Congress

Rubio report casts spotlight on Trump transition leaks

Published

2 years ago

November 13, 2024

News of Marco Rubio’s selection as Donald Trump’s secretary of State Monday night prompted a flurry of reports about Trump’s forthcoming announcement of one of his most important cabinet positions.

Except Tuesday rolled around, and now Wednesday, and Trump has yet to officially name Rubio as his pick.

As of midday Wednesday, more than 41 hours have passed since the New York Times reported Trump would tap Rubio, a report Blue Light News and other major outlets quickly confirmed.

The Rubio news was the most notable in a series of leaks in recent days about Trump’s still-forming cabinet — a stark contrast to the nearly two-year presidential campaign his team ran that was relatively leak-free. According to a count by Blue Light News, half the Cabinet and senior staff decisions so far were shared with the press first.

The Rubio non-announcement set off speculation — especially among those hoping to see Ric Grenell in the role — about whether his appointment was real or a leak meant to force Trump’s hand.

The leaks and lag time between reports about personnel decisions and their official confirmation has called into question whether his political operation, widely hailed as professional over the last two years, will continue as such into Trump’s second White House. Trump’s circle of influence is quickly growing as he has brought in additional transition advisers and is naming new administration appointees.

The confusion and apparent disorganization about staffing rollouts has even set off conspiracy theories within his MAGA base about whether the selections were actually Trump’s. And they have frustrated some of Trump’s longtime aides.

“The president is busy with people in his ear and he’s in meetings all day. And it’s difficult for his staff to get statements in front of him and approved at this point, unlike on the campaign where things were getting out the door immediately,” said a person familiar with the transition process granted anonymity to discuss internal dealings.

Some 18 hours passed between when the Wall Street Journal first reported Monday evening that Trump was appointing Rep. Mike Waltz as national security adviser, and when his transition officially announced it on Tuesday afternoon.

Nearly 19 hours went by in the case of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. BLN reported in the early hours of Tuesday morning that she was tapped to be secretary of Homeland Security, later confirmed by an official statement Tuesday night.

A trickle of leaks about the four deputy White House chief of staff positions came on Monday and Tuesday — with Vice President-elect JD Vance confirming one of those on X — before Trump’s team announced late Wednesday morning that Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller, James Blair and Taylor Budowich would each serve as co-deputy chiefs of staff.

Susie Wiles, Trump’s co-campaign manager, who he has since named White House chief of staff, was widely credited with preventing both unauthorized leaks to the news media and the infighting that was previously common within Trump world.

Now, finger-pointing has begun behind the scenes about who has been behind the leaks, and why they sought to get ahead of Trump or the official press office. It did not go unnoticed by some on Trump’s team that the leaks were going to top reporters at some of the mainstream outlets Trump rails against the most, like BLN and the New York Times.

An adviser to Rubio did not respond to a request for comment.

Here’s a look at the timing of cabinet appointees, from when they were first reported in the media to when an official statement was released:

Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff: Announced by Trump Transition on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 5:39pm
Tom Homan, Border Czar: Announced on Truth Social Sunday, Nov. 10 11:23pm
Lee Zeldin, EPA administrator: First reported by the New York Post at 3:10pm, then announced by Trump Transition on Monday, Nov. 11, 3:26pm
Elise Stefanik, UN Ambassador: First reported by BLN on Sunday, Nov. 10, at 9:50pm, then announced by Trump Transition on Monday, Nov. 11 at 4:03pm
Mike Waltz, NSA: First reported by the Wall Street Journal on Monday, Nov. 11 at 6:30pm, then announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:16pm
Mike Huckabee, Israel Amb.: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:39pm
Steve Witkoff, Special Envoy to Middle East: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5:04pm
Bill McGinley, WH counsel: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, 5:33 pm
John Ratcliffe, CIA director: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 5:39 pm
Pete Hegseth, Defense secretary: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:07 pm
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, DOGE: Announced by Trump Transition on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 7:35 pm
Kristi Noem, DHS secretary: First reported by BLN around 1am on Tuesday, Nov. 12 and then announced by Trump Transition at 7:45 pm
Stephen Miller, James Blair, Taylor Budowich, Dan Scavino deputy chiefs of staff: Miller first reported by BLN Monday, Nov. 11 at 10:30am; Washington Post reported Blair, Budowich, and Scavino on Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 1:30pm; Announced by Trump Transition Wednesday, Nov. 12, 10:41am

Still not confirmed:

Marco Rubio, Secretary of State: First reported by the New York Times Monday, Nov. 11 at 8:20 p.m.

