Politics
What they're thinking: For many Democrats, silence speaks volumes on the Biden issue
Years ago, a veteran, respected journalist called me out on a piece of news copy I wrote.
My sin: Rather than indicating that someone said something, I wrote that they believed something.
My colleague corrected me.
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“We know what they say. But we can’t know what they believe,” counseled my friend.
I changed the copy.
No journalist is clairvoyant.
Questions over President Biden’s mental acuity and calls for him to step aside have opened up a new rift in the Democratic Party. (Background: Win McNamee/Getty Images; Inset: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Win McNamee/Getty Images; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images; Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images)
But sometimes, those of us in the Capitol press corps know exactly what lawmakers are thinking.
It’s not what Members of Congress tell us. It’s what they don’t tell us.
Often, silence can be louder than the soundbites.
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Such is the case with this week’s version of the Congressional Laff-A-Lympics as reporters chased Congressional Democrats up House hill and down Senate dell in a quest to determine where they stood with President Biden.
The President’s cheerleaders were easy to find.
“Joe Biden all the way,” hollered Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., as he headed into a meeting of the House Democratic Caucus. “Joe Biden all the way.”
Democratic Maryland Rep. Kweisi Mfume has openly declared his support for President Biden “all the way.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“There’s one person this country that’s kicked (former President) Trump’s ass in 2020. That’s where my money is now in 2024,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn.
“We are ridin’ with Biden,” declared Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C.
But there’s worry about a down ballot hemorrhage for Democrats if the President stays in the race.
Call it “bleedin’ with Biden.”
REP. CLYBURN DECLARES SUPPORT FOR KAMALA HARRIS AS DEM NOMINEE IF BIDEN HAS TO BOW OUT: ‘I WILL SUPPORT HER’
A few who harbored grave concerns delivered brief, but pointed comments.
“He just has to step down because he can’t win,” said Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., of the President.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., called for Mr. Biden to step aside in a statement.
“I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee,” said Sherill.
Democratic New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill has released a formal statement calling on President Biden to withdraw his re-election bid. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., who represents a swing district, also asked for a swap out at the top.
But when pressed how some really feel, many Democrats don’t “use their words.”
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., greeted a throng of reporters outside the Democratic National Committee in the sweltering heat Tuesday morning.
“Good morning. Good morning,” said Pelosi.
“Should the President step aside?” asked a reporter.
There was silence from Pelosi.
PELOSI SNAPS AT REPORTER ASKING IF SHE WANTS BIDEN TO DROP OUT OF THE RACE: ‘AM I SPEAKING ENGLISH TO YOU?’
Reporters tried to get Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., to weigh-in on President Biden.
“Do you support Biden?” asked ABC’s Rachel Scott.
Warren and an aide hurriedly slid past the press assemblage.
“I’m up in Finance,” said Warren as she darted into the committee backroom.
“I have nothing really to say about it really,” said Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
Really? Nothing about the standard-bearer for your party?
At least nothing – in the open.
Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont is the first Democrat in his congressional chamber to urge that President Biden step aside. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
After the weekly Senate Democratic luncheon, Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, both indicated they wouldn’t discuss what goes on at private caucus meetings.
“We have a ways to go,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., “But we’re not going to negotiate in public.”
Welch became the first Senate Democrat to call on the president to bow out.
FIRST DEM SENATOR CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT ‘FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’
Colleague Aishah Hasnie reported at one point that lawmakers would not even verbally acknowledge some reporters asking about President Biden and would only stare at them.
Consternation about the President has led some Democrats to retreat in public from commenting about his viability. Yet they have been frank behind closed doors.
“In a confidential conversation with other members of House Democratic leadership, I expressed the same concerns that Americans across the country — and here in my district — are grappling with, about President Biden’s electability at the top of the ticket,” said Rep. Susan Wild, D-Penn., who represents a swing district.
Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Susan Wild claimed to express “concerns” about President Biden’s electoral viability behind closed doors – but remained mum on the subject when pressed by Fox. (Photo by Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Wild joined a conference call with other top Democrats Sunday in her capacity as the ranking member on the House Ethics Committee.
