The polls say Republicans are likely going to get absolutely shellacked in the midterm elections.
There are four specific reasons for that. There is also one specific reason why Democrats could totally blow it.
Here is the very short story: People want normalcy.
I&#8217;ve been saying this for years. In 2024, Trump was the normie candidate, and Kamala Harris and Joe Biden were very not normie.
In 2020, people wrongly perceived Joe Biden as a normie, and so he won.
What people want in the United States from their politics is very simple: 1) a healthy economy, and 2) to feel secure.
That’s it. Every single poll is downstream of how people feel about those two things: economic success and the prospect thereof, and security.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ben-shapiro-show-ep-2497?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowHeadline=Recent+Episodes&amp;rowType=Horizontal+Show+Episodes+Carousel"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-981859" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif" alt="" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner.avif 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-300x50.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/ben-banner-768x128.jpg 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
This is the reason why people institute governments. The Constitution of the United States essentially establishes a federal government capable of doing two things: protecting private property rights and ensuring national security.
Every election in the United States comes down to those two things in varying degrees: economic success and security. How people feel about whether those things are being achieved will determine whether the party in power retains power or not.
This brings us to the four reasons why the Republicans look like they&#8217;re going to have a bad election cycle.
<ol>
<li>The obvious off-year election dynamics. </li>
<li>President Trump is extraordinarily distracted. He is not focused on what people want him to focus on, and it feels like he is picking every apple from every tree at once. </li>
<li>Bad candidates</li>
<li>Most importantly, there are actual traitors in the GOP who want Trump and the Republicans to lose. They want House Speaker Mike Johnson to lose and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to lose. They&#8217;re ecstatic about the idea of a fractured Republican Party.</li>
</ol>
Some of these four things can be changed; some can&#8217;t and are basically baked into the cake.
We are now about two months away from the election. In the polling data, Democrats are about six and a half points up in the generic congressional ballot. The good news is that Republicans generally outperform the generic congressional polling in terms of seats.
That’s because you don&#8217;t vote for a generic Congress; you vote for your specific congressperson. So it may not be as disastrous as it sounds.
But in the Senate, things are looking pretty negative for the Republicans. North Carolina looks like it&#8217;s going to go for the Democrats’ Roy Cooper, who is up by eight versus Michael Whatley. In Texas, James Talarico, the self-righteous LGBTQ+ Howdy Doody doll, is up two against Ken Paxton.
In Ohio, Sherrod Brown, who had a formidable record of winning elections before he was defeated by Bernie Moreno in the last election cycle, is up about three points against Jon Husted.
In Maine, Troy Jackson — who is basically Graham Platner lite —  is up two versus Susan Collins. In Alaska, Mary Peltola is up two against Dan Sullivan.
If that polling were to hold, Republicans would lose the Senate, which again is insane considering that Trump won pretty much all of these seats, many of them by double digits, in 2024.
Republicans have a problem. Midterm elections are bad for the party in power. It is normal for the party out of power to look pretty good.
You can&#8217;t change the time. You can&#8217;t change the fact that when you&#8217;re the party in power, and people are in a bad mood, they tend to swing to the other party. It happens all the time.
But this brings up factor number two, the biggest factor in the problems for Republicans looking forward to the election. President Trump is not focused purely on the two things that matter: the economy and security. He&#8217;s been fragmented in his approach to both.
When it comes to politics, most people are not granular. Thus, what do Americans want? Direction. A narrative. They want a gestalt. They want a feeling of what is happening. They want solidity. They want predictability. They want to know where everything is going.
President Trump is famous for none of those things. He&#8217;s not famous for being predictable, solid, or narratively consistent.
There are benefits to that; because Trump is non-ideological, a so-called pragmatist, he is not wedded to any particular ideology. He will pick from various buckets, and his policy will be trial and error. He&#8217;ll try something. If it fails, he’ll try something new.
But the result is that when the president is running issue to issue, the administration&#8217;s narrative feels confusing. Take the economy. Right now, the American people are very concerned about the economy, even though it&#8217;s doing pretty well. Our unemployment rate remains low. Historically, our inflation rate is down in the mid-threes. We need to bring it down a little so it falls below the rate of wage growth. But we are by no means in a disaster-level economy here in the United States. Obviously, the stock market is doing quite well. We have a series of booming businesses.
But people feel discombobulated. They feel as though there&#8217;s a grab bag of various policies, none of them directed at a singular end.
So let&#8217;s say that the president was narratively focused, and said:
<blockquote>Listen, here&#8217;s what I want. I want economic productivity. We need to be the leading economy on planet Earth. The way that you become the leading economy on planet Earth is to drive up productivity, to drive up innovation. That means leaving money in the pocket of the American people so that they can build and consume. That means we&#8217;re leaving regulation. That means battening down the hatches against global opponents like China. But it also means cutting better trade deals with our friends, right? We have a singular end. That singular end is America out-producing, outcompeting, defeating everyone else on earth, and not just in a zero-sum way. Maximizing economic gains. Everything is geared toward that.</blockquote>
The president doesn&#8217;t tend to talk like that. And so what you end up with is a weird grab-bag of policy. On the one hand, he wants productivity, so he&#8217;s very pro data centers. But also he wants protection against the predation of global economics. He wants tariffs.
Does he want low prices because he says he wants inflation to go down? Does he want low prices, or does he want to reduce interest rates and increase prices? Does he want a trade war with Canada?
These are all discombobulated policies. Does he want regulatory relief, or does he want to take government stakes in private companies?
Does President Trump want to ferret out waste, fraud, and abuse and put his vice president in charge of overseeing that? Or does he want family and friends making bank, including people who are associated with the administration?
Who is he going to deploy to discuss economics? Is he going to deploy Scott Bessent, the Treasury Secretary, who is good at it, or is he going to deploy Peter Navarro and Howard Lutton to rant about tariffs and railroads?
That discombobulated posture has a cost. It’s okay for people to feel a little discombobulated when they feel like things are going swimmingly. But when things start to feel dicey, if they don&#8217;t feel like we&#8217;re being driven toward an actual end, it starts to feel like we&#8217;re at sea in choppy waters.
The same thing is true with national security. On certain issues, President Trump has been perfectly consistent. Illegal immigration is a national security issue. He&#8217;s been very consistent on it, which is why that has always been his best issue.
But on national security, it feels discombobulated. Does the president want to face down America&#8217;s enemies like Iran, or does he want to negotiate with them while ripping on allies? Does he want to take an anti-Russian position? Does he want to go to the EU and rip on the EU? Does he want to yell at the Italian Prime Minister? Does he want to oppose China in every aspect, because China has been interfering in a wide variety of ways in the American economy, even in our election system? Or does he want to make nice with China and talk about what a great friend he is with Jinping?
And even with regard to specific policies, even the ones that I like, what does he actually want to do when it comes to Iran? Does he want to treat Iran as an implacable foe, and does he want to bring them down the way that Reagan did the Soviet Union? Or does he want to pretend that they&#8217;re rational actors and deploy JD Vance to broker a crappy MOU?
Does he want to open the Strait of Hormuz or abandon it? Does he want to bomb Kharg Island, or does he want to send JD Vance to talk about how wonderful the Pakistanis are?
When voters feel confused and feel dyspeptic, they tend to turn to the other party.
Now again, there is some method to this confusion.
Historically speaking, for President Trump, his political approach has always been a laser pointer with a cat. The media are the cat, and he points the laser, and then they jump wherever he wants them to jump. When the seas are placid, that&#8217;s fine. But when the seas get choppy, you start to feel a little seasick. And right now people are getting sick of feeling whipsawed.
The third reason why Republicans have a midterm problem: You can&#8217;t pick crappy candidates. I understand a lot of Texans were unhappy with John Cornyn, that they felt he was too moderate, and he was too easygoing with Democrats. I did warn that Ken Paxton was a bad candidate, and I think it is fair to say that if you are running a competitive race with James Talarico in Texas, you are, by definition, a bad candidate.
Paxton’s basically counting on Texans to recognize that James Talarico is a radical leftist Howdy Doody doll. And that&#8217;s true. But you have to make that clear to people.
That may change. I expect Texans will revert to type and Paxton ends up in the Senate.
But it makes it a little tough when you run bad candidates.
The fourth reason, and this is the big one: Traitors in the GOP who are looking to undermine the GOP. There are people who are desperately desirous of the GOP failing.
They want the GOP to fail. Why? They look at Trump, and they see his term is going to end. They look at Mike Johnson, and Mike Johnson is a pretty traditional conservative. John Thune, he&#8217;s a pretty traditional conservative.
And they want that GOP to die. They want that GOP gone, and they see the GOP losing as the predicate to them fracturing the party and then taking it over.
These are people who actively want the Republican Party to lose. They&#8217;re not shy about it, by the way.
Those same people are running a gambit to take over the GOP from within. President Trump is pretty hawkish on foreign policy. They don&#8217;t like that. They don’t like the fact that the GOP, generally speaking, is free-market oriented.
What they want is a GOP that is big government in nature and significantly more sectarian and isolationist on foreign policy. That is what they want, and they&#8217;re being open about it.
That has electoral consequences, because obviously, in close elections, when “part of your party,” the part that is being appealed to by specific politicians in the administration, won&#8217;t build new audiences, but is going to try and get the Tucker Carlson audience or the Candace Owens audience — that’s a problem.
If you spend all your time appealing to the people who are actively saying they want you to lose, you&#8217;re probably going to lose.
Those are the four factors that are putting Republicans in a seriously bad position for the midterms.
This doesn&#8217;t mean Democrats can&#8217;t blow it; they are providing target-rich opportunities. One example is they decided to run a pro-terrorism candidate in Michigan, but apparently most of the Republican Party is spending its days not talking about that.
This is why a driven narrative would help. Americans are worried about security. That is a real issue when you run people for the Senate who are actively pro-terrorism.
Republicans have a lot to run on because the Democratic Party continues to turn to the Left.
The question is: Will they regain focus?

