Rep. Alford to introduce congressional stock trading ban mirroring Senate’s ‘PELOSI Act’
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., will introduce legislation that would ban congressional stock trading on Wednesday, serving as the House companion bill to Sen. Josh Hawley’s, R-Mo., “PELOSI Act” in the Senate. Alford’s proposed bill would ban lawmakers and their spouses from holding, purchasing, or selling individual stocks while in office, but it allows investments in diversified mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, or U.S. Treasury bonds. If passed, current lawmakers would have 180 days to comply with the legislation. Likewise, newly elected lawmakers must achieve compliance within 180 days of entering office. “As public servants, we should hold ourselves to a higher standard and avoid the mere appearance of corruption,” Alford said in a statement. “Unfortunately, too many members of Congress are engaging in suspicious stock trades based on non-public information to enrich themselves.” “These gross violations of the public trust make clear: we must finally take action to ban members and their spouses from owning or selling individual stocks,” he added. CBS ANCHORS SALUTE OUTGOING ’60 MINUTES’ PRODUCER, SAY EFFORT TO SETTLE TRUMP LAWSUIT TIED TO CORPORATE MERGER Under the proposed legislation, lawmakers who continue to make wrongful transactions would be required to hand over any profits they made to the U.S. Treasury Department. The House or Senate ethics committees could also impose a fine on such lawmakers amounting to 10% of each wrongful transaction. CBS ANCHORS SALUTE OUTGOING ’60 MINUTES’ PRODUCER, SAY EFFORT TO SETTLE TRUMP LAWSUIT TIED TO CORPORATE MERGER President Donald Trump himself endorsed banning trading for members of Congress in an interview with Time Magazine last month. “I watched Nancy Pelosi get rich through insider information, and I would be okay with it. If they send that to me, I would do it,” he said of a trading ban. “You’ll sign it?” the reporter pressed. “Absolutely,” Trump responded. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Democrats in the House of Representatives have also expressed support for a ban, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries throwing his weight behind the proposal last week.
AOC says DOJ ‘won’t respond’ to her inquiry on potential probe
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said Tuesday that she still has not been able to confirm whether she is under federal investigation for a “Know Your Rights” immigration webinar she held in February. “I’ve asked them, they haven’t responded to me, but you know, I was once again fully using the First Amendment to inform people of their constitutional rights. They say a lot of things, but I’ve written a formal letter, and they won’t respond,” Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News Digital. When asked what the fallout might be from the potential arrest of a lawmaker by the Trump administration, Ocasio-Cortez said that detention “without any actual grounds” would be a “tremendous sea change and escalation in what this administration is willing to do to bend laws, norms, et cetera, and how a normal functioning democracy works.” Ocasio-Cortez also considered how America’s allies would think of an “authoritarian development” like the U.S. arresting one of its own sitting congress members. NYC COUNCIL MODERATES ‘THRILLED’ AT HOMAN VISIT, PLEDGING TO HELP BORDER CZAR FIGHT PROGRESSIVE MONOPOLY “I sure hope that for all the saber-rattling that this administration is doing, that they really think about the global consequences of what it means for the United States,” she said. In February, Ocasio-Cortez dared Trump “border czar” Tom Homan to follow through on a suggestion he would refer her to the Justice Department for prosecution in response to essentially advising illegal immigrants on how to avoid deportation. “I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me, do I look like I care?” she said at a town hall in Queens shortly after the webinar. Homan said after the event, “I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out where is that line … So maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now.” Homan told FOX Business that Ocasio-Cortez needed to read federal statutes and understand that entering the U.S. illegally is a deportable crime. HYSTERICAL TOWN HALL ATTENDEE INTERRUPTS AOC, YELLS ABOUT ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA: ‘YOU’RE A LIAR!’ In her letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi, Ocasio-Cortez asked for clarity on whether the DOJ has “yielded to political pressure” and weaponization attempts to confront elected officials they “disagree with.” “Tom Homan has gone on multiple forums threatening political prosecution against me, citing resources I distributed informing my constituents and the American public of their constitutional and legal rights,” she said. “On February 13, 2025, Mr. Homan announced that he had asked the deputy attorney general to open an investigation, and that I will be ‘in trouble now’… I am sure you aware of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the letter went on. “Educating the public about their rights, especially in a time of rising uncertainty, is a key part of our responsibility as elected officials,” she wrote. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “A government that uses threats of DOJ investigations to suppress free speech is a threat to all, regardless of political ideology.” Ocasio-Cortez’s response Tuesday appeared to indicate the DOJ had passed the March 5 deadline the lawmaker imposed in the missive. Fox News Digital reached out to the Justice Department for comment. Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
Pete Buttigieg says Biden running again was ‘maybe’ a mistake
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Pete Buttigieg, who served as Transportation secretary for four years in then-President Joe Biden‘s Cabinet, says that his former boss’ decision to seek re-election in 2024 “maybe” hurt the Democrats. Additionally, Buttigieg – whose trip to Iowa this week sparked further speculation that he is seriously considering a 2028 White House run – when asked if the Democratic Party would have been better off if Biden had ruled out running for a second term as president, acknowledged that “with the benefit of hindsight, I think most people would agree that that’s the case.” Buttigieg’s comments – as he took questions from reporters after holding a large town hall with veterans and military families in this eastern Iowa city on Tuesday night – came amid excerpts from a new book titled, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” which offer claims of a White House cover-up of the then-president’s alleged cognitive decline. Biden dropped out of the White House race last July, one month after a disastrous debate performance with now-President Donald Trump that sparked a chorus of calls from fellow Democrats for the then-81-year-old president to end his re-election bid. He was replaced at the top of the ticket by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ended up losing November’s presidential election to Trump. NEW BOOK PLACES BLAME ON BIDEN FOR HARRIS 2024 LOSS TO TRUMP When asked whether Biden experienced cognitive decline, Buttigieg told reporters that “every time I needed something from him from the West Wing, I got it.” BIDEN AIDES ‘SCRIPTED’ EVERYTHING, ALLOWED HIS FACULTIES TO ‘ATROPHY,’ NEW BOOK CLAIMS “The time I worked closest with him in his final year was around the Baltimore bridge collapse. And what I can tell you is that the same president the world saw addressing that was the president I was in the Oval with, insisting that we do a good job, do right by Baltimore. And that was characteristic of my experience with him,” he added. Buttigieg won the 2020 Iowa presidential caucuses and came in a close second in the New Hampshire presidential primary before Biden surged to claim the party’s nomination and later the White House. While Iowa’s caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties’ presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule, and it is unclear if Iowa will regain its early state status in the 2028 calendar. WHAT BUTTIGIEG TOLD FOX NEWS – IN IOWA- ABOUT A POSSIBLE 2028 RUN However, Buttigieg’s visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run. Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider “what I bring to the table.” However, when asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa – where he also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era – was the beginning of an assessment period, Buttigieg said “right now, I’m not running for anything and part of what’s exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that’s what I’m about.” When told about audience members who said they supported him in 2020 and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028, Buttigieg said, “of course, it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.” The Cedar Rapids event was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive group that represents veterans and military families in the political process. The group told Fox News that 1,800 people attended the event.
Trump signs agreements with Qatar on defense and Boeing purchases
President Donald Trump signed a series of agreements with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday. The agreements involved a purchasing agreement by Qatar for Boeing aircraft, as well as letters of intent and “joint cooperation” between Qatar and the U.S. The emir also signed an intent agreement to purchase MQ-9 drone aircraft. Al Thani said he had a “great” conversation with Trump prior to the signing ceremony on Wednesday, adding that the agreements have elevated the U.S.-Qatar relationship to “another level.” This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.
