Zohran Mamdani rallies supporters after Andrew Cuomo concedes New York City mayoral primary
NBC News Clone summarizes the latest on: New York City Mayor Election Live Updates Rcna214294 - Politics and Government | NBC News Clone. This article is rewritten and presented in a simplified tone for a better reader experience.
The race is still heading to ranked choice tabulations since none of the 11 candidates secured a majority in the first round, though Mamdani received 43.5% of first-place votes.
What to know today
- NEW YORK CITY ELECTIONS: Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo conceded the primary to Zohran Mamdani after the progressive state lawmaker emerged as the early leader in an 11-candidate field of Democratic mayoral contenders. The official winner of the primary won't be known until next week at the earliest as vote counting moves to ranked choice tabulation.
- 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL': Senate Republicans are racing this week to advance sweeping legislation to support President Donald Trump's domestic agenda. Congressional Republicans are aiming to get the massive bill to Trump's desk by July 4.
- TRUMP NATO SUMMIT: Trump is in the Netherlands for a NATO summit in The Hague. He arrived hours after Israel and Iran accused each other of violating a ceasefire agreement that he announced last night.
Mamdani lays out his vision for New York and pledges to reject Trump's 'fascism'
Mamdani celebrated his showing in the Democratic primary in a rousing speech to his supporters at his election night party, telling them, "Today, eight months after launching this campaign with the vision of a city that every New Yorker could afford, we have won.”
Mamdani said Cuomo called him to concede the primary, adding that he hopes it "has come to an end." Mamdani also made an appeal to voters who did not back him in the primary.
“I will be the mayor for every New Yorker,” he said, adding later: "I cannot promise that you will always agree with me. But I will never hide from you."
Mamdani laid out his vision for the city, touting progressive policies including free buses, affordable child care and stabilized rents.
Mamdani said the city is also "where the mayor will use their power to reject Donald Trump’s fascism, to stop mass ICE agents from deporting our neighbors and to govern our city as a model for the Democratic Party, a party where we fight for working people with no apology."
Cuomo doesn't rule out independent general election run
After he conceded the Democratic primary to Mamdani tonight, Cuomo did not immediately rule out the possibility of a run as an independent candidate in the November general election.
Cuomo said in a statement that he plans to consult with colleagues on the best path forward for him to “help the city of New York," noting that he has already qualified to run for mayor on an independent ballot line in November.
He said he wants to look at "all the numbers" from the primary and analyze the ranked choice tabulation before he consults with his team.
Adams shares Cuomo concession on social media and previews case against Mamdani
New York Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election as an independent, shared a New York Post headline of Cuomo's concession to Mamdani on X and wrote that the city "deserves is a mayor who’s proud to run on his record—not one who ran from his record, or one who has no record."
"We deserve a mayor who will keep driving down crime, support our police, fight antisemitism, and stand up for working-class New Yorkers," Adams wrote. "It’s time to unite. It’s time to fight. We have a city to save."
Cuomo concedes primary to Mamdani
Cuomo conceded the Democratic primary for mayor, telling supporters at his election night party, "Tonight was not our night."
"Tonight was Assemblyman Mamdani’s night, and he put together a great campaign, and he touched young people and inspired them and moved them and got them to come out and vote, and he really ran a highly impactful campaign," Cuomo said. "I called him. I congratulated him.”
"Tonight is his night. He deserved it," Cuomo later added. "He won."
At the same time, Cuomo said he wants to "look at all the numbers as they come in," noting that the primary is heading to rounds of ranked choice voting.
He said there are "important issues" facing the city and made a veiled reference to a looming decision — he could still appear on the November ballot after having formed a new party.
"The challenges we face are real, and they deserve real consideration," Cuomo said. "And I want to give some thought about the best way to help address them, the best way to help the party, but most of all, the best way to help the city, and that's what we'll be thinking about as we go forward."
