Lebanese PM Nawwaf Salam has condemned Iran for Israel’s war of aggression in southern Lebanon, in a deranged interview with the Murdoch Times.

Nawaaf claimed that Tehran rejected a supposed ‘ceasefire’ ‘deal’ in Israel’s invasion of Lebanon because:

Tehran wanted to say Lebanon is a card in our pocket, that ‘we decide on Lebanon’s behalf … we are the decision-makers’.

The one-sided ‘deal‘ involved Israel being free — its usual modus operandi — to continue attacking and seizing territory in southern Lebanon. By contrast, resistance group Hezbollah would have to cease all operations, lay down its arms and leave the territory, giving the invaders free rein. But Israel would supposedly stop bombing Beirut.

Instead, Iran has continued to refuse any ceasefire in its own war with Israel and the US that does not include Israel leaving all Lebanese territory and ceasing all aggression against Lebanon. And when Israel bombed Beirut this week, on 8 June 2026, Iran struck Israel in retaliation, having warned the occupiers it would do so.

Lebanon’s ‘Vichy’ government

Despite Shia Muslims forming the largest group in Lebanon, Lebanon’s so-called ‘National Pact’ mandates that the country’s president must always be a Maronite Christian and its prime minister a Sunni Muslim — while the speaker of parliament is Shia Muslim.

Salam’s government is widely considered a ‘Vichy‘ regime collaborating with its occupiers. This collaboration has led to accusations of “high treason” and “servile collaboration” with Israel and its US backers despite Israel’s bombing of Beirut. This has triggered renewed street protests against the regime demanding resistance to Israel’s invasion.

Salam clearly isn’t listening, too busy parroting his sponsors’ narrative that absolves Israel of its land theft and murder and blames Iran for daring to resist.

Featured image via DailyNewsEgypt

By Skwawkbox

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The X account of Howard Beckett, the popular former Unite general secretary candidate, has been taken over by hackers. The culprits may to be aligned with the Israeli occupation, of which Beckett is a staunch opponent. However, they are continuing to put out watered-down versions of Beckett’s usual output in an apparent attempt to fool followers. The account has also posted ‘crypto’ content, a topic in which he has never shown an interest.

Unite — Unauthorised

Complaints about the crypto posts have succeeded in having those removed, but Beckett has still been unable to regain access of his account. Those who follow his account should be aware that any posts are currently not generated by him or anyone authorised to post.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

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An 81-year-old German fan died near Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, the Mexican capital, hours before the kickoff of the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa.

According to the Mexican website Publimetro, the fan suffered a heart attack while attempting to enter the stadium through Gate 1, near the “Rampa 2” area, which necessitated immediate intervention from the ambulance and emergency teams deployed around the stadium.

The report added that medical staff performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the fan at the scene before transferring him to the National Institute of Cardiology in Mexico City, where he passed away due to his health crisis.

The incident occurred before the start of the opening match of the tournament, which ended with the Mexican national team defeating South Africa two goals to nil in Group A competition.

Azteca Stadium holds historical significance in World Cup tournaments, as it became the first stadium to host the opening match of the tournament in three different editions, having hosted the opening ceremonies of the 1970 and 1986 World Cups before hosting the opening of the 2026 edition.

Featured image via Carl Recine/Getty Images

By Alaa Shamali

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Former German coach Joachim Löw has voiced clear criticism of FIFA’s decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, arguing that the new format has diminished the tournament’s competitiveness and technical quality.

In an interview with the German channel RTL as part of the series “World Cup Fever: Monica Lierhaus and the National Team Coaches,” Löw—who led Germany to victory in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil—confirmed that he was never in favor of increasing the number of participating teams.

The 66-year-old coach stated that he had always believed the 32-team format was the most suitable for the World Cup, explaining that group stage competition was more intense and exciting when qualification was limited to just two teams per group.

The current edition of the World Cup is being held for the first time with 48 teams across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Löw considered this an excessive expansion, even while acknowledging the right of smaller teams to dream of participating in the world’s biggest event.

