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Epoch Times
6 days ago
- General
- Epoch Times
Flags, Futures, and Mental Health: A Week of Unity in Orange County
Commentary Hey Orange County! The week leading up to Memorial Day was a busy and very meaningful one, full of celebration, reflection, and coming together as a community. From cheering on our newest graduates to honoring the heroes who gave everything for our country, it was a time to recognize both the bright future ahead and the sacrifices that made it all possible. I was able to attend two wonderful commencement ceremonies. It was an honor to take part once again in SUNY Orange's 75th Anniversary Commencement Ceremony. For 75 years, SUNY Orange has served as a cornerstone of education, opportunity, and community growth in our county. The members of the SUNY Orange Class of 2025 are great examples of determination and resilience, and they stand ready to make their mark, their positive impact, on the world. Congratulations to the graduates on reaching this important milestone. Your hard work and perseverance have paid off, and I'm confident your futures are bright. I also had the privilege of attending the graduation of the Class of 2025 at West Point—the United States Military Academy. The weather cooperated, and the ceremony was a moving and powerful reminder of the strength, leadership, and commitment that define our Armed Forces. Being among these exceptional young leaders and their families was truly inspiring, and I thank West Point for the honor of being part of such a meaningful day. It was very gratifying to spend some time last week supporting the Orange County Veterans Service Agency to prepare for Memorial Day. With help from the Enlarged City School District of Middletown and their NJROTC, more than 4,000 American flags were placed at the Orange County Veterans Cemetery. Each flag is more than just a symbol; it tells the story of a life dedicated to service and sacrifice. The sea of red, white, and blue that covers the ground stands as a moving tribute to our fallen heroes. Memorial Day itself was filled with remembrance and community connection. I joined ceremonies in the villages of Maybrook and Unionville, where families and veterans gathered to honor those who gave their lives for our nation. I also got the chance to visit the Hudson Valley Honor Flight fundraiser. This incredible organization continues to ensure our veterans receive the recognition and gratitude they deserve. Please consider supporting their mission. You can learn more at As part of our ongoing commitment to the community, my office and I are focused on helping recent graduates take the next step toward meaningful careers. Supporting career growth is just one way we're investing in the future of our community. We're proud to partner with the Orange County Employment and Training Administration and the Department of Human Resources to connect local talent with opportunities in both county government and the private sector. Whether you're just entering the workforce or exploring a new path, these resources are here to support your journey. To learn more: Job Seeker Services: Human Resources: At the same time, we're also making important strides to improve the infrastructure that keeps our county safe and connected. If you're driving through Cornwall, you may notice progress on the Main Street Bridge project. Last week, our dedicated Department of Public Works team reached a major milestone with the installation of the south side parapet wall. Sidewalks and curbs are up next, and we're excited to bring this key infrastructure upgrade closer to completion. And while building for tomorrow, we're equally committed to nurturing the well-being of our residents, especially during Mental Health Awareness Month, when we focus on supporting those with mental wellness challenges. One powerful example of this commitment was the Children's Mental Health Awareness Walk, organized by the passionate team at VoicesUnited4Change. Families, advocates, and neighbors came together to show that no one walks alone in their mental health journey. The event highlighted the strength of our community and the importance of breaking the stigma around mental health, especially for our youth. County employees also held a dress-down day to raise funds to support VoicesUnited4Change. For local mental health resources, please visit: Keep active and stay positive! I hope to see you around the county!
