Adams says Cuomo went back on his word not to directly challenge the mayor

Mayor Eric Adams Monday slammed opponent Andrew Cuomo as having gone back on his word, saying that as the former governor weighed jumping into the mayoral race, he told community leaders he wouldn’t be taking on the mayor.

Adams also called the ex-gov a “double-digit loser” for his 12-point primary loss against Zohran Mamdani in his remarks at an unrelated press conference.

“While he was contemplating running for office, he would go around to Black and brown leaders and say, ‘I will never run against Eric Adams. I’m only running if Eric is not going to be in the race. I’m not going to run against him,'” the mayor said. “Did he keep his word? No, he did not.”

More than a year before formally jumping into the primary race, sources told multiple news outlets Cuomo didn’t want to go head-to-head with Adams in the Democratic primary, and would only by likely to run if Adams didn’t.

—New York Daily News

Reparations bill, amid headwinds, could skirt California's affirmative action ban

LOS ANGELES — With diversity programs under full assault by the Trump administration, California lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow state colleges to consider whether applicants are descendants of African Americans who were enslaved in the United States.

The bill, which would probably face a legal challenge if passed, is part of a package of 15 reparations bills supported by the California Legislative Black Caucus being considered in the current legislative session.

Assembly Bill 7, introduced by Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan, D-Los Angeles, if passed, could potentially skirt around the state's ban on affirmative action. California voters in 1996 approved a state ballot measure, Proposition 209, that bars colleges from considering race, sex, ethnicity, color or national origin in admissions under Proposition 209. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2023 also ruled those programs were unconstitutional.

Bryan, however, says his has nothing to do with race and doesn't use the terms "Black" or "African American" in its text.

—Los Angeles Times

Police officers offered a $10,000 bonus to join department ahead of World Cup

ATLANTA — Atlanta is looking to lure experienced police officers to its force by offering a five-figure signing bonus for those willing to join the department ahead of the highly-anticipated 2026 FIFA World Cup games.

The Atlanta Police Foundation announced last week it will offer $10,000 to already-trained officers as a way to skip onboarding and bolster the force ahead of next summer’s events.

As of May, the department’s number of sworn officers was 1,759 — the highest number of filled positions since 2021, Chief Darin Schierbaum told City Council members during a quarterly briefing.

But the number is still far from the 2,000-plus sworn officers the city is aiming for. Schierbaum said the department needs to be prepared to both staff events and be able to respond to the daily public safety demands of the city.

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Clashes kill at least 89 in southern Syria as Israel strikes tanks

DAMASCUS, Syria — The death toll from fierce fighting in Syria’s southern Sweida province has risen to 89, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday, as government troops intervened in the escalating tensions.

The battles are concentrated around the village of Kanaker and the towns of al-Thaala and al-Mazraa, where Druze armed groups were fiercely resisting attacks by Bedouin tribal fighters and units from the Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries.

Among the dead are 50 local Druze, including two children and two women, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 government soldiers, and seven unidentified fighters in military uniforms.

Over 200 people have been injured, many critically, with medical staff overwhelmed and operating under severe shortages in supplies at the Sweida National Hospital.

—dpa