Latest news with #FishFry
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
South Carolina's first-in-the-nation primary status looks fraught as Dems sour on Biden
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — Democrats here took a vital first step in delivering Joe Biden the presidency five years ago. Now, they're hoping his tarnished legacy won't jeopardize their future as an early primary state. Already, there are hints some Democrats will revert to New Hampshire holding the party's initial primary contest, while progressives want to see labor-heavy Nevada take the lead. And there's even talk of friendlier southern states, like Georgia or North Carolina, leapfrogging South Carolina. 'The unfortunate part is, Democrats are saying that, and they think that [South Carolina leading] is a bad part of Biden's legacy,' said Bre Booker-Maxwell, a national committeewoman, Saturday on the sidelines of the state party's convention. She questioned the rationale of such a decision, before answering herself. 'The fact that the man ran the second time, and he probably shouldn't have run?' she asked skeptically. 'Some people just need to get over themselves and whatever issues they have with Joe Biden.' Attempts to move past Biden and the bad aftertaste of 2024 got underway this weekend as state party insiders hosted a pair of out-of-state governors with obvious, but still publicly undeclared, sights on the 2028 nomination. Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Tim Walz of Minnesota took turns gracing the outdoor stage while onlookers feasted on whiting filet on white bread, at the World Famous Fish Fry, an annual tradition hosted by the state's Democratic kingmaker, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.). Walz, the first to greet the crowd, spoke of the missteps from the last cycle and Democrats needing to expand their reach beyond a handful of swing states. 'I went to the same seven damn states over and over and over,' Walz said. 'People are pissed off in South Carolina, they're pissed off in Texas, they're pissed off in Indiana. … We need to change the attitude, compete in every district, compete for every school board seat.' Moore, who earlier Friday delivered the keynote address at the state party's Blue Palmetto Dinner, drew cheers from the mostly Black attendees of the fish fry when he said 'we come from a resilient culture' and encouraged them not to run in the face of challenge. He then pivoted to Trump and the havoc his so-called big beautiful bill would create if passed, which Moore suggested would push tens of thousands of kids into poverty while enriching the president's billionaire buddies. Once speeches wrapped, several in the crowd broke into line dance while South Carolina crooner 803 Fresh's campaign anthem 'Boots on the Ground' blared over loudspeakers. It was not the rip-roaring affair of 2019 when a cavalcade of 21 presidential candidates — including Biden — wooed attendees with stump speeches. Friday night's gathering at the EdVenture Children's Museum was held as many Democrats are still grappling with the pain of widespread electoral defeats. Biden's return to the national spotlight — through negative coverage detailing how those in his inner circle shielded the president's deteriorating condition from the outside world — has only resurfaced some long-held misgivings about his legacy. 'All this talk about President Biden and what should have and what could have, what might have, is a bunch of bullshit,' said Trav Robertson, a longtime Democratic operative and former chair of the state party. 'We can peck that to death if you want to, but that is in the past. South Carolina represents going into the future.' South Carolina, a state where Black Democrats make up a substantial portion of primary voters, played a pivotal role resurrecting Biden's moribund campaign. When Clyburn threw his support behind Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary in 2020, it vaulted him to the nomination and later, the presidency. In return, Biden pressured the Democratic Party to upend its traditional nomination calendar by moving the state to the lead-off position. But that electoral situation was tenuous. By running for reelection, Biden sapped energy out of the 2024 primary. Now, party officials are bracing for its status as the kickoff state to be ripped away. 'I think it would be a mistake to act like South Carolina's place [at the top] is just because of Biden, when this has been a conversation we've been having for 20 years,' said Nick Sottile, an attorney and executive director of the South Carolina House Democrats. Like nearly every Democrat in the state, he points out the benefits of South Carolina are vast. In addition to paying homage to a vital Democratic voting bloc, the small state with relatively cheap media markets won't bankrupt campaigns, which can hit upstate, midlands and the coast — a mix of urban, suburban and rural areas — all on a single tank of gas. Then there's the robust defense of South Carolina primary voters' history of picking presidents — Bill Clinton in 1992, Barack Obama in 2008 and Biden in 2020 — particularly in contrast to New Hampshire and Iowa. 