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Trump Used 1 Particularly 'Gross' Term About Women During His Latest 'Nonsensical Ramble'
President Donald Trump recently inexplicably warned graduating cadets in a commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point about 'trophy wives' — a term that is 'toxic' and misogynistic, one gender studies expert said. While delivering his speech on Saturday, Trump spent some time sharing a story about late real estate developer William Levitt, who is widely considered to be the pioneer of the suburbs. The president described the developer, whose legacy includes his policy to only sell properties to white buyers, as a 'great, great real estate man' who at some point lost his 'momentum.' As Trump began to reference Levitt's eventual career downfall, he mentioned the developer's marital history, noting that Levitt sold his company and then 'had nothing to do' before he got divorced and then 'found a new wife.' 'Could you say a trophy wife? I guess we could say a trophy wife,' Trump said about Levitt's second marriage. 'It didn't work out too well. But it doesn't work out too well, I must tell you. A lot of trophy wives, it doesn't work out. But it made him happy for a little while at least. But he found a new wife.' Levitt was married three times — just like Trump. And the president's scandal-ridden history as a husband does not fit traditional or conventional views of a devoted family man. Trump then went on and talked about Levitt later feeling 'bored' with life, before the developer eventually 'lost a lot of momentum' in his career and 'lost everything.' He ended the tangent about Levitt by speaking directly to the cadets — seemingly as a way to impart wisdom — saying: 'You got to have momentum, but you have to know [when] that momentum is gone. You have to know when to say it's time to get out.' The term 'trophy wives,' which Trump used in his speech, is widely credited to Julie Connelly, an editor of Fortune Magazine. She used the term in an article in 1989 to describe a 'trophy wife' as a woman who works hard or 'has her own business.' The phrase has held different meanings, uses and interpretations over the years, and today, most people use it as a way to label an attractive woman who's married to a man who's very successful in his career. Kari J. Winter, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo, said the term 'succinctly captures a toxic set of misogynistic ideas.' 'It implies that financially successful men deserve to acquire beautiful, sexy wives in the same way that they can purchase expensive cars, watches and other commodities,' she said. 'It demeans women by reducing their value to patriarchal beauty standards, as if success for a woman means becoming a desirable object for a wealthy man. Gross.' Winter, whose expertise includes gender, feminism, race and class, told HuffPost that she believes Trump's 'word salad about trophy wives offers his personal experience as evidence for his assertion that 'a lot of trophy wives, it doesn't work out.'' 'Maybe the message West Point graduates should take away is this: Reject Trump's misogynistic pursuit of serial trophy wives,' she continued. 'Pursue genuine, egalitarian relationships based on mutual respect and love if you want your personal life to work out well.' 'Listeners need to be wary of imposing a coherent meaning on a nonsensical ramble,' Winter told HuffPost. 'It might be more illuminating to view the speech as a window into Trump's state of mind. Is he telling himself, 'You have to sometimes know when you've lost momentum?'' Aside from Trump's mention of the misogynistic idea of a 'trophy wife,' Winter thinks that Trump's speech and his rant about Levitt are overall 'embarrassing for the United States.' She pointed out that the purpose of commencement speeches is to acknowledge and honor the accomplishments of the graduates, and to offer words of wisdom and encouragement — not asides about trophy wives or losing momentum. She said that Trump's apparent implication that having a 'trophy wife' helped lead to Levitt losing his momentum was one of the 'many incoherent passages in his speech.' And the president's choice, overall, to highlight Levitt, who died in 1994, was 'strange.' It 'calls attention to Trump's advanced age and the way he is stuck in the past,' she said. 'As a teacher, I interact with hundreds of young people every year, and none of them dream of living in all-white, covenant-restricted, car-dependent suburbia any more than they want to live in apartheid South Africa,' Winter said. After all, 'affordable housing is one of the most urgent issues in the United States and around the world,' she continued, before later adding, 'Why is it that Trump keeps returning to the worst design ideas of the 20th century?' Trump Warns Of The Perils Of 'Trophy Wives' During West Point Commencement Speech Trump Takes Credit For U.S. Military Might In West Point Commencement Address Trump Brags About Shielding Putin, And It's Not Going Over Well On Social Media
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trump Used 1 Particularly 'Gross' Term About Women During His Latest ‘Nonsensical Ramble'