Wild was one lawmaker most journalists wanted to speak with this week. When the House conducts roll call votes, Fox deploys what I call “no doubles” defense. In baseball, “no doubles” defense is where the first baseman and third baseman creep closer to the line to prevent “doubles.” We do the same on Capitol Hill. There are two exits near the main exterior House steps. So one crew watches the main exit. Another cheats a little bit toward the Senate side where some member who wish to be elusive try to escape.
Sure enough, Wild departed through the more obscure exit heading toward the Senate. But that’s where we caught up with her. Wild was circumspect when asked about her reservations about President Biden.
MULTIPLE LETTERS CIRCULATING AMONG HOUSE DEMS CALLING ON BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE FOR 2024: SOURCES
“My statement speaks for itself,” said Wild.
“Did you express some of those concerns on the call yesterday?” I countered.
“My statement is my statement is my statement,” insisted Wild.
“Are there concerns among swing district Democrats like yourself?” I queried.
“You can ask it a whole lot of different ways,” said Wild.
“That’s a different question,” I observed.
“Doesn’t matter,” said Wild. “I’m not going to say anything further. I made a statement and that’s all I’m going to say.”
Despite reports that Virginia Rep. Don Beyer referred to President Biden as “very fragile” in talks with colleagues, the Washington, D.C.-area Democrat doubled down on his endorsement by Sunday night. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., dialed into Sunday’s conference call as the top House Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee. Punchbowl News indicated that Beyer told his colleagues on the call Mr. Biden is “very fragile” and struggles to put “two sentences together.”
By nightfall Sunday, Beyer’s office sent out a statement saying he backed President Biden.
At the Capitol midday Monday, yours truly encountered Beyer and Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., strolling down a corridor near the floor. I apologized to Courtney, saying I had some questions for Beyer – as did every other journalist in Washington.
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Beyer was gracious in responding to my questions as we walked through a tunnel toward the Cannon House Office Building. But, like Wild, Beyer was guarded.
“Can you clarify your comments from yesterday? You put out a statement yesterday. There’s been some reporting that it didn’t square 100% with what was said,” I said to Beyer.
“I feel I’m very committed to Joe Biden. But it certainly looks like he will be our candidate. And I can do everything I can to get him elected. And I just refer you to the statement of support,” answered Beyer.
“Was what was reported, was that not accurate?” I followed up.
“I don’t want to characterize the reporting one way or the other,” said Beyer. “But I wanted to make clear where I stood with the statement I put out yesterday.”
California Rep. Pete Aguilar, Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, insisted his party remains unified against former President Trump, despite concerns about President Biden’s electoral viability. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
At the first leadership press conference since the debate, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., made the case against former President Trump.
“Donald Trump can not win. And we are unified,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar,” D-Calif., on Tuesday afternoon.
But it sounded like Democrats were making stronger arguments against former President Trump rather than in favor of President Biden.
However, Aguilar left open wiggle room.
MULTIPLE RANKING DEMOCRATS ON HOUSE COMMITTEES WANT BIDEN TO STEP ASIDE
“Right now, President Biden is the nominee,” said Aguilar.
Right now.
The conversations about President Biden are now whispered. Sub rosa. Watch for slight tweaks in language from Aguilar and others.
This is what happened when Pelosi said “it’s up to the President if he’s going to run” during an appearance on MSNBC.
Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries noted his caucus has “the right and the responsibility” to have “conversations about a path forward” amid President Biden’s floundering re-election prospects. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)
Meantime, Jeffries gave his members some breathing room.
“We have the right and the responsibility on behalf of the American people, and on behalf of the people we represent, to have these conversations about a path forward that is in the best interests of the American people,” said Jeffries.
Democrats needed to get everyone back to the Capitol after the July 4 recess to take the political temperature. Democrats have endured days of reporters hounding them in the Congressional halls over where they stand with President Biden. They now want to get everyone out of the Capitol so they can breathe and not face reporters around every corner. Congress is out of session next week so Republicans can convene their convention in Milwaukee. During the recess, Democrats have space to offer individual announcements about the President – perhaps appearing on local radio and TV stations.