The German coach pointed out that allowing eight teams finishing third in their groups to advance to the knockout stages has reduced the importance of first-round matches, making the group stage less compelling than in previous versions.

He added that the old system forced a genuine struggle within each group to secure the two qualifying spots, whereas the current 

version has a wider margin for qualification, which negatively impacts the level of competition and excitement.

Löw believes that maintaining the tournament’s technical quality should be a priority for FIFA, emphasizing that he prefers more selective and competitive tournaments rather than increasing the number of participants.

The German coach concluded his remarks by stressing the need to maintain the high standard of the World Cup, suggesting that reducing opportunities for qualification to the knockout stages would enhance the value of the matches and raise the quality of competition in the tournament.

Featured image via Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images

By Alaa Shamali

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“Israeli” authorities have deported French journalist Alice Froussard. Although possessing all necessary paperwork, she was stopped at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, on the evening of 10 June. She was then interrogated several times and detained for almost ten hours. Then she was expelled from the country, and sent back to France the following day.

Deported French journalist said the October 7 massacre must be viewed ‘in context’

Froussard, 33, works for several French media outlets and has covered the occupied West Bank since 2019. She had planned to travel there on assignment for Radio France Internationale (RFI) when she was deported.

No official reason has been given by the authorities for Froussard’s deportation. But the occupation obviously disagrees with her truthful reporting on “Israel’s” genocide in Gaza, and West Bank apartheid.

The occupation’s minister for diaspora affairs, Amichai Chikli claimed he was pleased the journalist had been deported. He described her as a “French journalist who supports Hamas, and who claims that the October 7 massacre must be viewed ‘in context’.”

I am pleased to announce that at this very moment, Alice Froussard, a French journalist who supports Hamas, and who claims that the October 7 massacre must be viewed “in context,” is making her way from Ben Gurion Airport back to Paris.

Like Linda Sarsour before her, she too has…

— עמיחי שיקלי – Amichai Chikli (@AmichaiChikli) June 11, 2026

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) describes Froussard’s detention and deportation as “unjustifiable.” It says it fears an information blackout in the West Bank, similar to that imposed on Gaza since October 2023.

Israeli occupation has no legal right to block entry of anyone intending to visit the occupied territory

But Pascal Confavreux, the French foreign ministry spokesperson said:

We regret this decision, which nevertheless falls under the sovereignty of the Israeli authorities, to whom I refer you.

Confavreux is wrong. In 2024, the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) advisory opinion stated Israel’s presence and control in the occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) is illegal. It must end immediately. International law experts, such as Ralph Wilde, say this means it lacks any right to dictate entry, border access, or block humanitarian aid. According to Wilde, those wishing to enter or operate in Palestine should instead coordinate with representatives of the Palestinian people.

Qalandia Airport, near Jerusalem, was the West Bank’s only airport. It was built by the British in 1920, but was illegally seized by the occupation in the 1967 war. The occupation is now planning to hide its ruins with a massive settlement. More than 9000 housing units are due to be constructed for illegal Jewish colonists.

There is now no way to fly directly into the occupied Palestinian territory. “Israel” controls all borders, or has strict security oversight over all entries. This applies to the border from Jordan, Egypt and “Israel”.

Strict immigration controls and “national security concerns” mean tens of thousands of foreign nationals are denied entry each year, for one reason or another.

Israeli occupation says supporting BDS is a reason for entry to be denied

The Law for Entry into Israel was amended in 2025. It stipulates that foreign nationals will be denied entry if they publicly call for boycotts or deny the Holocaust. Anyone denying the October 7, 2023 “massacres”, or publicly supporting prosecuting “Israeli” soldiers for war crimes in international courts will also be blocked

In June, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour was also banned from entering the country. This was because she supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the Israeli occupation.

Back in 2018, the Israeli occupation blocked the entry of a record 19,000. The number must surely be higher today. The reasons given are varied, but those who are affected include journalists, activists, politicians, and legal experts, and the numbers are increasing.

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A post shared by Times of Palestine (@paltimesnews)

In February 2026, 32 peace activists from Eyewitness Palestine were denied entry. And in May, 2026, 40 human rights monitors affiliated with the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor were blocked at the border.