President Donald Trump recently inexplicably warned graduating cadets in a commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point about 'trophy wives' — a term that is 'toxic' and misogynistic, one gender studies expert said. While delivering his speech on Saturday, Trump spent some time sharing a story about late real estate developer William Levitt, who is widely considered to be the pioneer of the suburbs. The president described the developer, whose legacy includes his policy to only sell properties to white buyers, as a 'great, great real estate man' who at some point lost his 'momentum.' As Trump began to reference Levitt's eventual career downfall, he mentioned the developer's marital history, noting that Levitt sold his company and then 'had nothing to do' before he got divorced and then 'found a new wife.' 'Could you say a trophy wife? I guess we could say a trophy wife,' Trump said about Levitt's second marriage. 'It didn't work out too well. But it doesn't work out too well, I must tell you. A lot of trophy wives, it doesn't work out. But it made him happy for a little while at least. But he found a new wife.' Levitt was married three times — just like Trump. And the president's scandal-ridden history as a husband does not fit traditional or conventional views of a devoted family man. Trump then went on and talked about Levitt later feeling 'bored' with life, before the developer eventually 'lost a lot of momentum' in his career and 'lost everything.' He ended the tangent about Levitt by speaking directly to the cadets — seemingly as a way to impart wisdom — saying: 'You got to have momentum, but you have to know [when] that momentum is gone. You have to know when to say it's time to get out.' The term 'trophy wives,' which Trump used in his speech, is widely credited to Julie Connelly, an editor of Fortune Magazine. She used the term in an article in 1989 to describe a 'trophy wife' as a woman who works hard or 'has her own business.' The phrase has held different meanings, uses and interpretations over the years, and today, most people use it as a way to label an attractive woman who's married to a man who's very successful in his career. Kari J. Winter, a professor of American studies at the University at Buffalo, said the term 'succinctly captures a toxic set of misogynistic ideas.' 'It implies that financially successful men deserve to acquire beautiful, sexy wives in the same way that they can purchase expensive cars, watches and other commodities,' she said. 'It demeans women by reducing their value to patriarchal beauty standards, as if success for a woman means becoming a desirable object for a wealthy man. Gross.' Winter, whose expertise includes gender, feminism, race and class, told HuffPost that she believes Trump's 'word salad about trophy wives offers his personal experience as evidence for his assertion that 'a lot of trophy wives, it doesn't work out.'' 'Maybe the message West Point graduates should take away is this: Reject Trump's misogynistic pursuit of serial trophy wives,' she continued. 'Pursue genuine, egalitarian relationships based on mutual respect and love if you want your personal life to work out well.' 'Listeners need to be wary of imposing a coherent meaning on a nonsensical ramble,' Winter told HuffPost. 'It might be more illuminating to view the speech as a window into Trump's state of mind. Is he telling himself, 'You have to sometimes know when you've lost momentum?'' Aside from Trump's mention of the misogynistic idea of a 'trophy wife,' Winter thinks that Trump's speech and his rant about Levitt are overall 'embarrassing for the United States.' She pointed out that the purpose of commencement speeches is to acknowledge and honor the accomplishments of the graduates, and to offer words of wisdom and encouragement — not asides about trophy wives or losing momentum. She said that Trump's apparent implication that having a 'trophy wife' helped lead to Levitt losing his momentum was one of the 'many incoherent passages in his speech.' And the president's choice, overall, to highlight Levitt, who died in 1994, was 'strange.' It 'calls attention to Trump's advanced age and the way he is stuck in the past,' she said. 'As a teacher, I interact with hundreds of young people every year, and none of them dream of living in all-white, covenant-restricted, car-dependent suburbia any more than they want to live in apartheid South Africa,' Winter said. After all, 'affordable housing is one of the most urgent issues in the United States and around the world,' she continued, before later adding, 'Why is it that Trump keeps returning to the worst design ideas of the 20th century?' Trump Warns Of The Perils Of 'Trophy Wives' During West Point Commencement Speech Trump Takes Credit For U.S. Military Might In West Point Commencement Address Trump Brags About Shielding Putin, And It's Not Going Over Well On Social Media
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Jasmine Crockett mocks Trump West Point speech quipping 'get him some ADHD medicine'
Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, had harsh criticism of President Donald Trump's West Point commencement speech on MSNBC Sunday. MSNBC host Alex Witt asked Crockett to respond to clips from Trump's speech at the United States Military Academy at West Point over the weekend. In response, Crockett said the speech proved Trump was not qualified to be commander in chief and compared him to someone out of an "insane asylum." Jasmine Crockett Tells Jimmy Kimmel She Will 'Absolutely' Take Head-to-head Iq Test Against Trump "He literally sounds like someone who has broken out of the insane asylum," Crockett said. "Like he'd just be all over the place. Like, get him some ADHD medicine, if nothing else, because I don't know where he's ever gonna go." She argued the graduates, the troops, the country and the world "deserve better" and called on Republicans to intervene and begin questioning Trump's mental capabilities. Read On The Fox News App "It is time for Republicans to start calling him out and start questioning his mental acuity and whether or not he is equipped to serve mentally. We know when it comes down to his criminality, he is not qualified to serve, but this is just deplorable," Crockett said. Click Here For More Coverage Of Media And Culture Trump spoke to the 1,002 graduating cadets of the West Point Class of 2025 in New York on Friday. During his speech, he railed against previous foreign policy initiatives and announced a $1 trillion military buildup. The speech marked the first military commencement address of Trump's second term. Crockett and Trump have frequently traded barbs as the former rose to become a prominent figure in the Democratic Party. On her X account, Crockett has gone as far as to label Trump a "buffoon" and a "mofo," the abbreviated version of the word "mother---er." Earlier this month, Trump called Crockett "low IQ" and mocked the idea of her being the future of the article source: Jasmine Crockett mocks Trump West Point speech quipping 'get him some ADHD medicine'
Politico
27-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Playbook: Trump's weird weekend
Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Bethany Irvine Good Tuesday morning. This is Jack Blanchard, stuffed full of marionberry cobbler after a weekend on the magnificent Oregon coast. SO HOW WAS YOUR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND? Not as weird as Donald Trump's, I'll wager. Sometimes, it's helpful to take a step back and just … note what happened. On Saturday — as is traditional — the president delivered the annual commencement address at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Except most presidents would not don a baseball cap emblazoned with a political slogan and then veer off for the best part of an hour with a campaign-style rally speech attacking 'drag shows' and 'critical race theory,' complaining about their treatment by law enforcement and offering musings on — checks notes — 'trophy wives' to the watching cadets. On Sunday — less traditional, though becoming commonplace — Trump abruptly canned the 50 percent tariffs he'd announced barely 48 hours earlier on one of America's closest allies, the European Union. (The two sides now have six weeks to cut a deal.) A few hours later, Trump was tearing into Russian President Vladimir Putin for killing civilians in Ukraine, insisting that 'something has happened' to send his former friend 'CRAZY' … while ignoring the fact Putin has been doing exactly this for the past three years. Then on Monday — back to tradition — the president delivered a solemn Memorial Day tribute to the fallen at Arlington National Ceremony … except most presidents maybe don't get quite as political as he did. And they certainly don't precede the occasion with a 174-word ALL-CAPS social media post which starts 'HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL, INCLUDING THE SCUM THAT SPENT THE LAST FOUR YEARS TRYING TO DESTROY OUR COUNTRY …' and takes in 'MENTALLY INSANE' migrants, 'WARPED RADICAL' Democrats and 'USA HATING' judges, among others. Finally, Trump wrapped the long weekend … by pardoning former Sheriff Scott Jenkins, of Virginia, who was facing 10 years in prison after being convicted by a jury of accepting more than $75,000 in bribes. (Jenkins blames a Joe Biden-appointed judge for his plight, and it seems the current president agrees.) Despite the jaw-dropping nature of this move, it will barely register in the context of the past six months of American politics. It's easy to get numb to all this stuff: But if we're going to (rightly) hammer much of the media for failing to cover Biden's decline when it was hiding in plain sight, it's probably also incumbent on us to keep on pointing out that weekends like this are, in a different way, also unimaginably far from traditional presidential behavior. Equally, Trump has (very publicly) acted like this for years — and won reelection without softening his edges. And for plenty of his supporters, this bewildering, careening, no-holds-barred approach to the presidency is entirely the point. It's certainly a spectacle. In today's Playbook … — The world holds its breath for Trump's next moves on Ukraine, Iran and Gaza. — Trade talks with Europe start in earnest after Trump's weekend whirlwind. — Dems try to drag themselves back into the game. Could Michigan be the place it all starts? DRIVING THE DAY THE SOUND OF SILENCE: There's nothing on Trump's public schedule today. The House and the Senate are out all week. People are only just trickling back to work in D.C. after the holiday weekend, battling through the lines last night at Dulles and National (pic). Beyond Trump's social media feed — which may erupt with news, or at least vitriol, periodically through the day — all the biggest things to watch for are in the realm of foreign affairs. ON UKRAINE: The world is waiting to see where Trump goes next after his angry attacks on Putin at the weekend. (Moscow yesterday dubbed Trump 'emotional,' per Semafor, which is unlikely to help.) The WSJ's Annie Linskey, Alex Ward and Josh Dawsey report Trump is now 'eyeing' new sanctions on Russia later this week, but has yet to make a final decision. 