The View is fighting Trump. How are they doing?

Yes, the battle of the poor Reflecting Pool continues.

Trump tackled the renovations of the pool without the proper approvals. His most egregious violation was hiring an incompetent Mar-A-Lago buddy. The taxpayer bill swelled from $1+ million to $16 million.

Within days of opening, the water in the pool turned green from algae. Now Trump continues to lie, claiming the pool has been vandalized by his liberal enemies.

Knowing the failed history of the Trump and the Wollman Rink in New York, which Trump took over in 1986, and repaired with City money, not his own money, I cannot help but shake my head.

When NYC ended his contract on January 13, 2021 (following January 6), Wollman Rink was still leaking.

One more thing.

The Trumpian view.

Reality.

Real rebellion in the Senate yesterday.

The deals Trump makes.

What is happening at the Kennedy Center now?

All that glitters in the Trump world is not gold.

Yes, there is crypto too.

One more thing.

I had to post these two tweets somewhere.

News from the New York elections.

Three Mamdani-Backed Candidates Win Democratic Primaries in New York.

Brad Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier notch congressional victories over Democratic establishment.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander, former New York City comptroller, during a primary election night watch party on Tuesday

Progressive allies of Zohran Mamdani swept through New York’s primaries Tuesday, handing defeats to mainstream Democrats in deep-blue congressional districts and boosting the New York City mayor’s standing as a kingmaker in the party.

Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander ousted incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman in a race that centered on Israel and the war in Gaza. State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez and community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, members of the Democratic Socialists of America, both defeated Democratic candidates endorsed by establishment leaders.

The victories of Lander, Avila Chevalier and Valdez—all endorsed by Mamdani—highlights Mamdani’s expanding influence within the Democratic Party and demonstrates how the DSA has leveraged the mayor’s popularity to help elect more of its candidates. The victories will likely add to the mayor’s list of allies inside the New York delegation to Washington. In the predominantly blue city, the winners in the Democratic primaries are heavily favored in the November general elections.

In another closely watched race, New York Assemblyman Micah Lasher, 44 years old, won the primary to succeed retiring longtime Rep. Jerrold Nadler in one of New York’s wealthiest districts. Lasher beat out a crowded field of challengers, including fellow state Assemblyman Alex Bores; Jack Schlossberg, a grandson of President John F. Kennedy; and George Conway, the ex-husband of Kellyanne Conway, a former campaign manager to President Trump. Mamdani, who lives in the district and didn’t endorse a candidate in this race, declined to say who he voted for.

Micah Lasher, the Democratic candidate in New York's 12th Congressional District, at a candidate forum in April. YUKI IWAMURA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, outside a polling location on Tuesday. MICHAEL NAGLE/BLOOMBERG NEWS

The Democratic primaries marked Mamdani’s first foray into making endorsements for congressional candidates since he became mayor. The mayor made high-profile campaign appearances with Lander, Avila Chevalier and Valdez and appeared in a splashy television ad with them that aired during the NBA Finals. He also expended political capital, backing upstart candidates and upsetting some Democratic Party leaders in the process.

All of the candidates endorsed by Mamdani have been highly critical of the Israeli government and the war in Gaza. In the 10th Congressional District, which covers lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, support for Israel became a major issue in the race between Lander, 56, and Goldman, 50. Lander, who is Jewish and has said Israel committed genocide in Gaza, capitalized on the frustration within the Democratic Party over the conflict.

Goldman is a former federal prosecutor who as a congressional staffer led the first impeachment case against President Trump and was elected to Congress in 2022. Goldman has been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. But Goldman, who is also Jewish, hasn’t used the term genocide to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza, saying the term is unhelpful. Lander also criticized Goldman because he was supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group.

During his campaign victory speech, Lander vowed to fight corporate money in elections and work to improve the lives of working people. He also said the U.S. needs to re-evaluate its positions on Israel and can’t continue to fund its military actions. “Democratic voters are saying this, loud and clear,” Lander said.

Micah Lasher, the Democratic candidate in New York's 12th Congressional District, at a candidate forum in April. YUKI IWAMURA/ASSOCIATED PRESS

In the 13th Congressional District, which covers parts of Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, Avila Chevalier pulled off an upset, ousting five-term incumbent Rep. Adriano Espaillat. Espaillat, the chairman of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, endorsed Mamdani during his mayoral run last year, but the mayor didn’t return the favor despite an agreement to do so.

Espaillat, 71, attacked Avila Chevalier, 32, for her lack of experience and recent history of insulting Democratic leaders and making incendiary statements on social media. Avila Chevalier said the district was ready for new leadership and that Espaillat had grown unresponsive to the needs of the community. She had about 49% of the vote compared with Espaillat’s 46%, according to the AP.