Featured image via Twitter

By Charlie Jaay

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Just after halftime in their country’s match against South Africa on Thursday afternoon, Mexican embassy officials were nervous.

Forward Julián Quiñones scored a goal in the first nine minutes, and spirits were high at the embassy’s Washington watch party where mini-burritos, cervezas and — in a nod to the bilateral relationship — McDonald’s hamburgers and walking tacos were flowing freely. But South Africa’s shots on Mexico’s goal were creating staccatos of panic as the score remained 1-0.

“So far, so good — but it could be better,” one diplomat quipped.

Talk to Mexican officials, diplomats and business leaders, and it’s a sentiment that’s apropos of the current state of the bilateral relationship between the U.S. and Mexico as the two countries, along with Canada, kick off six weeks of FIFA World Cup festivities.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum — who did not attend the opening match — has earned plaudits on both sides of the border for her behind-the-scenes work to cultivate a solid working relationship with President Donald Trump, despite vastly different political orientations and persistent friction over migration, drug trafficking and trade.

Sheinbaum’s domestic challenges were also on full display outside the historic Azteca stadium Thursday, where hundreds of protesters demanding pay raises for teachers and more resources for the search of 130,000 missing persons in Mexico clashed with police and threw cones and other projectiles into the security perimeter.

Now, at what should be a continental high-water mark — as North America unites to host the World Cup — the relationship is instead facing its greatest test. Tensions are running high over the future of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, a brewing extradition standoff over several Morena party officials — including the governor of Sinaloa — and Trump’s fresh threats on Wednesday to target drugs “coming in by land” via Mexico.

“It’s on a knife’s edge,” said Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico’s ambassador to the U.S. during the Bush and Obama administrations. “The paradox is that all of this is playing out as the World Cup kicks off, a World Cup that should have been a moment to celebrate the promise of North America, and to talk about the future of a North American century.”

The strain on the bilateral relationship beyond the World Cup is existential for Mexico — about 80 percent of the country’s exports flow to the United States — but also for the U.S., Mexico is the United States’ largest trading partner, with two-way trade topping $872 billion in 2025, accounting for roughly 15 percent of all goods coming into the U.S. And the integration runs deep into American supply chains, like autos and electronics, meaning that anything that seriously destabilizes the relationship is bad economic news for the U.S.

For now, the anxiety is largely one-directional, as Trump world remains broadly bullish on the U.S.-Mexico relationship even amid genuine turbulence. Two CIA officers were killed in an April crash in Chihuahua that revealed U.S. intelligence operatives working in the field alongside Mexican state investigators without, Mexican officials say, the federal government’s authorization. The Sinaloa indictments followed just over a week later.

“It’s a pressure point, but I also think if you ask people who work on this, they’d say that — relative to where we’ve been in the past — the security cooperation with Mexico is pretty good under Sheinbaum,” said Alex Gray, a former senior National Security Council official in the first Trump administration. “I think things are, all things considered, not bad.”

Even the original architects of the 2026 World Cup bid, which was won during the first Trump administration, agree that cracks in the U.S.-Mexico relationship were a more serious issue eight years ago.

North American soccer executives told POLITICO that bringing the U.S. together with Mexico wasn’t easy at a time when Trump was calling NAFTA — the precursor to USMCA — “a disaster” and demanding Mexico pay for his border wall.

White House aides laud Sheinbaum’s cooperation on everything from preventing the spread of Ebola heading into the World Cup to efforts to combat drug trafficking. A senior White House official, granted anonymity to speak candidly about the bilateral relationship, described it simply as “good.”

“I mean, there have been shared responsibilities, like, for example, the whole Ebola thing, right? We worked with them and Canada to ensure that there is proper vetting of individuals coming into the countries,” the official said. “We’re obviously working with her on combatting cartels on many fronts, so it’s good.”

The Mexican embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.

