The Conversation -- June 25, 2025

The New York Times liveblogged the Democratic primary election for New York City mayor, which was held Tuesday: “Zohran Mamdani, a little-known state lawmaker whose progressive economic platform electrified younger voters, surged into the lead in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, putting him on the verge of a stunning upset. Former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who had led the race for months, conceded the primary and congratulated Mr. Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, in remarks after 10 p.m. He notably did not promise to continue his campaign in November, despite securing a third-party ballot line. 'Tonight was not our night,' a deflated-looking Mr. Cuomo, 67, told supporters. He added, of Mr. Mamdani: 'Tonight is his night. He deserved it. He won.' Unless one candidate receives more than 50 percent of first-choice votes in the initial count under the city’s ranked-choice voting system, counting will continue next week. At a moment when Democrats are searching for an answer to President Trump, Mr. Mamdani ran on an unabashedly progressive agenda, promising to make buses free, freeze the rent on rent-stabilized apartments and raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. His promise of generational change appears to have resonated with large numbers of voters.” This is a update of the liveblog linked yesterday. ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: May this be the sunset of Clinton Democrats. ~~~

~~~ Alyce McFadden & Dana Rubinstein of the New York Times: “In a soaring speech on a Queens rooftop in the early minutes of Wednesday morning, Zohran Mamdani, the presumptive winner of the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, promised to lift up New York City’s working class and serve as a model for the future of his party. 'A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few,' Mr. Mamdani said. 'It should be one that city government guarantees for each and every New Yorker.' He promised to use his power to 'stop masked ICE agents from deporting our neighbors,' vowed to make buses 'fast and free' and pledged to freeze the rent on regulated units. The crowd of hundreds of his supporters, many of them young, clutched cocktails and beers in cups that dripped with condensation as they roared their approval in the midnight heat.”

Tyler Pager of the New York Times: Donald “Trump was meeting with NATO leaders on Wednesday at the alliance’s annual summit.... Mr. Trump has demanded that NATO members, meeting in The Hague, raise the share of their economic output that they devote to military spending to 5 percent, up from 2 percent.... But it was unclear whether that would happen after Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said that his country would put 'no more, no less,' than 2.1 percent of its economic output toward military spending. 'Spain’s not agreeing, which is very unfair to the rest of them,' Mr. Trump said on Tuesday as he traveled to the Netherlands. Yet Mr. Trump has maintained that the United States — which spends about 3.5 percent of its economic output on its military — does not need to meet the 5 percent goal he has demanded of other countries.” This is part of the pinned item in a liveblog. ~~~

     ~~~ If there is any aspect of the stereotypical Ugly American that Trump doesn't meet, Jeff Bezos and his tacky fiancee Lauren Sánchez, are filling the void. They are to be married this week in Venice.  Amy Odell elaborates in a New York Times op-ed. Sorry, Europe! ~~~

     ~~~ “On Monday, activists from Greenpeace and the Britain-based group Everyone Hates Elon unfurled [this] giant image of a laughing Bezos in St. Mark’s Square under the words....” -- Washington Post 

Bunker Buster Bomb Bust. Julian Barnes, et al., of the New York Times: “A preliminary classified U.S. report says the American bombing of Iran’s nuclear sites sealed off the entrances to two of the facilities but did not collapse their underground buildings.... The early findings conclude that the strikes over the weekend set back Iran’s nuclear program by only a few months.... Before the attack, U.S. intelligence agencies had said that if Iran tried to rush to making a bomb, it would take about three months. After the U.S. bombing run and days of attacks by the Israeli Air Force, the report by the Defense Intelligence Agency estimated that the program was delayed less than six months.... The findings suggest that ... [Donald] Trump’s statement that Iran’s nuclear facilities were obliterated was overstated, at least based on the initial damage assessment. Congress had been set to be briefed on the strike on Tuesday..., but the session was postponed. Senators are now set be briefed on Thursday.” (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ Anne Flaherty & Luis Martinez of ABC News: "Sources say the U.S. believes based on early intelligence that significant damage was done but mostly to structures above ground. According to the sources, the enriched uranium was not destroyed and centrifuges are largely intact. The findings are at odds with ... Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth insisting that Iran's nuclear program had been  'obliterated.' In his most recent comments Tuesday morning, Trump told reporters, 'I think it’s been completely demolished.'" ~~~

     ~~~ Marie: I'm confused. Generalissimo Bonespurs keeps talking about how the B-52 pilots did such a great job hitting their targets. But the B-52 is not a single-person aircraft. It has, among other members of the crew, a bombardier or radar navigator. It seems to me that the radar navigator/bombardier is the person most responsible for dropping the bombs; i.e., hitting the targets. This is not to suggest that the bombs could hit their targets if the pilots (with help from her crew) couldn't get the plane in range of the targets. ~~~

~~~ Tyler Pager & David Sanger of the New York Times: “... just hours after [Donald Trump] landed [in the Netherlands for the annual NATO meeting], the leak of a new U.S. intelligence report cast doubt on his repeated claim that the American strikes had 'obliterated' Iran’s nuclear programs.... Mr. Trump had been eager to celebrate his success at NATO and revel in the fact that he had conducted an attack that none of his predecessors had dared to launch. His view was backed up by Mark Rutte, the secretary general of the alliance, who wrote Mr. Trump a private message thanking him for his 'decisive action' in Iran....