Lander predicts a Mamdani win at his election night party
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, the only other mayoral candidate to reach double digits so far, with first-choice votes still being counted, predicted that Mamdani would emerge victorious from the ranked choice rounds.
“Together, we are sending Andrew Cuomo back to the suburbs!" Lander said at his election night party.
"With our help, Zohran Mamdani will be the Democratic nominee for the mayor of the city of New York and we are on a path to win a city that all New Yorkers can afford and where everyone belongs,” said Lander, who cross-endorsed Mamdani, a fellow progressive, with each urging their supporters to rank the other on their ballots.
Zohran Mamdani leads as New York City mayoral primary heads for ranked choice tabulation
Mamdani is the early leader as first-choice votes are tallied in the New York Democratic mayoral primary, ahead of Cuomo, but the winner of the election remains uncertain with no one on course to secure a majority in the first round of the ranked choice election.
So far, Mamdani leads the first-choice vote count with about 44% support, followed by about 36% for Cuomo — the result of a rapid rise by Mamdani, who started the race little-known but rapidly gained prominence as the progressive alternative to Cuomo.
But New York City will have to wait at least a week — and possibly longer — to find out who will ultimately win the Democratic nomination. Under ranked choice voting in the city, voters rank up to five preferences on their ballots. Support for the lowest-finishing candidates is then reallocated to those voters’ next choices, and the process continues until two candidates are left.
The city Board of Elections plans to release the results of those initial allocations next Tuesday. But depending on how many mail-in and provisional ballots still need to be counted, it could take longer to determine a winner.
Mamdani maintains lead but still short of majority vote
Mamdani is continuing to lead his rivals for mayor with more than 80% of the expected vote counted tonight but is still short of the majority-vote threshold needed to win outright, which would trigger the ranked choice process.
With 84% of the expected vote in, Mamdani has won 44% so far, followed by Cuomo at 36% and Lander at 12%, with all other candidates getting less than 5% apiece.
Mamdani leads first big drop of New York ballots, with a long way to go
Mamdani leads by 9 points in the first big vote drop, a tranche of early and mail ballots that NBC News' Decision Desk projects will make up a little more than one-third of the total votes cast in the race.
Mamdani won about 43% of the first-choice votes in the more than 400,000 ballots already counted, compared with Cuomo's 34%. City Comptroller Brad Lander (13%) is the only other candidate in double digits.
So far, Mamdani is above 50% in Brooklyn, while Cuomo has narrow majorities in the Bronx and Staten Island.
The progressive Mamdani had been expected to perform well among early voters, considering that a significant proportion of them were new voters (according to a CUNY analysis) and that a recent Marist poll found him doing best among those who said they planned to vote early, while Cuomo did best among those planning to vote today. (However, the pre-election survey found Cuomo still retaining an advantage among early voters.)
Polls close in New York City primary
Polls officially closed in New York at 9 p.m. ET.
Early results are expected this evening, but the winner of the Democratic mayoral primary might not be known tonight.
NBC News national political correspondent Steve Kornacki explains why the full results of the New York Democratic primary for mayor could take some time to be announced. NBC News White House correspondent Vaughn Hillyard catches up with front-runners Andrew Cuomo and Zohran Mamdani on Election Day.
Senate Republicans scramble to resolve tense divisions as Trump ramps up pressure to pass his big bill
The Senate bill’s Medicaid cuts are too aggressive for politically vulnerable Republicans.
Its clean energy funding cuts are too tame for conservative House Republicans, who are threatening to sink the legislation.
And the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions is a nonstarter for key blue-state House Republicans.
The GOP-led Congress is barreling toward its own deadline for passage of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” and it’s getting messy in the final stretch as Trump ramps up the pressure on lawmakers to put it on his desk by July 4.
Slain Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband to lie in state before funeral
Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman will lie in state in the Minnesota State Capitol on Friday, Gov. Tim Walz announced today.
Hortman, the state House speaker emerita, will be joined by her husband, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert. A gunman killed the Hortmans this month in what Walz described as “politically motivated” attacks that also left Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, hospitalized with gunshot injuries.
