Politico
May 2026
Sherrill, Newark mayor back partial curfew in New Jersey’s largest city
When the attacks took place last night, we had some red lines, one of them is obviously public safety and the safety of our law enforcement,
The State Police have showed up in riot gear and have gassed protesters as less than lethal projectiles have been fired at the crowd,
Having worked with New Jersey State Police and local law enforcement, I know how well trained they are,
‘Holding our breath’: Hurricane season is here, and FEMA is shorthanded
As bad as it was, there were a lot of bodies to throw against the problem. Now there are fewer bodies, and a lot of those bodies don’t know how to do the job,
The writing is on the wall that workforce may not be available to us based on the current footprint for FEMA,
FEMA and other federal agencies spreading a reduced number of staff across the same or higher number of disasters nationwide could reduce effectiveness of federal disaster response,
We continue to aggressively recruit and train specialized response personnel,
There is a feeling of holding our breath, hoping for an easy season again,
We do know that disaster declarations have been slower than historically,
That whole agency is in desperate need of permanent leadership,
Recent workforce reductions,... may exacerbate existing workforce challenges and impact federal agencies’ capacity to respond to future high-impact disasters.”
True readiness requires strict fiscal stewardship, not spending every congressional appropriation just because it is available,
Staffing levels do not determine disaster response capacity, readiness does,
Zelenskyy presses US to send Ukraine more anti-ballistic missiles
American military supplies have been used in great quantity in the current war with Iran
It began in December 2025,
When we’ve got messages to help in the Middle East to defend some bases with American soldiers and also infrastructure of Middle East countries like Saudi or Emirates, etc., and I came with our groups, we sent more than 200 of our experts,
Now they began attack us with massive missiles attacks, and, again, the main reason why they did it: because they begin to lose on the battlefield,
I sent a letter to the White House and Congress of the United States,... and I hope that they will understand and will answer, respond. And this is very important. We need to increase the production. I know all the companies in the United States, huge companies, great companies, but only United States can produce such number.”
‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ is ‘deeply offensive,’ Pence says
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment
I had no right to overturn the election,
Asia reckons with China as Trump pulls back
But he was largely silent on Beijing, only going as far as to validate the region’s “rightful alarm” with China
President Trump believes in helping countries that help themselves,... The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over.”
The allies, especially Australia and Japan, appear to be trying their best to work together and fill in the gaps in security left by U.S. inattention and show they are shouldering their responsibilities,
The world has enough trouble,
It’s a very delicate dance for us and everyone knows it can’t last forever,
Everyone is currently recognizing there are no guarantees of U.S. action on Taiwan under Trump,
China itself doesn’t feel obliged to observe these diplomatic niceties,
3 groups to watch on the Hill
Math gets harder the closer you get to midterms,
Energy prices are high, they’re high around the world, gas prices are high. That’s extremely frustrating, and it’s something that we’re working on, doing lots of different things to minimize the disruption, and hopefully again the problem with the Gulf will be over soon … but you know, really it’s like a month or two until everything gets back.”
They will benefit if Trump doesn’t say anything,
It seems very remote now — in fact, the smarter money is on two Democrats making the runoff in [Tom Steyer] and [Xavier Becerra],
Artists are getting ‘the yips’” about performing
Punishing airports over immigration would lead to ‘so much economic damage,’ Sen. Andy Kim says
But the proposition seems to have been met with lukewarm support, raising fears that removing customs staff could spur chaos for travelers ahead of major events like the World Cup — New Jersey is hosting some of the matches, including the final — and potentially result in a wave of flight cancellations
We have people from around the world and around the country that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places,
We’re definitely drawing up plans to say, listen, in these sanctuary cities where the local radical left Democrats aren’t allowing us to do our job and enforce federal laws, then we shouldn’t be processing international flights into their, into their cities either, because they don’t want us to enforce immigration,
The conditions of confinement we witnessed firsthand and discussed with approximately two dozen detainees at the Delaney Hall detention center shock the conscience,
I am so worried about my state,
There is undoubtedly things going wrong inside Delaney Hall” and that he is “hugely concerned” about the conditions at the facility
I’ve gotten so little sleep this past week. I mean, this has been, you know, one of the most difficult weeks of my entire life,... It’s not about me.”
Kevin Hassett urges Americans to look at whole picture on prices
One of the things I've noticed here at the White House is, whatever piece of consumer price that is looking like it’s a little bit disappointing, it’s the only thing we talk about,
What you need to do is smooth through the ups and downs, look at what’s happening to real wages,
Trump vents about judge who blocked Kennedy Center changes
In a lengthy post on his Truth Social platform, Trump fumed about the Friday decision from U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper who also ordered Trump’s name removed from the center
And the Next Governor of California Will Be...
Alex Padilla, Democratic leaders began to panic over a nightmare scenario: so many Democrats splitting the vote that both leading Republicans, former Fox News host Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, could advance from the top-two primary on June 2 — raising the once-unthinkable prospect of a GOP governor in deep-blue California
Platner's campaign confirms he sent sexual texts to women while married
Amy Gertner, Platner’s wife, accused a former friend of spreading "malicious gossip" as a report on alleged infidelity emerges
I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend,
‘To call it a ceasefire is a joke': Israeli soldiers share rare accounts from Gaza with AP
Allies get over the US-led world order
We are facing an environment in which no country is safe from war and it’s cross-regional,
Can you give a message to us in the region?”
