Northeast
Trump strategy: Hitting blue areas, courting minorities and unfriendly audiences
The Trump campaign is increasingly venturing into hostile territory.
The strategy, I’ve been told, is to demonstrate that the former president can make his case in Democratic areas and force the Biden campaign to play defense.
But it runs deeper than that.
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By campaigning where he wouldn’t ordinarily be welcome, Donald Trump sends a message that he’s a fighter – particularly during the weeklong break from the hush money trial, which resumed yesterday with closing arguments. A conviction in that criminal trial, of course, could alter the playing field.
Exhibit A in Trump’s new playbook was the visit to the South Bronx, a preeminent symbol of urban decay. He didn’t go because he thinks he can win the Bronx, or New York City, or New York State. Trump went to send a message that he cares about minority voters.
He drew a couple of thousand supporters to a park where he mostly recited his greatest hits, including 10 minutes on how he rebuilt a Central Park ice skating rink decades ago, complete with the construction details. But he also said he would rebuild the city. Polls show Trump scoring better among blacks than any Republican nominee in more than a generation, while Joe Biden has been slipping among that crucial constituency for Democrats.
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historically Democratic South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Going to the Bronx, where the Queens-born Trump attended two years of college, was a curveball. And since some liberals ripped the rich Republican for venturing onto their turf, the controversy drove the news cycle for days, a Trump specialty.
The former president also spoke to a massive rally along the shore in New Jersey, another state he’s not going to win, and went to blue-state Minnesota, which he’d carry only if the election is a blowout.
I don’t think the Biden camp is going to fall for these head fakes. The president has to concentrate on Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, where he trails by a few points in most polls, for an Electoral College victory. Scranton Joe has practically taken up residence in Pennsylvania, which is close to Delaware, and yet still trails slightly in most battleground polls. He and Kamala Harris are back in Philly today.
Perhaps the clearest sign of Trump’s unorthodox approach is his weekend speech to the Libertarian convention. This was widely portrayed as a disaster, since Trump was widely booed throughout his appearance.
He made some promises, such as appointing a Libertarian to the Cabinet and pardoning a Libertarian who ran an online illegal drug market.
But the booing grew louder when he asked for the party’s nomination. The Libertarians have long been critical of Trump’s record.
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Trump argued that together they could win. As the boo-birds kept it up, he pushed back: Maybe you don’t want to win. You can keep on getting 3 percent in every election.
Trump argued the next day that as the Republican candidate he wasn’t allowed to seek another party’s nomination – though he had just done exactly that.
While many view the whole episode as a fiasco, I have a contrarian view.
Supporters of Donald Trump try to get a glimpse of the former president at a rally in Crotona Park in the Bronx, New York City on May 23, 2024. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
Trump showed a willingness to step into the lion’s den. He stood his ground against the catcalls. He displayed his pugilistic style before what he had to know would be an unfriendly reception.
That’s quite a contrast with Biden giving safe economic speeches, mainly based on past legislation, before safe audiences.
Now the spotlight shifts back to the hush money trial, which the jury will get today.
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Despite strong support from Gov. Kelly Ayotte, New Hampshire lawmakers rejected a bill that would have required private insurers to cover a state-run mental health program for children.
On Thursday, the House of Representatives voted to send Senate Bill 498 to interim study, delaying action on legislation that would have required private insurers to help fund the state’s Families and Systems Together (FAST) Forward program.
It’s a wraparound care model that provides personalized services such as peer support, crisis planning, and family-focused care for patients aged 5 to 21.
Ayotte, in a statement, said she is disappointed to see “elected representatives choose subsidizing insurance companies over kids’ mental health care.”
“I’m not giving up on this, and I’ll continue working to ensure our children — and their families — get the care and support they need,” she said.
The decision leaves the state and taxpayers on the hook to cover roughly $2 million annually for commercially insured children who rely on the program but do not qualify for Medicaid.
After the House voted down the bill, John Hunt, the chair of the House commerce committee, said Republicans agree with Ayotte that children’s mental health coverage is a serious issue, but said the bill is not the right solution and should not be addressed through a “hasty, last-second Hail Mary.”
“We look forward to studying this issue and devising a sensible and measured approach that satisfies all parties and prioritizes patient care and quality,” he wrote in a statement. “I warmly invite Governor Ayotte to join us this fall as we work on the issue. Together, Republicans, Democrats and the corner office have the opportunity to come together and deliver a reasonable solution for the people of New Hampshire.”