Hortman will be the first woman to lie in state, according to a news release from the statehouse. A livestreamed funeral is scheduled for Saturday morning.
The suspect in the shootings, Vance Boelter, faces state and federal charges.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and 21 Democratic AGs sue to prevent termination of billions in federal grant funding
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Democratic attorneys general from almost two dozen states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit today asking a federal judge in Massachusetts to prevent the termination of billions of dollars in government funding appropriated by Congress.
“Since January 20, at the direction of President Trump and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), federal agencies have stripped away thousands of grants they had previously awarded to Plaintiffs—for projects and programs that those same federal agencies had reviewed, approved, and supported only months before,” the AGs wrote in their lawsuit.
They say the Trump administration has claimed that five words in an Office of Management of Budget clause — “no longer effectuates ... agency priorities”— provides federal agencies with, as they characterized it, “virtually unfettered authority to withhold federal funding any time they no longer wish to support the programs for which Congress has appropriated funding.”
“With the stroke of a pen, federal agencies have deprived States of critical funding they rely on to combat violent crime and protect public safety, equip law enforcement, educate students, safeguard public health, protect clean drinking water, conduct life-saving medical and scientific research, address food insecurity experienced by students in school, ensure access to unemployment benefits for workers who lose their jobs, and much more,” the lawsuit says.
The attorneys general asked a federal judge to order the Trump administration not to permit or authorize the termination of an awarded grant on the basis that the grant “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities” if the award terms and conditions do not “clearly and unambiguously specify” that the award can be terminated when it “no longer effectuates the program goals or agency priorities.”
Thomas Massie jabs at Vance on social media, continuing fight with Trump administration
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and the Trump administration continued their exchange of insults today, with Massie taking a jab at Vice President JD Vance on X.
Vance posted, “I wonder if other VPs had as much excitement as I do,” with a laughing face, to which Massie replied, “Ask Mike Pence about his last month.”
In January 2021, Pence broke with Trump by certifying Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election. A mob of Trump supporters had stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 seeking to stop the certification, with some calling for Pence to be hanged.
Massie has clashed with Trump in the past couple of months, voting against Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill" in May and denouncing his decision to strike Iran over the weekend, calling it "not Constitutional" and "not America first." Trump hit back, saying Massie was "not MAGA" and calling him "weak" and "ineffective."
University of California researchers notch win in novel suit against Trump
A federal court granted a preliminary injunction late last night to stop the Trump administration from cutting grants to University of California researchers, giving an early win to a group of faculty members trying a novel approach to protect government science investments.
A group of six University of California faculty and staff members sued a host of government agencies this month over the widespread elimination of research grants since Trump took office on Jan. 20. While several lawsuits have already challenged the abrupt grant cancellations, the University of California legal challenge seeks to bring the first class action lawsuit to claw back money for all researchers within the 10-campus university system.
U.S. District Judge Rita F. Lin, a Biden appointee, gave provisional class certification to all University of California researchers whose grants were canceled by the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation or the National Endowment for the Humanities since Trump's inauguration without specific explanations or because they focused on diversity or equity-related topics. She granted a preliminary injunction barring the agencies from terminating more grants to University of California researchers and ordering the government to restore the funding until the court rules otherwise.
Lin ruled that canceling the funding over diversity and equity topics violated the researchers’ First Amendment rights and that the way agencies canceled it was “arbitrary and capricious.” While the administration is entitled to promote its chosen priorities, the executive branch “may not set out to suppress ideas it deems dangerous by trying to drive them out of the marketplace of ideas,” she wrote.
The White House has said the cuts were necessary to “restore common sense and realign government spending to match the priorities of the American people.” But Lin said the federal agencies did not provide reasoned explanations in the grant terminations as required under administrative law.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for July 2.
House votes to table Rep. Al Green's resolution to impeach Trump
The House voted 344-79 this afternoon to table an impeachment resolution against Trump brought to the floor by Rep. Al Green, D-Texas.