Yet Mexican officials have watched the relationship unfold with a kind of cognitive dissonance, marked by progress in one lane and crisis in another. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s meeting last month with Sheinbaum in Mexico, for instance, was seen as a positive step for the bilateral relationship, particularly for the security cooperation that has underpinned it.

But that goodwill is being tested on several fronts. The Morena indictments are creating a domestic quagmire for Sheinbaum, who is demanding “overwhelming and irrefutable proof” before moving against Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya and the nine other current and former Mexican officials who have been charged by the U.S. Justice Department with drug trafficking and weapons offenses.

Trade talks between the two countries had also been going reasonably well — so much so that the two have been talking without Canada even at the table. But Trump on Wednesday injected a fresh dose of uncertainty by saying he was “not looking to renew” the pact and dismissed the notion that the U.S. needed either of its neighbors. And the countries are all but certain to miss the July 1 date to renew the agreement, with a third round of talks scheduled in Mexico City the week of July 20.

The uncertainty has left proponents of the bilateral relationship nervously reading the tea leaves of Trump’s public appearances for any indication of growing irritation with Sheinbaum.

“What I’m seeing is it’s not just one single relationship: We have several individual and topic-based agendas. You have something very good in one hand and something struggling in the other. What we’re trying obviously is to have an umbrella relationship that is good, that makes the other individual agendas also good,” said Enrique Perret, managing director of the U.S.-Mexico Foundation. “But right now we don’t have that good umbrella relationship. That’s what we’re missing.”

The two leaders still have yet to meet at the White House, a move that some south of the border see as a carefully calculated effort on Sheinbaum’s part to not take any unnecessary gambles with the relationship, and avoid the kind of Oval Office spectacle that became commonplace between Trump and world leaders last year.

The two have only met once in person — at the official draw for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in December. Whether they’ll appear together at any games in the coming weeks remains an open question.

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Unite — Sharon Graham’s call for looser fiscal rules to fund military spending was slammed by Stop the War’s officer, Shabbir Lakha.

Graham was mourning the resignation of John Healey as defence secretary, who resigned citing Starmer and his chancellor, Rachel Reeves, as not ‘serious’ enough about spending huge amounts of our money on military build-up.

Lakha pointed out that the government is already cutting 1% of all capital budgets to pay for this defence hike, and that Healey resigned to demand even more.

He slammed her, as the leader of one of the biggest unions in the country, for actively campaigning for welfare and public sector cuts.

Graham, Unite’s secretary, has frequently demanded more military spending.

Let’s be clear about this: the govt is already cutting 1% of all capital budgets to fund this military spending hike, Healey resigned to demand even more. The leader of one of then biggest unions in the country is actively campaigning for welfare and public sector cuts. https://t.co/dhTnx3Lg3O

— Shabbir Lakha (@ShabbirLakha) June 12, 2026

Unite’s Graham wants fiscal loosening

She claimed John Healey’s resignation as defence secretary “laid bare the utter chaos at the heart of government.”

The accompanying press release from Unite, headlined “John Healey’s resignation lays bare DIP delay and underfunding is risking jobs and national security,” described the situation as an “underfunding” crisis.

According to the FT, the defence plan is expected to include between £13.5bn and £15bn in extra spending for defence up until 2030 — less than the £18bn minimum that Healey had wanted and far short of the £28bn shortfall in the MoD’s current plans.

Warmongers mourn

The warmongering Graham and the warmongering media are sadly opining about the resignation of Healey.

FT called him “collegial, moderate and prodigiously hard-working.”

They praised him for his relationships with the Trump admin. FT said:

Healey has also cultivated decent relations with his American counterpart Pete Hegseth, the outspoken former Fox News host and veteran.

“He’s done well with Pete Hegseth. They get along, although they are very different characters,” one military figure said.

Bloomberg quoted the arms dealers’ trade association lamenting Healey’s departure.

“His resignation today is something to lament, and is truly a damning reflection on the current state of affairs,” said Kevin Craven, chief executive officer of ADS, the UK’s trade body for the aerospace, defense, security and space sectors

Bloomberg said his resignation had been “particularly surprising” given that he has been one of “the most loyal Labour figures for more than three decades.”

