Cuomo says his biggest political regret is 'the state of the Democratic party'
During the first New York City Democratic primary debate, former Governor Andrew Cuomo said his biggest political regret was 'the state of the Democratic Party.' His opponents quickly pointed to his handling of the pandemic and the sexual harassment allegations he faced. June 5, 2025
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BBC News
7 hours ago
- BBC News
Democrats wrestle with 'geriatric problem'
For 33 years, Congressman Jim Clyburn's "world famous fish fry" has been a must-attend event for members of the Democratic Party hoping to make a splash on the national stage. But after a blistering electoral defeat and with an aging old guard, some are wondering if it's time for the party to make some new was just over five years ago here in South Carolina, that the then-79-year-old Clyburn, a Democratic kingmaker in the state, gave the then-77-year-old Joe Biden his highly coveted presidential endorsement. His past picks – like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton – have all won the party's nomination, if not the White endorsement of Biden is widely regarded as helping the former vice-president win South Carolina's primary and turn the tide in his struggling campaign. Since then, Democrats have had to re-evaluate their choice for the aging Biden – who grudgingly abandoned his re-election bid last year amid a rising din of questions about his his successor, Vice-President Kamala Harris, lost to Donald Trump, many wondered if he had hung on too long. Then last month, Biden announced he had stage 4 prostate cancer, a condition with a grim prognosis that would have presented a national crisis if he had managed to win cancer diagnosis raises fresh questions about his health in White HouseWhat we know about Biden's cancer diagnosesAudio emerges of Biden's 'poor memory' interview with investigator Now many within the party, including some of those dining on fried fish and white bread at Clyburn's gathering last Friday, are wondering if it's time the party found new blood - especially after three congressional Democrats died in office this year alone. The losses meant that the Republicans' slim majority in Congress was bolstered, allowing them to pass Trump's controversial spending bill by a single vote."We have a geriatric problem," said Ashley McIntyre Stewart, specifically noting the recent House spending bill. "We need to get the younger community involved so that we don't have the Republicans railroad us."According to a survey last month by Axios, more than half of the 30 Democrats in the House over age 75 are planning to seek re-election next year, including Clyburn, whose term would end when he is 88 if he veteran politician scoffed at the idea of retiring. "I will respond to the voters of South Carolina," he told media who were at the fish fry. "I've been with them all month, and not a single one of them said to me that they think I'm too old. Every one of them said to me, please don't leave."He also bristled at the second-guessing over whether Biden should have stepped aside earlier, saying that his children and grandchildren don't care about the former president's choice."They're going to ask me what did you do to make sure I got a better life," he said. "That's all I'm concentrating on."Democratic voters have tended to accept the risks that come with electing older politicians to office, prioritising governing experience over youth and vitality. In 2024, only two Democratic incumbents in Congress lost their party's nomination, and both – Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York – were relative newcomers under the age of have their own crop of elderly politicians too, including the 78 year-old president. But 2020's electoral battering and Biden's health revelations have caused some Godwin, a Democrat from Chicago, was visiting South Carolina and stopped by the fish fry to see Clyburn and hear from the two Democratic governors, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Wes Moore of Maryland, invited to speak. He said he respected the wisdom of elderly politicians like Clyburn and Biden, but his party needed a youth movement."We need the activists," he said. "We need the energy from a variety of different backgrounds - not just age - to really come put our hands together and work toward getting some real elections won."There are signs some young upstarts are taking heed: Saikat Chakrabarti, the 39-year-old former chief of staff to Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is challenging former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in her San Francisco Congressional primary. Jake Rakov, 37, is going after the seat of his former boss, 15-term incumbent Rep Brad Sherman, 70. Voters are craving "new ideas and new energy to get Congress to actually work again," he told a local news outlet, the Bay Area Reporter, in April. At the fish fry, winning elections after last year's disappointment and the challenges of Trump's aggressive second term agenda were the focus of speeches from two Democratic governors, who are also potential 2028 presidential the 61-year-old who was his party's vice-presidential nominee last year, may not exactly be a fresh face some in the party are looking for, although he received a warm reception from the South Carolina audience. Maryland's Moore – a 46-year-old military veteran who is only the third black governor in US history – generated the most animated response, as he spoke about the "baton" being in his generation's hands."We're about to send a message the entire country is going to hear," he said. "This is our time. This is our moment. We will not shirk, we will not flinch, we will not blink. We will win, just as those who came before us did."Democrats may have won in the past, but last year's defeat was particularly stinging – and Trump's first months back in power have put the party in a deep hole, with years' worth of work needed to rebuild Democrat-backed government programmes and replenish worker rolls that have been slashed by the Republicans."I gave Donald Trump credit for this," Waltz said. "He moves so quickly and so fast for bad things, we better be ready to move quickly and fast for good things."Waltz said that Democrats needed to have "tough conversations" about how to win back the voters who flipped to Trump last a few years, South Carolina will once again be a pivotal battleground in the fight for the Democratic presidential nomination. The kind of candidate who comes out on top will be determined in part by the conversations – including how to balance age and experience with youth and energy - happening at this fish fry and in other Democratic gatherings across the country in the days ahead.