All 79 no votes came from Democrats. Tabling it means the measure is effectively killed and will not come up again.
The resolution accused Trump of abusing presidential powers by usurping Congress’ power to declare war when his administration attacked nuclear sites in Iran over the weekend.
"I believe that the hour of decision is upon us, and we all have to decide are we going to go down and choose the path of democracy or we allow ourselves to choose the low road of autocracy?" Green said on the House floor. "I believe that this country has come too far to allow a single person to declare war without conferring with the Congress of the United States of America. This is where I stand."
Green, who also called for Trump’s impeachment in his first term, was removed from the House chamber after he disrupted Trump’s joint address to Congress in March.
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., chair of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters this afternoon that the impeachment measure was “a distraction” from Democrats' focus on reconciliation in comments, and he also criticized the postponement of a briefing on the Israel-Iran conflict.
“It is completely unacceptable that Congress has not been briefed on this in a timely fashion. We need evidence, we need details, and we need to know them now. There are a number of outstanding questions, including whether this attack achieved the administration’s stated goals,” Aguilar said.
“Launching an attack without congressional authorization is wrong. Launching a potentially unsuccessful attack without congressional authorization would be an administration defining failure,” he added.
Freedom Caucus member Eric Burlison voices opposition to Senate bill taking shape for Trump's agenda
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., a member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, said today on X that he opposes the bill Republicans are crafting in the Senate to advance Trump's domestic agenda.
He said the Senate's version of Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill is "watered-down" and a "joke" because of "spending increases ... and no real Medicaid reform."
"If leadership tries to jam it through, I will vote, NO," he said. "It's unacceptable that Republicans are willing to increase the deficit with so much at stake."
Trump wants Congress to pass the sweeping legislation by July 4. Even if the Senate passes its version, the House would then need to pass that version before it went to the White House for Trump's signature.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker expected to announce he's running for a third term
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to announce Thursday that he will run for a third term, a source close to Pritzker told NBC News.
That would not preclude Pritzker, a billionaire Democrat, from running for president in 2028.
Pritzker recently endorsed his lieutenant governor, Juliana Stratton, to succeed Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, the state's senior senator. Pritzker is not expected to announce a new running mate, the source said.
Pritzker is widely viewed as having White House aspirations. He has risen as a prominent voice of opposition to Trump and the administration, and he has also made notable visits to pivotal states that voted early in the last presidential primaries, including New Hampshire this year.
Charts: Early voting surges in NYC primary
In a sign that New Yorkers are getting more familiar with the city’s early voting system, the number of ballots cast before primary day is more than double the early vote total in the 2021 mayoral primary.
With all of the major Democratic campaigns encouraging voters to get to the polls early, New York surpassed the 2021 early vote total in just six days.
Cuomo defends himself against attacks over resignation
Cuomo said he did "absolutely nothing wrong" when he was asked why voters should put him in power in New York City after he resigned as governor in 2021 because of sexual harassment allegations.
"We now have had four years, everybody has gone through everything exhaustively, as only the New York press corps could do it, and nothing has come of anything, which is what I said was going to happen in the first place," Cuomo said.
He criticized Mamdani, his closest rival in the primary, saying Mamdani has "never had a real job."
"He's never really been interested in government at all," Cuomo said.
Mamdani calls NYC election a 'referendum' on Democratic Party
Asked about endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Mamdani said today's mayoral primary is a "referendum" on where the Democratic Party is headed.
"Is it going to be a party that allows its elections to be bought by corporations and billionaires, the same ones that funded Donald Trump's return to the White House?" said Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist like his endorsers. "Or is it going to be one that has a vision for the future, that actually looks at working-class New Yorker struggles and says these are the responsibilities of city government, we are going to solve this?"
Mamdani added that his supporters are "hungry" for a politics "that actually delivers an affordable city."