'We get it right, and it's a proven track record,' Sottile added. 'It's not one election and one candidate that we're talking about.' That feeling is not shared by many outside the state. A longtime member of the DNC's committee that helps determine the presidential primary order granted anonymity to discuss informal discussions suggested South Carolina's current spot atop the calendar will undoubtedly come under scrutiny in the coming months. 'Clearly South Carolina members will want to continue to be first in the calendar for obvious reasons,' the person said. 'I think that no one else is going to feel any kind of obligation to keep South Carolina at the top of the calendar — because Biden is gone.' Biden may have unintentionally shattered South Carolina's standing next cycle, which only adds to a sense of betrayal over his role in ushering in another Trump presidency. 'There are people who are just mad as hell about everything that happened in 2024,' said Sam Skardon of Charleston. He admits he was one of the few in the state party who believed Biden's promise to be a 'bridge' candidate to the next generation. He took the job as chair of the Charleston County Democrats in March 2023 hoping to preside over a robust primary. A month later, Biden announced his reelection bid. 'There's a special connection here that's a deeper attachment, I think, than most states' Democratic Parties have to President Biden, probably up there with Delaware for thinking of him as our own,' Skardon added. 'But yeah, then there is additional anger, I think, at Biden for … not not letting us put our best foot forward.' Some believe Biden is simply too convenient a scapegoat for the party's broader problems. Backpedaling on giving Black voters more of a say in picking the party's nominee could erode trust in a bloc that's already drifting away from the party. 'It is a slap in the face … to Black Americans, where people are questioning Joe Biden at this point,' said Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist who resumed his role as emcee of the fish fry. 'It was Joe Biden who had the steel spine, the guts and the courage to declare that Black Americans' voices should be heard first in the presidential preference process.' But Seawright also shared concerns that too many voters here view Democrats as out of touch. 'I think trust was a part of the formula for Trump's success in the last election cycle,' Seawright added. 'You had some people who, in my opinion, did not necessarily vote for Donald Trump, they voted against the Democratic brand.' At the Palmetto Dinner, Jaime Harrison, the chair emeritus of the Democratic National Committee and Orangeburg, South Carolina, native revved up the crowd by putting a positive spin on the party's standing in state since Biden left the stage. 'We are more organized, we are more energized, and we are more focused than ever before,' he said, heaping praise on the state's party chair Christale Spain who was elected to a second term on Saturday. 'I am going to be on record right now to the South Carolina Republican Party, 2026 is going to be a reckoning.' Amanda Loveday, a Democratic strategist based in Columbia who worked on Biden's 2020 presidential campaign, is another South Carolina defender. But she is less optimistic given South Carolina's Democrats, who have long been locked out of power in the state, suffered setbacks last cycle. 'We lost [state] Senators and House members that we have absolutely no business losing,' Loveday said, which included two prominent Black lawmakers including state Sen. Gerald Malloy and state Rep. Joseph Jefferson. Republicans flipped four state Senate seats last cycle, leaving just 12 Democrats in the chamber. And in the presidential election, Trump's victory was never in doubt, but he increased his margin by 6 percentage points over 2020. All this is fueling speculation that South Carolina's neighbors — North Carolina and Georgia — which have notched statewide wins for Democrats in recent cycles, have better arguments to hurdle South Carolina in the primary calendar.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Potential 2028 presidential hopefuls steal show at Fish Fry, Dem weekend
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore speaks at Jim Clyburn's Fish Fry on Friday, May 30, 2025. (Photo by Shaun Chornobroff/SC Daily Gazette) COLUMBIA — Minutes before 10 p.m. Friday, after Democratic speakers led the audience in jeers to Republicans' efforts to slash jobs and health care and encouraged people to get involved and vote, line dancing broke out. That mix of politics and fun, mostly the latter, is what makes U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's annual fish fry in the state's capital city so popular, attendees said. 'We all came out, and everybody's enjoying themselves,' said Shantell Zimmerman, 58, of Columbia. 'It brings out the community,' agreed Dionne Brown, 55, of Irmo, who's been attending the event for six years. 