The president should have come to Congress first and we should have had that dialogue and had that conversation and brought in our allies to make sure that we are all locked in together,
Our financial systems, our health systems, our communications, our intelligence partnerships, our ability to operate as a modern economy and a functioning state, all of it is critically dependent on infrastructure that is exposed, that cannot move,
The only way there will be philosophers in the future wearing uniforms like myself will be that we enter into the field of ideas, and we challenge ideas, and I’m okay with the challenge of the ideas,
Meteor over Massachusetts causes explosion reports, sightings from Delaware to Montreal
People in a handful of states posted on social media about feeling the buildings they were in shaking
‘A lot of inflated promises’: Xavier Becerra won’t commit to California's gas car sales ban
Becerra’s position represents a significant departure from one of Newsom’s most ambitious policies during his tenure as governor
It seems like Becerra is trying to make sure he has wiggle room on these affordability issues,
We’re not going to live in a world that’s make-believe,
I think that’s all part of why it’s disconcerting and disappointing,
Tom is committed to California’s ambitious climate goals, and will work to overcome hurdles to the state’s 2035 target,
We won’t let this illegal action by Trump and Republicans in the pockets of polluters stand in the way of commonsense policy to clean our air, protect the health of our kids and compete on the global stage,
I think it’s really important to have a goal, but a goal doesn’t magically make things happen,
US says it disabled another commercial ship trying to breach blockade and reach Iran
Socialism's next test: Swing states
If Democrats hope to beat Republican incumbents in red and purple districts, then they cannot run candidates who are far outside the mainstream of their district,
I think they’re underestimating voters,
She has shown up, she’s the only candidate currently who has built any infrastructure down in Rock County,
The liability is having someone who is the establishment and wants to maintain the status quo,
Trump tilts at windmills
His ties to both Silicon Valley and the Catholic Church have only raised the stakes for how he handles the issue,
The president has made combatting offshore wind a hallmark of his second term. He has eliminated tax credits for the industry and tried to rip up permits for future projects,
Trump jumps into Republican primaries for governor in South Carolina, Iowa and Oklahoma
Mike Mazzei has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Oklahoma — HE WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”
Swing-state socialism
The actions of the Trump administration are providing a huge opportunity for Democrats to go out and regain the trust of the American people, to be the party of common sense, common ground and getting things done. Democrats can win again by winning back the middle — and it’s there for the taking. We do this by showing up and getting dirt on our boots and governing well. That’s how we rebuild and regain the confidence of the American people,
How China is breaking apart a people and its culture,... The campaign of repression against the Uyghurs has entered a new phase.”
DHS allows mother it deported without her toddler to return for his burial,... Wendy Hernandez Reyes denies she ‘abandoned’ her son, as ICE claimed. In an extraordinary act, she was allowed to come back to the U.S. for his burial.”
Eighteen years, and you’re out,
President Trump will only make a deal that is good for America and satisfies his redlines. Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
Trump wants to ‘manage’ China trade. Businesses see a tariff opening.
The agreement to form a “board of trade” was one of the few tangible results from Trump’s summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier this month
Everything would be a lot simpler if we kept to the idea that national security things are really systemically important and limited, rather than anything can be national security on any given day,
We’ve just come to terms with the fact that there’s not going to be some giant comprehensive reform of the way the Chinese political system works, including all these economic elements of it,
Are those non-sensitive? We would argue they are,
To me, it’s a positive step,
We don’t know what they mean by ‘non-sensitive goods,’
The administration looks forward to engaging more with the business community on this historic policy that reflects our commitment to better manage trade between the U.S. and China,
There will be pressure to show progress,
‘Non-sensitive’ could mean items that are just simply not made here,
It’s pretty clear in our view that the posture in the administration has changed,
Ebola response puts Trump on collision course with global health body
It Was Supposed to Be a Lifeline for a Blue-Collar Town. Then Trump Returned.
We’ve essentially resigned ourselves to not seeing any projects proceed for the balance of the Trump administration.”
I’m proudly telling you that we’re going to try and have no windmills built in the United States,
Hegseth tempers China criticism at Asia forum
The thing about speaking softly and carrying a big stick is that, at some point, you do have to speak,
I fear some countries might underestimate the U.S. commitment,
Any decision about future Taiwan arms sales, as the president said, will rest with him,
We are changing the playbook,
Newsom’s climate rules bend to gas price politics
The deal matters for a governor who has worked to establish California as a leading voice in global climate politics while he prepares for a possible national campaign in which his state’s high energy costs are certain to be a liability
If we fail now to adopt the proposed amendments to cap-and-invest, it would be without a doubt the greatest victory that the Trump administration could possibly hope for to achieve against California’s climate policies this year,
While Trump sows ongoing chaos and uncertainty, California is staying focused by protecting our economy, safeguarding public health, and doubling down on the clean energy future all Californians deserve,
I don’t see it as pulling back,