The bill was sent to an interim study in a 188-164 vote.
Insurers push back
The FAST Forward program coordinates services tailored to each child’s needs, helping families access mental health care, crisis support, care coordination, and other resources aimed at improving long-term outcomes.
The program’s effectiveness comes from its wraparound approach, which bundles services together.
But private insurers typically cover only some services rather than the full scope of services provided.
Ayotte has directed much of her criticism at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which insures the largest share of children enrolled in the FAST Forward program.
Jim Turner, a spokesperson for the insurance company, called Ayotte’s criticisms of the insurance industry on this issue “inaccurate and misleading.”
“Over the past two years, Anthem has taken significant steps to increase access to mental healthcare for children and adults and to reduce barriers to that access – including being the first insurer to eliminate copayments and other forms of cost share for all children and teens for these services,” he wrote in a statement.
For families who do not qualify for a Medicaid waiver, the state spends roughly $2 million annually in taxpayer dollars to cover the program for commercially-insured children.
While opponents of the bill characterized it as a tax on insurance companies, state Rep. Julie Miles pushed back on that framing.
She said the bill is about affordability, healthcare access, and holding large insurance companies responsible for the coverage paid for by their customers.
“If insurance companies collect the premiums, they should help provide the care,” she said.
State’s burden
In recent weeks, there have been negotiations between the insurance companies, particularly Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, to address the issue, but no solution has been reached.
“Despite the recent unwarranted attacks, we will continue working in good faith with the state and care providers on this issue.
Mental health advocates view the FAST Forward program as a way to prevent children from deteriorating to the point of requiring costly inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.
Recent data from the state Department of Health and Human Services show that, over a 12-month period, New Hampshire’s general fund paid for wraparound services for about 89 commercially insured children, with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield covering the largest share of children enrolled in the FAST Forward program at 25.
Morissa Henn, deputy commissioner at DHHS, said New Hampshire has spent five years studying the issue and that taxpayers need not continue covering services that should be paid for by private insurers.
“The need is urgent and the status quo is not sustainable,” she said. “Families with commercial insurance coverage cannot keep waiting, and taxpayers cannot continue absorbing the cost of clinically necessary services for our children that should be covered by private insurance.”
While the annual cost for a child in FAST Forward ranges from roughly $45,000 to $65,000, an inpatient psychiatric stay, such as at Hampstead Hospital, can cost about $1,500 per night.
Hunt said on the House floor that, although the program is effective, some of its services extend beyond traditional mental health care, including respite care for caregivers and assigning a case worker.
Hunt said he believes the program would be more appropriately funded through Medicaid.
“Personally, I think the FAST Forward program should be funded by Medicaid,” he said. “If it’s good enough for kids who are on Medicaid, it should be good enough for kids who have health insurance.”
MANALPAN, N.J. – A little more than 3 miles west of the site of the Revolutionary War Battle of Monmouth lies Knob Hill Golf Club, a hidden gem among the Shore’s treasure chest of renowned courses.
A rolling par-70, 6408-yard course with its own unique charm and history, the semi-private club stands out among the area’s top-tier private and nationally acclaimed public courses by providing member and public access throughout the week.
This season, two redesigned holes – Nos. 16 and 17 – present new challenges with an aim to improve the course optics and experience and for all comers.
“We are always looking for ways to reinvest in and enhance the course,” said Director of Golf Lou Kubisa. “We understand fees are going up all over and this is an opportunity for us to show we are committed to the membership and public golfers that play here. That’s our niche. We all do a very good job of managing the experience and conditions for our members and the public. This shows our commitment and we are really happy with the way everything turned out.”
The overarching goal with the redesign was to create more playable space on the 16th hole and to keep golfers’ focus on the course away from other holes and activity outside the existing property lines. That also led to changes for the 17th green and resulted in both holes being more isolated from each other and from the environment beyond the boundaries.
Members got their first swings at the new holes on the morning of May 2. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive.
“I love it! I parred them both,” said Colts Neck resident and long-time member Gene Maresca. “It took a little longer than expected with the rough winter but everything came out great.”
“I didn’t play them very well today but I love the aesthetics of both,” said Plainsboro resident and member Len Bellezza. “On 16 there used to be a lot of trees up the right side and it seems the wind is always blowing left to right there so most people would slice into the trees. Now the trees are out and it’s uphill so it plays much longer and it’s wide. It’s beautiful.”
