Andrew Cuomo jump-starts car and political comeback in new NYC mayoral campaign advertisement
Critics are ripping apart the latest campaign ad for New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo, which shows the former Empire State governor helping a fellow New Yorker by giving his vehicle a jump-start on the side of a city street. “New Yorkers, start your engines…Together, we can fix this city!” Cuomo said in a post on Instagram that included the campaign video. “We can be there for each other. We help. We do. And we will — together.” The accompanying video begins with Cuomo looking down into the open engine compartment, while appearing to signal to the driver to give the engine a crank. A clicking sound is then heard before Cuomo jumps into action, and the camera pans down to show the black jumper cable attached to the negative battery terminal, and the red cable in the mayoral candidate’s hand. FORMER OBAMA STAFFER RIPS CUOMO CAMPAIGN VIDEO: ‘NO MESSAGE, NO CHARISMA’ Cuomo then connects the red cable to the vacant battery terminal before jump-cutting to where he is getting into the driver’s seat of another vehicle, perceived to be his. After starting the vehicle, Cuomo looks into the rearview mirror of his vehicle, and the shot switches to the driver in the other vehicle, turning the key. The car starts right up, and the driver gets out with a smile on his face. He then slaps five with Cuomo, though you do not see the candidate’s face. ‘IN IT TO WIN IT’: CUOMO REFUSES TO BACK DOWN IN HEATED NYC MAYORAL RACE AGAINST ZOHRAN MAMDANI The two are then seen talking afterward as Cuomo hands the other driver the jumper cables. While the video may give off a positive vibe to some, critics took every opportunity to slam Cuomo’s newest ad. One viewer wrote, “He hooked up the cables in the wrong order,” while another wrote, “Hi Cuomo media team! Hope you leave this off your resumes.” Cuomo’s marketing team was also accused in the comments of being out of touch with voters. CUOMO, ADAMS TRADE SHOTS OVER WHO SHOULD DROP OUT IN RACE AGAINST MAMDANI FOR NYC MAYOR When reached for comment on Wednesday, Cuomo’s team told Fox News Digital the reactions are “the height of stupidity.” “The governor is a trained mechanic who put himself through college driving a tow truck for AAA,” the spokesperson said. “The permanently online trolls wasting their time criticizing him helping a fellow New Yorker would likely have to call AAA if they were in the same situation. They should touch some grass.” But not all the comments were negative toward Cuomo. In fact, one viewer praised the video and Cuomo’s campaign ad. “Alright, let’s hear those engines roar! Start your engines!” the viewer wrote. “The type of leadership that has hands on experience and stops to help complete strangers in time of need. Don’t mind getting hands dirty and always lending a helping hand. Kind and considerate which we need more of. Andrew Cuomo is that guy!” SCANDAL-PLAGUED FORMER GOV ANDREW CUOMO AIMS TO PULL OFF POLITICAL COMEBACK IN THE NATION’S BIGGEST CITY The former three-term governor, who is gunning for a political comeback after resigning in 2021 amid multiple scandals, was convincingly defeated last month by Mamdani in the Democrat mayoral primary. Mamdani’s primary victory over Cuomo and nine other candidates rocked the Democrat Party, and boosted the Ugandan-born 33-year-old state assemblyman from Queens toward becoming the first Muslim and first millennial mayor of the nation’s most populous city. Cuomo, in a video on Monday announcing his decision to stay in the race, said, “Only 13% of New Yorkers voted in the June primary. The general election is in November, and I am in it to win it.” And Cuomo charged, “My opponent, Mr. Mamdani offers slick slogans but no real solutions.” While he acknowledged Mamdani’s victory in the primary, Cuomo left the door open to a November run as an independent candidate, which election rules in New York state permit. Fox News Digital’s Paul Steinhauser and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report.