'Trump is also tiring of the peace negotiations and is considering abandoning them all together if a final push doesn't work,' the Journal's team reports. It could be the biggest thing to watch in the days ahead. But the big unanswered question remains: What does walking away actually mean? Walk away from peace talks — or walk away from Ukraine altogether? If they haven't already, things may come to a head when Trump meets Western allies at the annual NATO summit in The Hague next month. (The NYT's Steven Erlanger has a helpful preview.) NATO boss Mark Rutte rolled the pitch yesterday, predicting the summit will see all NATO members sign up to the president's astonishing stretch target of spending 5 percent of GDP on defense. Trump would surely see that as a massive win. ON IRAN: Various Trump administration officials have hinted for the past couple of weeks that the U.S. is on the verge of a new nuclear deal with Iran — and Trump himself said Sunday that he could have positive news 'over the next two days.' So keep a close eye out for that through the day. Another big unanswered question: How different will Trump's deal be to the Barack Obama-era agreement he scrapped? And how much has been gained by the hiatus? ON GAZA: The picture here is very confused, with Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff attacking Hamas yesterday for a 'disappointing' response to his latest peace proposal, Axios' Barak Ravid reports. (Hamas actually claimed it accepted a peace deal — Israel and the U.S. say it has not.) The U.S. remains still locked in negotiations with both sides, but there's little sign of positive news. 'Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces are proceeding with an operation to displace all 2 million Palestinians in Gaza to a 'humanitarian zone' and flatten most of the enclave,' Ravid writes. And you know this already: But the stories coming out of the strip are harrowing. AND ON THE 51ST STATE: Fans of 'The Crown' can soak up scenes of pomp and ceremony north of the border today, with King Charles III in Ottawa for the formal opening of parliament. It's the first time since 1977 that a British monarch has visited Canada for the 'Speech from the Throne' (yes, of course they have a throne), and it's being seen as a stern reminder to a certain would-be-king down here in D.C. that Canada is a Commonwealth country with a very different history — and constitution — to the United States. Will Trump respond? The palace intrigue: So how did new Canadian PM Mark Carney bag a royal visit at such a sensitive time? Well — the fact his brother works as a courtier in Kensington Palace probably didn't hurt, per POLITICO's Annabelle Dickson and colleagues. TRADING PLACES SUCKS TO BE EU: Trade talks between the U.S. and EU should take on a fresh urgency this week after Trump's flash announcement of — and flash backtrack on — severe new tariffs for the bloc. EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič said he's in 'constant contact' with American officials after calls yesterday with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and USTR Jamieson Greer. But the mood music is not good: Europe is preparing countermeasures even as it hopes both sides will cut a deal to slash levies, POLITICO's Gregory Svirnovskiy reports, with one EU official deriding the latest developments as 'self-sabotaging drivel.' With the new July 9 deadline already looming, the Americans and Europeans retain deep disagreements over trade policy, NYT's Jeanna Smialek reports. Some small businesses in the U.S. are already staring down a difficult tariff-fueled choice: raise prices or swallow the financial hit, NBC's Kayla Steinberg reports. And this won't help: Bloomberg's Melissa Shin details how the GOP's draft reconciliation bill takes aim at nations like France and other U.S. allies who have imposed 'digital services taxes,' which Republicans view as unfair. New British Ambassador Peter Mandelson will look to build bridges with a call at the Atlantic Council at 9 a.m. to 'Make Alliances Great Again,' urging stronger economic security, deeper tech co-development and expanded European militaries as a bulwark against Chinese tech dominance. Speaking of which: China's next five-year plan for its economy may run counter to U.S. hopes for a rebalancing of trade patterns between the two nations, Bloomberg reports. President Xi Jinping's administration is weighing a 'made in China' blueprint that emphasizes homegrown manufacturing of technologies like semiconductor chips. On the other hand, a big new NYT report from across the Asia-Pacific notes China's soft underbelly in the ongoing talks