The redesign was something Kubisa had been thinking about for some time. The project went into motion last fall with an eye toward early spring finish. The extreme cold and winter storms pushed construction back several weeks to the early May opening.
“As a golf professional here, I always wanted to enhance the 16th hole,” said Kubisa. “It was kind of a claustrophobic tee shot with trees along the boundary. So we shifted everything toward the center of the course rather than along the edges.”
Tasked with creating more space on the par-5 16th while keeping golfers’ sightlines focused on the course and away from property edge, architect Jim Ryan also repositioned the 17th green to accommodate the change. The major changes stemmed from lowering 16’s tee boxes, shifting its fairway left toward the interior of the course and building up its boundaries, resulting in an entirely new, somewhat isolating experience for golfers.
The repositioned and still reachable 275- to 300-yard par-4 17th hole also features new green-surrounding amphitheater mounds. Designer Ryan aimed to keep the hole’s driveability by rewarding golfers for carrying the now green-fronting water hazard with embankments designed to gently coax wide shots back on the green. It worked.
“I love 17,” said member Anthony Parrente from Jackson. “I hit a cut on the right side above the bunker, hit the hill and it rolls down to five feet of the hole.”
Originally designed by Marc McCumber and opened in 1998, Knob Hill consistently ranks near the top of NJ’s semi-private courses given its challenging layout, excellent condition and scenery, placing 2nd in NBC Golf Pass and Golf Choice rankings for 2026. The clubhouse and the Sycamore Grille restaurant are open to the public throughout the year, featuring comedy shows, live music, trivia, wine tastings and theme nights.
The course history before Knob Hill’s opening in 1998 remains sketchy with speculation and searches dating it to post-WWII golfing boom of the 1950s and 1960s, akin to the Monmouth County-owned Hominy Hill course.
The club’s logo and restaurant Sycamore Grille are a tribute to the 185+ year-old sycamore tree outside the clubhouse with an old metal “Hole 14” this-way arrow sign embedded in its trunk. The historic tree draws flocks of tourists year-round.
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U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., toured a University of Pennsylvania research laboratory Friday to highlight how artificial intelligence can supercharge advances in biomedical and drug development.
“Every time I come here for a visit, I leave just inspired by all the wonderful, incredible discoveries and progress,” McCorkmick told researchers.
AIRFoundry, an AI-driven research lab funded by the National Science Foundation, is located at One uCity Square near Penn’s campus. The lab uses AI, robotics and automation to speed the development of RNA-based medicines, drug delivery systems and other biotechnology applications.
Years become weeks
Researchers at the incubator said AI is changing biomedical research by helping scientists process large datasets, predict successful drug formulations and automate parts of the discovery process.
That has meant a highly accelerated development process, bringing ideas to production in a much shorter time.
“Years of work become weeks of work, and that’s sort of the compression that you see when you use AI to do these things,” Jake Gardner, an assistant professor of computer science who works at the lab, told McCormick.
The technology has the potential to reduce the drug discovery timeline and associated costs, and may benefit fields beyond medicine, such as agriculture and veterinary science.
Right now, “a company has to search for 10 years and spend hundreds of millions to billions of dollars just looking for a potential candidate that they’ll then take through the clinical pipeline,” said Andrew Hanna, a bioengineering doctoral student working at the lab. “The goal is to turn that from like a 10-year process to like a six-month process.”
The visit also highlighted the commercialization efforts tied to Penn’s research ecosystem. Several researchers described how startup companies have emerged from university labs.
One of those, InfiniFluidics, created a prototype system that uses robotics and AI-processing to speed up the creation of RNA-based drug treatments. Co-founder Daeyeon Lee said hospitals, research labs and pharmaceutical companies could eventually use the technology.
“This is a unique project even for Penn, which is known for interdisciplinarity,” said Lee, who is also a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Penn. “We have computer scientists that are building AI platforms so that we can design experiments for people, but then we have people working in molecular biology. We have people like me or engineers that come together to build these facilities and help researchers.”
The AI talent pipeline
Penn boasts of being the first Ivy League university to offer an undergraduate degree in AI, from which the first six students graduated this weekend.
The curriculum includes fundamental courses, as well as “AI for health” and “AI for robotics.”
George Pappas, Penn’s AI program director, told McCormick they expect the program to grow to 250 students next year.
“It’s not just advancing AI, but how to impact other disciplines and other sectors of the economy through AI,” Pappas said.
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