Graham, like FT and Bloomberg, is speaking for defence contractors.

The working class deserves a union leader who fights for them and can deliver jobs that are not meant to aid a genocide.

Featured image via Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

By The Canary

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DEPARTMENT OF UNFORCED ERRORS: Mayor Zohran Mamdani held an annual Puerto Rican heritage event today at Gracie Mansion that underscored a growing tiff.

The afternoon celebration was pared-down. Prominent leaders never received an invite or declined to attend. And Nuyoricans were initially told it wasn’t going to happen at all.

Roughly 200 people milled about the ornate entertaining room in the mayor’s official residence on the Upper East Side. A smattering of elected officials past and present were there, among them state Sens. Gustavo Rivera and Kristen Gonzalez and former Council members Rafael Salamanca and Carlina Rivera.

“New York City government has not done its part to serve Puerto Rican New Yorkers. Our City Hall is determined to change that,” Mamdani told the crowd, citing his administration’s plan to build municipal grocery stores in East Harlem and the Bronx.

The vibe, however, was a bit off.

In a matter of weeks, the mayor’s office has turned what’s normally a routine and low-stakes way of keeping in good stead with the Puerto Rican community into a self-inflicted political wound that comes as the democratic socialist tries more broadly to sweep out an old guard of Latino elected officials.

“There are people who are still upset about this,” said Erica González, former executive editor of El Diario La Prensa, the oldest, largest Spanish-language daily newspaper in the country. “It’s begging the question about what the treatment of the Puerto Rican community is going to be.”

Upon taking office, Mamdani created an outreach division called the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, which seeks to replicate the success of the volunteer army that helped propel him to victory (and in the process provide a taxpayer-funded boost to Mamdani’s reelection campaign). As POLITICO previously reported, the office also absorbed — and de-prioritized — several longstanding outreach divisions that help plan and execute events like today’s Gracie Mansion fiesta.

Earlier this month, a mass engagement representative told Puerto Rican leaders the annual event was not happening.

“In an effort to celebrate the National Puerto Rican Day in the company of as many working-class New Yorkers as possible, Mayor Mamdani and our administration are prioritizing his attendance at the 5th Ave Parade and the Knickerbocker Parade on June 14th instead of hosting an invitation-only reception,” Álvaro López, a former campaign staffer and DSA organizer who now works in the Office of Mass Engagement, wrote in an email.

Outrage inevitably followed. The mayor’s office quickly disavowed the email and said a reception was indeed in the works.

But at least some invitations didn’t go out until last week. Several prominent people weren’t contacted at all, and notable Puerto Rican political figures in the city — like former City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito — were no-shows. On top of that, today’s midday event didn’t keep with the tradition of throwing a large-scale, invite-only evening bash ahead of Sunday’s annual Puerto Rican Day Parade in Midtown. (The mayor’s office said heritage events will no longer feature a large tent in Gracie Mansion’s backyard). Some community leaders upset about the Mamdani snub held an alternative event Thursday evening in Brooklyn.

“It concerns me there is someone in the administration that thinks there’s some mythical, Downton Abbey class of Puerto Ricans that shows up to Gracie,” González said.

López, the Mass Engagement staffer whose email triggered much of the backlash, was on hand for Friday’s Gracie reception, tasked with checking in media at the front entrance. When a Playbook reporter arrived, López questioned why POLITICO should be allowed in. When asked why, López said he was only joking.

The dustup over the reception doesn’t seem to have affected Mamdani’s poll numbers with Latino voters. In a Data for Progress survey of New York City voters conducted May 20-26, nearly 60 percent of Latino respondents viewed the mayor either somewhat or very favorably.

The mayor is creating rifts elsewhere as well, though.

Mamdani endorsed a democratic socialist challenger to Rep. Adriano Espaillat in upper Manhattan and the Bronx, touching off a generational battle between older Dominican voters and younger, more affluent supporters of Darializa Avila Chevalier. And in Assemblymember Claire Valdez, Mamdani is betting against the chosen successor to Rep. Nydia Velázquez, one of the city’s most prominent Puerto Rican figures.

