Inside California Politics: March 8, 2025
Political correspondent Eytan Wallace tells viewers about the controversy surrounding Newsom's new podcast and the outrage from republicans in the California Legislature after Democratic Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas abruptly removed some of them from their committees.
Also, political strategists Ed Emerson and Tim Rosales discuss the Assembly shake up and Trump's speech to Congress.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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The Hill
2 minutes ago
- The Hill
Kinzinger: Trump claiming to be war hero ‘just nuts'
Former Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger (Ill.) criticized President Trump for claiming to be a war hero in the wake of the Iran strikes, arguing it is offensive to those who have served in combat. 'Yeah. I mean, look, this is just nuts. This is nuts. And they're going to find — his people are going to find a way to justify this,' Kinzinger, a frequent Trump critic, told CNN's Erin Burnett on Tuesday. 'Listen, when they were putting out something honoring the Army's 250th anniversary, they put out a picture of Donald Trump in his military academy uniform, which has nothing to do with the military except they drill you.' Kinzinger, who retired from Congress in 2021 and is now a senior contributor on CNN, was asked to weigh in on Trump's recent remarks on 'The Mark Levin Show.' 'He's a war hero because we work together. He's a war hero,' Trump told conservative radio host Mark Levin, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 'I guess I am too.' 'Nobody cares, but I am too. I mean, I sent those planes,' he added, just months after the U.S. bombed three nuclear facilities near Tehran in defense of Israel. Kinzinger, who served in the Air Force and was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, pressed back against the rhetoric but added that he hopes the president is able to facilitate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. 'You can like what he's done. That's fine. I hope he gets a resolution in Ukraine,' he said. 'But to put himself on the same level of people that have actually gone out and served this country, not claimed bone spurs, is an offense to anybody who served.' 'And frankly, you just take somebody that served, calling themselves a war hero, even that would be inappropriate,' the former GOP lawmaker, who said recently that he feels closer to a Democrat nowadays, told CNN. 'For a guy that never served to say it, it's nuts.' Kinzinger added, 'But somebody, they'll defend it, they'll find a way.' The comments come as Trump is looking to facilitate a Russia-Ukraine peace deal after meeting with both leaders and seeking another ceasefire in the Middle East between Isreal and Hamas.
Politico
29 minutes ago
- Politico
The teacher taking on Rep. Richard Neal
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED — Another candidate is looking to bring generational change to the Massachusetts congressional delegation next year. Jeromie Whalen is a Belchertown native and North Hampton public school teacher who wants to educate people on how the political sausage gets made in his long-shot bid for Congress. Whalen, a first-time candidate running as a Democrat, will launch a campaign against 19-term Rep. Richard Neal in the 1st Congressional District next month. He started thinking about getting in the race after President Donald Trump won a second term last fall. 'I looked at the situation at hand and I said how the hell did we get here?' Whalen said of Trump winning back the White House. 'And it became clearer that the problem is not just a far-right Trump administration that is out of hand. The problem lies in our own backyard.' Whalen has already filed with the Federal Election Commission and started fundraising ahead of his official launch, which is set for Sept. 6 in Belchertown. His run is as much about the moment as it is about Neal. 'We have the historical lows for approval for Congress. We have the historical lows for the Democratic Party. The writing is all on the wall that we need change,' Wahlen told Playbook. 'I see the current establishment and the current Democratic representation in [the district] with Richard Neal as an impediment to that.' One of his main gripes with the incumbent: Neal's acceptance of corporate PAC money. Neal, the 76-year-old ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, has fended off recent electoral challenges. He won reelection in 2020 after a messy Democratic primary where he faced off against then-Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse. And he defeated first-time independent candidate Nadia Milleron, whose daughter was killed in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, last cycle. At the end of June, Neal had more than $3.9 million in his campaign coffers. Taking on a well-funded incumbent is an uphill battle for an outsider. But Whalen says he wears that label 'as a badge of honor.' 'We're in this situation because the same old politics keep playing out,' he said. 