Trump considers joining Russia-Ukraine negotiations in Turkey, unclear if Putin will show
President Donald Trump said he may travel to Turkey for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, as he doesn’t believe President Vladimir Putin would show if he isn’t there. “I don’t know if he’s showing up,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I know he would like me to be there. And that’s a possibility.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Ankara for direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war, but it’s not yet clear if the Kremlin leader will show up. Russia had proposed restarting direct peace talks, and Zelenskyy challenged Putin himself to show up. Russia has refused to confirm who’s attending the talks, while Zelenskyy has said he will only meet with Putin. ZELENSKYY AGREES TO MEET WITH PUTIN ON THURSDAY The president noted that he has a “full day” scheduled in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Thursday, and he’d planned on sending Secretary of State and interim national security advisor Marco Rubio. But, he added, “I don’t know that [Putin] would be there if I’m not there. We’re going to find out. Marco’s going and Marco’s been very effective.” “If we could end the war, I’d be thinking about that. Now, tomorrow, we’re all booked out, and you understand that, we’re all set, UAE tomorrow, and so we have a very full situation. Now, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it to save a lot of lives and come back.” At the White House before heading on his Middle East trip, Trump told reporters: “Don’t underestimate Thursday in Turkey.” Special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg are expected to join Rubio, in a glimmer of hope for negotiations that have seemingly stalled out in recent weeks. Zelenskyy stressed it’s time for negotiations between principals. RUBIO TAKES SOMBER TONE ON RUSSIA-UKRAINE PEACE DEAL: ‘CLOSE BUT NOT CLOSE ENOUGH’ “If Putin is truly ready, not just in the media but in real life, to meet, then at the leaders’ level, we will do everything to agree on a ceasefire,” he said. “Because it is with him that I must negotiate a ceasefire. He is the only one who decides.” Putin on Sunday suggested peace talks in Turkey take place “without any preconditions” and did not say if he would attend. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a delegation will be waiting in Istanbul, not Ankara, to speak with the Ukrainians on Thursday.
Trump says ‘there’s something wrong’ with top Democrat he’s known ‘a long time’
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has “lost his confidence” and suggested that “there’s something wrong” with the New York Democrat. Trump made the remarks while traveling to Qatar for the second leg of his Middle East trip when reporters aboard Air Force One asked about Schumer’s threats to block the president’s Justice Department political appointees until the senator gets answers about a jumbo jet gift from Qatar’s royal family. “Schumer is Schumer,” Trump said. “You know, he’s become a Palestinian. Something wrong with him? I don’t know, I’ve known him a long time and there’s something wrong. He’s lost his confidence, totally. And there’s something wrong with him. I don’t know what it is with Schumer.” Schumer called the Qatari gift a “grave national security threat” on the Senate floor on Tuesday. ALLIES TURN ON PRESIDENT TRUMP FOR ACCEPTING LUXURY JET FROM QATAR “News of the Qatari government gifting Donald Trump a $400 million private jet to use as Air Force One is so corrupt that even Putin would give a double take. This is not just naked corruption, it is also a grave national security threat,” the top Democrat said. “So, in light of the deeply troubling news of a possible Qatari-funded Air Force One, and the reports that the Attorney General personally signed off on this clearly unethical deal, I am announcing a hold on all DOJ political nominees, until we get more answers,” he added. TRUMP DEFENDS QATAR JUMBO JET OFFER AS TROUBLED BOEING FAILS TO DELIVER NEW AIR FORCE ONE FLEET Trump has defended the U.S. preparing to accept a jumbo jet gift from Qatar’s royal family to serve as a temporary Air Force One as Boeing failed to roll out a new Air Force One fleet in a timely manner. “We’re very disappointed that it’s taking Boeing so long to build a new Air Force One,” Trump said Monday morning. “You know, we have an Air Force One that’s 40 years old. And if you take a look at that, compared to the new plane of the equivalent, you know, stature at the time, it’s not even the same ballgame.” Fox News Digital’s Greg Norman contributed to this report.
