Author: DN19 Newsroom

Exclusive: I won’t run against Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom tells CNN

California Governor Gavin Newsom opened up about a potential 2028 presidential bid, his relationship with Vice President Kamala Harris, and the personal calculus behind seeking the White House during an extensive fly-fishing interview with CNN anchor Jake Tapper in Montana.

A Conversation on the Bitterroot River

The setting was unconventional by political journalism standards: waist-deep in the frigid Bitterroot River on the Bitterroot Springs Ranch near Stevensville, Montana. Tapper, who pitched the “Out of Office” longform concept to several political figures including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, wanted to move beyond studio interviews. The goal was to discuss childhoods, parents, tougher moments, and biggest successes in an environment where the subject felt comfortable. Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina has also agreed to participate in the series.

Despite Tapper’s self-described “horrible fly-fishing form,” the hours spent driving around the ranch and standing in the water loosened up the typically polished politician. The conversation ranged across decades of public life, touching on Newsom’s dyslexia, failed first marriage, past affair, his mother’s assisted suicide, a close friend’s intervention, the governor’s race, COVID-19 challenges, and confrontations with President Donald Trump.

Newsom on Harris and the 2028 Field

Top of mind was whether Newsom runs for president in 2028. A key variable is who else enters the race, specifically former Vice President Kamala Harris, a fellow San Francisco Democrat.

“I don’t know if she runs, but we’ll see,” Newsom told me. “I wouldn’t run if she ran.”

Tapper noted frank surprise at the definitive statement.

“Why would I?” he said. “I wouldn’t do that to her. I wouldn’t do it to me. … I won’t waste everyone’s time. Who needs that?”

Newsom elaborated on the political mechanics of such a scenario.

“First of all, electorally it’s a gift from God for everybody else,” he explained. “They’d enjoy the hell out of it. Mutual assured destruction. It services no greater good. Why would I do this if I wasn’t trying to serve some greater good? There would be no upside whatsoever.”

When pressed on the counterargument—that Harris ran in 2019 without reaching 2020 and lost the 2024 general election—Newsom conceded the point but stood firm.

“That would be the case you’d make,” he acknowledged. “Pretty good one, actually. That’s objectively true. But I know what that means. I know her base of supporters, I know her friends, the (Venn) diagram on that is just pure crossover … I wouldn’t do that to people. I wouldn’t put them in that position … Every other Democrat is praying for that, and every other Republican is gonna pray for that. And that’s just not gonna happen.”

The ‘Why’ Behind a Presidential Run

How does a politician decide to run for the highest office? Newsom described an ongoing personal process.

“I have no experience in this process, so I’m going through it,” Newsom said.

Tapper noted some observers wished Newsom had challenged President Joe Biden in 2024.

“I wasn’t ready,” he said. “First of all, I wouldn’t do that. And second, if I did, I would have gotten crushed because I didn’t have a why. You don’t have big enough why, then you don’t belong there.”

“It’s shocking how many presidential candidates can’t answer their why. Like, shocking,” he continued. He said he’d seen “leading candidates over the last few cycles that are there for the wrong reasons. Or no reason at all, which is the worst. So, you’ve got to have a big enough why.”

Family as the Final Veto

After reflecting on his personal and professional journey, Newsom signaled a shift in perspective.

“I am not screwing anything up anymore, man. I know what matters in life. I got four kids, it’s the only thing that matters to me.”

His wife and school-aged children hold veto power over a White House run.

“If they’re not on board, that’s a non-starter.”

Meeting the Moment

Back in the flowing water, checking his hook and casting upstream at signs of reluctant fish, Newsom outlined the signs that might actually make him run.

“You just have to meet the moment. You got to be honest with yourself. Do you represent the zeitgeist in the moment, or are you wasting everybody’s time?” he said.

“I’m not here to make a point. I want to make the difference, and you can make a difference in a lot of ways in life.”

The full “Out of Office” report with Gavin Newsom streams Tuesday on CNN All Access starting at 8 a.m. ET.

07/13/2017
UK Upgrades Diplomatic Relations with Venezuela

The United Kingdom government announced Tuesday an upgrade in its diplomatic relations with Venezuela, including the appointment of an ambassador to the country, in a move it said would strengthen its capacity “to play a constructive role in support of a democratic transition.”

“Esta decisión forma parte de un acercamiento internacional más amplio,” the government said in a statement addressed to Parliament.

“Este enfoque no representa ningún cambio en la valoración que hace el Reino Unido de los recientes procesos electorales, incluidos los celebrados en 2024, ni implica el respaldo a ningún partido. La postura tradicional del Reino Unido es reconocer a los Estados, no a los Gobiernos,” clarified the document signed by the Minister for Latin America, Chris Elmore.

“La mejora de nuestras relaciones reforzará nuestra capacidad para desempeñar un papel constructivo en apoyo de una transición democrática. Nos permitirá defender de manera más eficaz el respeto de los derechos humanos y contribuir a la recuperación y reconstrucción del país tras los devastadores terremotos del 24 de junio,” the text adds.