Mamdani criticized for ‘intifada’ remarks
Mamdani is drawing pushback from Jewish organizations and political leaders after he appeared to defend the slogan “globalize the intifada.”
In an interview with The Bulwark published last week, Mamdani was asked whether the expression made him uncomfortable. In response, he said the slogan captured “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.” He said the U.S. Holocaust Museum had used the word “intifada” in Arabic-language descriptions of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising against Nazi Germany.
Rep. Troy Carter presses RFK Jr. on HIV vaccine development
Rep. Troy Carter, D-La., pressed Kennedy about what he said was the curtailing of studies on the development of an HIV vaccine, arguing that trials were hit by HHS restructuring. He pointed to specific studies that he said had received stop-work orders.
Asked why certain research was cut short, Kennedy said, "We've been studying and promising an HIV vaccine since 1984.
"Every year Congress pours money into it, and every year —" Kennedy said, before Carter cut in to say a vaccine has not been made yet.
"You're going to cut the forward motion by getting rid of NIH dollars that critically do research that saved lives?" Carter said.
Kennedy asked Carter to "show me one life."
"I can show you a whole lot of lives if you got a minute," Carter said. "I'm insulted that you would suggest that there aren't lives that have been lost. People are dying every day, sir."
Kennedy says he never promised ahead of his confirmation to keep vaccine panel unchanged
Kennedy said he did not make an agreement with Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. — the chairman of the chamber's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and a key vote for his confirmation — to leave the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's influential vaccine advisory committee unchanged.
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., had asked about Kennedy’s decision this month to abruptly fire all 17 members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
Cassidy said in February that he voted for Kennedy after Kennedy made a number of commitments, including not to make changes to ACIP.
“If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices without change,” Cassidy said in a speech on the Senate floor supporting Kennedy’s nomination to be health and human services secretary.
Schrier read Cassidy’s statement and asked whether Cassidy or Kennedy had lied.
Kennedy responded, “If he said that I agreed to it, it would be inaccurate.”
Rep. Lori Trahan warns 'people are going to die' under proposed health care cuts
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said that people would lose health care coverage under the HHS budget, adding that "hospitals are not prepared for that reality."
"People are going to die," she said. "These hospitals are going to close. Labor and delivery units are going to disappear."
Her time expired before Kennedy could respond.
Pediatrician lawmaker tells RFK Jr.: 'I will lay all responsibility for every death from a vaccine-preventable illness at your feet'
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-Wash., ended her period of questioning with a stark message for Kennedy.
"I also want to be clear that I will lay all responsibility for every death from a vaccine-preventable illness at your feet," said Schrier, who is a pediatrician.
Schrier also accused Kennedy of lying to the American people and parents about vaccines.
During her questioning, the congresswoman described her experience treating extremely sick children with vaccine-preventable illnesses. She explained the sicknesses in graphic detail, describing treating a weeks old infant who stopped breathing and turned blue from whooping cough, as well as older children who cough so hard they vomited or broke ribs.
"You know what's great? There's a vaccine that prevents this," she said. "Of course, here's the thing: Vaccines only work if you actually give them, and we know your record on this."
Kennedy has pushed for limiting the use of certain vaccines and has long expressed skepticism about their efficacy.
Democratic lawmaker pushes Kennedy on vaccines for pregnant women
Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill., read a portion of guidance issued in May from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that emphasized the importance of pregnant women getting vaccinated for Covid.
"A growing body of evidence on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccination indicates that the benefits of vaccination outweigh any potential risks of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy," read the guidance on the CDC's website. Kennedy said during testimony that he had not seen the website.
The secretary went to to say that he does not recommend the vaccine for pregnant women, contradicting the earlier guidance, although he added that HHS consults the CDC on every vaccine policy.
Earlier, Kennedy claimed that pregnant women were at risk of experiencing adverse effects from vaccines, despite objections from doctors.
"Not true," Kelly said. "We have a pediatrician that is on this committee. Not true."