“Mr. Rutte went on to tell Mr. Trump that he was 'flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,'  citing the alliance’s agreement that each nation would spend 5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense or defense-related spending, though they have a decade to reach the mark. That is a major victory for Mr. Trump, who has pressed for the past decade for Europe to pay for more of its own defense.... By any measure, Mr. Trump’s actions in the past 72 hours underscored to those countries, however, how advanced the U.S. military was compared to the other forces that make up NATO.”

Adam Liptak & Mattathias Schwartz of the New York Times: “The Trump administration returned to the Supreme Court on Tuesday in the case of eight men it seeks to deport to South Sudan, asking the justices to make clear that an order they issued on Monday was intended to apply to the group. The clarity was apparently needed because the Supreme Court on Monday had issued only a brief order letting the government send migrants to countries with which they have no connection without giving them a chance to argue they would face torture. The court provided no explanation of its reasoning. The Supreme Court’s order paused an injunction issued by Judge Brian E. Murphy, of the U.S. District Court in Boston, who had forbidden the deportations of all migrants to third countries unless they were afforded due process. Soon after the Supreme Court ruled, lawyers for the men filed an emergency motion with Judge Murphy asking him to continue blocking the deportations of eight men currently held in Djibouti.

“In a brief order Monday night, the judge denied the motion as unnecessary. He said that he had issued a separate ruling last month, different from the one the Supreme Court had paused, protecting the men in Djibouti from immediate removal. That left the fate of the men unclear, as ... [Donald] Trump and a top aide cried foul. Judge Murphy 'knew absolutely nothing about the situation' and was 'absolutely out of control,' Mr. Trump wrote on social media. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff..., said, 'Expect fireworks tomorrow when we hold this judge accountable for refusing to obey the Supreme Court.'” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Devlin Barrett of the New York Times: “A senior Justice Department official, Emil Bove III, told subordinates he was willing to ignore court orders to fulfill the president’s aggressive deportation campaign, according to a whistle-blower complaint by a department lawyer who has since been fired. The account by the dismissed lawyer, Erez Reuveni, paints a disturbing portrait of his final three weeks on the front lines of the Trump administration’s legal efforts to ship immigrants overseas, often with little notice or recourse. In Mr. Reuveni’s telling, Mr. Bove discussed disregarding court orders, adding an expletive for emphasis, and other top law enforcement officials showed themselves ready to stonewall judges or lie to them to get their way. Mr. Reuveni’s account, which was obtained by The New York Times, was filed to lawmakers and the Justice Department inspector general on Tuesday, just one day before Mr. Bove is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a nomination to a federal appeals court....

“Mr. Bove’s boss, Todd Blanche, called Mr. Reuveni’s description of events 'falsehoods purportedly made by a disgruntled former employee and then leaked to the press in violation of ethical obligations.' Mr. Blanche denounced this article as 'a false hit piece a day before a confirmation hearing,' criticizing The Times for publishing it. 'The claims about Department of Justice leadership are utterly false,' he said in a statement. The filing, however, suggests a copious trail of emails, texts and phone records that would support Mr. Reuveni’s version of events.” MB: Bove and Blanche, as you recall, worked together as private lawyers to defend Felonious Trump. (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~

     ~~~ The account, submitted by the Government Accountability Project to the DOJ inspector general and others, is here. (Unfortunately, it is a pdf provided by the NYT, so firewalled.) (Also linked yesterday.) 

Scott Nover of the Washington Post: “In a hearing Monday to determine the future of Voice of America, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth scolded the government for not complying with his preliminary injunction from April. Lamberth lamented the 'paucity' of information provided by the Trump administration about how it is complying with the statutory obligations for running Voice of America and its parent, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, as ordered in an April injunction. At one point, Lamberth asked the assistant U.S. attorney representing the government, Brenda González Horowitz, why he should not start a contempt trial for violating his injunction. While the federal circuit court for Washington stayed parts of Lamberth’s injunction in May that brought staffers back to work, the government did not appeal a requirement of the order that required it to uphold the statutory obligations of the agency.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Karoun Demirjian of the New York Times: “Investigators for the National Transportation Safety Board said on Tuesday that a single bolt could have averted a terrifying incident last year when a panel blew off an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 airplane midair. The agency did not determine who removed and failed to replace the four bolts that typically held the door plug — a panel that fills a gap where an emergency exit would be — in place, causing it to rip off Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 midflight. But investigators said that the door plug would not have come loose if just one of the lower bolts, called vertical movement arrestor bolts, had been installed. The finding was part of a series of failures highlighted in a public hearing held by N.T.S.B. leaders in Washington to review the findings of their 17-month investigation. The agency determined that the door plug likely detached because Boeing had failed to ensure that workers 'consistently and correctly' followed its process to remove and reinstall parts. '... An accident like this does not happen because of an individual, or even a group of individuals,' said Jennifer Homendy, the N.T.S.B. chairwoman, adding, 'An accident like this only happens when there are multiple system failures.'”