Meanwhile, Colin Dick, head of mission at the British Embassy in Caracas, stated in a communiqué: “Espero que el Reino Unido y Venezuela trabajen aún más estrechamente en los próximos años.”

For its part, the Venezuelan government said it “valora la decisión del Reino Unido” to elevate the level of diplomatic relations.

Oliver Blanco, Vice Minister for Europe and North America, posted on X: “Reafirmamos nuestra disposición a profundizar un diálogo respetuoso y constructivo, así como a promover la cooperación en áreas de interés común para nuestros países y avanzar en la recuperación de los recursos que pertenecen legítimamente a los venezolanos.”

07/13/2017
John Roberts Often Defers to Trump—but Not on the White House Ballroom Project

Chief Justice John Roberts broke with Donald Trump and the Supreme Court’s other conservative justices on Monday, objecting to the president’s plan to build a massive ballroom at the White House.

“The White House is not just any building.”

Roberts has often deferred to Trump’s executive authority, but his dissent marked a rare break from a president whose policies have dominated the court’s docket. Roberts has authored major opinions supporting Trump, including the 2024 ruling granting him immunity from criminal prosecution and last June’s decision allowing him to fire the heads of independent agencies.

Even in dissent, Roberts used the historically minded rhetoric for which he is known. His six-page statement invoked the history and architecture of Washington, quoting Theodore Roosevelt and Winston Churchill on the importance of iconic public buildings.

“‘We shape our buildings, and afterwards our buildings shape us,’” Roberts wrote, lifting a line from a 1943 Churchill war speech.

He added, “All the more reason to ensure that those responsible follow the rules in deciding what to tear down and what to build up at the People’s House.”

Roberts invokes the White House’s historic role

Roberts, who often tells audiences that he once planned to pursue a history Ph.D. rather than a law degree at Harvard, highlighted the symbolism of Washington’s historic architecture.

He noted that when Roosevelt thanked Congress in 1902 for funding additions to the East and West wings, the president referred to “the stately simplicity” of the original architecture and the importance of preserving “such buildings as historic monuments which keep alive our sense of continuing with the Nation’s past.”

Throughout his opinion, Roberts showed his own appreciation for the White House’s architecture, much as he has expressed pride in the Supreme Court’s columned building. The Supreme Court did not have its own building until 1935, more than a century after the White House and US Capitol were constructed.

Roberts’ position did not affect the outcome and came at no apparent cost to Trump. His five conservative colleagues formed a majority that allowed construction of the ballroom to continue. The project has been underway for nearly a year and is nearing completion.

Still, Monday’s statement adds another dimension to Roberts’ record as chief justice during Trump’s aggressive second-term agenda. The president’s cases have shaped the court’s work and will form a significant part of Roberts’ legacy.

Roberts has approved many Trump policies, but last session he voted against two of the president’s most far-reaching initiatives: sweeping tariffs on foreign goods imposed without congressional approval and an effort to restrict birthright citizenship, the long-standing practice granting US citizenship to children born in the country.

Trump’s plans to reshape Washington

The case’s focus on American history also underscored Roberts’ role as chancellor of the Smithsonian Institution. The position is largely ceremonial because he serves as chief justice, but Roberts has presided over Smithsonian board meetings and observed the Trump administration’s continuing effort to reshape the nation’s leading public museums.

Trump’s campaign to transform Washington in his own image has included adding his name to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and proposing a 250-foot triumphal arch. The arch is planned for the traffic circle between the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and the Lincoln Memorial.

The lawsuit was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The organization argued that demolishing the East Wing and constructing a 90,000 square-foot ballroom and security structure required congressional approval.

Lower federal courts initially sided with the Trust and allowed the case to proceed. The judges found that the organization had “standing” to sue because it had shown a significant injury. The Trust cited Alison Hoagland, a longtime Trust leader and member and an architectural historian, who said the project had harmed her enjoyment of the White House.

The Supreme Court’s majority rejected that reasoning, writing that “mere offense, disagreement, or distaste does not qualify as a concrete and particularized injury” for purposes of bringing a lawsuit. The majority issued its ruling per curiam, Latin for “by the court,” as is common in appeals arriving through the court’s emergency docket. Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett did not sign separate opinions.

Roberts disagreed that Hoagland’s claim was minor. Liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined his opinion.

“The White House is not just any building, and – when it comes to historic preservation – Hoagland is not just any person.”

Roberts said earlier court decisions had recognized injury based on “esthetic interests.” He cited a 1992 precedent in which, as Roberts described it, “a desire to … observe an animal species like a particular crocodile, even for purely esthetic purposes was undeniably a cognizable interest for purposes of standing.”