White House says Biden aide testimony not subject to executive privilege
The White House counsel’s office informed Neera Tanden, a former aide to then-President Joe Biden, that her testimony in front of the House Oversight Committee will not be subject to executive privilege.
In a letter to Tanden, obtained by NBC News, Trump's deputy counsel Gary Lawkowksi said that the “congressional need for information outweighs the executive branch’s need for maintaining confidentiality.” The reason, according to the White House, is that aides to Biden “concealed information regarding his fitness to exercise the powers of the President — and may have unconstitutionally exercised those powers themselves to aid in their concealment,” the letter states.
Given the “extraordinary circumstance,” the White House instructed Tanden to provide “unrestricted” testimony to the committee.
Tanden agreed to appear voluntarily before the GOP-led Oversight Committee today for a transcribed interview.
In a copy of Tanden’s prepared opening statement to the committee, obtained by NBC News, she attempts to prebut expected lines of inquiry from House Republicans. Tanden was prepared to tell the committee that she was in charge of the process that decided which documents were signed with autopen, versus the ones signed by the Biden himself.
“As Staff Secretary, I was responsible for handling the flow of documents to and from the President. I was also authorized to direct that autopen signatures be affixed to certain categories of documents,” Tanden was set to testify. “We had a system for authorizing the use of the autopen that I inherited from prior Administrations.”
She also planned to make clear that Biden was the final decision-maker.
“I had no experience in the White House that would provide any reason to question his command as President," Tanden planned to say. "He was in charge.”
According to two sources familiar with her testimony, Tanden did not plan to exert executive privilege and her counsel stated this at the top of her interview today.
In addition to Tanden, the committee has scheduled transcribed interviews with former Biden White House aides Anthony Bernal, Ashley Williams and Annie Tomasini.
Meanwhile, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the former White House physician, will appear for a deposition before the panel on July 9 after he was issued a subpoena.
Republicans are probing Biden’s mental fitness while in office and his use of a so-called autopen to sign official acts. Biden maintains he made all decisions about legislation, pardons and executive orders, and the Department of Justice’s office of legal counsel issued a memo in 2005 that concluded that the autopen practice was legal.
A federal appeals court ruled as recently as 2024 that “the absence of a writing does not equate to proof that a commutation did not occur,” when it relates to the use of a presidential autopen.
Rep. Robert Garcia elected as top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee
Democrats elected Rep. Robert Garcia of California as their leader on the House Oversight Committee today, installing a fresh, young face in one of the party’s key roles to take on President Donald Trump.
It marks a rapid ascent for Garcia, 47, in only his second term in Congress. Some lawmakers have served decades on Capitol Hill and never become a committee chairman or ranking member.
Trump administration accuses judge of 'unprecedented defiance' of Supreme Court in immigration dispute
A fight over the fate of six migrants the Trump administration wants to deport to South Sudan flared up again today as the Justice Department accused a federal judge of “unprecedented defiance” of a Supreme Court decision the previous day.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed a motion at the Supreme Court seeking clarification of a decision released yesterday evening that lifted nationwide restrictions on the administration’s ability to send convicted criminals to “third countries” that they have no connection to.
Rep. Ruiz presses Kennedy on MAHA report's false citations
During the House hearing on the Department of Health and Human Services' budget request, Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Calif., criticized the administration's "Make America Healthy Again" report and referred to news reports that said it included fake citations.
Asked whether he had fact-checked the report, Kennedy said he did not.
"Why then did the report include a citation to sources that don't even exist?" Ruiz asked. "How does that happen under your leadership, sir?"
"All of the foundational assertions in that report are accurate," Kennedy replied.
Ruiz said that if someone turned in the MAHA report for a grade, it would receive an F.
Kennedy responded that the erroneous citations were corrected in one day.
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis circulates document outlining potential damage from Medicaid provisions in Trump's big bill
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., circulated a document to Senate Republicans last night during a closed-door meeting outlining how the Medicaid provisions in their sweeping domestic policy bill could hurt states, particularly red ones.
