Spiegel Stuff: A Postcard From ICE-Invaded Chicago

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

A Postcard From ICE-Invaded Chicago

SUBSCRIBE FOR FULL ACCESS

MATTHEW LYNCH,
EXECUTIVE EDITOR

In these closing days of the 2025 New York City mayoral race, it's hard to think about Andrew Cuomo without recalling one of the best delivered punch lines of 1990s cinema: Jim Carrey's "so you're telling me there's a chance!" That's essentially the upshot of Chris Smith's ride-along with the campaign's once-dominant force, whose path to victory is now angel-hair thin. As Smith reports, a Cuomo aide "admits that it amounts to hitting a triple bank shot: 'The pieces have to fall the right way. But is there a path? Yes, there is.'"

Elsewhere today, Maureen Ryan reports on the increasing feelings of unease in Chicago as ICE ups its presence in the city; a former Obama adviser diagnoses the Democratic malaise; and Ben and J.Lo have an unexpected reunion. More tomorrow…

Doing the Math With Andrew Cuomo

BY CHRIS SMITH

The former New York governor and current independent mayoral candidate received good news when, in late September, the incumbent, Eric Adams, dropped out of the field. A Cuomo aide claims the campaign's internal polling shows that the bulk of Adams's support will shift to Cuomo—though even that would only add a mere 5%, not enough to close the gap with front-runner Zohran Mamdani. So one focus now is peeling support away from Curtis Sliwa, the Republican nominee, in hopes that Sliwa will step aside and give Cuomo a head-to-head matchup with Mamdani.

VF's Chris Smith details Cuomo's challenging last days on the campaign trail.

Read All About It

POLITICS

Trump's Attack on Blue States

BY BESS LEVIN

Oregon, Illinois, and California are among the recently targeted states hit with funding cuts and threats to deploy the National Guard. You won't believe what they have in common.

POLITICS

There's an ICE Facility in My Backyard

BY MAUREEN RYAN

Chicago was not a war zone when Trump's Operation Midway Blitz began. DHS and ICE have made it one.

Food for Thought

Obama's Food Adviser Points the Finger at Dems

BY ERIN VANDERHOOF

As an adviser to Barack Obama, Sam Kass learned firsthand how hard it is to change health and food policy in the US. But it's even harder for him to work outside of the government—and look on in horror as the Donald Trump administration destroys everything he worked for.

VF's Erin Vanderhoof spoke with the chef turned climate investor about his old boss's legacy and the threats facing international institutions, ranging from famine in Gaza to Cabinet members RFK Jr. and Linda McMahon.