Amid shifting political tides, NYC Mayor Adams leaves door open to becoming a Republican

NEW YORK — Mayor Adams didn’t rule out switching parties and becoming a Republican on Friday, quickly sparking backlash over his latest remarks that have Democrats questioning his allegiance and political observers speculating about what he’s up to.

Adams, who was a registered Republican in the late-90s and early 2000s, was asked whether he would consider rejoining the party during a series of TV news hits Friday morning.

“I’m a part of the American party. I love this country,” he said on NY1.

Pressed a few minutes later on PIX11, Adams said: “My focus is the American people and the people of New York City. And those who don’t like it, they would cancel me. And I say, ‘Cancel me.’ I’m for America.”

—New York Daily News

Naval Academy allowed to continue using race in admissions, federal judge rules

BALTIMORE — The U.S. Naval Academy may continue using race in its admissions process, a federal judge ruled Friday, brushing back an attempt by a group that had successfully overturned affirmative action in college admissions to extend that to the Annapolis-based military academy.

“Over many years, military and civilian leaders have determined that a racially diverse officer corps is a national security interest,” U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett wrote in his ruling. “The Naval Academy has established a compelling national security interest in a diverse officer corps in the Navy and Marine Corps.”

The president of Students for Fair Admissions, which had sued the Naval Academy in October 2023 three months after it won its case against Harvard College and the University of North Carolina in the U.S. Supreme Court, expressed disappointment in the ruling and vowed to appeal.

“SFFA will appeal this to the appellate court,” Edward Blum said in a statement. “If we are unsuccessful there, then we will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

—The Baltimore Sun

Florida surgeon general’s fluoride guidance risks children’s health, experts say

TAMPA, Fla. — New guidance from Florida’s top health official could lead to an increase in cavities and other dental issues, especially among children and low-income communities, health experts are warning.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo last month advised communities against adding fluoride to their drinking water citing studies in Canada and Mexico that found a correlation between high levels of the chemical and lower IQ scores in children.

It comes after Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for secretary of Health and Human Services, posted on social media that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office.

Several communities in Florida, including Collier County and the city of Winter Haven, had already bucked scientific consensus about the substance’s effectiveness in reducing tooth decay and have voted to stop adding fluoride to their water supplies. Naples could be about to join them.

—Tampa Bay Times

Syrian rebels eye next prize with Assad lacking Russian help

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad is desperate for Russian and Iranian help as rebel forces close in on the strategically important city of Homs, though a repeat of the 2015 rescue by his allies looks increasingly unlikely.

The military resources of both Tehran and Moscow are stretched by conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. So far, Assad has Russia’s airstrikes on rebel positions and a tepid promise from Iran to consider requests for troops, yet not the emphatic backing he’s counting on to halt the onslaught.

After capturing Hama on Thursday, the rebels are now mere kilometers from Homs, the last major city on their path south to the capital, Damascus.

Taking Homs could close the land route between Assad’s government and his Alawite sect’s Mediterranean strongholds, which are also home to a Russian naval base. That would further undermine his chances of holding onto power.

—Bloomberg News