Congress

Mamdani boosts congressional slate ahead of primary election

Published

9 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

NEW YORK — With just five days to go until the primary election in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a stark warning to members of Congress who believe “incumbency is a substitute for action”: Watch out.

“People often ask me what I think of the state of the Democratic Party,” Mamdani said to the crowd at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn as he boosted his endorsed congressional candidates. “This slate here today is our answer. The Democratic Party must change.”

The democratic socialist framed Tuesday’s election as much more than what that means for New York, though. In recounting how people also ask him about the 2028 presidential election, he put it bluntly: “It starts now. It starts on Tuesday.”

“For far too long, our party has seen its job as managing decline instead of delivering material change for working people,” Mamdani said. “That old way of thinking will lose on Tuesday. And frankly, it will lose in South Carolina and New Hampshire. It will fall short of 270 electoral votes, because the party of the past will not be what leads us into the future.”

Mamdani, joined by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, urged his supporters to show up for his endorsed candidates “the way you showed up for me.” They include former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s challenging two-term Rep. Dan Goldman; state Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who’s vying for retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat; and community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who’s trying to unseat five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mamdani’s endorsed slate of legislative candidates were at the rally, too.

The rally featured standard stump speeches from the candidates, highlighting the need to support working class New Yorkers and immigrants. Speakers called out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel group that has loomed over many of these primaries — despite no evident spending from its independent expenditure arm. Sanders also emphasized his call to ban super PACs, which have reshaped primaries across the city.

Taking place just hours after the massive ticker-tape parade celebrating the Knicks’ historic championship, there were also Knicks references galore.

“I hate to break it to you, but OG Anunoby is not here to save the day,” said Mamdani, who was wearing a Knicks jersey under his suit. “The only hands we can count on are ours.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a get out the vote rally ahead of New York's primary election on June 18, 2026, in Brooklyn.

Sanders, who is wildly popular in New York, previously endorsed Valdez and Lander. Both Valdez and Avila Chevalier are members of the Democratic Socialists of America and are backed by the city chapter in their bids. Sanders had not officially endorsed Avila Chevalier prior to the rally.

“Why are progressives and socialist candidates winning elections all across this country?” Sanders asked. “The answer in my view is not complicated. The working class of America understands that our current economic system is rigged, that it is designed to benefit the wealthy and the powerful.”

Polling has shown Lander with a lead over Goldman, and a tight race for Velázquez’s seat. Public polling is scarce in the Espaillat race, but recent internal surveys suggest Avila Chevalier is posing a real challenge to the incumbent. Mamdani endorsed her just weeks ago, much later than Lander and Valdez, but his engagement in the race has significantly elevated its profile.

“Six months ago, they told us this race was over before it started,” Avila Chevalier said at the rally. “They told us Adriano was untouchable, that he was an institution, that you don’t run against someone like him and win. That this district was his, and that we should wait our turn. And they said it with such confidence, like the outcome had already been written. Look around. Look at what we’ve built.”

Mamdani’s decision to get involved in congressional races is stress-testing how the new mayor navigates relations with powerful, well-respected party figures — many of whom he’s on the opposite side of.

Mamdani’s endorsement is expected to be a significant asset for his picks; he had dominant performances across these districts in last year’s mayoral primary. And that shine doesn’t seem to have dulled. Recent polling has shown that Mamdani has high approval ratings.

Goldman did not support Mamdani during last year’s mayoral primary or the general election, as Lander has often pointed out. Espaillat backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary, but supported Mamdani in the general election. Valdez’s opponents, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and city Council Member Julie Won, both supported Mamdani in the primary.