‘DOGE caucus is dead,’ House Democrat declares
Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. — the first Democrat to join the Congressional DOGE caucus — pronounced the group “dead” while speaking to Politico. “The DOGE caucus is dead. It’s defunct. We haven’t met in months. We only had two total meetings in five months. And we weren’t involved at all in anything [happening at DOGE], which Elon was in charge of. Zero. Zilch. Nada. [Musk] did it all on his own,” Moskowitz said, according to the outlet, which noted that the exchange with the lawmaker had been edited for length and clarity. “DOGE was a complete failure. Complete failure. Nothing has been made more efficient,” Moskowitz reportedly asserted. TOP 5 MOST OUTRAGEOUS WAYS THE GOVERNMENT HAS WASTED YOUR TAXES, AS UNCOVERED BY ELON MUSK’S DOGE But caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., suggested the group is “just getting started,” according to Politico. “Congress can enact long-term change, and our 100 committed members and eight specialized working groups are working to codify critical reforms and preparing legislation that will unlock savings for the American people,” he said in a statement, according to the outlet. Fox News Digital reached out to Moskowitz’s and Bean’s offices to request comments from the congressmen but did not receive responses by the time of publication. DOGE EMPLOYEE ‘BIG BALLS’ REVEALS HOW HE GOT HIS NAME, WARNS OF ‘NO CHECKS’ ON GOVERNMENT SPENDING Bean, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, are co-chairs of the House DOGE Caucus. Asked by Politico whether there was an expectation the caucus would have involvement in decisions by DOGE, Moskowitz said, “Yes, that’s what the three congressional chairs of the DOGE caucus [Bean and Reps. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and Blake Moore (R-Utah)] told us. They told us that they were going to work with us. They told us these things would come through Congress. None of it happened.” ELON MUSK DOES NOT REGRET WORK AT DOGE, SUPPORT FOR TRUMP: ‘ESSENTIAL’ FOR AMERICA TO ‘REACH GREATER HEIGHTS’ Business tycoon Elon Musk, who has been the face of the DOGE endeavor to root out waste, fraud, and abuse from the federal government, has opted to scale back how much time he spends on the effort. In a post on X last month he noted that he is “Not stepping down, just reducing time allocation now that @DOGE is established.”
Key Biden agency dropped $60K on overseas conference with DEI workshop: ‘Should never happen’
FIRST ON FOX: A government watchdog has uncovered that former President Joe Biden’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) spent tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars sending top officials to a conference in Scotland that included diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) workshops. The Functional Government Initiative (FGI), via a FOIA request, discovered that the Biden FDA spent an estimated $60,000 on a dozen staffers, including Senior Advisor for Health Equity Dr. Charlene Le Fauve, to attend the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco’s (SRNT’s) conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, in March 2024. While at the conference, members of the team attended a workshop that focused on the “stigma” facing LGBTQ+ people in the field of tobacco research. Topics included in that workshop, according to the FDA’s own report on the trip, included “how anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and discriminatory and stigmatizing environments toward LGBTQ+ populations impact tobacco use and tobacco control research” and “process to develop a community-based participatory research project to address smoking cessation among transgender individuals in Argentina.” WHITE HOUSE HIGHLIGHTS OVER $2B IN SAVINGS FROM DEI CUTS DURING TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FIRST 100 DAYS Another topic discussed was “the challenges of conducting research on tobacco use in the high-stigma environment of pregnancy in a post-Dobbs era.” Le Fauve justified the trip, in part, by claiming “the knowledge gained at the meeting is critical to attendees’ ability to understand emerging scientific issues that may impact their work and their ability to effectively move forward agency initiatives.” “The formal SRNT conference included many sessions where health equity was an identified focus and I attended several which were highly relevant, well done, and informative including the Presidential Symposium that included three presenters supporting the premise that in order to have a global impact on the tobacco smoking pandemic, nicotine and tobacco research must broaden its vision beyond wealthy countries to include research and researchers in low and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the vast majority of the world’s people who smoke live,” Le Fauve added. ‘NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN’: STATE FINANCE LEADER RALLIES AROUND KEY TRUMP VICTORY SAVING ‘TAXPAYER DOLLARS’ Also present on the trip was Center for Tobacco Products Director Brian King, who was recently relieved of his duty by the Trump administration in a move that a former agency official told Fox News Digital was a result of the FDA straying from its core mission under the Biden administration and focusing on issues like DEI. “There were many, many failures in the key core missions for the center that needed dramatic change in new leadership,” David Oliveira, who recently left the FDA after six years, told Fox News Digital last month, explaining that the FDA was ceding responsibility to other departments and not doing enough to crackdown on China flooding the market with illicit vapes. FGI Communications Director Roderick Law told Fox News Digital in a statement that spending tens of thousands of dollars to send a dozen employees to a conference in Scotland is another example of the agency losing focus on its mission. “I, like anyone else in the world, would love to have a $60,000 vacation paid for by my employer,” Law said. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Sadly, this dream became reality for 12 people on the taxpayer’s back. How can a group of government officials spend $60,000 on an LGBTQ+ workshop? How is it possible that this trip helped the agency stop illegal Chinese-made products or process applications for new products that could provide for harm reduction? This kind of waste should never happen again.” Fox News Digital reached out to the FDA for comment.
