Hegseth announces USNS Harvey Milk is being renamed USNS Oscar V. Peterson

(NEW YORK) — New York City’s municipal races are bringing disgraced politicians back into the limelight, with multiple candidates seeking a political comeback and raising the question of whether voters will give them a second — or third — chance.

Among the slate is Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman whose downfall came after a slew of sexting scandals that culminated in a 21-month federal prison sentence, who is vying for Manhattan’s City Council seat.

This comes as New York City’s mayoral race faces its share of controversy as well, with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo continuing to deny the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation nearly four years ago.

And though the federal investigation into incumbent Mayor Eric Adams over fraud and bribery was dismissed earlier this year, he continues to take heat as the first sitting mayor to be indicted as he attempts to court voters running as an independent.

Yet Weiner, 60, is attempting to differentiate himself from the other candidates with checkered pasts by emphasizing accountability for his wrongdoings.

“All of that happened, and I accept responsibility for it,” he told ABC’s “The View” in May. “You won’t hear me do what some other people in public life have done — Donald Trump or Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams: ‘I’m a victim, they persecuted me for no reason.’ I was dealing with very serious problems. I was dealing with what I now understand to be addiction.”

“I am saying ‘Yes, I did these things. I got into recovery. I tried to make my life better,'” he said. “And now I can be of service. And I’m a damn good politician.”

In 2011, Weiner resigned from his congressional seat after a sexually explicit photo was posted on his social media page — which he initially said was a hack, but later admitted was his own doing — in addition to revelations of more sexting content with various women online.

He attempted a comeback two years later in an unsuccessful New York City mayoral run. Despite his initial lead, his campaign was plagued by controversy as more sexually explicit messages and images became public, with Weiner operating under the alias “Carlos Danger.”

In 2016, new sexting allegations came to light which prompted his wife Huma Abedin to announce the couple’s split.

In 2017, Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after one of his sexting scandals was found to involve a 15-year-old girl. Following his release, he was also designated a Level 1 registered sexual offender, classified as a low-risk to reoffend.

During his appearance on “The View,” Weiner emphasized that he was still in recovery for sex addiction.

He also recognized that he would receive blowback during his campaign, but he did not think his past should hold him back. He cited a need for change among Democratic candidates as his reason for getting back into politics.

“When I woke up in November of ’24 and saw the election results — but more than who won, I looked around New York City and saw how many fewer Democrats even turned out to vote. And I started to say to myself ‘something is seriously wrong here,'” he said. “We’re hardcore anti-Trump territory and Trump did better.”

Weiner presents a more moderate platform than some of his Democratic counterparts. According to his campaign website, some of his goals include increasing police presence, protecting undocumented immigrants but deporting violent criminals, taxing the rich, and eliminating waste.

In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Weiner faces Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, Manhattan Community Board Chair Andrea Gordillo, nonprofit leader Sarah Batchu, and community advocate Allie Ryan. 

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(WASHINGTON) — Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared details about an imminent attack on Houthis in Yemen in March in a second group chat using the messaging app Signal that included his wife, his brother and his personal lawyer, two sources familiar with the contents of the chat told ABC News.

Those details shared in the second chat included the flight schedules for the F/A-18 Hornets involved in the pending attack on Houthi positions, according to the officials. The New York Times was first to report Hegseth’s sharing of the details in a second Signal group.

The sharing of the details reportedly occurred around the same time in mid-March when key members of President Donald Trump’s National Security Council, including Hegseth, inadvertently shared details about the March 15 missile strike in Yemen with the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic.

Much of the same content was shared in the second encrypted chat with family members and others — a chat group that Hegseth had created on his personal phone during his confirmation process, the two officials told ABC News.

Hegseth’s wife, Jennifer Hegseth, does not work for the Defense Department.

His brother, Phil Hegseth, works as a senior adviser at the Department of Homeland Security and is detailed to the Defense Department. Tim Parlatore, Hegseth’s personal attorney, works at the Pentagon as a Navy reservist assigned to Hegseth’s office.

Sean Parnell, chief spokesperson for the Pentagon, responded to reports of the second chat in a statement on X on Sunday night saying in part, “Another day, another old story—back from the dead. The Trump-hating media continues to be obsessed with destroying anyone committed to President Trump’s agenda.”