'Then we actually get to discuss our views and takeaways.' Hundreds of people attended the event that started in 1992, the year voters first elected Clyburn to the 6th Congressional District, as a thank you to the voters who couldn't afford the Democratic Party's high-dollar fundraisers. Over time, the 'World Famous Annual Fish Fry' — which includes free food and drinks — has become a must-attend event for Democrats seeking local, statewide and national office. This year was no different, even if Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — Kamala Harris' 2024 running mate — said they're not running for the 2028 nomination. 'I know I'm not running,' Moore told reporters Friday. 'But the thing I'm also very clear about is that anyone who's talking about 2028 is not taking 2025 very seriously.' Moore and Walz, as well as Clyburn and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Jaime Harrison of Columbia, emphasized the importance of focusing on what's happening now in Washington, D.C. Proposed cuts to government safety nets like Medicaid and billionaire Elon Musk's efforts to rapidly slash federal spending were among the topics the governors touched on Friday during speeches at the fish fry, as well as the Blue Palmetto Fundraising Dinner the same night. 'I taught school long enough to know it's because they're weak and they're bullies, and when you stand up to them, they fade away,' said Walz, a former high school geography teacher. While both declined that they're running for president, there's wide speculation otherwise. Their addresses at the events in South Carolina — which last year got promoted from holding the Democratic Party's first-in-the-South to first-in-the-nation presidential primary — sounded a lot like campaign speeches. Walz will also speak Saturday at the state Democratic Party's annual convention. Lucy Owens, an Anderson County delegate to the state convention, discounted the governors' refusals, saying the 2028 presidential campaign has clearly begun. 'They're all going to come through here. They're the first ones,' she said. In 2019, the fish fry drew more than 20 potential candidates hoping to appeal to South Carolina Democrats. The following year, Joe Biden won the South Carolina Democratic primary, a victory that ended up vaulting him to the presidency. South Carolina's primary was elevated for 2024 as Biden's thank you to the state. With Biden gone, the Democratic party in flux, and Harrison no longer leading the national party, South Carolina maintaining its first-in-the-nation status is in question. Clyburn's comments Friday suggest he knows it won't. He doesn't care if the state is first, just that it's early, he said. 'The most important hitter on a team is the cleanup hitter. He comes in fourth place,' Clyburn told reporters at his event. 'I'm not concerned about whether or not we're first, second, third. Please, let us be at least four,' he said. That would take South Carolina back to having the first primary in the South. In the aftermath of Trump's landslide victory and the Republican Party gaining control of both chambers of Congress, the Democratic Party is in a reset. Walz and Moore, the first Black governor in Maryland's history, are among the early faces of it. Winning South Carolina, which changed the trajectory of Biden's 2020 presidential run, will be crucial for Democratic hopefuls. Owens, the Anderson County delegate, pointed to the stage where Walz and Moore spoke, saying every Democrat who wants to be president will eventually appear in that exact spot. 'They got to come through here. Not South Carolina. They got to go right there,' she said. Both governors received raucous ovations from South Carolina Democrats, drawing cheers, standing ovations and even a few laughs as they took shots at the GOP. Owens said 'they're both very great candidates,' and she's 'excited' to hear more from them over the coming years. That was the general consensus from attendees who spoke with the SC Daily Gazette. However, they were significantly more familiar with Walz because of his time on the campaign trail last year with Vice President Harris. 'I know less about Wes Moore than I do about Tim Walz, but I think he's a good speaker,' said Laura Lowery, a 69-year-old from Fountain Inn. 'I think he's done a good job in his state as well.' Moore has recently come under fire for vetoing a bill that would establish a commission to examine state and federal policies from 1877 to 1965 and come up with recommendations for reparations. South Carolina Rep. John King, D-Rock Hill, asked the state party to remove Moore as the keynote speaker of Friday's Blue Palmetto Dinner. Party leaders never responded to questions about that request. But for at least some attendees, the veto perturbed them too. 'I didn't understand why he would do that,' said Tony Winbush of Anderson. But once Winbush, a 50-year-old Army veteran, heard Moore speak about his time in the Army, as well as his pardoning of 175,000 cannabis convictions, her opinion changed. 'I think when you don't know the whole story and you just listen to sound bites, which is what we do a lot, we'll make brash judgments about people, when we are really fighting the same fight,' she said.
