Mayor Adams Seeks Support in Albany, D.C. Amid Indictment
By Emily Ngo New York City Mayor Eric Adams is heading today to Albany, New York, while several of his top deputies are due in Washington, all seeking to advance Adams’ state and federal priorities amid the political backlash of his criminal indictment. The outreach in the state and nation’s capitals, confirmed to POLITICO by a spokesperson for Adams, comes as the Democratic mayor warms to the GOP president-elect. And it comes a day after the city’s Campaign Finance Board voted to deny Adams $4.5 million in public funds, his closest aide disclosed she expects to be indicted on alleged corruption charges and Donald Trump said
House Democrats Back New Leaders in Major Shake-Up
By Nicholas Wu House Democrats have solidified the generational shake-up at the top of their committees, after significant behind-the-scenes influence from both current and former leaders of the caucus. The caucus faced tough races for the Agriculture, Oversight and Natural Resources Committees. Rep. Angie Craig (Minn.) won the nod for the top party spot on Agriculture, beating incumbent Rep. David Scott (Ga.), who’d faced long-standing questions about his health, and Rep. Jim Costa (Calif.). Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) won the Oversight recommendation over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.). And Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.) earned the nod for the Natural Resources Committee
Top Eric Adams Aide Ingrid Lewis-Martin Abruptly Resigns
By Jeff Colton Ingrid Lewis-Martin, who engineered Eric Adams’ rise from police captain to mayor of the nation’s largest city, is abruptly resigning from City Hall. Her departure, which takes effect immediately, comes at a precarious time for the mayor: He is heading to trial for a five-count federal indictment to which he pleaded not guilty, and is up for reelection next year. Lewis-Martin herself is being eyed by local law enforcement in a separate matter. Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office have presented evidence about her to a grand jury, and could bring an indictment as soon as this
OSU Rescinds Raises After Overtime Rule Blocked in Court
By Andrea Hsu Imagine getting a pay raise, only to be told weeks later: Sorry, we’re taking it back. That’s what’s happening to 306 employees at The Ohio State University now that a federal court has struck down the Biden administration’s overtime rule. Finalized in April, the rule would have made some 4.3 million salaried workers nationwide newly eligible to earn 1.5 times their regular pay when they work more than 40 hours a week. “One of the basic principles of the American workplace is that a hard day’s work deserves a fair day’s pay,” wrote Jessica Looman, head of the
Trump Defends Tariffs, Says They Won’t Raise Prices
By Mia McCarthy President-elect Donald Trump said he “can’t guarantee anything” when asked whether his proposed tariffs would increase prices for American families, in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday. “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow,” Trump said, when host Kristen Welker asked if he can guarantee American families won’t pay more under his tariff plan. “But I can say that if you looked at my — just pre-Covid, we had the greatest economy in the history of our country. And I had a lot of tariffs on a lot of different countries, but
Biden Sets Record for Appointing Judges of Color
By Char Adams As President Joe Biden makes a final push to confirm judicial nominees before his term in office ends, he is on track to have appointed more federal judges of color than any president before him. On Monday, the Senate confirmed Biden’s judicial nominee for the Northern District of Georgia, Tiffany Johnson, making her the 40th Black woman he has appointed to lifetime federal judgeships — more than any president in a single term. Overall, about 60% of Biden’s 233 appointees are people of color, according to figures the White House shared with NBC News. Benjamin Cheeks and Serena
TSU Interim President Resigns Amid Financial Turmoil
By Sara Weissman The interim president of Tennessee State University, Ronald Johnson, abruptly announced plans to resign on Wednesday after leading the historically Black land-grant institution for less than six months, as The Tennessean first reported. Dakasha Winton, chair of the university’s Board of Trustees, implied in a statement that the board pressured Johnson to leave. The board’s “job is to ensure the future strength of the school through thoughtful and decisive governance,” she wrote. “In service of this commitment, and as board chair, I spoke with interim president Dr. Johnson on Tuesday about separating from the university. He has chosen
Biden’s Quiet Exit Sparks Concern Within Democratic Party
By Adam Cancryn Joe Biden is president of the United States for 42 more days. But within the Democratic Party, on Capitol Hill — and even within his own administration — it feels like he left the Oval Office weeks ago. Biden has effectively disappeared from the radar in the wake of Democrats’ bruising electoral loss. Since Nov. 5, he’s largely stuck to prepared remarks, avoided unscripted public appearances or press questions and opted to sit out the raging debate over Donald Trump’s victory, policy conversations in Congress and the Democratic Party’s future. “He’s been so cavalier and selfish about
Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove Elected as Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus
By Ashley Brown In a significant development for the 119th Congress, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated, has been elected to serve as the Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). This prestigious position places her at the forefront of the CBS. Expressing her gratitude for the appointment, Kamlager-Dove remarked, “I am deeply honored to be chosen to serve as Whip of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 119th Congress. Known as the ‘conscience of the Congress,’ the CBC is grounded in our pursuit of justice, equity, and opportunity for Black Americans. With unprecedented
Trump return to DC looms over Kennedy Center Honors
By Judy Kurtz In a night filled with political moments — including multiple nods to President Biden, a Grateful Dead tribute from former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and accolades for performers-turned-activists — there was scant mention at the Kennedy Center Honors of President-elect Trump’s return to office and what it could mean for the annual awards gala. The 47th-annual Honors ceremony recognized four artists and an organization with its lifetime achievement award on Sunday in Washington, D.C.: singer Bonnie Raitt, trumpet player Arturo Sandoval, director Francis Ford Coppola, Harlem’s Apollo Theater and the Grateful Dead. The ceremony, attended by President Biden, kicked off by honoring the
