10 Things in Politics: Buttigieg mafia becoming DC stars

Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics. Sign up here to receive this newsletter. Send tips to bgriffiths@insider.com or tweet me at @BrentGriffiths.

Here's what we're talking about:

• We're tracking 59 ex-staffers from Secretary Pete's 2020 campaign and where they are now
• Employees are beating their companies in the battle over work from home
• Bill Gates gave his first interview since finalizing his divorce

With Phil Rosen.

1. WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Their high hopes didn't end up launching a mayor into the White House. But the consolation prizes for Pete Buttigieg and the loyal staffers on his campaign are hard to beat. Buttigieg, of course, is now transportation secretary, and nearly five dozen of his top aides have new gigs of their own.

• Former staffers say they're just getting started: "There's going to be a Buttigieg mafia not only helping lead Democratic politics for a generation but running the companies and organizations that are going to shape the future of the country more broadly," Hari Sevugan, Buttigieg's former deputy campaign manager, told my colleague Adam Wren.

Here's a peek at where 59 ex-staffers are right now:

• Chris Meagher, special assistant to the president and deputy press secretary: A former newspaper reporter, Meagher has worked for politicians including his home state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, and Sen. Jon Tester of Montana. He was Buttigieg's national press secretary and was brought on shortly before the campaign's April 2019 launch.
• Emily Voorde, associate director for disability-community engagement in the White House: On the campaign, Voorde worked as Chasten Buttigieg's body woman and trip director. He wrote in his memoir that Voorde often reminded him to drink more water.
• Andrew Mamo, communications director for Rep. Josh Harder: Mamo said Lis Smith, the Democratic strategist who was a major guiding force behind the campaign, asked him one question during his 45-second job interview to be a national press assistant for the campaign. "Are you fast?"

See the entire Buttiverse of former top aides my colleagues are tracking.

2. Writing is on the wall for Cuomo: A majority of New York State Assembly members are said to support ousting Gov. Andrew Cuomo if he doesn't resign after the sexual-harassment investigation. A simple majority is needed to begin an impeachment, and at least 86 of 150 have voiced support for the impeachment option, according to a tally by the Associated Press. Cuomo is still denying all accusations of inappropriate sexual advances. More on the fallout from the bombshell investigation.

3. Landlords are ready to fight Biden's eviction ban in court, again: An Alabama realtors group, its Georgia counterpart, and landlords are among those asking a federal judge to overturn the extended evictions moratorium, arguing that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention exceeded its authority when it extended the ban by 60 days in areas of the country with severe COVID-19 spread, The Washington Post reports. Opponents mentioned President Joe Biden's comments in which he expressed some skepticism about whether the extension would pass legal muster. More on the latest in a fight that could affect millions of renters.

4. DeSantis swipes back at Biden: "Why don't you do your job?" Gov. Ron DeSantis snapped back at the president. A day earlier, Biden pointed out that Texas and DeSantis' state of Florida accounted for a huge share of the nation's newest reported COVID-19 cases. DeSantis retorted that until the southern US border was "secure" he didn't "want to hear a blip about COVID" from Biden.

5. US may require all foreign travelers to be vaccinated: An unnamed White House official told Reuters the Biden administration was considering a vaccine mandate as part of plans to allow foreign travelers back in the US. The White House has kept its travel restrictions so far amid an increase in cases led by the Delta virus variant. More on the story.

• Boston's mayor compared vaccine passports to slavery-era papers: Acting Mayor Kim Janey, the first Black person to lead the city, compared requiring patrons to show proof of their COVID-19 shots to freedom papers, documents that African Americans secured to remain safe from enslavement. She also said it was similar to Donald Trump asking Barack Obama for his birth certificate.

6. Former Trump and Obama staffers square off over mask mandates in a small Mississippi school district: The feud over masks in schools that's playing out in Oxford (population 28,000) is just one of many taking place in conference rooms and email listservs across the country as parents and local officials brace for the start of yet another school year fraught with uncertainty. But this one features two moms who are also both former senior EPA officials. Now they're duking it out on social media.

7. Bill Gates opened up for the first time since his divorce: "Melinda's a great person, and that partnership that we had coming to an end is a source of great personal sadness," Gates told CNN in his first interview since his divorce was finalized. Gates expressed hope that he and Melinda French Gates could find a way to work together, saving their foundation, one of the world's largest, from massive changes. Gates said he did have regrets, including what he called the "huge mistake" of spending time with Jeffrey Epstein.

8. Mexico is suing US gunmakers: Mexico sued several US gun companies, arguing their business practices caused illicit guns to flow over the border into Mexico and increase homicide rates. The US government, which Mexico has long criticized for its lax gun-control laws, was not targeted by the lawsuit. More on the legal fight.

9. Employees are voting with their feet to work from home more often: After a year and a half out of the office, millions of Americans have gotten used to the flexibility. But as offices reopen, there's a widening divide between what employers want and what staffers want. The future of work is shaping up to be far more contentious than expected.

10. All the moments you missed at the Olympics: The American Ryan Crouser cemented his dominance over shot put with a gold medal and by breaking the Olympic record three times over his six throws.

• Check out his mind-blowing diet: It often includes a whole Domino's pizza with three meat toppings. And it's washed down with a 16-ounce glass of milk.

On the cusp of a four-peat: Kevin Durant and the US men's basketball team advanced to the gold-medal game with a 97-78 rout of Australia after falling into an early 15-point hole.

Bronze for USWNT: The US women's soccer team also defeated Australia, 4-3, earning the Americans a bronze medal just minutes ago. The first US goal came directly off a corner kick - a rare feat, but a bit more common for Megan Rapinoe.

Problems persist: The US failed to qualify for the finals of the men's 4x100-meter relay after botching a baton transfer. The handoff has plagued the team in past Olympics too.

No horseplay: A statue of a sumo wrestler on the Tokyo Olympics equestrian course may be scaring the horses.

Today's trivia question: Sticking with the Olympics, the US has won more than 1,000 gold medals in the modern Summer Games, far surpassing any other nation. When did Team USA reach 1,000? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at bgriffiths@insider.com.

• Yesterday's answer: They still glitter, but the gold medals are not all gold. In fact, gold medals haven't been entirely gold since 1912. The games have also tried to be more environmentally conscious. Tokyo's Olympic medals were made with material drawn from 78,985 tons of recycled electronic devices, including cellphones.