Mamdani also opted to support Valdez for the Democratic nomination in the Seventh Congressional District, covering parts of Brooklyn and Queens, over the objection of retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez, a matriarch of progressive politics. Velázquez backed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and said that she felt betrayed that Mamdani endorsed Valdez. (Wall Street Journal)

District 12 result.

Assembly District 69.

More about the Obama Presidential Center and its eponymous food advisor.

Barack Obama Has Strong Opinions About Cheeseburgers.

At the new presidential center and museum in Chicago, the restaurants reflect the former first family’s longstanding interest in food and food policy

I don’t want fancy, I want good.”

Such direct feedback from any guest would inspire a chef to think twice about a dish. But coming from former President Barack Obama, regarding a menu item at his own presidential center, it was an imperative.

The dish in question? A cheeseburger.

The chef Cliff Rome said President Obama — once called “Foodie-in-Chief” by People Magazine — told him that the burger that would end up on the menu at the Obama Presidential Center was missing a few essential ingredients. Namely, it needed a smear of yellow mustard and the bite of a sharp Cheddar.

“He had a lot of opinions on what makes a good cheeseburger,” said Mr. Rome, who was tapped by the Obamas to conceptualize and run two restaurants, Tafari’s Kitchen and a casual cafe, on the center’s campus in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago.

The center, which cost some $850 million and took more than 10 years to build, is a dramatic addition to the South Side.

The centerpiece of the 19-acre campus is a 225-foot-tall granite-clad tower sometimes called the Obamalisk. But the former first couple, who made food and food policy a high-profile aspect of Mr. Obama’s administration, wanted the menu to stand out as well, according to Valerie Jarrett, the chief executive of the center and a longtime Obama family adviser.

“We want the food to be approachable and delicious,” Ms. Jarrett said. “I think President Obama feels like his palate is a good reflection of what a lot of Americans want to taste.”

At a dinner in April, Mr. Rome presented his dishes to the Obama Foundation team. Ultimately, the “Obama Burger” on the menu is a reflection of their feedback, with housemade pickles, a toasted brioche bun, tomato and lettuce — and, of course, the Obama-mandated yellow mustard and sharp Cheddar. It’s one of the dishes available at Tafari’s Kitchen, named for Tafari Cambell, the Obamas’ personal chef, who died in 2023.

A cheeseburger may seem to be a prosaic menu item for a president known for his love of food, but it actually speaks to a deeper ethos of the center’s food program, Mr. Rome said. “The assignment was to make it good while telling a story.”

Mr. and Mrs. Obama were known for frequenting highly regarded local restaurants in Washington, D.C., like Rasika and Komi. The former president once famously dropped by a Five Guys for a burger. And he is the only head of state to have eaten on camera with Anthony Bourdain, on a “Parts Unknown” episode filmed in Vietnam in 2016.

The Obama Presidential Center continues that sensibility at the full-service Tafari’s Kitchen, which has an open kitchen and a portrait of the eponymous chef painted by the actress and artist Kate Capshaw.

Mr. Rome is a native Chicagoan and the owner and managing partner of BAMJoy, a restaurant group that includes Peach’s, which he opened in 2015 in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago. Four years ago, his company, Rome’s Joy Catering, and Bon Appétit Management, a California-based hospitality company, were awarded the contract to manage the center’s food program.

Like many chefs, Mr. Rome attributes his love of food to his grandmother and watching her cook in her home on the South Side. “She always told me, ‘If you can cook food, you’ll always have a good relationship with people,’” he said.

He didn’t know it then, but her meals of gumbo, collard greens, pot roast and peach cobbler reflected his family’s story of roots in New Orleans — by way of Saginaw, Mich.— and highlighted Chicago’s connection to Southern cuisine through the Great Migration.

“I want to continue telling that story,” he said.

The many roads and influences of the Obamas story are evident on the menus at the center. West African-inspired jollof rice sits alongside the Obama family chili recipe served with dense cornbread, and “Mrs. Robinson’s Red Rice,” named after the former first lady’s mother, and made with pork sausage and Gulf Coast shrimp, evoking the flavors of jambalaya.

Incorporating local farming and food organizations into the work of the center is also a goal of the center, said Erika Allen, the founder and chief executive of Urban Growers Collective, a nonprofit working in farming and food systems in Chicago. Urban Growers will work with the center on gardening projects for the kitchen and programming for local residents to emphasize how migratory patterns have impacted Chicago’s food. Food waste from both restaurants will also be used by local farms for composting.

“We’ll also be working with chef Rome to teach visitors about some of the plants in the gardens and how they’re integrated into the menu,” Ms. Allen said. “Food and gardening are a part of the experience.”

Encouraging guests of the museum and food spaces to think about their own story is part of the goal of the center, Ms. Jarrett said. “The hope is that this is not a passive experience.”

For Mr. Rome, being able to showcase this food in the South Side of Chicago makes it even more meaningful. “This is a global project with a South Side platform.” (New York Times)