No one has said any of this. There was nothing verbal.
But this is the rare case when everyone knows what they’re thinking.
Politics
Democrats demand Kristi Noem be fired or warn impeachment will follow
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House Democrats ramped up pressure on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday, calling for her firing and warning that impeachment proceedings would follow if she remains in office, citing deadly actions by federal agents in Minnesota.
The calls came from both House Democratic leadership and Judiciary Committee Democrats, marking a coordinated escalation from public condemnation to formal impeachment threats.
In a joint statement, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to carry out deadly violence.
“Taxpayer dollars are being weaponized by the Trump administration to kill American citizens, brutalize communities and violently target law-abiding immigrant families,” the leaders said. “The country is disgusted by what the Department of Homeland Security has done.”
NOEM SAYS SHE GRIEVES FOR FAMILY AFTER CBP-RELATED SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS, VOWS THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
House Democrats ramped up pressure on DHS Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday. ( Al Drago/Getty Images)
The leaders warned that unless Noem is removed, impeachment proceedings would follow.
“Kristi Noem should be fired immediately, or we will commence impeachment proceedings in the House of Representatives,” the statement said.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
The demands come as Noem faces widespread criticism after federal agents killed two U.S. citizens in Minnesota this month.
Separately, Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, called on Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to immediately begin impeachment proceedings if Noem is not fired or forced to resign.
“Unless Secretary Noem resigns or is fired, the Judiciary Committee’s Chairman, Jim Jordan, should immediately commence House Judiciary Committee impeachment proceedings to remove her from office,” Raskin said.
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Federal agents try to clear demonstrators near a hotel, using tear gas during a noise demonstration protest in response to federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis. (Adam Gray/AP Photo)
Raskin accused Noem of overseeing what he described as unlawful killings and a subsequent cover-up.
“Far from condemning these unlawful and savage killings in cold blood, Secretary Noem immediately labeled Renée Good and Alex Pretti ‘domestic terrorists,’ blatantly lied about the circumstances of the shootings that took their lives, and attempted to cover up and blockade any legitimate investigation into their deaths,” he said.
Separately, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called on Trump to fire Noem directly on Tuesday.
In a post on X, the senator accused Noem of “betraying” the department’s central mission.
In a joint statement with other Democratic leaders, Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., accused the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to carry out deadly violence. (Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)
However, President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday that he has no plans to ask Noem to step down from her role.
Trump was asked about Noem’s status during a gaggle with reporters outside the White House. He told the press that he still thinks Noem is doing a “great job.”
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“Is Kristi Noem going to step down?” a reporter asked.
“No,” Trump responded bluntly.
He later said he believes she is doing a “very good job,” citing her role in closing down the border.
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Politics
Trump signs executive order to ‘preempt’ permitting process for fire-destroyed homes in L.A.
President Trump has announced an executive order to allow victims of the Los Angeles wildfires to rebuild without dealing with “unnecessary, dupicative, or obstructive” permitting requirements.
The order, which is likely to be challenged by the city and state, claimed that local governments have failed to adequately process permits and were slowing down residents who are desperate to rebuild in the Palisades and Altadena.
“American families and small businesses affected by the wildfires have been forced to continue living in a nightmare of delay, uncertainty, and bureaucratic malaise as they remain displaced from their homes, often without a source of income, while state and local governments delay or prevent reconstruction by approving only a fraction of the permits needed to rebuild,” Trump wrote in the executive order, which he signed Friday.
The order called on the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to “preempt” state and local permitting authorities.
Instead of going through the usual approval process, residents using federal emergency funds to rebuild would need to self-certify to federal authorities that they have complied with local health and safety standards.
The order comes as the city and county approach 3,000 permits issued for rebuilding. A December review by The Times found that the permitting process in Altadena and Pacific Palisades was moving at a moderate rate compared to other major fires in California. As of Dec. 14, the county had issued rebuilding permits for about 16% of the homes destroyed in the Eaton fire and the city had issued just under 14% for those destroyed in the Palisades fire.
While Mayor Karen Bass did not immediately provide comment, the executive order drew intense pushback from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A spokesperson for Newsom, Tara Gallegos, called Trump a “clueless idiot” for believing the federal government could issue local rebuilding permits.