Roberts says ballroom project is likely unlawful

In the case before the court, Roberts declared, “A historic preservationist such as Hoagland can be aesthetically injured in a concrete, particularized way by the transformation of a historic building that she frequently enjoys, just as an environmentalist can sustain a concrete, particularized aesthetic injury from the extinction of a particular animal or the transformation of a particular forest or river that he regularly enjoys.”

Monday’s ruling addressed only the question of standing. The majority said it was not deciding whether the ballroom project itself was lawful. Roberts, however, made clear that he viewed the broader construction effort skeptically.

He wrote that Congress had expressly prohibited construction on such federal property “without express authority of Congress.”

“That construction is likely unlawful,” he said, adding that the usual appropriation for White House maintenance “likely does not authorize the President to use hundreds of millions of dollars in private donations to tear down the East Wing and construct a ballroom in its stead.”

07/13/2017
El Niño Intensifies to Super Status: What It Means for Weather

An already powerful El Niño has intensified into “super” territory, crossing a critical threshold at an unprecedented pace for this time of year. The natural climate cycle, officially declared in June, has strengthened at a breakneck speed and is now stronger on this date than any previous event on record. Forecasters warn it is not done bulking up yet.

Key Metric Crosses “Very Strong” Threshold

For months, forecasters predicted El Niño would become “very strong” or “super” by fall. The key measure of its strength—the Niño 3.4 Relative Oceanic Niño Index (RONI)—has now crossed that threshold and is projected to continue soaring.

As a refresher, El Niño is characterized by warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures along the equator in the Pacific Ocean. This warmer water triggers corresponding shifts in the atmosphere, creating a domino effect on weather patterns globally. An active Pacific hurricane season threatening Hawaii, a hurricane-less Atlantic season to date, and overwhelming wildfires in Indonesia are just a few effects already linked to this very strong event.

The stronger an El Niño, the more likely it is to influence these weather patterns, though it does not guarantee more extreme impacts in every location.

How NOAA Measures El Niño Strength

To capture El Niño’s strength, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) forecasters measure how far above normal sea surface temperatures are in a specific region of the Pacific using the RONI metric. The latest weekly RONI value hit 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above average. This marks the threshold for “very strong,” the highest official category set by forecasters, and the point where El Niño gains its unofficial “super” moniker.

These weekly values provide a reliable real-time snapshot of El Niño’s strength, which is crucial given how fast this event is gaining ground. Just a year ago, a weak La Niña—El Niño’s cool counterpart—was in place. Only a handful of other years have seen such a rapid flip to a potent El Niño, including the strongest event on record from 1982 to 1983.

Weekly vs. Monthly Metrics

Using weekly values is a slight departure from the norm. NOAA’s most widely recognized strength metric is a three-month rolling average RONI. The rolling average smooths out short-term data fluctuations in favor of a cleaner long-term average and updates once a month. This is how a decades-long climate record is built, but the delayed data means it will take weeks for that reading to truly capture how super-sized El Niño is right now.

Record-Breaking Trajectory Confirmed

This is not a normal event. In addition to being the strongest El Niño on record for this date, it is ultimately likely to become stronger than any event before it. By the end of the year, El Niño has a 75% chance of peaking as the strongest event since records began in 1950, according to NOAA’s latest forecast issued last week.

This year’s El Niño is also unfolding in a much hotter world than previous record-setting events due to climate change. A comparison of sea surface temperatures from this year against past record events illustrates how much fossil fuel pollution has rewritten the rules.

Climate Change Alters the Monitoring Metric

Climate change has literally changed the metric used to monitor El Niño. This event is the first to be captured by NOAA’s RONI, which was first implemented in February. The old metric took sea surface temperatures at face value, but RONI subtracts how much warmer the Pacific Ocean is because of climate change to isolate the “true” strength of El Niño. Even with this adjustment, this El Niño continues to clear hurdles in its pursuit of record-breaking strength later this fall or early winter.

Impacts: Past, Present, and Still to Come

Winter is when El Niño is forecast to hit its peak strength and when its influence on global weather is typically most pronounced, but it has already left significant calling cards this summer as it strengthened rapidly.

Hurricane Season Disruption

El Niño has been a major factor in both the Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons. In the Atlantic, it has driven storm-killing wind shear to extreme levels and kept it there, even during what should be the busiest time of the season. This created a record-long wait for the season’s first hurricane.

Conversely, El Niño has suppressed that same wind shear over the exceptionally warm Pacific, and activity has exploded. Sixteen storms, including two Category 5 hurricanes, have formed and thrived in the eastern and central Pacific so far. Hawaii alone has faced three tropical systems in less than a month. Fourteen of those storms originated in the East Pacific, which—with two and a half months of the season still remaining—will likely blow past its average seasonal storm total of 15.

Indonesia Wildfires and Global Heat

Elsewhere, Indonesia is battling widespread wildfires, and conditions could deteriorate further. El Niño years make the country drier than usual, leaving plenty of tinder-dry vegetation for blazes to consume and limited rainfall to help fire crews tamp down ongoing activity.