Velázquez was among those who skipped Mamdani’s Friday afternoon event, vaguely telling Playbook she had “too many things” to do. But in a sign of her irritation with Mamdani, she questioned why he threw a FIFA soccer event in Gracie’s backyard Thursday evening, saying it seemed like the same sort of private party his office is saying they want to move away from.

“We have to be clear about what is the policy going forward,” she said. “Because otherwise people will feel: Why them and not us?” — Chris Sommerfeldt  and Joe Anuta

FROM CITY HALL

ZOMBIE DISASSEMBLING: Yet another member of former Mayor Eric Adams’ legally dubious Charter Revision Commission has resigned — putting the zombie-like panel on the brink of extinction.

Ismael Claudio, a Brooklyn pastor who acted as a faith adviser to Adams while he was still mayor, resigned from the commission Monday, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter who was granted anonymity to discuss the issue.

Kayla Mamelak, Adams’ former press secretary who also sits on the commission, wouldn’t comment on Claudio’s resignation. Claudio couldn’t be reached for comment.

Charter revision commissions, which are convened by mayors to propose ballot referendum questions for local elections, can only legally operate if they have at least nine members. With Claudio out, Adams’ panel only has nine members — the bare minimum to live on.

Three other members, Robert Tucker, Fernando Mateo and Shams DaBaron, also resigned in the past few weeks. Another two appointees, Martin Connor and Alfred Curtis, never filed the requisite paperwork to join the commission in the first place.

At least one additional member, retired labor leader Denis Hughes, hasn’t shown up to any of the commission’s public hearings. Mamelak insisted he is still a member of the commission, though. Hughes couldn’t be reached for comment.

Ultimately, resignations may be the smallest problem for the panel, which Adams launched on his final day in office.

Mamdani ordered Adams’ commission disbanded in late May, using a new authority granted him by the state. Mamdani also launched his own Charter Revision Commission and tasked it with advancing ballot questions for November related to improving government efficiency.

Randy Mastro, Adams’ former first deputy mayor and the counsel for Adams’ commission, has insisted Mamdani’s nullification order wasn’t lawful and is forging ahead.

On the same day Mamdani ordered Adams’ commission disbanded, the panel voted to advance a November ballot question that would, if approved by voters, establish an open primary system in local elections. Under such a system, it would likely be harder for democratic socialists like Mamdani to be elected, as the pool of primary voters would be expanded to include more conservative voters — a wrinkle that has reinforced many observers’ belief that Adams created his commission to deliberately stymie his successor.

In addition to voting to advance that referendum question, Adams’ commission has continued to hold public hearings to consider more questions for the November ballot. Among the additional proposals they’re looking at is a ballot question to create new, unspecified initiatives aimed at combating antisemitism in New York.

It’s unclear how the Adams commission’s actions — including those already taken — would be impacted if enough members resign for the panel to be nullified by default.

Mamdani’s administration has maintained that nothing the Adams commission is doing holds legal relevance since the mayor killed it weeks ago. — Chris Sommerfeldt 

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

PAC IT UP, PART I: A shadowy super PAC war has descended upon the Democratic primary to take on Rep. Mike Lawler.

Progressive Champions PAC, a group that filed with the Federal Election Commission last month and has yet to disclose its donors, has placed close to $1 million on a TV advertising buy attacking Democratic candidate Cait Conley in the final days of the campaign.

Democrats were quick to accuse the group of being backed by GOP interests, pointing to a bank it shares with another PAC with ties to Republicans that spent in other Democratic primaries across the country.

It’s not unheard of for the opposite party to get involved in a primary across the aisle in an attempt to elevate candidates they think will be easier to defeat in the general election.

The ad hits Conley, an Army veteran who has drawn the support of national groups, over Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The narrator states that she is “bankrolled by firms partnered with a major ICE contractor targeting immigrants” — a reference to reporting that firms she consulted for aided immigration enforcement. She has repeatedly denied this claim.

“True activists fought ICE’s atrocities, but Conley kept collecting,” the ad continues. “That’s not progressive, that’s profiteering.”