Newsom says it’s time for President Trump to ‘grow up’ in rebuke over National Guard deployment
After President Donald Trump federalized California National Guard troops in response to anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, progressive Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom told reporters, “It’s about time Donald Trump grow up. I want to get them back under my control.” Speaking outside a Los Angeles church Wednesday, Newsom, who is believed to have presidential aspirations, urged Trump to release the remaining National Guard troops in LA. He called the deployment a waste of hundreds of millions of dollars. The governor, who tried to sue the Trump administration over its use of the National Guard to respond to the rioting, called the president a “chaos agent” who has “torn asunder” California communities. PENTAGON SCALING DOWN NATIONAL GUARD DEPLOYMENT TO LA This comes after Newsom called Trump a “son of a b—-,” something he did not back away from when asked about it during the news conference. “I don’t think they understand any other kind of language,” and “I have no apologies for standing tall and firm and pushing back against their cruelty,” Newsom said. “It’s a disgrace,” Newsom said. “The president of the United States decided to advance his rote cruelty by utilizing the brave men and women of the National Guard as pawns in an effort to theatrically show his strength.” Newsom claimed the deployment was a massive waste of time and money. He accused Trump of having “burned” hundreds of millions of dollars “just to try to sear in your mind that he’s some tough guy because he didn’t get enough hugs from his parents growing up.” “This is about families. It’s about community. It’s about the sense of place. It’s about our economy. And it’s about time Donald Trump grow up. It’s about time Donald Trump understand what the hell he is doing,” he added. “And, so, I’m here in front of a church, on church grounds, mindful that our democracy is not on firm ground. And mindful of our responsibility to be assertive at this moment.” The governor also criticized Trump for sending troops to a U.S. city rather than overseas. “He deployed roughly 5,000 military, not overseas. In fact, his entire first term the president of the United States did not even send military boots on the ground overseas his entire first term. [In] the first six months of his administration, he decides to send them to the United States of America.” NEWSOM, VANCE EXCHANGE JABS OVER IMMIGRATION AFTER VP’S CALIFORNIA VACATION: ‘HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR FAMILY TIME’ He said the deployment “is a preview of things to come.” “If you think this is about California, you are fooling yourself. These are operations you’re going to see all across the United States of America,” Newsom added. “This cruelty, isn’t about terrorizing communities. It’s about appearing tough.” The governor also said he wanted to regain control over “my National Guard or your National Guard.” “I want to get them back under my control so we can get them back doing the kind of work to control wildfires, to keep our community safe, to address the issue of counter-narcotics, to address the issue of fentanyl,” he said. SANTA MONICA BUSINESS OWNER OFFERING ONE-WAY FLIGHTS TO GET HOMELESS OUT OF CALIFORNIA In response, Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement that Newsom “is on the wrong side of history, and he will have to answer for his atrocious policies.” “This is what’s actually harming our communities: Gavin Newscum’s pro-criminal illegal alien policies,” said Jackson, adding the governor “recently protested a successful immigration raid at a California marijuana farm that rescued children who were victims of labor exploitation and detained rapists, pedophiles and other criminals. “The American people elected President Trump to deport these sick criminals, and a vast majority of American voters — including Democrats — support these policies.”
Minnesota Senator Tina Smith hospitalized after not feeling well at Capitol
Democratic Sen. Tina Smith of Minnesota was hospitalized Wednesday after she began feeling unwell while working at the Capitol, according to a statement from her staff. “While at work at the Capitol today, Sen. Smith started to not feel well,” read a post on X. “She went to the Capitol physician who recommended she undergo more thorough examination at GW hospital.” SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER TAKEN TO HOSPITAL AS DC STRUGGLES WITH HEATWAVE Doctors have opted to keep her overnight “out of an abundance of caution,” her office said. “She expects to be back at work very soon,” the statement reads. Smith, 67, has served in the Senate since 2018. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Senator Smith’s office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Fox News Politics Newsletter: Schiff Flagged for Potential Mortgage Fraud by Trump Official