Politico
3 days ago
- Politics
- Politico
Playbook: Dems rev up 2028 travel
Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Bethany Irvine Happy Saturday morning. It's Adam Wren. We made it to the weekend. What are you up to? Get in touch. DRIVING THE DAY The 2028 shadow Democratic presidential primary is edging into the spotlight. Candidates are crisscrossing the country and delivering after-action reports about what went wrong with Joe Biden's presidency — even some who were involved in the administration. And this weekend it's turning toward South Carolina, where state Democrats gather for their annual confab. On Friday, at the Blue Palmetto Dinner, where Maryland Gov. Wes Moore delivered the keynote address, the rising star who has said he's 'not running' for president sounded a lot like he was running for president. As our colleague Brakkton Booker writes in a dispatch from Columbia, 'Moore's premium speaking slot before the state's well-connected party leaders does little to tamp down speculation he's kicking the tires on an upcoming presidential bid.' FIRST IN THE SOUTH (AGAIN): Speaking at the World Famous Fish Fry, an annual political event hosted by Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz spoke of the missteps Democrats made last cycle, even comparing his time on the campaign trail to Taylor Swift's record-setting global tour, Brakkton writes into Playbook. 'I called it my 90-day 'Eras Tour' to seven states,' the former vice presidential nominee said, drawing a smattering of chuckles. 'I went to the same seven damn states over and over and over. You know what? People are pissed off in South Carolina, they're pissed off in Texas, they're pissed off in Indiana. And there's more of us than there are of the billionaires. So we need to change the attitude [and] compete in every district, compete for every school board seat.' Today, moving toward center stage is Walz, who has quite the itinerary. At 10 a.m., in Columbia, he'll speak to South Carolina Democratic Party convention goers. Then, he'll jet to Anaheim, California, where he'll speak at the California Democratic Party Convention. But as they search for a way back, Democrats like Walz, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and even former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg aren't just visiting reliably Democratic (or early primary) states. They're focusing on red states, where the party has endured significant setbacks. In fact, Walz has focused his travel on red states: Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Texas, Ohio and West Virginia. And the South Dakota Democratic Party recently announced he will be the keynote speaker at the annual McGovern Day dinner on July 12 in Sioux Falls. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: 2028 Democrats aren't done with South Carolina. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will travel to the state to speak at the state's AFL-CIO convention on July 16. The following evening, he will also speak at the Georgetown County Democratic Party Dinner — a county Trump won in all three of his presidential bids. But 2028 Democrats' more urgent issue is not where to go, but which direction. Populism? Abundance? A third way? So far, the party has been focused more on where to say what they are saying — the right types of podcasts — than on what they are saying. Their earliest steps out of the wilderness have been in reference to Trump, not the party's own values — whether they should accommodate him or fight him. At a leaderless moment for their party, Trumpism and their response to it has been the clearest organizing principle. On Friday evening, Moore acknowledged that Democrats could learn from the unlikeliest of instructors: Trump himself. 'Urgency is the instrument of change. And do you know who understands that really well? Donald Trump,' Moore said. 'I want to be clear: We can — and we must — condemn Donald Trump's reckless actions. But we would also be foolish not to learn from his impatience.' 9 THINGS THAT STUCK WITH US 1. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — IMMIGRATION FILES: The Trump administration's 'efforts to strip protections from more than half a million legal immigrants could devastate the health sector, endangering care for the elderly and worsening rates of both chronic and infectious diseases,' POLITICO's Alice Miranda Ollstein reports. By the numbers: 'Hundreds of thousands of health care workers, including an estimated 30,000 legal immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, are at risk of being deported — worrying providers and patients who rely on them for everything from nursing and physical therapy to maintenance, janitorial, foodservice and housekeeping work.' Another case study: The Trump administration has now 'admitted that it improperly deported another immigrant in violation of a court order — the fourth known case in which the administration deported someone erroneously or in breach of specific legal requirements,' POLITICO's