with the U.S. — the threat of losing vast numbers of jobs if tariffs are reinstalled. OUT OF THE WILDERNESS FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: As Democrats search for a way back to power, those in southern states say the party has to get better at connecting with working-class voters on the economy and the border, POLITICO's Liz Crampton reports. — One potential model: Though Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer drew ire from many national Democrats for her recent Oval Office appearance and willingness to work with Trump where their interests overlap, a new polling memo from Impact Research shows her with a healthy 63 percent job approval rating among Michigan voters. Read the memo The talk of Mackinac: Whitmer's pragmatic approach to Trump is sure to be one of the buzziest topics of conversation today as the annual Mackinac Policy Conference gets underway in Michigan. Playbook's Zack Stanton and Adam Wren will be on the Island this week to take in the scene as Dems' path forward in the battleground state takes center stage. Among the storylines they're watching: The brewing marquee Senate primary (Rep. Haley Stevens vs. state Sen. Mallory McMorrow vs. Bernie-endorsed Abdul El-Sayed vs. former state House Speaker Joe Tate), which offers a major test for the direction of the Democratic Party … and the machinations of the gubernatorial race, in which longtime Democratic Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan's switch to run statewide as an independent will likely help him garner more support as the Democratic Party's national image continues to suffer. Shadow dance: Indeed, with the party out of power in Washington and still in a state of post-election disarray, Democrats are struggling to cut through at a national level. But POLITICO Magazine's Bill Scher has a fun thought experiment: What if the party created a U.K.-style 'shadow Cabinet' to lead different messaging and coordinate a response to Trump? Think Mary Barra for Energy, Jon Stewart for VA, Gisele Fetterman for DHS, Ben Stein for SBA, Samantha Power for State and more. Back in the real world … It will be a series of hard-fought primaries — starting next month and running through to 2028 — that will be pivotal to the party's direction. New Jersey's gubernatorial primary is now just two weeks away, and POLITICO's Daniel Han taps into a contradiction from frontrunner Rep. Mikie Sherrill. She's framing her bid as a change candidacy, but she has fundamentally embraced incumbent Gov. Phil Murphy's agenda and 'is running the most traditional machine campaign possible.' Five other candidates have splintered the opposition. Two weeks later … Comes the NYC mayoral primary, where the only question is whether anyone can stop Andrew Cuomo. The left's last best hope is that an endorsement by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez transforms the dynamic — but time for her to back Zohran Mamdani or Brad Lander is running short, N.Y. Mag's David Freedlander reports. As for 2026: One of the most prominent Democrats in the country, Kamala Harris, is expected to decide about a California gubernatorial bid this summer. State Republicans are now hoping she runs, POLITICO's Jeremy White reports, viewing her as saddled with baggage and an opportunity to energize their voters. Another Democratic contender, Antonio Villaraigosa, has shifted away from his history of climate advocacy to take in significant oil-industry money, the L.A. Times' Seema Mehta and Laura Nelson report. … And for your radar: Former The Hill reporter Hanna Trudo has decided against a progressive congressional bid in New Hampshire. And as for 2028: Rahm Emanuel continues to make noises about running for president, saying he wants to move Democrats to the center with economically populist — not 'woke' — messaging, WSJ's John McCormick reports. A bid for Illinois governor is also not off the table. BEST OF THE REST IMMIGRATION FILES: Since the start of the year, more than 10,000 would-be immigrants (almost all Venezuelans) have reversed course and gotten boats from Panama to Colombia, NYT's Annie Correal reports (from on board one such vessel). Their willingness to undertake a potentially life-threatening journey — for the second time — highlights just how far Trump has transformed the border debate in a few short months. THE DEPORTATION DOLLAR: WSJ's Elizabeth Findell and colleagues have an illuminating breakdown of how many different companies profit from just one person's deportation. And AP's Joshua Goodman dives into the complicated South Florida politics of the growing crackdown on Cuban immigrants. SCHOOL TIES: Trump keeps escalating his fight against Harvard. His latest Truth Social salvo — one of several fired at the Ivy League uni over the holiday weekend — saw the president floating the idea of redirecting $3 billion in frozen federal grants to trade schools. It's not yet clear how serious the idea is, or how he'd accomplish it. But we're bound to hear more soon enough. INCOMING: FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino announced the bureau is reopening or ramping up three investigations into topics that have long been hot on the right: the 2021 pipe bombs planted near the DNC and RNC; POLITICO's 2022 