Welcome to the Fox News Politics newsletter, with the latest updates on the Trump administration, Capitol Hill and more Fox News politics content. Here’s what’s happening… – Jill Biden ‘work husband’ pleads Fifth Amendment, dodges House GOP cover-up probe questions – Israel strikes Syria’s military headquarters as the regime clashes with Druze civilians – Senate marches toward passing Trump’s $9B clawback bill after dramatic late-night votes Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., has been referred to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution regarding mortgage documents. The director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in May citing alleged misconduct by Schiff, who owns homes in California and Maryland. “Based on media reports, Mr. Adam B. Schiff has, in multiple instances, falsified bank documents and property records to acquire more favorable loan terms, impacting payments from 2003-2019 for a Potomac, Maryland-based property,” FHFA Director William Pulte wrote in the letter, which Fox News obtained on Wednesday. “As regulator of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Banks, we take very seriously allegations of mortgage fraud or other criminal activity. Such misconduct jeopardizes the safety and soundness of FHFA’s regulated entities and the security and stability of the U.S. mortgage market…” READ MORE. DIPLOMATIC DEMOLITION: ‘It’s sort of scary’: Officials flag surprising revelations from deep State Department cuts PINK SLIP POLITICS: Trump’s controversial plan to fire federal workers finds favor with Supreme Court NO MORE SECRETS: Bondi should release ‘credible’ Epstein files, Trump says LEGAL SHELL GAME: Judge weighs Abrego Garcia detention status as Trump admin confirms plans to immediately deport him HHS SHAKEUP: RFK Jr. fires two top aides at HHS LOYALTY FIRST: Loyal Jill Biden aide arrives for sworn deposition in Comer’s cover-up probe HIDING THE DECLINE: Jill Biden’s ‘work husband’ pleads Fifth Amendment, dodges House GOP cover-up probe questions OVERRULED: Conservative legal group presses agency to act on Trump’s voter citizenship mandate despite court injunctions FAITH TAKES PRIORITY: EXCLUSIVE: Trump admin strengthens religious accommodations in federal workforce TRIPLE THREAT RISING: Japan says China, North Korea and Russia represent biggest threat since WWII, US is ‘cornerstone of peace’ in the region BLAME GAME BEGINS: Israel slams UN for ignoring aid already in Gaza while demanding more AYATOLLAH ULTIMATUM: Iran’s leader threatens ‘even bigger blow’ against US, Trump says he’s in ‘no rush’ to talk TRADE ON THE ROCKS: From bourbon to bordeaux: Trump’s tariffs spill into global booze markets BATTLE HEATS UP: Israel strikes Syria’s military headquarters as the regime clashes with Druze civilians PROMISES DELIVERED: RNC chair says ‘big, beautiful bill’ key part of GOP’s strategy to win seats in midterm elections SPENDING CUT SPRINT: Senate marches toward passing Trump’s $9B clawback bill after dramatic late-night votes BIDEN BORDER FAILURE: FIRST ON FOX: Mother of daughter murdered by alleged MS-13 gang member speaks out in favor of new house bill BENEFIT BATTLE: Workers striking by choice could lose unemployment benefits in blue states under GOP proposal FOREIGN TOURISTS PAY UP: Congress considers permanent national park fee increase for foreign visitors ‘SERIOUS LOWLIFE’: WATCH: Adam Schiff silent after Trump accused him of mortgage fraud MESSAGE LOST: Speaker Johnson reveals Musk left MAGA ally’s lengthy text hanging in ‘the ether’ after Trump blowup TENSIONS BOIL OVER: Dem Disorder: DNC squabbles play out in NYC mayoral race for all to see THE HOT SEAT: Former DC council member wins back seat months after being expelled over bribery charge SWEET DECEPTION: Texas AG Paxton office launching investigation into M&Ms and Skittles manufacturer Mars for “deceptive” practices promising to remove artificial dyes CRYING FOUL: Ghislaine Maxwell’s family insists she received unfair trial in high-profile Epstein case TRUMP’S ‘BACKUP’: Aiming to give Trump ‘backup,’ second Republican enters swing state race for Democrat-held Senate seat PAST EXPOSED: Unearthed social media posts expose radical anti-Israel views of Mamdani’s dad: ‘Colonial occupation’ Get the latest updates on the Trump administration and Congress, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
New Yorkers skeptical after Zohran Mamdani distances himself from phrase ‘globalize the intifada’