Tillis's document zeroes in on the health care provider tax, a state-imposed fee on providers like hospitals that is primarily used to fund Medicaid, especially in rural areas.
Republicans are cracking down on states’ ability to use that fee, which would limit reimbursement from the federal government for Medicaid costs.
The document shows an estimate in losses for various states because of this provision, from Virginia to Missouri to North Carolina. Tillis estimates that 600,000 residents in his home state would lose health coverage.
How to handle Medicaid remains one of the thorniest issues Republicans face as they race to pass the "big, beautiful bill" and send it to Trump's desk by July Fourth. It’s also emerging as a flashpoint for the 2026 midterm elections.
Despite these objections, Republicans like Tillis have not indicated that they will oppose the bill, even if these provisions remain.
Kennedy retracts criticism of Democratic lawmaker after request
Kennedy turned back to Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., after the congressman finished his period of questioning to imply that the congressman's views on vaccines and an immunization panel were influenced by campaign funds he has received.
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., jumped in, saying that Kennedy was "impugning the reputation of a member Congress." She raised a point of order, urging Kennedy to take back his comments.
The subcommittee chair, Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., then agreed it was a "valid point of order" and asked Kennedy to take back his comments.
"I retract it," Kennedy responded.
Rep. DeGette presses Kennedy on whether he would commit to not retaliating against NIH staffers
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., asked Kennedy about a letter from hundreds of National Institutes of Health staff, who criticized HHS operations.
DeGette asked Kennedy whether he would commit to not retaliating against the NIH employees. Kennedy responded indirectly, saying, "I can commit that we are absolutely depoliticizing science."
After DeGette pushed Kennedy further, he said that he was not familiar with the letter she was referring to.
Top health panel Democrat calls HHS budget a 'blueprint for a sicker and poorer America'
Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Colo., the ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee, slammed the impact of federal staffing cuts on scientific research as Kennedy prepared to begin his testimony.
DeGette also criticized Kennedy's stance on vaccines and referred to news reports that a Trump administration “Make America Healthy Again” report included false citations. DeGette argued that federal workers who had been fired could have been able to help develop a useful report.
DeGette railed against the HHS budget, arguing it would continue "chaos" and serve as a "blueprint for a sicker and poorer America," and called on her colleagues to reject the budget.
RFK Jr. to testify before Congress this morning
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. heads to the Hill this morning to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The hearing is centered around his department's fiscal 2026 budget, though representatives can ask questions on any topics.
Kennedy has testified several times before Congress in recent weeks. Hearings have grown contentious at times, with members of Congress challenging him on his views on vaccines and his department's handling of a measles outbreak, among other topics.
Ranked choice ballots give voters more options — but make ballots harder to fill out
Enabling voters to rank candidates gives them an extra degree of input in a primary, but it also requires ranked choice ballots to be more complicated. In a typical non-ranked choice election, candidates have single buttons or bubbles next to their names on the ballot. In a ranked choice election, voters need the ability to select candidates as their first, second, third, etc. choices. On New York’s Democratic mayoral ballot this year, that translates into 60 bubbles, spread across 12 rows and five columns.
Here's who else New Yorkers will vote for today
New York City's mayor isn't the only position on the ballot today.
Voters will also cast ballots for a slew of other city politicians, including those vying to be the public advocate, who will serve as a non-voting member on City Council; and the city's comptroller, who focuses on the city's finances.
Also on the ballot? Borough presidencies, city council seats and the district attorney. District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has raised a national profile for bringing a case that led to Trump's conviction, is seeking reelection.
A cast of scandal-plagued candidates tests the limits of what New York City voters will forgive
Few political operatives have it easier than opposition researchers in New York City this year.
New York’s 2025 municipal races feature a scandal-laden cast of characters whose alleged or proven misdeeds have made front-page headlines for years. They include the front-runner heading into today’s Democratic mayoral primary.