'I have been a public servant and not a politician. And I think that having those perspectives … uniquely positions me here.' GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Quick reminder that Massachusetts Playbook is taking its annual end-of-summer hiatus starting Monday, Aug. 25. We'll be back Tuesday, Sept. 2, just in time for the primaries. Send all your tips, scoops, birthdays and transitions before Friday! TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on Java with Jimmy at 9:30 a.m. DATELINE BEACON HILL — Healey seeking proposals for housing development on underused MCC parking lot by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: 'The Healey-Driscoll administration has issued a request for proposals to redevelop a 5-acre Middlesex Community College parking lot into at least 20 new homes in Bedford as part of the governor's State Land for Homes initiative. The RFP for the Bedford property is the first issued by Gov. Maura Healey through the initiative, which is exploring an inventory of over 450 acres of state property to develop 3,500 housing units across Massachusetts.' FROM THE HUB 'BOSTON WILL NOT BACK DOWN' — Some politicians are carefully avoiding invoking the president's ire. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is courting it. Wu turned her response to Attorney General Pam Bondi's letter on immigration enforcement into a de facto campaign rally Tuesday, complete with a mariachi band and chanting union members. 'Stop attacking our cities to hide your administration's failures,' Wu said at the press conference outside City Hall, flanked by Sen. Ed Markey, members of Boston's City Council, state lawmakers and mayors from across Massachusetts. 'Unlike the Trump administration, Boston follows the law. And Boston will not back down from who we are and what we stand for.' In her letter responding to Bondi and in speaking with reporters post-press conference, Wu, who is up for reelection this fall, maintained that the city isn't breaking any laws. 'We follow the law in Boston, and it is very clear … that local police here in Boston and in other places cannot be required to do the work of federal immigration enforcement absent a criminal warrant,' she told reporters. It's still not clear what the repercussions could be for the areas labelled 'sanctuary jurisdictions' that the White House decides aren't in compliance with the law. But Wu also warned that Boston would consider taking legal action should the federal government attempt to withhold funding for the city already appropriated by Congress. — Massive Dorchester development gets green light: Two 18-story towers to reshape Morrissey Boulevard by Grant Welker, Boston Business Journal: 'The latest project to contribute toward a transformation of Dorchester's Morrissey Boulevard area has won permitting approval from the city. A plan calls for two 18-story apartment towers totaling 754 units at the former Channel 56 television station building at 75 Morrissey Blvd. At just over 200 feet, they'll be the tallest buildings between the Seaport to the north and Quincy to the south. They're also a first phase of what could be a substantially larger project in the years ahead.' — Fewer foreign tourists are visiting Boston this summer. Some blame Trump by Todd Wallack, WBUR: 'Over the past 14 years, Brian Burgess has met people from nearly every nation while leading tours on Boston's historic Freedom Trail. But this summer, as the manager of Tours by Foot Boston, he's seen far fewer foreign visitors. Last year, Burgess estimates nearly one-third of his customers came from abroad. This year, he says, he's had only a handful of foreign clients. That means fewer tours and smaller groups.' WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET — AGs sue DOJ over crime victim funding restrictions by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has joined a group of Democrats suing the Trump administration over its move to restrict federal funding for the victims of crimes unless states cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The lawsuit, filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, alleges the Department of Justice doesn't have the authority to withhold more than $1 billion in congressionally approved Victims of Crime Act grants, which provide support for crime victims to cover costs like medical bills, funeral costs and lost wages.' FROM THE DELEGATION — Moulton urges Israel to increase aid to Gaza by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton is leading a group of House Democrats and veterans calling on Israel to allow more food and other aid to enter Gaza amid increasing warnings of a humanitarian disaster in the region. In a letter to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, the lawmakers expressed 'serious concern with the dire humanitarian aid situation in Gaza' and called on Israel to 'flood Gaza with humanitarian aid,' which they said would also help Israel deprive the terrorist group Hamas of the 'leverage' it has gained in restricted aid to the region.' — Trump can't seem to quit Elizabeth Warren. Here's the latest reason why. by Jim Puzzanghera, The Boston Globe: 'Just two months ago, President Trump and Senator Elizabeth Warren were having a rare kumbaya moment. The longtime adversaries from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum declared they finally found something to agree on: eliminating the limit on the national debt. But the detente between two of America's most combative politicians didn't last long. In recent weeks, Warren has pounded away at Trump for failing to fulfill his campaign promise to 'immediately bring prices down, starting on Day One.' Trump has responded by unleashing a fusillade of insults and false accusations against Warren that demonstrate her attacks might be working — and could provide