El Niño also raises global average air temperatures above levels already being increased by climate change. It was a factor in making this summer a scorcher around the globe. August was Earth’s hottest on record and could mark the start of a record-breaking warm stretch that would likely culminate in a record-hot 2024—and possibly 2025—globally.

It is clear El Niño is already a major player, but it will hit its full stride in the months ahead, right on time to dictate winter weather across the U.S.

07/13/2017
Supreme Court Rejects Trump Plan to Limit Mail-In Voting in Midterm Elections

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to change how mail ballots are sent to voters nationwide, blocking a proposal that election officials warned would have caused catastrophic consequences for the 2026 midterms.

In one of the most significant cases on the court’s emergency docket in years, a majority of justices halted a procedure that would have granted the U.S. Postal Service unprecedented authority to withhold potentially millions of mail ballots. Even some Republican election officials cautioned the proposal could trigger chaos and mass disenfranchisement.

The court ruled the administration “is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge” but provided minimal reasoning in its three-sentence, unsigned order. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.

Major Setback for Trump’s Mail Voting Crusade

The decision marks a significant loss for the president, who has spent years attacking mail voting with false claims of widespread fraud while continuing to vote by mail himself. The administration framed its proposal as a “modest” regulatory tweak intended to protect against alleged fraud. Critics, however, labeled it an unconstitutional power grab the Postal Service was unprepared to execute.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

Kavanaugh Concurs on Timing, Leaves Door Open for Future

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, part of the court’s conservative wing, wrote a concurrence stating he believed the proposal might fall within USPS authority, but that “state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections.”

His reasoning acknowledged a flood of briefs from election officials arguing there was simply not enough time to implement the order this late in the cycle. The concurrence also suggested Kavanaugh could side with Alito and Thomas to approve similar changes for a future election.

Alito Dismisses Practical Concerns, Cites Postal Authority

In dissent, Alito argued the practical implementation concerns raised by election officials were insufficient grounds for the plaintiff states and voting rights groups to prevail.

“The government has a strong interest in enforcing the rule, and implementing it will also ‘enhance the visibility of Federal Ballot Mail’ in order to better detect election fraud,” Alito wrote. “On the other side of the balance, the plaintiff States invoke the practical effects of implementing the rule close to the midterm elections. I take that problem very seriously, but it is not enough to convince me to deny the application.”

“That Hail Mary pass is unlikely to be successfully completed here,” Alito wrote. “The Postal Service has broad authority to regulate the mail.”

Bipartisan Coalition Warned of Last-Minute Chaos

Beyond the Democratic-led states and voting rights groups that challenged the proposal, a bipartisan coalition of election administrators, former governors, and others warned the justices against last-minute changes to mail ballot procedures. The Postal Service rule required states to upload massive voter datasets to an online portal that was not yet operational. It also mandated changes to ballot envelopes that had already been purchased and, in many states, already mailed to voters.

Officials Celebrate Ruling as Defense of Democracy

The plaintiffs praised the court’s decision late Monday.

“Trump’s attempt to sabotage the 2026 elections has failed,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, called the high court’s decision a “victory for our democracy and a powerful affirmation of the rule of law.”

The administration argued the changes were necessary to secure ballots and ensure only eligible voters receive them. A coalition of two dozen Democratic-led states and voting groups countered the effort was a power grab by a president who has long falsely alleged widespread voter fraud in mail ballot systems.

Court Prioritizes Voter Harm Over Administrative Burden

In recent emergency docket rulings, the court has often found the Trump administration harmed when lower courts block controversial policies. In this case, however, the court determined that “equitable factors”—the potential harm to voters—outweighed those concerns.

The emergency appeal, filed last week, was the third time the administration raced to the Supreme Court on this policy. In late August, the court allowed the president to proceed on technical grounds related to lawsuit timing. A lower federal court blocked the changes days later.

Under the Constitution, states and Congress determine voting procedures—not the White House or the post office.

Order Required Voter Lists, Barcodes, and Prosecution Threats

The president’s order required states to submit eligible voter lists to the USPS. The agency would then be barred from delivering ballots to anyone not on those lists. It also mandated tracking barcodes on ballot envelopes and “prioritized” federal prosecution of state election officials who send or receive ballots to non-citizens or other ineligible voters.

Whistleblower Warned of Mass Ballot Withholding

While the Supreme Court deliberated, a Postal Service whistleblower issued stark warnings. The whistleblower’s report revealed that if a single ballot had a barcode issue, officials would decline to deliver the entire batch of mailings containing that envelope. The report also described a rushed effort to launch an online data-sharing system that could make the complex plan even more vulnerable to mass disenfranchisement.

No Evidence of Widespread Fraud; Multiple Courts Rejected Plan

Trump has long promoted conspiracy theories about mail voting to discredit the 2020 presidential election he lost. Improper voting remains exceedingly rare, and the administration has never produced evidence of widespread fraud capable of influencing the 2020 outcome or any other contest.