Kyle Cheney reports. The details: 'Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, had been in immigration detention since 2022 while deportation proceedings against him were pending. But on May 7, shortly after a federal appeals court ordered the government to keep him in the United States, immigration authorities deported him back to his native country.' Melgar-Salmeron's lawyer told POLITICO he intends to ask the court to order the government to return his client and to hold government officials in contempt. On another note: 'Murkowski slams Trump administration revoking protections for Afghan immigrants,' by POLITICO's Ali Bianco 2. THE STAND OF OZ: CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz, a Harvard alum, downplayed concerns surrounding Trump's efforts to ban his alma mater from accepting international students during an interview with Playbook's Dasha Burns for her new podcast, 'The Conversation.' Oz said he still believes Harvard will be able to recruit international students with vetting in the future. What Oz said: 'I think that will happen over time, but this is a bigger discussion about what is Harvard willing to do to truly represent the best interests of its students and the American people. … We will continue to train the best and the brightest of other parts of the world. We want there to be a brain drain towards America from those nations. But there's been a change in my alma mater, Harvard, that anyone who went to school with me would have to acknowledge. We witnessed our school lose its way.' For the full episode: Dasha's full conversation with Oz will be live tomorrow morning. Listen and watch on YouTube … Subscribe to the podcast … More from POLITICO's Katherine Long 3. IN DEFENSE: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a stark warning to Asian allies today, portraying the threat China poses to the region as 'real, and it could be imminent,' POLITICO's Paul McLeary reports. 'In his first speech to the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth was blunt about Washington's view of the Chinese military buildup in the region and the threat it poses to Taiwan, calling on allies to spend more on defense while pledging continued American partnership and support.' What Hegseth said: 'There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,' Hegseth said. Any Chinese military move on Taiwan 'would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' he added. 4. ON THE AGENDA: Despite a week that delivered several blows to his trade agenda, Trump is 'digging in on his vow to impose steep tariffs by any means necessary — and stick it to those who question his strength and think he's bound to 'chicken out,'' POLITICO's Megan Messerly and colleagues report. 'He and administration officials have said that negotiations with other countries will continue, are insisting they'll win their current tariff battle in court and are even preparing back-up strategies for new tariffs in case they don't.' The resolve: 'Trump's determination to move fast could slow implementation of his tariff regime. It also threatens to cost him credibility with businesses he's counting on to invest in the U.S. and world leaders whose buy-in he needs to negotiate trade deals. Still, few expect a different posture from a famously intransigent president or any second-guessing following the Wednesday ruling from the U.S. Court of International Trade, which briefly halted most of the tariffs.' About last night: Trump said that he plans to double his tariff on steel to 50 percent, from 25 percent currently, to prevent billions of dollars worth of foreign steel from continuing to enter the United States, POLITICO's Doug Palmer reports. 'At 50 percent, they can no longer get over the fence,' Trump said during a speech at a U.S. Steel facility in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania last night. 5. BUILDING OUT THE BUDGET: Trump's 'skinny' budget is filling out. Federal agencies began sending the nitty-gritty of Trump's budget proposal to Congress yesterday, detailing which programs he wants Republicans to cut deeply — or wipe out entirely — when they vote to fund the government in September, POLITICO's Jennifer Scholtes reports. The details: 'In 'budget in brief' documents, agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, along with the departments of Education and Health and Human Services, detailed their requests to cut billions of dollars from their budgets. … Among the proposed cuts to most federal departments, the administration is asking Congress to slash $12 billion from federal education programs, $5 billion from agriculture efforts and a total of more than $60 billion from health, housing and community development work.' 6. THE MEDIA MELEE: PBS yesterday sued the Trump administration in an effort to 'block his order stripping federal funding from the 330-station public television system, three days after NPR did the same for its radio network,' AP's David Bauder reports. 