowaCaucuses." "Love my friends in Iowa and New Hampshire, but time to move on," he wrote in another post on Feb. 14, 2021. "South Carolina and Nevada should start the primaries." Gallego said he made the post because he was frustrated by the fact that the results of the caucuses were not known for weeks after the app failed that the Iowa Democratic Party was using to report precinct results. "The tweet was definitely not my finest moment," he said. "However, you know, it was mostly focusing on the results of that day." National Democrats stripped Iowa of its first-in-the-nation status following the 2020 election, although the party may revisit the presidential nominating calendar before the 2028 election. More: Iowa House Democratic Leader Brian Meyer calls for his party to hold caucuses first in 2028 Gallego said Democrats' presidential nominating calendar will be determined by the Democratic National Committee. "Look, the DNC's got to figure out the calendar. If Iowa is back in front, then it's Iowa," he said. "But overall, fighting for people like here in Iowa or Arizona or anywhere else, you know, we have shared needs, and we have some shared threats," he added. "Like, right now, what's the threat? People are getting kicked off of Medicaid. People are going to get kicked off food stamps." Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said voters will decide whether Gallego's past comments about the caucuses are a dealbreaker if he decides to run for higher office. "It's up to the voters," she said. "But I would tell you that I talked to him about that. And, you know, I think he recognizes that he was running his mouth, right? And that's one reason why it's really great that he's here in Iowa, because maybe this will give him a different attitude going forward." She said she's "thrilled" candidates such as Gallego are interested in coming to Iowa. "We've had a lot of conversation about Iowa's place in the big picture of first-in-the-nation, etc.," she said. "And candidates get it. They know that Iowa is the place to come. We have a such a strong reputation of being the place where you come to be vetted by honest to goodness ordinary citizens who are smart and savvy and are paying attention, and it gives you an idea of what the pulse of the nation is." Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann issued a statement calling Iowa Democrats "out of touch" for welcoming Gallego and saying Iowans "don't need lectures" from him. "Ruben Gallego trashed the Iowa Caucuses, mocked our farmers, and then voted against tax cuts on tips, bigger paychecks and financial relief for seniors," Kaufmann said. "Now he wants a photo‑op at the State Fair? Iowans know better, he's out of touch and out of his depth." Gallego rounds out Iowa State Fair with butter cow visit, pork burger flipping Despite his deflections, Gallego's day at the fair had all the hallmarks of a presidential condender's visit. Des Moines Mayor Connie Boesen took Gallego to try an apple eggroll at her Applishus stand before he kicked off his official schedule by answering questions from reporters. Gallego walked around the fairgrounds with Hart and state Sen. Matt Blake, D-Urbandale. As he strolled, he and Blake chatted about their kids and their military service, and Gallego got some advice about the "science" behind where to stand to get the best picture with the butter cow. "There's a science?" he asked. After seeing the butter cow, Gallego tried an egg on a stick — another Iowa State Fair staple. "Needs a little salsa," he said, before dipping it in some Cookies BBQ seasoning that a volunteer offered him. He stopped to take selfies with several Democratic volunteers at the party's booth in the Varied Industries Building. And he completed his fair tour with a visit to the Iowa Pork Producers Tent to flip pork burgers. At the end of the day, he hinted that it might not be his last visit to Iowa. "You're going to have competitive races no matter what," he said. "I think you're going to have competitive Senate candidates and House candidates and governors. And if they ask me to come back again, yeah, I'll come back again." Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@ or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Ruben Gallego visits the Iowa State Fair, raising questions about 2028
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chicago Bears call on state legislature to pass bill and provide momentum for suburban stadium
LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren said Friday the team requires a big push from the state legislature to reach its goal of digging for a new stadium in Arlington Heights sometime this year. The Bears have the plans drawn up for the indoor stadium but need a mega bill to pass in Springfield in October to supply momentum for the construction. 'The biggest item that remains, that has remained, is the fact that this mega project build that was on the docket in the spring but was not put forth for a vote, but it is very, very important that it passes,' Warren said. 'Because without that legislation, we are not able to proceed forward. 'We stand ready. The stadium is designed.' Warren said team officials have been meeting with Arlington Heights village Mayor Jim Tinaglia on the project, which is their only target site. Over three years they fluctuated from Arlington Heights to Chicago and now back to Arlington Heights. The bill the Bears want to see passed would freeze property taxes for large-scale construction projects like the stadium. Warren maintains the bill could create 56,000 jobs during construction and 9,000 permanent jobs. 'So, if that bill passes in October there are items we have to work on and obviously there is a process you have to follow with the village of Arlington Heights from an approval process,' Warren said. 'But obviously they are committed. 'The goal would still be to be in a position to move dirt this year. There's still work, some initial work that needs to be done to get the site ready, but to hopefully break ground next year formally but to actually move dirt this year.' Warren has said it would take three years for the stadium to be built once ground is broken. The Bears are devoting about $2.7 billion to the project on their own property at the old Arlington International Racecourse. Bears owner George McCaskey said he hasn't become frustrated with the political process of getting the stadium built. 'These things take time,' McCaskey said. 'It's on us to convince the governor and the state legislators that this is a good idea for the people of Illinois and we need to do a better job at that.' ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas Democrats fight back in court against Abbott's bid to remove them
Texas House Democrats unveiled their legal counterattack Friday against Gov. Greg Abbott's bid to oust them from office, saying the governor's emergency bid is riddled with fatal flaws. Rep. Gene Wu, the leader of the Texas House Democratic caucus, argued in court papers filed with the state Supreme Court that Abbott's plan would violate the Texas Constitution, which leaves it to the legislature to discipline its own members. The Democrats fled the state to try to derail Abbott's ultra-partisan redistricting proposal. Abbott has asked the state Supreme Court to eject them from office, saying their decision to leave the state amounted to a legal 'abandonment' of their posts. Wu argued that the effort by Democrats to 'break quorum' and deprive Republicans of the ability to conduct legislative business is not an abdication of their duty but an affirmation of it. 'When in the course of legislative proceedings, the act of the majority is so shocking of the conscience, it is the duty of the legislator to not, with ease, render his body a means to the end,' Wu's attorneys wrote. The lawyers emphasized that there is a 'long history' of quorum breaking in Texas and that it is contemplated in the state's constitution. Wu also flicked at a simmering tension between Abbott and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argued in his own letter to the court earlier this week that Abbott may not have the legal authority to take action against the legislators. Underscoring the point, Paxton filed his own separate actions Friday afternoon in the Texas Supreme Court to remove 13 Democrats — including Wu —from the legislature. Paxton, inhis letter, said that while he appreciates Abbott's 'passion,' only the attorney general has the legal authority to seek the lawmakers' removal. Wu's filing is the latest volley in a deepening crisis that has extraordinary national implications for the future of both political parties. Fifty-one members of the Texas Democratic caucus fled the state earlier this week to prevent Abbott and Republicans from adopting new congressional district boundaries expected to net Republicans five seats in the U.S. House. The quorum-breaking gambit has drawn support from national Democrats, including several governors who have welcomed the fleeing lawmakers to their states and vowed to protect them. Meanwhile, Texas' battle to redraw political boundaries has inspired both Republican and Democratic governors to consider corresponding efforts that could remake the parties' fortunes in the 2026 midterm elections, as President Donald Trump fights to maintain his grip on Congress. Abbott sued on Tuesday, claiming that Wu — as well as the other Democratic quorum-breakers — had legally 'abandoned' their offices, which would permit the court to declare their seats vacant. But Wu contended that he and his colleagues were in fact fulfilling their roles as legislators by refusing to give their GOP counterparts a quorum. Wu also argued that Abbott erred by filing his suit directly to the Supreme Court, evading review by the lower courts that would typically consider Abbott's bid first. He also said that only the legislature can remove its own members, which the constitution provides for by a two-thirds majority, a far greater hurdle than Abbott's bid to corral five Supreme Court justices. And Wu added that the governor's petition relies on allegations about the lawmakers' subjective 'intent' that aren't grounded in facts and evidence. He said he plans to invoke his right to a jury trial, which would require a more complete record of evidence than Abbott has offered. 'If Representative Wu is to stand trial, he should do so on evidence, yet the Governor bases his petition on hearsay,' Wu's lawyers wrote.