In a statement, Conley said that “Republicans are seriously underestimating NY-17 Democrats who will see through their political lies and deceit.”

The PAC didn’t respond to Playbook’s request for comment. Its site states that its mission is to “elect bold, progressive candidates up and down the ballot who will fight for working families, protect our democracy, and build a future that works for everyone.”

Conley is one of five candidates running for the Democratic nod. Her two most high-profile challengers are Rockland County Legislator Beth Davidson, who like Conley is running as a moderate, and Tarrytown Trustee Effie Phillips-Staley, who has sought to claim the progressive lane. Some Democrats worry that a far-left candidate would make flipping the battleground seat more difficult in November.

Conley also placed some blame for the PAC attack on Davidson, who has public messaging on her site echoing a similar sentiment as the ad. Davidson also ran a spot hitting Conley on the immigration issue.

In response, Davidson in a statement said “Mike Lawler and Republican dark money groups have no place meddling in our Democratic primary. Full stop.” (Phillips-Staley also condemned the spending.)

Lawler hasn’t shied away from hitting his potential Democratic opponents throughout the primary. But on Friday, his campaign insisted it couldn’t be bothered by the messiness across the aisle.

“Frankly, we don’t care who survives this clown car primary because every single one of them supports raising taxes on working people, making New York a Sanctuary State, and doesn’t have an independent or bipartisan bone in their body,” Lawler campaign manager Ciro Riccardi said in a statement. — Madison Fernandez

PAC IT UP, PART II: There’s yet another super PAC in the high-dollar Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler.

Guardrails Alliance, a super PAC that registered with the FEC last month, has made a six-figure ad buy in the race, according to the ad tracker AdImpact. Public filings with the Federal Communications Commission show that the ad will refer to Assemblymember Alex Bores and focus on artificial intelligence — making it the latest AI-related PAC in the race.

Bores’ work on landmark AI regulation in the state Legislature has attracted millions of dollars both in support of and against him amid his congressional bid. Think Big — a super PAC backed by leaders at OpenAI and the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, among others who claim such regulation stifles innovation — has targeted Bores with more than $6 million in spending, according to FEC filings. A handful of other PACs, many of which have ties to those in the tech industry who are friendlier to AI guardrails, have spent $8 million supporting him, per the FEC.

Super PAC spending has been a sore spot in the race. In the closing days of the campaign, Bores’ opponents have expressed frustration with the heavy super PAC spending in support of him. — Madison Fernandez

BERNIE COMES TO TOWN: Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator and democratic socialist forefather, is coming to New York on Thursday in a last-minute push to boost progressive congressional candidates.

The New York Times first reported the event is set to feature Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who is running in the open race to succeed Velázquez; Darializa Avila Chevalier, who’s challenging Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat; and former city Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s looking to unseat Rep. Dan Goldman. All three are endorsed by Mamdani, who is also expected to join the rally.

Sanders’ team confirmed the event to Playbook.

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; the two cross-endorsed each other.

But Lander has tried to keep some distance, despite appearing in a joint advertisement with Mamdani’s congressional slate. When asked at a press conference earlier this week 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 last week 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.”

Avila Chevalier’s profile has been heightened in recent weeks, following Mamdani’s endorsement. But with that has also come more scrutiny — particularly of her social media activity from the beginning of the decade. One such post criticized what she called Sanders’ “liberal Zionism.” But Avila Chevalier has repeatedly said that she has changed in the years since she made those posts and has accused Espaillat of relitigating old posts to distract from other issues in the race. — Jason Beeferman and Madison Fernandez

WORLD CUP WATCH

MOHAWK VALLEY MADNESS: When Bosnian refugees started arriving in Utica in the mid-1990s, it was a down-on-its-heels upstate Rust Belt city that had seen its population crater by roughly a third from a midcentury peak of just over 100,000 residents.

“I thought I came to another war zone when I came here,” said Hanka Grabovica, who arrived in the Mohawk Valley city in 2001 when she was 16 years old, citing the prevalence of boarded-up buildings and garbage on the streets. “Utica was pretty bad back then.”