Multiple federal courts rejected the proposal. Over the weekend, U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump nominee in Washington, D.C., became the latest to pause the USPS rule for the midterms.

07/13/2017
NYC Mayor Mamdani Releases 9/11 Records Showing Officials Misled New Yorkers on Ground Zero Air Quality

New York City Releases 170,000 Pages of 9/11 Air Quality Records, Revealing Early Knowledge of Toxic Risks

New York City has released more than 170,000 pages of previously undisclosed records about air quality following the September 11, 2001, attacks. The documents show that city officials at the time knew conditions around Ground Zero were unsafe to breathe despite repeated public assurances that the air was safe.

Mayor Announces Release Amid Growing Health Toll

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the release at a news conference Tuesday, framing the disclosure as a reckoning with the long-term human cost of the attacks.

“As the years pass and the human toll grows, we reckon with the cost of September 11th whenever another New Yorker is stolen from us too soon,” Mamdani said. “Now, close to 25 years later, more people have died from 9/11-related illnesses than were killed on the day itself.”

According to the 9/11 Memorial, at least 140,000 people from all 50 states have enrolled in the World Trade Center Health Program, and 49,000 have been diagnosed with certified WTC-related cancers. Mamdani said Tuesday that more people are eligible for assistance than are currently enrolled, including residents who lived near the site but have not received outreach and those who live outside of New York.

Cancer coverage was not included when Congress created the health program in 2011. It was added in 2012 only after a fight by advocates and a study showing elevated cancer rates among New York firefighters at Ground Zero. Nearly 3,000 people were killed on 9/11, but thousands more — including first responders who spent months working at the site — have since died from 9/11-related cancers and other illnesses.

Documents Released After Lawsuit by 9/11 Health Watch

The release resolves a lawsuit brought by the advocacy group 9/11 Health Watch, which had sued the city for the records.

Ben Chevat, the executive director of 9/11 Health Watch, said Tuesday the release of the documents will give people what they need to access federal assistance and will help kick-start additional research on health outcomes.

“Mr. Mayor, I want to thank you for being the mayor who, after 25 years, begins to answer the question: What did the city know about the dangers from the toxic cloud at Ground Zero, and when did it know it?” Chevat said at Tuesday’s news conference, addressing Mamdani.

Internal Memos Show Early Alarms About Toxins

The documents contain a fraction of the air quality reports taken at Ground Zero, but they also include crucial internal memos. These documents show officials raised alarms regarding environmental testing between October and November 2001, which regularly detected elevated levels of toxins, including asbestos and hard-to-detect chemicals that were dangerous.

Some documents show concerns about air quality were outlined in a white paper published by U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, who sent a memo to then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office in February 2002. Nadler outlined his concerns and belief that the Environmental Protection Agency had “neglected its responsibility for monitoring indoor air quality around Ground Zero.”

Nadler told the mayor’s office that shortly after the attacks, then-EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman misled the public by publicly declaring that the air was “safe to breathe,” but that the statement was made before any government test of indoor air quality had been conducted, the documents show.

Nadler also wrote to the mayor’s office about findings by University of California, Davis, scientists which showed the air contained “startling concentrations” of lung-penetrating, ultra-fine particulate matter that could “lodge deep in the lungs.”

News reports from February 2002, five months after the attacks, show Bloomberg, who succeeded Rudy Giuliani, said “every test that has been done says the air quality was in acceptable limits. I think some people are just never going to believe that.” A spokesperson for Bloomberg declined to comment Tuesday.

EPA Administrator Defends Agency’s Actions

Whitman said in a statement Tuesday that her comments about the Ground Zero site’s air quality “were based entirely on the analysis done by EPA scientists.”

“Within days, the EPA had put up a website with all the data available, which they frequently updated so that it was all public — the goal was as much transparency as possible. Everyone at the EPA did the best they could with the information, tools, and knowledge available at the time,” she said in the statement.

Whitman said EPA officials repeatedly distinguished between conditions at the site and the air elsewhere in the city and warned of the risks to workers at Ground Zero. She added that the EPA did not control the worksite — which she said New York City oversaw — and had no authority to regulate indoor air quality.

“Harding Memo” Reveals Legal Liability Concerns

Another crucial document included in Tuesday’s release was what became known as the “Harding Memo,” a document sent to then-Deputy Mayor Robert Harding. It cited a Law Department estimate of about 35,000 potential plaintiffs — roughly 10,000 of whom were expected to file claims — as a result of the September 11 attacks, and outlined legislative options to limit the city’s legal liability.

“A major concern is that if these cases make it to court, the judges and juries will be biased in favor of plaintiffs (even though the City seems to have a strong defense) and therefore, award substantial damages to compensate individuals for their loss,” the memo states.

The memo also listed potential grounds for lawsuits against the city, including that “Health advisories caused individuals either to return to the area too soon (causing toxic exposure or emotional harm) or too late (causing economic hardship).”

“People got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air,” Mamdani said.