“With 1625+ home permits issued, hundreds of homes under construction, and permitting timelines at least 2x faster than before the fires, an executive order to rebuild Mars would do just as useful,” Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on X, citing the number of permits issued solely by the city of Los Angeles.
Newsom said that the federal government needed to release funding, not take over control of the permitting process. The governor said that what communities really lack is money, not permits.
“Please actually help us. We are begging you,” Newsom wrote.
Instead of descending into the permitting process, Newsom called on the president to send a recovery package to congress to help families rebuild, citing a letter from a bipartisan delegation of California legislators that called for federal funding.
“As the recovery process continues, additional federal support is needed, and our entire delegation looks forward to working cooperatively with your administration to ensure the communities of Southern California receive their fair share of federal disaster assistance,” wrote the California legislators on Jan 7.
Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents Pacific Palisades, responded in a statement that read: “If the federal government is interested in expediting recovery from the most expensive disaster in this country’s history, they can start by committing to real financial support — to close insurance gaps, to repair critical infrastructure damaged in both the fire and the debris removal process, to help this region rebuild two entire communities from the ground up.”
Park also said that “dangling SBA loans and hazard mitigation funding in front of victims while summarily denying FEMA claim and other support to municipalities behind the scenes is subterfuge, not support. The City can only approve permits that have been submitted and the reality is that many disaster victims are still not ready to move forward with their rebuilds. This federal government can fix that by allowing desperately needed financial assistance to flow down to the Los Angeles region and let us get to work.”
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents Altadena, said she would “welcome any effort to responsibly accelerate rebuilding.”
Barger said permits take 30 days to move through the county’s plan check, but often encounter delays due to “complex multi-party work of architects, engineers, and builders.”
She also called for more federal funding and long-term disaster aid.
“The most urgent need in the Altadena region is financially driven,” she said in a statement to The Times.
Some in the Palisades agreed that money was a bigger issue than permitting.
“When I talk to people it seems to have more to do with their insurance payout or whether they have enough money to complete construction,” said Maryam Zar, a Palisades resident who runs the Palisades Recovery Coalition.
Zar called the executive order “interesting” and said that it was fair of the president to call the recovery pace slow and unacceptable.
Jonathan Zasloff, a UCLA Law professor who focuses on land use, called the executive order “childish and irresponsible policy.”
Zasloff, who lost his Palisades home in the fire, said that the president does not have the authority to get rid of state and local law just because he doesn’t like them. Instead, Zasloff said, the president should focus on fully funding disaster recovery so that the city and county can have adequate staff to process permit applications.
“My house burned down in the Palisades. Getting rid of the building codes would make it easier to rebuild something, but it could also make things a lot more dangerous,” he said.
Politics
Mamdani’s early moves as mayor clash with affordability pledge: ‘Ripple effects are significant’
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani ran on a message of making the Big Apple more affordable for everyday Americans, but some of his actions in the first few weeks of his tenure have served to undercut that reality.
In the early days of his time as mayor, Mamdani has already shown a penchant for vehemently defending low-wage, unskilled delivery-app workers in a manner that industry executives and business experts think will hit consumers’ pocketbooks. He sued a delivery app startup earlier this month for allegedly violating the city’s worker-rights laws, and warned the broader range of delivery app companies operating in the city to abide by ramped up worker rights being imposed at the end of the month, or else.
At a press conference announcing the lawsuit and accompanying demand letters issued to delivery app companies warning them to follow the updated worker protections, Mamdani also accused the delivery-app startup, MotoClick, of stealing workers’ tips. Among the reforms Mamdani has signaled he plans to vigorously enforce is a mandated tipping framework that estimates show could push more than half-a-billion in additional costs on consumers annually.
The updated protections will also add more delivery-app companies, such as those that deliver groceries, to the list that must follow the delivery-app worker rights laws, including a mandated minimum wage higher than what some emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in the city make.