The statement continued, “There was no classified information in any Signal chat, no matter how many ways they try to write the story. What is true is that the Office of the Secretary of Defense is continuing to become stronger and more efficient in executing President Trump’s agenda.”

Sources confirmed with ABC News that the second known Signal chat was originally created to discuss scheduling and administrative information.

The Pentagon’s independent inspector general is evaluating Hegseth’s use of the Signal app “to determine the extent to which the Secretary of Defense and other DoD personnel complied with DoD policies and procedures” to conduct official business, the acting inspector general, Steven Stebbins, said in a notification letter to Hegseth.

The Trump administration has repeatedly refuted the idea that any classified information was shared in the first known chat thread; however, several former U.S. officials have contended that the sharing of such information over unapproved channels could at a minimum put troops overseas at risk.

Its use to divulge sensitive military operations may complicate ongoing investigations into potential leaks involving the first known group chat, which included top aides and other members of Pete Hegseth’s team — at least three of whom have been since fired in relation to the inquiry.

Those officials — Dan Caldwell, Colin Carroll and Darin Selnick — have since spoken out against what they say are baseless accusations against them.

“At this time, we still have not been told what exactly we were investigated for, if there is still an active investigation, or if there was even a real investigation of ‘leaks’ to begin with,” they said in a joint statement on X on April 19.

John Ullyot, the Pentagon’s former top spokesman, on Sunday published an opinion piece in Politico where he described “a month of total chaos at the Pentagon.”

“From leaks of sensitive operational plans to mass firings, the dysfunction is now a major distraction for the president — who deserves better from his senior leadership,” he wrote.

“Hegseth is now presiding over a strange and baffling purge that has left him without his two closest advisers of over a decade — Caldwell and Selnick — and without chiefs of staff for him and his deputy,” Ullyot wrote.

“Even strong backers of the secretary like me must admit: The last month has been a full-blown meltdown at the Pentagon — and it’s becoming a real problem for the administration,” he added.

“President Donald Trump has a strong record of holding his top officials to account,” wrote Ullyot. “Given that, it’s hard to see Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth remaining in his role for much longer.”

Ullyot left the Pentagon late last week after having been sidelined after he controversially defended the removal of Jackie Robinson information from a DOD website.

He said earlier this week that he had left the Pentagon on his own accord, while a senior defense official told ABC News that Ullyot was asked to resign.

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The U.S. and China issued a joint statement on Monday announcing an agreement to cut reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, with both sides “recognizing the importance of a sustainable, long-term, and mutually beneficial economic and trade relationship.”

U.S. and Chinese representatives convened for talks in Geneva, Switzerland, this weekend in a bid to establish the basis for negotiations in a broader potential trade deal. President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff measures announced in April touched off a spiralling trade war between the two economic giants, roiling markets and prompting fears of a recession in the U.S.

“We have reached an agreement on a 90-day pause and substantially move down the tariff levels,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at a Monday press conference in Geneva. “Both sides, on the reciprocal tariffs, will move their tariffs down 115%,” Bessent said.

U.S Trade Representative Jamieson Greer added that the U.S and China will maintain 10% reciprocal tariffs as part of the agreement.

“Today, with this agreement, we come to agreement that though that our reciprocal tariff rate will go down to 10% on the United States side,” Greer said. “The Chinese on their side also go down 115% to 10% and they remove the countermeasures that they have in place.”

Greer confirmed that during the pause, the effective tariff on Chinese goods entering the U.S. will be 30%. He also said that China’s effective tariffs will be at 10% for the duration of the pause. The changes will come into force by Wednesday, the joint U.S.-China statement said.

“What matters for the agreement today is that we each agreed to come down on the reciprocal tariff and related retaliation to 10%,” Greer said.

Monday’s announcement followed two days of talks that both sides described as successful.

In a media briefing on Sunday, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said trade talks with the U.S. “achieved substantial progress and reached important consensus.”

Earlier Sunday, the White House said that it reached an agreement without providing any details.

While Greer called it a “deal,” Bessent said only that “substantial progress” had been made.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

ABC News’ Lauren Minore, Hannah Demissie and Alex Ederson contributed to this report.

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