When asked whether the yearslong delay in releasing the documents was a “cover-up,” the mayor said, “This was multiple mayoral administrations refusing to release documents that New Yorkers were owed.”

Jon Stewart and 9/11 Families Join Call for Accountability

Mamdani appeared alongside 9/11 families and Jon Stewart, a longtime advocate for increased transparency and resources for first responders and survivors.

“There was poison in the air, and on the ground, and in the window sills, and in your air conditioners and covering your pets and your clothes, and it stayed there for months. Everyone knew. Now it’s very clear that the city knew as well,” Stewart said.

Karen Klingon, who lost her brother after 9/11, attended the news conference Tuesday. Her brother, Robert Klingon, lived a five-minute walk from the World Trade Center when the towers came down and was treated through the World Trade Center Health Program, she told CNN. In 2018, he collapsed on the street and learned he had a brain tumor. He died two years later, Klingon said.

“I think there wasn’t just lack of transparency; there was a lack of regard for people, and I find that very disturbing,” Klingon told CNN. “Also, my brother was a lawyer and had a very acute sense of justice and injustice, and he would have certainly been appalled by the injustice of the lack of transparency and the lack of concern for people who are still suffering.”

Searchable Portal Launches for Public Access

A searchable portal will provide access to the documents, and the city is expected to add more material on a rolling basis in the coming months, officials said Tuesday. Every document published in the portal will be available for view and download at no cost.

The disclosure is expected to give the public a better understanding of how the city responded following the collapse of the World Trade Center as officials raced to restabilize Lower Manhattan and reopen the area. The documents were among 68 boxes stored in a city government office that were discovered last year and are being released ahead of Friday’s 25th anniversary of the attacks, according to city officials.

07/13/2017
El Niño Triggers Sudden Sea Level Rise Along California Coast

The sea level along California’s coast is projected to rise by about a foot by mid‑October as a coastal Kelvin wave — driven by the developing El Niño — pushes a large volume of water northward from offshore Mexico and Central America. According to Dillon Amaya, an oceanographer at North Carolina State University, the wave’s arrival marks one of the first significant impacts of the powerful El Niño taking shape in the tropical Pacific.

“Typically, we think of El Niño and its impact on precipitation, but some of the first indications that El Niño is really occurring are the arrival of these coastally trapped waves,”

Amaya said.

What Is a Coastal Kelvin Wave?

A coastal Kelvin wave is not a breaking wave visible at the beach. It is barely perceptible to the human eye as it slithers northward from offshore of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula at roughly six miles per hour. Satellites that measure changes in ocean height detect these waves. While you cannot surf a Kelvin wave, it affects surfing by raising coastal sea levels, which increases the likelihood of damage from astronomical high tides and winter storms also influenced by El Niño. In essence, one El Niño‑related phenomenon — sea level rise — compounds the damage caused by others.

Kelvin waves in the open ocean are massive, slow‑moving undulations that slosh up and down like water in a bathtub. Once they reach land, they can shift direction, moving north and south parallel to the coast and raising ocean levels by 6 to 12 inches as they travel.

El Niño’s Broader Impact on Sea Levels

The ongoing El Niño, characterized by much hotter‑than‑average sea‑surface temperatures in the tropical Pacific, is forecast to be the strongest such event on record since at least 1950. El Niño temporarily increases water levels on top of the long‑term sea‑level rise driven by human‑caused climate change.

Water levels along the California coastline have already been rising due to earlier El Niño‑linked Kelvin waves, including one that reached California in May and June. The upcoming wave will further elevate water levels and put the state at greater risk of coastal flooding, Amaya said.

“It’s an epic transit,”

Amaya said of the Kelvin wave’s journey. In about 120 days, a Kelvin wave can travel from the western Pacific to the Pacific Northwest coastline of the U.S., or even as far as the Gulf of Alaska, raising ocean heights along the way.

These large, undulating Kelvin waves are part of what helps El Niño form, transporting heat from the western Pacific Ocean to its central and eastern regions near the equator. The waves push huge quantities of ocean heat under the sea surface in a process known as downwelling. When they reach the central and eastern tropical Pacific, that undersea heat rises, or upwells, increasing ocean temperatures there.

In addition, sea levels are rising along the West Coast because the hotter waters associated with El Niño expand to take up more space.

“The wave would add to what is already there,”

Amaya said. The total sea level height, including this latest wave, is anticipated to be 10 to 14 inches higher than normal along the California coast.

Expert Warnings on Coastal Flooding

Patrick Barnard, research director at the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said the ocean height increase puts many coastal residents at risk of flooding.

“Because so many of our communities are built right at sea level on the West Coast, and our extreme water levels don’t vary widely, every 2 to 4 inches of sea level doubles our flood risk,”

Barnard said.

Amaya noted that background sea level rise since the preindustrial era along parts of the California coast has been about one foot, so these El Niño‑related changes will double that century‑long trend all at once, albeit temporarily.