The mayor has been active on the trail for his congressional candidates of choice in the closing stretch of the campaign. And he touted them all in an advertisement that ran during the first game of the Knicks’ finals run.

Still, Lander has tried to keep some distance. When asked at a recent press conference why he would appear in that ad with Avila Chevalier, who attended a pro-Palestinian rally the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in 2023 — the same rally Lander said he left the DSA over — he said it was an “opportunity to show New Yorkers that politics can be a team sport.” He also clarified that he has not endorsed candidates in any other congressional primaries.

Avila Chevalier told reporters that she went to that rally to “stand against” Israel engaging in “a response that is often disproportionate and creates a greater loss of life.” She added that she has “condemned Hamas” and does “not believe that celebrating the loss of anybody’s life is OK.”

Kings Theatre isn’t located in any of the districts these congressional hopefuls are trying to represent — though it neighbors the seats that Lander and Valdez have their eyes on.

It’s especially far from Espaillat’s district, which includes parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

While handing out campaign literature to people walking out of the subway in Hamilton Heights, Blue Light News asked Espaillat if he had thoughts about Avila Chevalier appearing at the rally.

“I’m rallying right here in my district with my constituents — not in Brooklyn,” he replied.

Jason Beeferman contributed to this report.

Congress

Meta faces calls for Congress to probe scam ads targeting seniors

Published

13 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Retirement groups are calling on Congress to investigate Meta over a wave of social media scams targeting older Americans.

In a letter sent Thursday to House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the groups alleged Meta has been slow to take down fraudulent ads, leaving seniors vulnerable to financial loss. The letter, shared exclusively with POLITICO, was signed by the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Postal Workers Union Retirees and the American Federation of Teachers, among others.

“Fraudulent Medicare ads have proliferated on Meta platforms and too many seniors are getting scammed while Meta profits,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “We are calling on Congress to investigate how these scams are allowed to spread, what Meta knew about them, and why stronger protections are not in place. Seniors should not be left vulnerable while scammers and tech companies cash in.”

The letter’s demands follow a report published last month by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit advocacy group, which alleged that Meta has profited by leaving up fraudulent ads, many of which target Medicare recipients.

“Scammers are determined criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud people and evade detection,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement. “We aggressively fight scams on and off our platforms because they’re not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services and for years we’ve been one of law enforcement’s strongest partners in the fight against this type of online crime — identifying criminals, disrupting their crimes and helping bring them to justice.”

Stone pointed to several examples of Meta’s efforts to combat scams on its platform, including a recent collaboration with U.S. and Thai law enforcement to disrupt online scams.

It’s not the first time Meta has faced scrutiny over the scams: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) urged the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities Exchange Commission to open an investigation into the company in November after Reuters reported that Meta in internal documents projected 10 percent of its 2024 revenue would come from fraudulent ads. And in February, a group of bipartisan lawmakers pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over its plans to prevent and combat fraud on its platforms.

Reps. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.) also introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this year to combat predatory scam ads.

Congress

Congress lays out path for final passage of housing bill

Published

13 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Congress is expected to send a landmark, bipartisan housing affordability bill to President Donald Trump’s desk by the end of next week as the Senate and House schedule action on the legislation in the coming days.

The Senate has teed up the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act for final passage on Monday, after completing all its necessary procedural votes this week.

The legislation will then move on to the House where GOP leadership plans to open debate on Wednesday, with a vote expected as early as the same day, according to six people familiar with the vote granted anonymity to discuss plans.

House leadership plans to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote, to speed up the bill’s path to Trump’s desk. Final passage could be pushed to Thursday depending on timing, the people said.

The housing bill aims to tackle housing affordability and boost homeownership and supply ahead of a midterm election dominated by cost-of-living concerns.

The four lawmakers leading the negotiations over the legislation — Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) and ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) — came to an agreement Tuesday afternoon after months of back and forth on the bill’s contents.

The housing affordability legislation, which the White House supports, contains a provision limiting the role of large institutional investors in the single-family housing market, which was a key condition for Trump to sign the bill.