New Yorkers are expressing skepticism after Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani appeared to try to distance himself from the phrase “globalize the intifada,” after spending months refusing to condemn the phrase many interpret as a call for violence against Jewish people. The New York Times reported that Mamdani, who is Muslim and a self-professed socialist who has been highly critical of the state of Israel, told city business leaders that he would not use the phrase and that he would “discourage” others from doing so. The Times reported that Mamdani told some 150 business executives present at the meeting, which took place in the Rockefeller Center, that while many use the phrase to express solidarity with Palestinians, others see it as a call to antisemitic violence. This comes after Mamdani refused to condemn intifada language throughout his campaign for the Democratic mayoral nomination. During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in June, Mamdani said, “My concern is, to start to walk down the line of language and making clear what language I believe is permissible or impermissible, takes me into a place similar to that of the president, who is looking to do those very kinds of things, putting people in jail for writing an op-ed, putting them in jail for protesting.” AOC WELCOMES SOCIALIST MAMDANI TO NATION’S CAPITAL AS DEM LEADERS WITHHOLD ENDORSEMENTS He said that “ultimately, it is not language that I use. It is language, I understand there are concerns about, and what I will do is showcase my vision for the city through my words and my actions.” Now, weeks after winning the Democratic nomination and facing general election voters, he appears to finally be backing away from the intifada language. Joe Borelli, a former Republican New York City Council member, responded to the shift, telling Fox News Digital it is “hard to imagine any change of heart being genuine when it occurs right after you’ve won a primary and have to pivot for the general, which happens to include a heck of a lot of Jews.” Rory Lancman, a Democrat and former New York City councilmember and state assemblyman, told Fox News Digital that “a putative mayor of New York City needs to be able to repudiate calls for ‘intifada’ without ambiguity or qualification as morally repugnant and unacceptable.” ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’: JEWISH LEADERS WARN OF NYC ‘MASS EXODUS’ IF ZOHRAN MAMDANI WINS IN NOVEMBER “There is no ‘threading the needle’ or middle ground on this issue, or, for that matter, on the issue of whether Israel should be extinguished as a Jewish state,” Lancman went on. “These are basic, straightforward ‘good vs. evil’ questions that Mr. Mamdani struggles with because, frankly, he’s on the wrong side of that equation,” said Lancman. Meanwhile, Christopher Hahn, a Democratic strategist and former aide to Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told Fox News Digital that “while Mandani has made statements that show he is not an anti-Semite some of his past statements can be construed that way.” Hahn said that if Mamdani “hopes to be mayor he needs to make it very clear, early and often, he is not anti-Semitic.” “If he doesn’t his opponents will try to paint him as one,” said Hahn. TRUMP SAYS CUOMO’S GOT A ‘GOOD SHOT’ OF BEATING MAMDANI IN NYC MAYOR ELECTION Top Democratic leaders have also been demanding that Mamdani condemn calls to globalize the intifada. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said during an interview with WNYC radio host Brian Lehrer in late June that the phrase is received by the public as a call to “slaughter the Jews,” and that Mamdani needed to understand how the word is received by the Jewish community. “It doesn’t matter what meaning you have in your brain. It is not how the word is received. When you use a word like intifada — to many Jewish Americans and Jewish New Yorkers, that means you are permissive of violence against Jews,” said Gillibrand. ACTOR SAYS MAMDANI NOT DOING ENOUGH TO ADDRESS ANTISEMITISM, FEELS ‘UNCOMFORTABLE’ ADMITTING HE’S JEWISH House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has also said the mayoral candidate would have to clarify this position on the phrase. “Globalizing the intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrase,” Jeffries said. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.” He added, “With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.” Mamdani is running to unseat current New York City Mayor Eric Adams who is running for re-election as an independent. He is also facing off against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, whom he defeated in the Democratic Primary and who is also running as an independent. Activist Curtis Sliwa is also running for mayor as a Republican.