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Trump admin must restore AmeriCorps programs in 24 states, judge rules
Her ruling applied only to the Democratic-led states who sued in April to challenge what they said was an unlawful dismantling of AmeriCorps by Republican President Donald Trump's administration. More: What is AmeriCorps? What to know about the latest organization impacted by DOGE cuts Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat who helped lead the litigation, in a statement said the ruling safeguards services communities rely on to educate students, preserve parks and care for the elderly from "unlawful and reckless cuts." AmeriCorps did not respond to requests for comment. A White House spokesperson in a statement said Trump "has the right to restore accountability to the entire executive branch, and this will not be the final say on the matter." AmeriCorps' grants fund local and national organizations that offer community services related to education, disaster preparedness, conservation and more. It sends more than 200,000 volunteers out nationally as part of its programs. The states sued after the administration terminated over 1,000 grants and placed 85% of AmeriCorps' staff on administrative leave with the intent to terminate them effective June 24 as part of a push by Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency to shrink the federal government. The cuts impacted $396.5 million in federal funding for AmeriCorps programs and tens of thousands of volunteers nationally. The agency has a roughly $1 billion budget and had more than 500 employees when Trump took office. Democratic state attorneys general argued Trump lacks the authority under the U.S. Constitution to gut AmeriCorps, which was created by Congress, and that the agency failed to follow proper procedures before altering program services. Boardman, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, partially agreed, saying AmeriCorps failed to engage in notice-and-comment rulemaking before making major changes. "Because the agency did not provide notice and an opportunity to comment before it made significant changes to service delivery, the States were unable to voice their concerns about these changes," she wrote. But Boardman said the states lacked standing to block the mass job cuts, saying an anticipated delay in their grant applications being reviewed due to reduced staff was not sufficient grounds.
The Herald Scotland
8 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
6 takeaways from Trump and Musk's ruptured relationship and wild feud
Meanwhile, Musk endorsed a third Trump impeachment. Not satisfied with predicting Trump's tariffs would lead to a recession, Musk later accused Trump of consorting with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Trump's political adviser and former White House aide Steve Bannon suggested the president should deport Musk back to his native South Africa. Here are six takeaways about the feud and where it might lead: Trump 'very disappointed' with Musk Musk has called the cost of Trump's legislative package of tax and spending cuts a "disgusting abomination," and urged lawmakers to kill it. Trump responded during an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz by saying he was disappointed with Musk. Trump blamed Musk's criticism on the legislation aiming to end incentives for electric vehicles, which Musk's company Tesla manufactures, and "I'm very disappointed with Elon. I helped Elon a lot," Trump said. "Elon and I had a great relationship," Trump added later. "I don't know if we will anymore." Musk endorses third impeachment of Trump When someone else suggested on social media that Trump should be impeached and replaced by Vice President JD Vance, Musk replied, "Yes." The House impeached Trump during his first term. Once was for his urging Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate his Democratic rival, Joe Biden. The second time was for inciting the riot Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol. The Senate acquitted Trump both times after failing to get a two-thirds majority for conviction. Musk predicts recession from Trump tariffs Musk upped the ante by predicting Trump's tariffs - the centerpiece of his economic policy - would cause a recession. "The Trump tariffs will cause a recession in the second half of this year," Musk wrote on social media. Trump has argued the tariffs would bring the government billions in revenue and force manufacturers to bring jobs back to the U.S. He has also used tariffs as leverage to negotiate trade deals with other countries. Musk alleges Trump connection to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Epstein was a financier charged federally with sex trafficking. He died by suicide in a New York jail cell in August 2019. Conspiracy theorists have speculated that powerful people silenced Epstein rather than have their secrets exposed. Trump and Epstein were filmed and photographed together at parties. In 2002 Trump praised the wealthy businessman as a "terrific guy" but he has since distanced himself from him. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would declassify the government's files on Epstein but about 200 pages released Feb. 27 implicated no one else. "Time to drop the really big bomb," Musk said in a June 5 post on X. "@realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!" The White House responded that Musk was unhappy with Trump's legislative package. "This is an unfortunate episode from Elon, who is unhappy with the One Big Beautiful Bill because it does not include the policies he wanted," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. "The President is focused on passing this historic piece of legislation and making our country great again." Trump threatens to cancel Musk's government contracts and subsidies Trump later threatened on social media to cancel Musk's government contracts and subsidies. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts," Trump said. "I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Tesla's shares dropped 14%, losing about $150 billion in market share, on June 5. Trump's legislative package seeks to end government subsidies for electric vehicles. Musk's SpaceX also relies on billions in contracts to transport people and supplies to the International Space Station. The government must rely on private rockets or the rockets of other countries for such trips after retiring the space shuttle program. "In light of the President's statement about cancellation of my government contracts, @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Musk wrote. Trump adviser Steve Bannon urges deportation of Musk One of Trump's informal advisers, Steve Bannon, told the New York Times he was urging the president to launch several investigations into Musk, including whether he should be deported. Musk came to the U.S. on a student visa and has since become a naturalized citizen, but critics have raised questions about whether Musk overstayed the terms of his original visa. "They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status, because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately," Bannon said.