Trump heads to the Netherlands for annual NATO summit
Trump is heading to the Netherlands today for the annual NATO summit, where world leaders are gathering amid heightened tensions in the Middle East.
He is first expected to meet the Netherlands' prime minister before dining with the country's king and queen. Later, he's expected to gather with other world leaders for a group photo.
The president left the White House at around 7 a.m. for the hourslong trip overseas.
Tomorrow, Trump is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings and attend the plenary session of the North Atlantic Council before participating in a news conference in the afternoon.
Mamdani delivers his closing argument ahead of polls opening
Speaking just after sunrise, Mamdani gave his closing argument for his candidacy, saying “we are approaching the dawn of a new era, New York City.”
“It’s only fitting that I begin the final day of this primary the way that so many New Yorkers do, up early and hungry for a better future for this city,” he said.
Mamdani expressed his gratitude for the “more than 50,000” volunteers that contributed to his campaign and said he is “filled with conviction” that he will win.
Final polls show Mamdani trailing Cuomo in the initial first-choice count, but potentially overtaking the former governor after multiple rounds of ranked choice tabulation.
“Here we are today with the latest independent poll having us defeat Andrew Cuomo in the final round and toppling a political dynasty,” Mamdani said. “We’ve shown that by focusing on the issues of working and middle-class New Yorkers across the city, that by listening instead of lecturing, that by creating a politics of no translation, New Yorkers will join you in your fight for a new city.”
White House plans summer victory tour for Trump-backed GOP agenda bill
The White House is planning a July victory tour for Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet officials, who will fan out across the country to tout the presumed passage of the House-passed Republican domestic policy bill now under consideration in the Senate, a White House official said.
“The bill will pass and this administration will let the country know about all its great benefits, such as lower taxes and modernized air traffic control,” the White House official said.
The planning for this celebratory blitz was first reported by Axios.
Recent polling has shown that Trump's signature legislative package is broadly unpopular, a sentiment the White House, and especially congressional Republicans, will be keen to reverse ahead of the midterms next year.
Steve Kornacki: Breaking down the state of New York’s mayoral race on primary day
The final public poll suggests the potential for an upset in today’s New York Democratic mayoral primary — an outcome that would be dramatic but that also might end up resolving nothing.
The Emerson College/WPIX/The Hill survey shows Cuomo leading Mamdani 36% to 34% in the initial first-choice count, with Mamdani eventually overtaking Cuomo after multiple rounds of ranked choice tabulation and winning the final tally 52% to 48%.
But a few caveats are in order.
Who's on the ballot for mayor?
Eleven candidates are facing off in the Democratic primary today in New York City, which will set the stage for the city's general election this fall.
Cuomo has consistently led polls, but Mamdani has gained steam with a string of endorsements.
Here's who else is on the ballot:
- Brad Lander, the city comptroller.
- Scott Stringer, a former city comptroller and Manhattan borough president.
- Zellnor Myrie, a state senator who represents parts of Brooklyn
- Adrienne Adams, the speaker of the New York City council.
- Jessica Ramos, a state senator who shocked voters when she announced this month she was endorsing Cuomo.
- Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager who is involved with Democratic politics.
- Michael Blake, a former state assemblyman.
- Paperboy Love Prince, an artist and activist.
- Selma Bartholomew, an educator and business owner.
How ranked choice voting works: A guide ahead of New York City’s primary
When New Yorkers fill out ballots in Tuesday’s mayoral primary, they’ll be able to choose more than just one candidate. They can pick a second choice. And a third. And a fourth. And a fifth.
It’s part of a process called ranked choice voting, a system that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than pick just one.
What to watch in New York City’s mayoral primary
New York City heads to the polls to cast ballots in the city’s mayoral primaries, dominated by Cuomo’s comeback tour and Mamdani’s late rise in the Democratic contest.
But Election Day is likely to be short on answers for voters who want to know who could lead their city next year or what the high-profile race means for the battle over the future of the Democratic Party.