a template for Democrats in next year's midterm elections.' — Katherine Clark backs off Gaza 'genocide' comments by Nicole Markus, POLITICO: 'House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) said that she was not accusing the Israeli government of committing genocide in Gaza, despite saying at an event last week there was 'genocide and destruction' in the war-torn strip.' FROM THE 413 — Longmeadow School Committee to discuss 'criminal matter' likely related to librarian's pornography charge by Jeanette DeForge, The Springfield Republican: 'The School Committee is expected to discuss the arrest of a librarian who worked at Glenwood and Williams middle schools at its 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday at Longmeadow High School. Under the new business portion of the meeting is an item saying 'District response to criminal matter.' Scott McGinley, 55, was charged in federal court last week with one count of distribution of child pornography. He submitted his retirement papers the same week.' — Springfield hunts sites for new EV charging stations to help state meet climate goals by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican. THE LOCAL ANGLE — Worcester committee to city manager: Hatch a task force for raising chickens by Adam Bass, MassLive: 'The movement to raise and keep chickens in Worcester has reached the next stage of the pecking order. The city's Committee on Economic Development is officially asking City Manager Eric Batista to create a task force to explore whether it is possible for residents to own and raise chickens in the city. The task force, if created, will also be in charge of studying the methods other communities use to allow residents to raise and keep chickens as well as the challenges they face, according to the official order from the committee.' — Politics a threat to Worcester Board of Health, official warns by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette: 'It was a tight vote, but the city's Board of Health sent a message that protecting public health is its primary job, not safeguarding business interests. Meanwhile, a city official said the board has become politicized, threatening its mission to safeguard public health. Dr. Michael Hirsh, the city's medical director, told the Telegram & Gazette after the board voted 3-2 on Monday, Aug. 18, to deny a tobacco permit to a local business that having two former city councilors on the board – Gary Rosen and Michael Perotto – has politicized its work. Rosen is looking to rejoin the council; he's currently running for an at-large spot.' — Quincy loses its finance director. Who will take the helm? by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger: 'The city's municipal finance director, Eric Mason, has departed for the private sector, taking a job with the large financial services firm, Clifton Larsen Allen, according to a city press release. He will be replaced by Paul Della Barba, who has been working as the city's municipal director of accounts.' MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — McKee campaign manager is out after less than 3 months by Ted Nesi, WPRI: 'Gov. Dan McKee's newly hired campaign manager is stepping down less than three months after he started the job, as the incumbent Democrat struggles with questions over whether he can win reelection in 2026. The unexpected departure of Rob Silverstein, a former political adviser to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, was announced by the campaign in a statement on Tuesday.' MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE NEW SENATE CANDIDATE DROPS — Rep. Chris Pappas is getting a competitor in the Democratic primary for New Hampshire's open Senate seat. Karishma Manzur, a medical scientist and political activist who's served on several nonprofit boards, is launching her campaign with an event in Manchester tonight, Lisa Kashinsky writes in. Manzur's a political novice who faces an uphill battle against Pappas, a four-term congressman who raised $1.8 million last quarter and has more than $2 million in cash on hand. In an interview, she steered clear of picking an ideological lane against Pappas, who skews more moderate, describing herself as a pragmatist and problem solver. But Manzur, who has pushed for a ceasefire in Gaza and published pro-Palestinian opinion pieces in local papers, drew an early distinction against Pappas over Israel. Pappas told WMUR earlier this month that he would have opposed a pair of failed Senate resolutions put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would have blocked weapons sales to Israel, while also calling for greater humanitarian aid and a ceasefire in Gaza. Manzur said she would have voted in favor of them: 'I will be against any money to any country to kill people,' she said, adding that the U.S. should be 'taking concrete actions against the harrowing acts of torture of Palestinians by the Israeli military.' HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH ENGAGED — Grace Fernandes, digital and creative director for Sen. Ed Markey and a Cape Cod native, got engaged to Maxwell Rowshandel, senior director for children's health and nutrition at First Focus on Children on Saturday, Aug. 16, in Georgetown, Washington D.C. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Erin Tiernan, WBUR's Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Carol Lollis, Targeted Victory CEO Zac Moffatt, Tamara Stein and Rachel Lea Fish.