'In its lawsuit, PBS relies on similar arguments, saying Trump was overstepping his authority and engaging in 'viewpoint discrimination' because of his claim that PBS' news coverage is biased against conservatives.' From the suit: 'PBS disputes those charged assertions in the strongest possible terms,' lawyer Z.W. Julius Chen wrote. 'But regardless of any policy disagreements over the role of public television, our Constitution and laws forbid the President from serving as the arbiter of the content of PBS's programming, including by attempting to defund PBS.' Meanwhile: 'California lawmakers ask former CBS leaders to testify on proposed settlement with Trump,' by POLITICO's Blake Jones 7. ATTENTION TO DETAIL: DNI Tulsi Gabbard is 'exploring ways to revamp [Trump's] routine intelligence briefing in order to build his trust in the material and make it more aligned with how he likes to consume information,' NBC's Courtney Kube and colleagues scoop. 'One idea that's been discussed is possibly creating a video version of the PDB that's made to look and feel like a Fox News broadcast. … According to his public schedule, since his inauguration Trump has taken the PDB 14 times, or on average less than once a week, which is less often than his recent predecessors.' 8. FOOTING THE BILL: Wall Street is 'privately warning the Trump administration that the tax bill moving through Congress could stoke investor anxiety about rising deficits, push up U.S. borrowing costs and damage the broader economy,' WaPo's Andrew Ackerman and Jeff Stein reports. 'Most have been reluctant to raise their worries publicly, instead passing them along in smaller meetings or through trusted confidants.' Buried in the BBB: A 'retaliatory measure on foreign governments tucked into President Trump's tax bill has investors on edge,' WSJ's Richard Rubin and colleagues report. 'The proposed change would give the U.S. power to impose new taxes of up to 20% on foreigners with U.S. investments, hitting governments, individuals and companies with U.S. outposts. It's being called a 'revenge tax' because it's specifically designed to apply only in cases where other countries are deemed to be imposing unfair or discriminatory taxes against U.S. companies.' 9. SPLIT SCREEN: 'Inside the split between MAGA and the Federalist Society,' by POLITICO's Hailey Fuchs and Daniel Barnes: 'The president's allies had been sowing discontent with [Leonard] Leo's operation long before Trump publicly turned on his onetime adviser. Frustration had been growing among Trump and MAGA loyalists as a series of court rulings have hampered elements of Trump's second term agenda … and by judges Trump installed on the bench during his first term with Leo and the Federalist Society's guidance. Now conflict is openly breaking out among the constellation of conservative judicial leaders that used to operate alongside one another.' CLICKER — 'The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics,' edited by Matt Wuerker — 18 funnies GREAT WEEKEND READS: — 'Does Trump Actually Think He's God?' by POLITICO Magazine's Michael Kruse: 'The president's messianic rhetoric has soared since the assassination attempt.' — 'The New Dark Age,' by The Atlantic's Adam Serwer: 'The Trump administration has launched an attack on knowledge itself.' — 'The Techno-Futuristic Philosophy Behind Elon Musk's Mania,' by Matthew Purdy for the NYT: 'From the White House to Mars, the tech billionaire has his sights set on the long term.' — ''The Federal Government Is Gone': Under Trump, the Fight Against Extremist Violence Is Left Up to the States,' by ProPublica's Hannah Allam: 'Some state efforts are robust, others are fledgling and yet other states are still formalizing strategies for addressing extremism.' — 'Adam Friedland Could Be the Millennial Jon Stewart. But Does He Want That?' by GQ's Kieran Press-Reynolds: '[I]n the wake of an election that podcasters helped swing in Donald Trump's favor, he's fielding interview offers from politicians desperate to connect with disaffected young voters any way they can.' — 'Jordon Hudson, Kash Patel and MJ's fax machine: Pablo Torre's 'terminal content brain' battles the algorithm,' by The Athletic's Zak Keefer TALK OF THE TOWN Joe Biden publicly spoke about his cancer diagnosis for the first time since it was revealed. 'The expectation is we're going to be able to beat this. There's no — it's not in any organ, my bones are strong, it hadn't penetrated,' he told reporters, per WaPo's Dylan Wells. One of Barron Trump's NYU friends tells NewsNation that he has a girlfriend and comes off as 'pretty apolitical.' TOP TALKER — Michael Schaffer pens his latest Capital City column on Trump's proposed National Garden of American Heroes, which he wants to feature 250 life-sized statues in time for the nation's 250th birthday next year. The big problem? Artists, curators and critics who have reviewed the idea say 'America doesn't have enough quality sculptors or museum-caliber foundries to make this happen on Trump's speedy timeline.' The other hang-up: 'The fine print forbids 'abstract or modernist' statues, and the biggest collection of artisans and fabricators working in Trump's preferred old-school realist style turns out to be in China, not the U.S.' THE ARTS TAKEOVER CONTINUES — Trump said in a post on Truth Social yesterday afternoon that he was firing Kim Sajet as director of the National Portrait Gallery. 