mega-scoop disclosing the Supreme Court draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade; and the bag of cocaine discovered at the White House in 2023. More from CBS ANOTHER INSTITUTION UNDER ATTACK: 'GOP declares war on GAO,' by POLITICO's Jennifer Scholtes and colleagues: 'The independent Government Accountability Office has served Congress as the nation's chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century. Now it's under assault. The typically uncontroversial, under-the-radar agency is fighting to retain power against attempts by Republicans in the Trump administration and on Capitol Hill to undercut its legal conclusions and independence — an onslaught that has been fast and furious.' ALL THAT GLITTERS: With the super-rich having amassed a greater share of America's wealth than during the Gilded Age, The New Yorker's Evan Osnos takes a scalpel to concerns about oligarchy and corruption under Trump. The article includes this startling claim, which takes pay-to-play to a whole new level: People can secure individual conversations with Trump by donating $5 million to his super PAC MAGA Inc. BUT BUT BUT: Some of the crypto billionaires who bought a ton of Trump memecoins to bag a seat at last week's controversial dinner at Trump's golf club were not exactly impressed with what they got. Some said they found Trump's speech 'inspiring,' per this glorious color write-up in Wired, but others complained about the brevity of his speech, the lack of direct access to Trump and even the quality of the meal. SPEAKING OF CRYPTO: 'Trump media group plans to raise $3bn to spend on cryptocurrencies,' by FT's Antoine Gara and colleagues: 'Trump Media & Technology Group, which is behind the Truth Social app and controlled by the president's family, aims to raise $2bn in fresh equity and another $1bn via a convertible bond … TMTG's capital raising could be announced ahead of a big meeting of crypto investors and advocates in Las Vegas this week.' TALK OF THE TOWN IN MEMORIAM — 'Charles B. Rangel, Longtime Harlem Congressman, Dies at 94,' by NYT's Sam Roberts: He 'became the first Black chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, only to relinquish that position when he was censured for an ethics violation … A mainstay of Harlem's Democratic old guard, Mr. Rangel was first elected to Congress in 1970 … Mr. Rangel retired in 2016 after winning a 23rd term despite the ethics allegation — making him the ninth-longest continuously serving member of the House in American history. In 2000, he was instrumental in persuading Hillary Clinton to enter electoral politics.' SCENE SETTER — 'Members Only: A New Trump Club, Ned's Club and the Enduring Old Guard,' by NYT's Elisabeth Bumiller: 'In a 2025 Washington firebombed by political and ideological differences, [Executive Branch, Ned's Club, Metropolitan Club and Cosmos Club] are growing, have wait lists or both. While they have varied levels of snobbery and exclusivity, Executive Branch is an outlier because of the price [up to $500,000] of its access to the White House and its enrichment of the Trump family. But all four clubs reflect the sorting of the city's establishment into separate corners at a turbulent time.' TRANSITIONS — Sarah Flaim is now head of congressional affairs at Forterra. She most recently was a managing director at DCI Group, and is a Hill alum. … Jared Henderson is now a director of government affairs at Growth Energy. He previously was senior policy adviser for Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.). WEEKEND WEDDINGS — Andy Flick, a principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs and a Kamala Harris alum, and David Ochsman, a VP at Compass, got married in a small ceremony Friday in Montgomery County, Maryland. They met in D.C. 14 years ago at a cocktail party. Pic — Melissa Byars, an assistant solicitor in South Carolina's 11th Circuit Solicitor's Office, and Johnathan Moon, an attorney with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, got married on the lawn at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island on Saturday. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) officiated. The couple met in law school at the University of South Carolina. Pic … SPOTTED: Reps. Russell Fry (R-S.C.) and William Timmons (R-S.C.), Ellen Weaver, Matt Orr, Kevin Walling and Alex Stroman, Hope Walker Rossi, Megan McKinley and Malcolm McMillan, Van Hipp, Matt Moore, Frances Scott, Angela McCallum and Phillip Habib. HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Alma Adams (D-N.C.) … David Plouffe … NYT's Campbell Robertson and Noam Scheiber … former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) … Andrew Harnik … former Reps. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) and Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) … Benny Johnson … POLITICO's Cy Zaneski … Devan Barber … Kat Dimenstein of General Atomics … Andrew Overton … Rasheedah Thomas Ballou of Emerald Digital Solutions … Drew Cole … Brigid Schulte of New America … PhRMA's Andrew Powaleny … Kelsey Baron … Jenny Sheffield Drucker … Donni Turner of Sen. Michael Bennet's (D-Colo.) office … Thalia Assuras … Cynthia McFadden … Stefanie Weishaupt Prelesnik 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.