“El Niño has arrived. This is some of the first evidence that El Niño is impacting the United States.”

07/13/2017
US Military Confirms Deployment of Weapons in Space

US Acknowledges Deployment of Space Weapons for First Time

The United States has deployed weapons in space and will use them to defend American forces, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink announced Monday. The statement marks the first public acknowledgment of such capabilities in orbit and serves as a deliberate signal to potential adversaries.

Meink’s Announcement at Air, Space and Cyber Conference

“Today we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats wherever they exist,” Meink told the Air, Space and Cyber Conference, an annual gathering hosted by the Air & Space Forces Association in National Harbor, Maryland. “This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”

Meink did not provide specifics on the weapons and, when asked to expand, refused to offer additional details. It remains unknown when the weapons were placed into orbit.

Context: Space Force and Global Competition

President Donald Trump established the US Space Force in 2019 as part of the Air Force, touting it as a historic step toward bolstering US defense capabilities amid an advancing arms race. China and Russia have challenged America’s space dominance, according to US military assessments.

“China develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernization strategy,” the US Space Force says on its website, while “Russia views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts.”

Russian and Chinese Space Capabilities

US military officials have repeatedly warned that both countries are testing new offensive space capabilities. Examples cited include Russian satellite constellation training missions that Washington says could demonstrate “attack and defend tactics” for future combat, and China’s development of a nuclear-capable partial-orbit hypersonic missile.

As CNN reported in 2024, US intelligence suggests Russia has also made efforts to develop a space-based nuclear weapon that would use a massive energy wave, known as an electromagnetic pulse, to potentially knock out a large swath of commercial and government satellites – a claim Moscow has denied.

Potential Impacts of Space-Based Weapons

Such a weapon could have broad, devastating impacts. For example, it could upend satellites the world relies on to predict the weather and respond to disasters, or even potentially affect global navigation systems used for everything from banking and cargo shipping to hailing a ride share and ambulance dispatch.

“It is critically important that we maintain our dominance not only in the air but in space, and so we’ve had to take steps to make sure that when we’re threatened, we can take care of that,” Meink said Monday.

CNN has reached out to the Space Force for comment.

Legal Framework and Treaty Considerations

While the 1967 Outer Space Treaty bans nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction in orbit, it does not prohibit the use of conventional weapons in space or the use of ground-based weapons against assets in space – leaving room for interpretation.

Trump’s Golden Dome Initiative and Future Plans

Last December, Trump signed an executive order calling US superiority in space “a measure of national vision and willpower,” with an emphasis on developing next-generation missile defense technologies and ensuring its abilities to counter threats, including “any placement of nuclear weapons in space.”

The executive order was a step toward Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system, an ambitious multibillion-dollar plan inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome that officials say would allow the US to intercept missiles from anywhere in the world.

The US has remained vague on its plans for developing the missile shield, which Trump said he hopes to be completed by 2028. As CNN earlier reported, the Pentagon has scheduled its first major test for just before the 2028 election, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Speaking Monday, Meink also said a US space-based interceptor program had moved “from initial contract to flight-ready hardware in less than one year,” without revealing further details.

07/13/2017
Max Miller and Ex-Girlfriend Stephanie Grisham Ordered to Remove Social Media Posts in Latest Court Fight Involving GOP Lawmaker

Republican Rep. Max Miller spent Monday morning in an Ohio courtroom via Zoom rather than on the campaign trail, facing questions in a legal dispute with his former girlfriend, Stephanie Grisham, a former White House press secretary. It was the second time in less than a week that the embattled congressman had appeared in county court.

Miller and Grisham face questions over settlement agreement

As House lawmakers returned to Washington for a sprint ahead of the midterm elections, Miller joined the hearing from Washington, DC, to address whether he violated a 2023 settlement agreement with Grisham. The agreement followed Grisham’s allegation that Miller abused her, which he denied before suing her for defamation. Under the settlement, both Grisham and Miller agreed not to disparage each other publicly.

The hearing is the latest legal challenge facing Miller as he seeks reelection in a district that former President Donald Trump won by more than 10 points in 2024. Republicans now fear the district could become competitive because of Miller’s legal and personal troubles. Some Senate Republicans have called for him to step down, although Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN on Monday that he supports Miller’s reelection campaign, calling him “a great member of Congress.”

Miller is also involved in a bitter custody dispute with his former wife, Emily Moreno, the daughter of Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno. She has accused Miller of abuse, including holding a gun to her while their daughter was an infant. Miller has denied the allegations and appeared in person in that custody case last week.

During Monday’s hearing in the wood-paneled courtroom, Miller faced questions about his social media activity, recent media interviews and whether he called Grisham a liar after the two reached their 2023 settlement.

After several hours of testimony, the judge issued preliminary injunctions against both Miller and Grisham. The order required both parties to remove numerous social media posts that could be interpreted as disparaging the other.