Targeted by Trump, well-known Democrat sparks 2028 speculation with stop in key state
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA – Pete Buttigieg returned Tuesday to Iowa, the state that boosted him from long shot to crucial contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. Buttigieg’s trip, where he headlined a town hall with veterans, is sure to fuel speculation that he is seriously eyeing a 2028 presidential run. The former South Bend, Indiana, mayor, 2020 White House contender and four-year Transportation secretary under former President Joe Biden, has remained a prominent figure in Democratic circles. “It feels really good to be back in Iowa. Anyone can come to Iowa just before an election is coming up,” Buttigieg said at the town hall, which was his first public political appearance since the end of the Biden administration. Pointing to his 2020 caucus victory, Buttigieg elicited loud cheers, saying, “I wanted to make sure I had a chance to talk with the people I got to know five or six years ago, and people I’m seeing for the very first time.” LESS THAN FOUR WEEKS INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM, DEMOCRATS ALREADY EYEING 2028 PRESIDENTIAL RACE Buttigieg did not bring up 2028 in his comments and was not asked about a potential second White House run as he took questions from the audience at the town hall, which was hosted by VoteVets, a progressive political organization that works to lift veterans and military families. The group told Fox News that roughly 1,800 people packed the event. Buttigieg told a Substack author in a live interview hours before the town hall that when it comes to 2028, he would consider “what I bring to the table.” During his 24 hours in the Hawkeye State, Buttigieg also gathered with staffers from his 2020 campaign and was followed around by a videographer from his political group Win the Era. A WORKING LIST OF WHICH DEMOCRATS MAY RUN FOR THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2028 When asked by Fox News if the trip to Iowa was the beginning of a 2028 assessment period, Buttigieg said, “right now, I’m not running for anything and part of what’s exciting and compelling about an opportunity like this is to be campaigning for values and for ideas rather than a specific electoral campaign. So that’s what I’m about.” A handful of those in the crowd interviewed by Fox News said they supported Buttigieg in the 2020 caucuses and would be interested in backing him again if he runs in 2028. “I’m here because I come from a long line of veterans. I have three family members who are currently working at the VA hospital in Iowa City. So, I’m here to show support,” said Faith Hunt of Cedar Rapids. “I loved Pete in 2020, and I’m excited to see that he’s campaigning and hope to see that he runs again.” Additionally, Chris Bzdill of Cedar Rapids said, “I really liked to hear what he had to say…It’s a very refreshing change. It seems logical and straightforward.” He added, “I’m kind of hoping that this progresses more, and we’ll see where it goes.” Buttigieg, pointing to those comments, said, “Of course it means a lot to hear that people who supported me then continue to believe in what I have to say.” The trip by Buttigieg to Iowa comes less than four months into President Donald Trump‘s second tour of duty in the White House. WHAT BUTTIGIEG SAID ABOUT BIDEN’S COGNITIVE ABILITIES DURING HIS FINAL YEARS IN THE WHITE HOUSE It comes as the Democratic Party’s favorable ratings in national polls have plummeted to all-time lows while an increasingly angry and energized party base is anxious to push back against Trump’s sweeping and controversial moves during his second administration. Democrats are already fixated on next year’s midterm elections, when the party hopes to win back majorities in the House and possibly the Senate from the Republicans. Additionally, Democrats are also already looking ahead to the 2028 presidential campaign and for potential contenders to start making early moves. While Iowa’s caucuses for half a century kicked off both major political parties’ presidential nominating calendars, the Democratic National Committee demoted the Hawkeye State on their 2024 schedule. However, Buttigieg’s visit, along with his announcement in March that he would pass on a 2026 run for a Democrat-controlled open Senate seat in battleground Michigan, his adopted home state, are seen as signals of his interest in a potential 2028 national run. Buttigieg, who, unlike