Tuesday, July 1, 2025
New to URL Media? Subscribe below to get our weekly newsletters.
A View From the Ground
News and information about politics, government, civic participation and engagement from URL Media's network of Black and Brown publishers.
Good evening. A surprise victory in the New York Democratic primary leaves incumbent Eric Adams on the defensive as he starts his own reelection bid. Also, the Supreme Court has given the Trump administration a victory, leaving constitutionally protected birthright citizenship in limbo. Plus, we’re bringing you the latest updates at url-media.com as events unfold. Have a question? Write to us at [email protected].
Credit: April Xu for Documented
Just two days after the New York City Democratic primary election shocker in which State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani emerged as the top-ranked candidate, Documented reports Mayor Eric Adams began his reelection campaign by taking sharp jabs, signifying there will be more to come.
“This election is a choice between a candidate with a blue collar and one with a silver spoon,” Adams said on the steps of City Hall on June 26. “A choice between dirty fingernails and manicured nails.”
The mayor, who won on the Democratic ticket in 2020, is running for reelection as an independent after a corruption case that dogged him was lifted by the Justice Department. Many critics have accused him of being part of a quid pro quo deal that exchanged his freedom for favoring Trump administration immigration policies.
Mamdani bested a field of several candidates challenging Adams for the mayor’s office including former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned in a sexual harassment scandal. He must now face the mayor in November, along with Republican nominee, Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa. Cuomo is reportedly not removing his name from contention and could possibly also run as an independent.Adams’ campaign push starts as Mamdani takes a barrage of racist insults from the far right, anger from the wealthy classes, fearmongering from mainstream media, and confusion from the Democratic establishment that has been left bewildered by the loss of what they thought was a sure thing.But Adams is also facing criticism of his own. His corruption case, which could have landed him in prison, and perceived connection to Trump leave many New Yorkers cold.At his campaign announcement, a demonstrator yelled that Adams is a “Trump Democrat” and a “f—ing criminal.” To which Adams replied, “You can call me all the names you want, but I’m going to answer to only one: Mayor Adams.”
The Trump administration has gotten its way on birthright citizenship. At least for now. The Supreme Court ruled 6-3 on June 27 in a manner that effectively allows the president to enforce his executive order blocking birthright citizenship in 28 states. In 22 other states, the order faces legal challenges and is blocked.
AsAm News explains that the decision went unusually quickly to the Supreme Court after Trump issued his executive order on his first day in office. But Trump fast-tracked the case to get it to come before the justices so quickly.“I think what they are trying to do is to ensure that the executive order is implemented in parts of the United States while the case is actually being litigated throughout the various circuits,” Razeen Zaman, immigration director with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund told AsAmNews.
“What the Trump administration is asking for is radical. They want the court to go back 157 years. He didn’t go through Congress. He just decided that he could overturn 157 [years] just by signing an executive order. That is not how the law works,” Zaman said.
The White House ended Temporary Protected Status designation for Haitian immigrants, upsetting many in the Haitian community who fear that thousands may be forced to return to Haiti. The Department of Homeland Security cites improved conditions in Haiti as their rationale for dropping TPS as of Sept. 2, The Haitian Times reports.
The status was originally granted to Haitians after the devastating earthquake around Port-Au-Prince in 2010. It was extended several times because of continued natural disasters, and political and social unrest that beset the country, including the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
In February, the administration announced a “partial” cut in TPS, which alarmed advocates of the Haitian community.
“With Haiti continuing to grapple with unspeakable violence and a horrific humanitarian, political, and economic crisis, this is a shameful decision that could be a death sentence for more than 500,000 Haitian nationals living in the United States,” Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Yvette Clarke, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, co-chairs of the House Haiti Caucus, said in a joint statement at the time. “Haitians who have lived in the United States for up to 15 years, raised children, started businesses, and contributed to their communities are at risk of deportation for no reason other than being Haitian.”
A Detroit Chinese-American man slain in what many believe was a racist hate crime in 1982 was honored with a street in his name in the city’s historic Chinatown, Outlier Media reports
Advocates, community leaders and elected officials gathered to unveil the “Vincent Chin St.” sign, about a mile north of Detroit’s downtown area. “I’m always shocked by how many students — Asian American and not Asian American — have never heard of Vincent Chin,” said Richard Mui, who teaches Asian American history at Canton High School in suburban Detroit. “We need to tell the complete Vincent Chin story: the xenophobia, the failure of the legal system, and the rise of a second wave of Asian American activism.”
Chin was a 27-year-old draftsman who was hanging out with friends at a bar in Highland Park, an enclave city within Detroit city limits. Two white autoworkers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, confronted Chin. The pair beat him with a baseball bat and he died of his injuries. They were never jailed and only sentenced to probation and a fine.
The decision sparked an outcry in Detroit and in the nationwide Asian American community and spurred the founding of American Citizens for Justice in 1983 to advocate for Asian American civil rights. “This street sign is not only a memorial,” said Mui. “It’s a reminder of the power of community, the importance of justice and the work that still lies ahead.”
Two-spirit powwow in Minneapolis celebrates queer identities - Sahan Journal
Missouri’s longest-standing Black bookstore faced closure. The Defender pulled up - Kansas City Defender
Healing through heritage: Dal chawal and the art of nourishment - India Currents
Check out our Currency of Impact dashboard, a new tool designed to revolutionize media buying conversations and put community impact on the foreground. Dive into our impact tracker and case studies highlighting demonstrated impact across the URL Media network. This project was co-produced with the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Visit it here.