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Zesty is now in beta in San Francisco and New York as DoorDash tests and refines its personalized matching experience. (iStock)
“We know affordability is not just about the cost of goods — it’s about the dignity of work,” Mamdani’s Commissioner of the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Sam Levine told companies including DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber. “Today’s lawsuit against Motoclick is not just an action against one company, it’s a warning to every app-based company from this Administration. You cannot treat workers like they are expendable and get away with it. We will seek full back pay and damages. We will seek full accountability.”
Mamdani pointed to a recent report put out by Levine, which showed disobeying city mandates going into effect later this month, requiring apps to give the opportunity for customers to tip before or at the same time that an order has been placed, significantly impacts the amount of incoming tip revenue. Levine’s report that Mamdani touted estimates alternative tipping frameworks, such as only allowing tips upon completion of a delivery, have altered tipping revenue by an estimated $550 million per year.
Mamdani also stood by in tacit agreement during the press conference as delivery-app worker advocates called for an increase to their already mandated minimum wage they have that is approximately $4.50 higher for delivery-app drivers than the city’s base minimum wage of $17 per hour. The workers said they wanted a mandate that they get paid $35 per hour, to which Mamdani replied: “closed mouths don’t get fed.”
Mamdani campaigned on raising the base minimum wage to $30 per hour for all New Yorkers by 2030.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a press conference defending worker rights for delivery-app drivers on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, his eager enforcement to protect delivery-app drivers will include making sure a wider breadth of delivery-app companies, such as those who deliver groceries like InstaCart and Shipt, abide by New York City’s extended minimum wage laws for their workers – plus the other mandates related to the tipping structure and more.
DCWP has indicated plans to set a minimum pay rate for all delivery apps by early 2027.
HOURS AFTER TAKING OFFICE, NYC MAYOR MAMDANI TARGETS LANDLORDS, MOVES TO INTERVENE IN PRIVATE BANKRUPTCY CASE
“The challenges facing delivery workers, small businesses, and consumers are real, and deeply interconnected. That’s why this issue cannot be reduced to a single policy lever or viewed in isolation,” a spokesperson for the Bronx Chamber of Commerce told Fox News Digital. “Small businesses across the Bronx and throughout New York City are already under extraordinary pressure. When additional costs are layered on without a full economic analysis, those costs are predictably passed down to consumers or absorbed through reduced hours, reduced staffing, or closures. When businesses close, communities lose jobs, services, and economic anchors, and the ripple effects are significant.”
The Chamber of Commerce spokesperson added that Mamdani has an opportunity “to lead by tackling affordability in a holistic way,” which they said would require “comprehensive cost analysis and coordinated solutions that support workers while ensuring the small business ecosystem and consumer affordability are not unintentionally harmed.”
Signage reading ‘Days of a New Era’ is juxtaposed behind New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a press conference he attended about reining in ‘junk fees.’ (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
When reached for comment about the discrepancy between Mamdani’s message of making New York City more affordable for everyone, versus his push to protect delivery-app worker rights that could impact consumer pricing, a New York City Hall spokesperson argued that “the insinuation that putting more money in the pockets of delivery workers undercuts affordability is absurd.”
“Delivery Workers are important members of our city’s economy, and deserve to be paid fairly – anything less is unacceptable,” the spokesperson added. “As Mayor Mamdani continues to stand up for everyday New Yorkers and actualize his ambitious agenda to make New York City truly livable for families. Affordability has been, and will continue to be, a guiding light.”
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But DoorDash’s head of public policy for North America, John Horton, said that ensuring delivery-app workers “earn double what many first responders in the city make” is not a policy solution they believe will make New York City more affordable. Currently, a local fire technician and emergency medical services union in the city is in the midst of a public awareness campaign to raise their wages because they make less than delivery-app drivers at $18.94 per hour.
Delivery-app workers in New York City must be paid $21.44 per hour according to local worker protection mandates. (iStock)
“A thriving New York will take a partnership between elected officials, the business community and workers to ensure we are all working in the best interests of New Yorkers in the midst of the city’s affordability crisis,” Horton added.
Fox News Digital followed up with Mamdani’s campaign to inquire about the complaint that EMS and some firemen in the city are making less than delivery-app workers, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
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