many other top Democrats, often appeared on the Fox News Channel during his four years in the Biden administration, has spent the opening months of the second Trump administration making TV appearances and also joining highly visible podcasts. “We’re trying out several different formats — town halls, Q&As with different people on his social media, going out to podcasts and shows both political and non-political, and more — to try to reach people where they are, both in-person and online,” Buttigieg adviser Chris Meagher told Fox News ahead of the event. Buttigieg, during the town hall, noted that “there are all these sources of information that our friends who think differently than we do about politics are getting information from, that, frankly, are not subject to the editorial standards of a newspaper. And that makes it all the more important to get in there and present a different way of looking things.” Buttigieg is a veteran, having served six years in the Navy Reserves as an intelligence officer. During his time in the service, Buttigieg deployed for six months to the war in Afghanistan. “This was not your typical Democratic rally because of the audience we were able to build and the messenger we had. These were center-right military families and veterans who want to come home to the Democratic Party, VoteVets spokesman Matt Corridoni told Fox News. Pointing to Iowa, a one-time battleground state that has turned red over the past decade, Buttigieg acknowledged during the town hall that “Democrats do not have the best brand around here.” He told reporters that “I think it’s really important
Former NY Gov Cuomo holds double-digit lead in NYC mayoral race Democratic primary
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo appears to be on his way to becoming the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor. Cuomo currently holds a double-digit lead over second-place candidate Zohran Mamdani in a Marist College survey obtained by Politico. In the first round of ranked-choice voting, the former governor has 44% versus Mamdani’s 22%, a lead that appears to hold throughout all six rounds. The survey shows Cuomo’s lead over Mamdani ranging from 20-24% overall. ANDREW CUOMO DENIED ALMOST $3 MILLION IN PUBLICLY MATCHING FUNDS FOR MAYORAL BID, CITES ‘SOFTWARE ERROR’ Marist College found just two other Democrats in the crowded primary who were able to garner double-digit percentages: City Council speaker Adrienne Adams and City Comptroller Brad Lander. In the survey, Adams was knocked out of the race in round four and Lander in the fifth. The rest of the candidates were in the single digits with just two of them making it out of the first round, and by round three, all five were out. Despite his popularity in the Marist College poll, Cuomo’s campaign has faced several setbacks. The former governor has missed out on matching funds twice. In April, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB) indicated that at least 20% of Cuomo’s required disclosures contained documentation errors related to contributions. The NYCCFB also said that the Cuomo campaign failed to meet its required two-part threshold of total contributions, which must be at least 1,000 different individuals, and contributors, which must amount to at least $250,000, needed to obtain the publicly matched funds. The Cuomo campaign blamed a “technical software error” for the denial. CUOMO LANDS KEY ENDORSEMENT AS COMEBACK BID FOR NYC MAYOR HEATS UP On Monday, the Cuomo campaign was docked over $622,000 in matching funds for allegedly coordinating with a super PAC, according to New York 1, marking another financial setback for the former governor’s campaign. Cuomo’s opponents have also criticized him over his past controversies, including his 2021 resignation and handling of COVID-19. Current New York City Mayor Eric Adams has demanded that Cuomo “answer” questions about allegations surrounding COVID-related nursing home deaths. Mayor Adams said that the allegations should not “be an automatic disqualification,” but that those who lost loved ones want to know “exactly what happened.” Mayor Adams is running for re-election; however, he is doing so as an independent, not a Democrat. The Big Apple mayor won in the eighth round of voting in the 2021 election cycle. “I’m in the race to the end. I’m not running on the Democratic line. It’s just not realistic to turn around my numbers and to run a good campaign (from) where we are right now,” Adams told Politico in April.