'She is a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI, which is totally inappropriate for her position,' Trump wrote, promising that he would name a replacement 'shortly.' Trump is also targeting the Smithsonian in his budget request, which 'proposed a 12 percent reduction of the institution's budget and excluded funding for its Anacostia Community Museum and its forthcoming National Museum of the American Latino,' per WaPo. PLAYBOOK METRO SECTION — 'Trump administration OKs expedited disposal of Greater Washington federal properties,' by the Washington Business Journal's Ben Peters TRANSITIONS — Elisabeth Conklin is now legislative director for Rep. Tom Barrett (R-Mich.). She previously was a senior professional staff member on the House Small Business Committee. … Julia Schechter is now senior manager of policy comms at Snap. She previously was a PR manager at Apple. WEDDING — Justin Papp and Eloisa Melendez, via NYT: '[He's] now a Congress reporter at CQ Roll Call … [She] is the lead manager of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Child Care at the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood … On May 16, their five-year anniversary, Lauren Papp, the groom's sister, who became a temporary officiant in the District of Columbia, officiated on the couple's rooftop … In January, they plan to celebrate with family and friends in the mountains above Medellín.' HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Jennifer Berlin … Charlie Meisch ... Debra DeShong … NPR's Deirdre Walsh … Julie Moos of The Forward … Clark Judge ... Elizabeth Dos Santos of Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart's (R-Fla.) office … Matt Berman … Amy Pfeiffer of Sen. Andy Kim's (D-N.J.) office … Michael O'Connor of Williams & Connolly … Marilyn Tavenner … CNN's Sara Sidner … former Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) … Dan Pino … former Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) (92) … Al From … DCI Group's Maegan Rosenberg … Erik Telford … Sara Carter … HSGAC's Allison Tinsey … Newsbusters' P.J. Gladnick … Susana Castillo of D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office … Brad Bosserman … Bert Kaufman … Keith Fernandez … Jen Bristol of the Solar Energy Industries Association … Ali Noorani … POLITICO's Haseb Alim … Phil Elwood THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): POLITICO 'The Conversation with Dasha Burns': CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz. NBC 'Meet the Press': Speaker Mike Johnson … Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). Panel: Lanhee Chen, Jeh Johnson, Jonathan Martin and Kelly O'Donnell. CNN 'State of the Union': OMB Director Russ Vought … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.). Panel: Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Scott Jennings, Jamal Simmons and Shermichael Singleton. FOX 'Fox News Sunday': Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) … Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.) … Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Panel: Marie Harf, Guy Benson, Horace Cooper and Meridith McGraw. Sunday Special: Modern Warrior Live. ABC 'This Week': NEC Director Kevin Hassett … Cindy McCain. Trump family business panel: Evan Osnos and Chris Christie. Panel: Donna Brazile, Reince Priebus and Astead Herndon. Fox News 'Sunday Morning Futures': DHS Secretary Kristi Noem … Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) … Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) … Brad Gerstner. Panel: Peter Schweizer and Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.). NewsNation 'The Hill Sunday': Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) … Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) … Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Panel: Amie Parnes, David Drucker, Jessica Taylor and Tia Mitchell. CBS 'Face the Nation': Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … FDA Commissioner Marty Makary … Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) … Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) … Michael Roth. MSNBC 'The Weekend': Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) … Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) … James Carville … Karen Hao. Send Playbookers tips to playbook@ or text us on Signal here. Playbook couldn't happen without our editor Zack Stanton, deputy editor Garrett Ross and Playbook Podcast producer Callan Tansill-Suddath.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Living Bread Soup Kitchen to host 16th Annual Silent Auction and Vendor Show