Big Balls Resigns. Chris Cameron & Nicholas Nehamas of the New York Times: “Edward Coristine, the 19-year-old high-profile operative for the Department of Government Efficiency, resigned yesterday morning, according to a White House official. Mr. Coristine, known by the online pseudonym 'Big Balls,' was a key player on Elon Musk’s team that spearheaded a widespread effort to slash the federal bureaucracy. To critics and many government employees, he became a symbol of DOGE’s flaws: Its technologists were young and inexperienced but brash, with a dubious background for the outsize positions of power they occupied.... Mr. Coristine had been involved in DOGE activities in the General Services Administration, the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services and Homeland Security. He was most recently seen working in the Social Security Administration.... He was earlier involved in efforts to slash the State Department’s budget, helping to direct plans to close diplomatic offices and fire overseas employees. He later moved on to assist in building a system for the United States to sell special immigration visas, which ... [Donald] Trump has labeled 'gold cards,' for $5 million apiece.”

Kate Conger & Kenneth Vogel of the New York Times: “Media Matters, a liberal advocacy organization, sued the Federal Trade Commission on Monday, claiming that the agency was waging a 'campaign of retribution' against the group on behalf of the Trump administration and Elon Musk. The F.T.C. started investigating Media Matters last month over whether the organization had illegally colluded with other advertising advocacy groups to pinch off revenue from X, Mr. Musk’s social media company, and other right-leaning sites. Media Matters reported in 2023 that ads on X appeared alongside antisemitic content. Media Matters said in its lawsuit that the Federal Trade Commission had employed 'sweeping governmental powers to attempt to silence and harass an organization for daring to speak the truth.' The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., claimed that the agency was trying to limit the organization’s free speech rights, and asked a judge to immediately halt the investigation.” (Also linked yesterday.) 

Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: While the House has already approved Donald Trump's Big Bad Bill, “any changes made by the Senate will send it back to the House, where it must win final passage to clear Congress and go to the White House for Mr. Trump’s signature. Some conservatives in the House only grudgingly voted for the legislation the first time, arguing that it did not go far enough in cutting spending, including on Medicaid. They agreed to support the package only after securing what they characterized as commitments from their Senate colleagues to enact deeper cuts and fix the measure. Now, those House Republicans regard the bill taking shape in the Senate, which party leaders hope to push through within days, as even worse.... Representative Chip Roy of Texas wrote on social media..., '...The bill in its current Senate form would increase deficits, continue most Green New Scam subsidies, & otherwise fail even a basic smell test… I would not vote for it as it is.' Representative Andy Harris of Maryland [chairman of the House Freedom Caucus], who voted 'present' on the House-passed bill, also said he would not vote for the version the Senate was putting together.”

Michael Gold of the New York Times: “House Democrats on Tuesday chose Representative Robert Garcia of California to lead their party on the Oversight Committee, elevating a less experienced member over an older and more seasoned one to a key post as younger Democrats seek more influence over their party’s future. Mr. Garcia, 47, a second-term lawmaker, emerged from a field that had initially included three other contenders in an internal contest for a position that will make him among Democrats’ most visible foils to Republicans and the Trump administration. His selection suggested a rebuke to the seniority system that Democrats have traditionally used when awarding powerful positions in Congress. The secret ballot vote was 150 to 63, according to members. The top spot on the Oversight Committee, the main investigative panel in the House, became vacant after Representative Gerald E. Connolly of Virginia died last month at 75. The position has seen considerable turnover; Mr. Connolly was the fourth person to hold it in six years, none of them younger than 60 years old.”

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California. Gaya Gupta & Tobi Raji of the Washington Post: “A man charged with helping bomb a fertility clinic in Southern California last month has died in federal custody in Los Angeles, prison officials said Tuesday. Daniel Jongyon Park, 32, was found unresponsive at the Metropolitan Detention Center about 7:30 a.m., the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. Employees 'initiated life-saving measures' and requested emergency medical services, the bureau said. Park was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, prison officials said. They did not release a cause of death. Park’s lawyer, Peter Hardin, said the death appeared to be a suicide but is being investigated by the FBI.... Federal prosecutors accused Park of aiding 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus in the May 17 attack on the American Reproductive Centers clinic in Palm Springs. Bartkus, who attempted to live-stream the attack, detonated a car bomb, killing him and injuring four others. Authorities described the attack as an act of terrorism.”