Texas investigates more than 100 potential noncitizens who allegedly cast illegal ballots
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton recently announced the launch of an investigation into more than 100 potential noncitizens who allegedly cast at least 200 ballots in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles. The majority of the suspected illegal ballots cast by potential noncitizens were in Harris County, but Paxton’s office is also investigating possible instances in Guadalupe, Cameron and Eastland counties using information from the Texas Secretary of State, according to a news release. The discovery was made possible by an executive order signed by President Donald Trump directing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s SAVE Database to the states. TEXAS GOVERNOR MAKES IT ‘CRYSTAL CLEAR’ ONLY U.S. CITIZENS CAN VOTE IN STATE ELECTIONS Paxton, a Republican running against fellow Republican John Cornyn in the Senate primaries, said Texans who vote illegally will be held accountable. “Illegal aliens and foreign nationals must not be allowed to influence Texas elections by casting illegal ballots with impunity. I will not allow it to continue,” Paxton said in the release. RED STATE AG INVESTIGATING MORE THAN 30 POTENTIAL NONCITIZENS WHO VOTED IN 2024 ELECTION “Thanks to President Trump’s decisive action to help states safeguard the ballot box, this investigation will help Texas hold noncitizens accountable for unlawfully voting in American elections,” he continued. “If you’re a noncitizen who illegally cast a ballot, you will face the full force of the law.” In June, Paxton opened an investigation into an additional 33 potential noncitizens who allegedly voted illegally in the 2024 general election. ELECTION INVESTIGATION UNCOVERS ALLEGED ILLEGAL VOTING BY NONCITIZENS AND DOUBLE VOTERS IN MULTIPLE STATES Rep. Troy E. Nehls, R-Texas, reacted to the latest investigation in an X post Wednesday. “Great work! We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our elections,” Nehls wrote. The crackdown comes after Gov. Greg Abbott in 2024 announced 1.1 million people were removed from Texas’ voter rolls. Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
DHS fires back at Durbin for claiming federal agents are just ‘arresting gardeners’ instead of criminals
The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday defended its agents after Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said they were being diverted from targeting dangerous criminals to rounding up illegal immigrants, like gardeners, “many of whom pose no threat whatsoever.” Durbin, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was speaking at a Tuesday hearing titled “Beyond the Smash and Grab: Criminal Networks and Organized Theft” when he noted the various roles federal law enforcement plays in combating organized crime and organized retail theft, specifically Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). ASSAULTS ON ICE OFFICERS SURGE 830% AS DEMOCRATS CAUGHT ‘DOXING AND PHYSICALLY ASSAULTING’ AGENTS: DHS “But we acknowledge this administration has announced different priorities,” he said. “Under this administration, HSI has been diverted to rounding up immigrants, many of whom pose no threat whatsoever to this country.” In a post on X, DHS noted that Durbin’s own state, Illinois, provides sanctuary to criminal illegal immigrants. “The brave men and women of HSI that Durbin attacks are getting the worst of the worst off our streets,” the post states. “The Senator should be thanking them, not attacking them.” The DHS post said remarks like those made by the senator have contributed to more than an 830% increase in attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel, “who put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.” DEMOCRAT ACCUSES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION OF DIVERTING ‘CRITICAL RESOURCES’ FROM FIGHTING ORGANIZED RETAIL THEFT In a statement to Fox News Digital, a White House spokesperson said that immigration security is national security. “Look no further than the terrorist, who was in the United States illegally, that firebombed elderly Jewish women, or the countless violent criminal illegal aliens that ICE is removing from American communities,” the statement said. “Enforcing our immigration laws and removing illegal aliens is one big way President Trump is Making America Safe Again.” “But the President can walk and chew gum at the same time – we’re holding all criminals accountable, whether they’re illegal aliens or American citizens. That’s why nationwide murder rates have plummeted, fugitives from the FBI’s most wanted list have been captured, and police officers are empowered to do their jobs, unlike under the Biden Administration’s soft-on-crime regime.” Durbin cited a report that he said states HSI agents have been moved off new cases to make time for immigration enforcement arrests. “One veteran agent said ‘no drug cases, no human trafficking, no child exploitation.’ It’s infuriating. Instead, he said, HSI is ‘arresting gardeners.’ These are not the actions of an administration serious about combating crime,” Durbin concluded. “Diverting federal resources endangers Americans and leaves us less equipped to target and disrupt criminals like those in organized retail theft.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Durbin’s office and the White House.