Grabovica was part of a wave of Bosnian refugees who settled in Utica after fleeing the brutal war in their native country — and its messy aftermath — that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. Exact figures are tough to pin down, but it’s believed that about 6,000 Bosnians now live in Utica — or nearly 10 percent of the total population.

The city’s unlikely emergence as an epicenter of Bosnian American culture will probably never be more prominently on display than this afternoon when Bosnia and Herzegovina faces Canada on the second day of the World Cup. It’s just the second time Bosnia has qualified for the tournament since it became an independent country in 1992.

The dramatic and unlikely way that the country punched its ticket to North America — knocking off four-time World Cup champion Italy via penalty kicks in a one-match playoff — has heightened the delirium among Bosnians from Sarajevo to St. Louis (the largest enclave of Bosnians in the U.S.) to Utica.

“Seeing this national team progress to the World Cup is definitely something amazing,” said Sandro Sehic, secretary of the Bosnian American Community Association of Utica, noting that many ethnic Serbians and Croatians who live in the country still refuse to play for the national team owing to lingering tensions from the war. “Bosnia is still struggling politically, socially. There are still so many problems that are still affecting the country.” Read more from Paul Demko in POLITICO  

IN OTHER NEWS

— GROCERY EXPANSION: City Council member Jennifer Gutiérrez introduced a bill to expand Mamdani’s city-owned grocery story plan and make it a permanent part of city government. (The City Reporter)

— WHO CALLS THE SHOTS: GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called Gov. Kathy Hochul’s newly passed bill that requires children to be vaccinated for summer camp “un-American.” (Gothamist)

— BUG INVASION: Tick season is in full swing with a rare case of Lyme disease being detected in the Empire State for the first time. (CBS News)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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A judge has told four ‘Filton 25’ anti-genocide activists, at Woolwich Crown Court today, 12 June 2026, that they will be sentenced as terrorists. The four had been tried for no terrorism offences and were formally acquitted of any violent intent. Former security services lawyer-turned-judge Jeremy Johnson refused to recuse himself from the case despite his obvious conflicts of interest. Johnson had banned lawyers and the press from informing the jury that they could acquit — and that the defendants were going to be sentenced under terror laws if convicted.

This decision will mean much longer prison time and draconian conditions imposed on the young activists for decades even after release. These could include having to register their phones with the authorities, report on any relationships and obtain permission to travel. Johnson claimed his decision was, in part, because the actionists had worn red jumpsuits and some employees of the Israeli death factory would have been upset by the action against their workplace.

Hundreds of lawyers, academics and others had warned that the sentencing plan would be a gross injustice with no lawful basis, but Johnson has gone ahead anyway. Human rights group Amnesty International has condemned Johnson and the government for the “grossly disproportionate” punishment, saying:

Amnesty opposes the use of terrorism powers in this case.

It is completely disproportionate to punish protesters for criminal damage as if they were terrorists, a sentence which stays with you for life.
The defendants in today’s case were sentenced as terrorists because prosecutors want to make an example of them.

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Today’s decision shows how direct action protesters could be treated in the future. The use of terrorism laws against direct action protesters must end.

Together we must continue calling out the abuse of power and fighting for our right to protest.

Filton 25 — Heartbreaking and grotesque

The Good Law Project described Johnson’s decision as “grotesque”:

This grotesque distortion of the law tightens the screws on the public’s right to protest, placing more limits on our freedom to fight injustice.

The ‘Defend our Juries’ group called it “heartbreaking”:

BREAKING: Judge Johnson has confirmed the Filton Four will be sentenced based on a ‘terrorist connection’.

This heart breaking news comes despite the protestors never being charged or convicted of terror offences or violent intent. pic.twitter.com/SB1Sbse2ej

— Defend Our Juries (@DefendOurJuries) June 12, 2026

Keir Starmer’s war on UK rights to protect Israel from accountability for its crimes has turned Britain into a failed and terror state.

Anything to protect Israel from accountability for its crimes.

Featured image via the Canary

By Skwawkbox

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