The Living Bread Soup Kitchen wants to keep the community fed, and one of the best ways to ensure they have the money to do so is to host fundraisers. This Saturday, the organization will be hosting its biggest fundraiser of the year, the 16th Annual Silent Auction and Vendor Show, at the Center for Rural Development. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and admission is free. Visitors will have the opportunity to bid for one of around 75 items that will be on hand for the silent auction. Gina Gaylor, Living Bread Soup Kitchen's director, said that around half of the items will be from local businesses, and half will be online or tickets to attractions from surrounding areas, such as Tennessee or Ohio. The auction will end at 3 p.m. sharp, she said, and will require the person with the winning bid to be present. In addition to the auction, there are 120 booths sold for vendors, which Gaylor said was pretty much the capacity of their space. 'We will take more (vendors), and we will move the auction out into the hall if we get more,' she said. 'That's what we did last year and it worked out really well.' The event will also feature a Cake Walk and a Jail and Bail for extra excitement. Gaylor said that the Pulaski County Detention Center is providing their mini-jail for the event, and they will have Jeffery Conard as their 'arresting officer.' 'Most of the things we do will be $1, $2 or for a donation, because we want everyone to be able to participate and still make a little money,' she said. All of the money raised will go to help their program, which provides meals for those in need. They operate out of an old 321 South Maple Street, right next door to the South Maple Street First Baptist Church. Meals are served every Tuesday and Thursday, from 3 p.m. until the last meal is given away. In addition, Gaylor said the organization recently expanded their operations, so that once a month meals are given away at three satellite locations: Nancy, Jabez and Faubush. Gaylor said they partner with the local fire departments in those areas, and it is aimed at giving away meals for the people specifically in those areas, as it can be hard for them to come all the way to Somerset, she said. 'They're doing so good, and if it keeps up, (the teams) want to do more,' she said. In addition to this weekend's fundraiser, Gaylor said the soup kitchen will host a Fish Fry fundraiser on June 27, in which they will serve meals of fried fish, hushpuppies, coleslaw, baked beans and 'some kind of potato,' along with their 'famous fudge.' Those meals will be available for $15. The organization will have more information on that event as it gets closer to time.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to headline South Carolina Democrats' Blue Palmetto Dinner
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) — Maryland's Democratic Governor Wes Moore will join South Carolina Democrats in Columbia at the end of May for the party's annual fundraising dinner. Moore was invited to be the guest speaker for the Blue Palmetto Dinner on May 30, party leaders announced Friday. The 46-year-old veteran and former CEO of an anti-poverty nonprofit in New York City was elected Maryland's first Black governor in 2022. In 2024, he unveiled a ten-point plan for his state focused on issues such as education reform, ending child poverty, affordable housing, advancing infrastructure, and job creation, among other priorities. He has also been a leader on cannabis reform, signing an executive order last June that pardoned 175,000 Maryland convictions for misdemeanor simple possession. South Carolina Democratic Party (SCDP) leaders said Moore's message of 'building a state that leaves no one behind' resonates with Democrats throughout the Palmetto State. 'He demonstrates daily bold, progressive, and compassionate leadership,' said SCDP Chair Christale Spain in a statement. 'We are thrilled to welcome Governor Moore to South Carolina as we continue to build momentum, inspire action, and prepare to win up and down the ballot in 2026. His story and leadership will energize and unite us for the work ahead.' Democrats divided over how to battle a weakened Trump South Carolina's standing as an early primary state means the annual fundraiser has played host to current and aspiring officeholders in recent years, including Vice President Kamala Harris in 2022 and U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in 2024. The dinner occurs the same weekend as U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn's 'World Famous' Fish Fry, a three-decade-old tradition widely viewed as a must-stop for presidential hopefuls. Clyburn is credited with helping to propel former President Joe Biden to the White House after endorsing him in the 2020 primary. However, Moore, seen as a rising star within the Democratic Party, insisted in a May 1 interview on ABC's 'The View' that he is not running for president in 2028. The Blue Palmetto Dinner will begin at 7 p.m. on May 30 at the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