Social media post becomes central to dispute

Miller was questioned about a May 7 post from his X account describing audio of Emily Moreno discussing allegations Grisham had made against the congressman. The post accompanying the audio read, “here is a recording from 2024. In it, Ms. Emily Moreno admits 1.) everything alleged by Stephanie Grisham was fabricated.”

Grisham told the court that the post damaged her reputation and undermined the peace she had sought after the 2023 settlement.

“When a sitting member of Congress calls you a liar, that is a pretty big deal in political circles,” Grisham testified.

Miller argued that he had not personally posted the material and said he does not have social media applications on his cellphone. He also said the demands of his job left him too busy to monitor constant social media updates, blaming staff members for the May 7 posts.

“I didn’t instruct them to do this, period. They just did it,” Miller said of the posts.  “You are making it seem like Twitter is 90 percent of a congressman’s job.”

CNN interview examined in court

The congressman was also questioned about two news interviews, including an appearance with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

During that interview, Tapper asked Miller directly about allegations from Grisham and Moreno and whether viewers were expected to believe the women were lying. Miller told Tapper “yes,” which Grisham’s attorneys argued violated the settlement agreement.

At another point in the interview, Miller said he could not discuss details of Grisham’s allegations because the two had reached a settlement agreement.

Miller argued that he was defending himself in the interviews and said Grisham had disparaged him first in the court of public opinion. He also contended that public accusations can cause reputational damage even when they are untrue.

“We live in a society where the court of public opinion matters more than facts, at least in my world,” he told the court.

Grisham denies post referred to Miller

Miller’s attorney, Adam Brown, argued that Grisham had posted about Miller on April 22 without naming him. Brown cited a post in which Grisham wrote on X, “Today I feel broken over what so many men with money and power get away with over & over & over,” with a broken heart emoji. “Almost worse is those of you who know & do/say nothing as it happens time & again.”

The post appeared on the same day TMZ published a story about Miller under the headline “police investigate child neglect claims in nasty custody battle.”

Grisham testified that the post was not about Miller. She said it referred instead to developments in the continuing controversy surrounding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which has remained a frequent subject of news coverage.

Grisham also told the court that Miller’s statements had affected her personal and professional life. She said her anxiety had worsened and that she had frequently declined television opportunities because she feared being asked about Miller, a subject she said she could not address under the settlement agreement.

“It has been horrible,” she said.

07/13/2017
Secret Service Aware of Iranian State Media Video Threatening Barron Trump’s Life

The US Secret Service says it is aware of a video aired by Iran’s state broadcaster that appears to threaten Barron Trump, the youngest son of President Donald Trump.

Hard-line Iranian media have repeatedly published content threatening President Trump and his family since the assassination of former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many members of his family at the outset of the US-Israeli war with Iran in February.

Although First Lady Melania Trump has previously been the target of threats, this appears to be the first time Barron Trump has been publicly singled out.

“The US Secret Service is aware of the video and investigates anything that can be perceived as a threat toward our protectees,” Secret Service spokesperson Nate Herring told CNN in a statement. “Out of concern for operational security, we do not discuss matters of protective intelligence.”

The nearly three-minute video begins with an English-language graphic reading: “Where to kill Barron Trump?!” It features stylized graphics showing locations where Barron Trump is publicly known to spend time, including Trump Tower in New York.

Near the end of the video, the narrator says people were “eagerly waiting to receive our $10 million reward.”

Iran broadcaster airs video targeting Trump family

The video was broadcast over the weekend by Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Iran’s state-run broadcaster, which is considered aligned with hard-liners in the Iranian regime. Its head is directly appointed by Iran’s supreme leader.

A federal law enforcement source told CNN that the video is part of a broader campaign of videos from Iran targeting President Trump and his family. Some of the videos have included movement details and suggestions for killing members of the president’s family.

The source said protective operations are constantly moved and adjusted based on security information from the Secret Service, other agencies, police and foreign governments.

CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.

President Trump has publicly discussed Iranian threats against his life, saying in July: “I’m on whatever list… so far, I guess I’ve been a bit lucky, but maybe that doesn’t last very long. These are evil, sick people.”

He made the comments at the NATO summit in Turkey, before secretly leaving the country on an alternate military aircraft. He boarded the plane while hidden inside a catering truck as part of an elaborate ruse prompted by an Iranian threat.

A person familiar with the matter told CNN that the threat involved a shoulder-fired missile and was specific enough for officials to fear that Trump’s life would be at enormous risk if he traveled on either version of Air Force One.

The US government has long warned that Iran may try to assassinate President Trump, dating back to the 2020 drone strike he ordered that killed top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

During days of funeral events for Khamenei in July, regime loyalists were seen holding posters that read “Kill Trump” and offering a bounty to anyone who avenged their leader’s death.

Anti-American displays, including chants of “Death to America” and flag burnings, have been a constant feature of state-organized rallies in Iran since the Islamic Revolution brought the country’s theocratic regime to power in 1979.

07/13/2017