Eric Adams hit with accusation of operating ‘criminal conspiracy’ at NYPD
Mayor Eric Adams is being sued by a former high-ranking New York Police Department official for allegedly operating a “criminal conspiracy” at the department to enrich top officials. A spokesperson for Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, called the allegations “baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee.” Politico reported that former interim NYPD commissioner Tom Donlon filed a suit in the New York state Supreme Court in Manhattan against Adams, the department and several other current and former city officials on Wednesday. In his suit, Donlon alleged that “a coordinated criminal conspiracy had taken root at the highest levels of City government — carried out through wire fraud, mail fraud, honest services fraud, obstruction of justice and retaliation against whistleblowers.” According to the outlet, Donlon’s allegations against New York City officials amount to racketeering. ‘NO DIGNITY’ IN SOCIALISM: NYC MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES RE-ELECTION BID AFTER MAMDANI WINS DEM PRIMARY Donlon stated that “this enterprise — the NYPD — was criminal at its core.” Politico also reported that Donlon said in an accompanying statement that “this lawsuit is not a personal grievance; it is a statement against a corrupt system that betrays the public, silences truth, and punishes integrity.” “The goal is to drive real change, hold the corrupt, deceitful, and abusively powerful accountable, and restore the voice of every honorable officer who has been silenced or denied justice,” wrote Donlon. THE PLOT TO STOP MAMDANI: DEMOCRATS SCRAMBLE TO BLOCK FAR-LEFT TAKEOVER IN NEW YORK In response, Kayla Mamelak Altus, a spokesperson for Adams, told Fox News Digital that “these are baseless accusations from a disgruntled former employee who — when given the opportunity to lead the greatest police department in the world — proved himself to be ineffective.” “This suit is nothing more than an attempt to seek compensation at the taxpayer’s expense after Mr. Donlon was rightfully removed from the role of interim police commissioner,” Mamelak Altus claimed. The spokesperson said Adams’ office “will respond in court, where we are confident these absurd claims will be disproven.” ADAMS REBUKES MAMDANI FOR ‘ROMANTICIZING’ SOCIALISM IN NYC MAYORAL CAMPAIGN “The NYPD is led by the best, brightest, and most honorable professionals in the nation — and their results speak for themselves: crime continues to fall across the city, with shootings at the lowest level in recorded history,” said Mamelak Altus. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Adams is currently facing an uphill fight for re-election against Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani, a self-professed democratic socialist, as well as former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running as an independent, and Republican candidate and activist Curtis Sliwa.
RFK Jr. fires 2 top aides at HHS in staff shakeup
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has fired two of his top aides. The biographies of Heather Flick Melanson, his chief of staff, and Hannah Anderson, deputy chief of staff of policy, are no longer pictured on the department’s leadership page. “Secretary Kennedy has made a leadership change within the Immediate Office of the Secretary,” an HHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Effective immediately, Matt Buckham will serve as Acting Chief of Staff.” “Mr. Buckham currently serves as the Kennedy’s White House liaison at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he oversees the recruitment and onboarding of political appointees across the agency. He brings valuable experience in personnel strategy and organizational management to this new role,” the spokesperson added. BIDEN-APPOINTED JUDGE HALTS TRUMP HHS OVERHAUL AFTER DEMOCRAT-LED LAWSUIT “Secretary Kennedy thanks the outgoing leadership for their service and looks forward to working closely with Mr. Buckham as the Department continues advancing its mission to Make America Healthy Again,” the spokesperson also said. Melanson is a lawyer who previously served in multiple top roles at HHS during the first Trump administration. MEDICAL GROUPS URGE KENNEDY, FDA TO REEXAMINE BROAD APPROVAL OF ABORTION DRUGS She previously was HHS’ acting general counsel before becoming its acting secretary for administration and then eventually a senior adviser to then-HHS Secretary Alex Azar. Prior to joining HHS for the first time, Flick was an attorney at Dhillon Law Group, a firm founded by Harmeet Dhillon, who Trump has tapped this time around to be his assistant attorney general. “Heather Flick is outstanding and will most definitely help soon to be Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn said in a post on X after news of Flick’s new role. Fox News Digital’s Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.
