In New York's June primary, Jamaal Bowman, an educator from the NYC suburbs running an unabashedly progressive insurgent campaign appeared to topple Rep. Eliot Engel, a 16-term incumbent, for the Democratic nomination in the state's 16th Congressional district, though Engel is now suing to challenge the validity of mail-in ballots.
Bowman told Cheddar on Thursday that he's "not worried at all" about the suit, noting that as more absentee ballots are counted, his vote count is actually widening and the delta is now about 13,000 votes.
"We want every vote to be counted as well," Bowman said. "We're very comfortable with where we are."
As Bowman seems likely to be heading to Congress — NY-16 is about as blue a district as there is and the Democratic nominee is expected to coast to victory in November — he says it's critical that the U.S. pandemic response takes a less "top-down" approach when it comes to vexing problems like whether or not to open schools in the fall.
Bowman, a middle school principal by vocation, said: "We are not ready to open schools, because we have not brought the full resources of the federal government to bear." He called on officials to get serious about "innovative" ways to safely reopen, from prioritizing alternative spaces for learning to redesigned ventilation systems in school buildings. But right now, there are "too many unanswered questions" to safely reopen, he said.
The presumptive nominee also said he'd give President Trump a grade of "less than zero" for his response to the racial unrest and protests that have gripped the nation since the death of George Floyd.
"President Trump is a racist. He is a fascist. And he wants to maintain an order of white supremacy," Bowman stated.
The Atlanta officer who fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in the back after the fleeing man pointed a stun gun in his direction is going to be charged. Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard made the announcement about Garrett Rolfe during a news conference Wednesday.
With ridership down some 85 percent — and a return to normal still a way off — data suggests New Yorkers are swapping their MetroCards for car keys and taking to the streets.
Cheddar's Need2Know Podcast for Wed., June 17, 2020.
Cheddar's Need2Know Podcast for Tues., June 16, 2020.
The Trump administration has sued former national security adviser John Bolton to block the publication of a book that the White House says contains classified information.
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order on policing following weeks of national protests after the death of George Floyd.
Rosemary Ketchum becomes the first transgender person elected to city council in West Virginia. Ketchum's new role as councilwoman in Wheeling, WV comes as the U.S. Supreme Court said the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects LGBTQ from workplace discrimination.
California congressman, Eric Swalwell told Cheddar on Tuesday he isn't excited about former National Security Advisor John Bolton's upcoming tell-all about the White House after he refused to testify during impeachment proceedings.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that existing civil rights law protects LGBT people from discrimination in employment.
Stocks swung solidly higher on Wall Street in afternoon trading Monday after the Federal Reserve said it would begin buying individual corporate bonds, the central bank’s latest move to prop up volatile financial markets through the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.