The Hill
32 minutes ago
- The Hill
Trump doesn't have to quit UNESCO again because we never lawfully rejoined
President Trump recently announced that the United States was quitting the United Nations Economic, Social, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for the third time. This is good news – UNESCO has championed gender ideology in education, discriminatory DEI policies, and the entire litany of woke doctrines. It has also worked to erase Jewish history in the Holy Land. But the administration did not need to bother with formally withdrawing from the treaty — from a constitutional perspective, the U.S. hasn't been a member at least since Trump first quit it in 2017. When Biden sought to rejoin the Paris-based agency in 2023, he neglected to seek authorization from Congress. No one made a big deal of it then, but it means that, for domestic law purposes, the U.S. never actually rejoined. This is an important point with implications for numerous international organizations, especially as the administration sets out on an agenda of U.N. reform. Membership in international organizations was not supposed to be a political revolving door. Congress authorizes membership at the outset. After the U.S. leaves, a whole new congressional authorization must be obtained by any president wishing to rejoin. Under the Constitution, the president can only bring the country into a treaty with the 'consent' of two-thirds of the Senate. That is a substantial hurdle, and deliberately so: Commitments to foreign countries can be harder to pull out of than domestic ones. They can become a way of imposing obligations on the country that are then out of reach of the democratic process. In the 20th century, presidents have often relied on the approval of a majority of both Houses instead, a dubious practice but now widely followed. When the U.S. first joined UNESCO in 1946 (and the World Health Organization in 1948), President Truman was acting pursuant a law passed by both Houses authorizing him to do so. But Congress did not reauthorize Biden's reentry to UNESCO. Instead, he treated the 1946 authorization as a lifetime membership, when in fact it was only a one-time pass. If the U.S. quit a treaty that the Senate had ratified — say the NATO treaty — then a decision to rejoin would be subject to a new requirement of advice and consent. Congressional authorization is a stand-in for Senate ratification and should be subject to the same rules. Consider a parallel case: If a president fires a senate-confirmed appointee, and he or a subsequent president wishes to return him to the same post, no one would argue that he could do so simply on the grounds that the Senate had previously confirmed him. Indeed, Andrew Jackson's Attorney General resigned from his position, and was then reappointed to it — only to be rejected by the Senate. As a statutory matter, the 1946 agreement on UNESCO allowed the president to 'accept membership' — not accept, and accept, and accept again. If a congressional authorization is good for infinite rounds of quitting and rejoining, it makes getting out of international agreements harder than getting in – exactly the opposite of what the Framers intended. The argument of perpetual authorization was invented by Jimmy Carter, who purported to rejoin the International Labor Organization in 1980 based on a 1934 authorization. President Bush neglected to seek congressional approval when he rejoined UNESCO in 2002, nearly two decades after Reagan quit. Neither instance attracted much attention, and two modern actions do not prove a constitutional rule. There is a good argument for the Trump administration having withdrawn from UNESCO as if it were a member — to avoid any doubt or subsequent quibbling. But the administration should clarify that it is 'quitting' only out of an excess of caution, and does not see the U.S. as properly joined, which is consistent with its nonpayment of any dues. To avoid abuse by future administrations, Congress should repeal the antiquated authorizations for UNESCO and WHO, which Trump also announced withdrawal from. If a subsequent president wants to rejoin, he should have to sell it to Congress on the organization's existing records, not the hopes and dreams of the 1940s.