Dem Disorder: DNC squabbles play out in NYC mayoral race for all to see
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani’s stunning Democratic Party primary victory in the nation’s most populous city appears to be the gift that keeps on giving for Republicans aiming to paint Democrats as extreme radicals. Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley told Fox News Digital this week that Mamdani “is the face of the new Democratic Party” and argued that “everybody who wants to lead that party wants to lead it to the left.” But for Democrats, the capturing of the party’s nomination by the 33-year-old Ugandan-born state assemblyman from Queens is more complicated. The victory by Mamdani, who convincingly topped former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and nine other candidates last month to take a big step toward becoming the city’s first Muslim and first millennial mayor, has put long-standing divisions within the Democratic Party back in the national spotlight. TOP REPUBLICAN CLAIMS MAMDANI ‘FACE OF THE NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY’ It has reignited ongoing debates within the party between its more moderate and progressive wings, and between outsiders and the establishment, and highlighted the Democrats’ generational divide. And it’s inflamed the debate over whether the party’s policy or messaging was to blame for last November’s election setbacks, when Democrats lost control of the White House and Senate and failed to win back the House majority, and whether the party needs to veer to the left or the center to escape the political wilderness. POTUS PUNDITRY: TRUMP WEIGHS IN ON MAMDANI-CUOMO NYC MAYORAL FACEOFF Many of those fault lines were rocked earlier this year, as then-Democratic National Committee (DNC) vice chair David Hogg sparked a firestorm within over his efforts to back primary challenges against what he called “asleep at the wheel” older, longtime incumbents in safe, blue House districts. The 25-year-old Hogg, the gun-control crusader who, as a teenager, survived a horrific school shooting in Florida, later stepped down from his vice chair position and left the DNC due to the controversy. “Democrats continue to have a fissure in their own party, which has been made worse by Mamdani’s candidacy,” Wayne Lesperance, a veteran political scientist and the president of New England College, told Fox News Digital. Democratic strategist Lauren Hitt, who worked for Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, served on the Biden-Harris 2024 presidential campaign, and this year helped a super PAC boost Mamdani, told Fox News that his primary victory was a “clear rejection of the old guard.” It’s a similar take from Stephanie Taylor, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. “Zohran Mamdani’s likely victory shows that a new direction for the Democratic Party is possible – a future of dynamic candidates who appeal to young voters and working-class voters with a platform that fights for people, not corporations,” Taylor highlighted. REPUBLICANS RELENTLESSLY USE MAMDANI AS ‘SOCIALIST’ CUDGEL TO BASH VULNERABLE DEMOCRATS Even Matt Bennett, executive vice president for the moderate Democratic-aligned group the Third Way, acknowledged that Mamdani “focused on affordability,” which he said is “great.” Bennett added that Mamdani is “young, charismatic, a great communicator. All that is great. We want to see that.” But Bennett told Fox News “the problem is he has the wrong prescription.” Mamdani’s victory over the 67-year-old Cuomo was also a victory for millennial Democrats against the old guard. “I think there is a definite transition happening in the Democratic Party, perhaps not as quickly as folks would like to see, between the next generation of leaders stepping up,” Democratic strategist Lucas Meyer told Fox News. Meyer, the former longtime president of the New Hampshire Young Democrats, and founder of the advocacy group 603 Forward, spotlighted that “people are looking for that next generation and I think that’s where the energy resides in the party.” And pointing to the next White House race, where the very early moves are underway, he added: “I hope this definitely motivates younger candidates to start looking at the presidential race.” But Mamdani’s victory was not repeated in Tuesday’s Democratic primary in a special congressional election in Arizona, where the 54-year-old daughter of late Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva took a big step toward succeeding her father in Congress. Former Pima County Supervisor Adelita Grijalva convincingly topped four other candidates in the heavily blue district. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old social media influencer and progressive activist who was hoping to follow in Mamdani’s footsteps by pulling off a stunning, come-from-behind victory, surged in the final weeks of the campaign but came up short. She finished second, ahead of a well-known local lawmaker and two other candidates. Foxx, who grabbed national attention in part for her social media posts, was backed by Hogg, who campaigned with the candidate this past weekend in southern Arizona. Michael Ceraso, a longtime Democratic strategist and veteran of statewide and presidential campaigns, said Mamdani and Foxx are “two very clear examples of the party moving in a direction that the establishment may feel uncomfortable with because they don’t necessarily know how to navigate that.” And he argued that “the electorate is moving in a very particular direction.” Mamdani, meanwhile, is giving Republicans plenty of fodder. He’s proposed eliminating fares to ride New York City’s vast bus system, making CUNY (City University of New York) “tuition-free,” freezing rents on municipal housing, offering “free childcare” for children up to age 5 and setting up government-run grocery stores. Also fueling the Republican attacks are recent news items that have gone viral. They include a 2020 photo Mamdani posted online that shows him flipping off a statue of Christopher Columbus, stories about comments Mamdani made last December when he said as mayor he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his recent comments in a cable news interview that “I have many critiques of capitalism.” Republicans have been relentless in trying to anchor Mamdani to Democrats across the country who are running in competitive races in elections this year and in next year’s midterms. “He certainly is going to fit right into that upper echelon of Democrats who are vying for a lead in that party,” Whatley said of