IMG_6619

How To Lose An Election In 60 Days

2026 midterm election

donald trump

ken paxton

politics

republican party

senate

With Maine and Michigan on the rocks, Democrats are increasingly focusing on the American plains as an alternative path to win Senate control. 
Democrats are hoping that an overwhelmingly favorable political environment will put solidly red states that once seemed like pipe dreams in play. And they&#8217;re hoping that a staunchly Republican constituency — American farmers — could help put them over the edge amid economic struggles exacerbated by the Trump administration&#8217;s tariff regime. 
As things currently stand, Republicans are still favorites to hold Senate seats in Iowa and Nebraska. But prediction markets put their odds in the 60-70% range in each, close enough to cause some anxiety for the GOP. Democrats are even beginning to talk about Kansas, though that remains a greater longshot. Cook Political Report has moved Iowa into the &#8220;tossup&#8221; category, while Nebraska and Kansas are &#8220;Likely R.&#8221;
Nebraska and Iowa rank among the top five soybean-producing states in the country, and have traditionally sold over 50% of their crop to China. China responded to Trump&#8217;s tariffs with a 13% import duty for soybeans, leading Brazil to overtake the United States as China’s top soybean supplier last fall.
Farmers are also seeing rising costs for fertilizer. The global fertilizer index shows the wholesale fertilizer price has increased <a href="https://ycharts.com/indicators/fertilizers_index_world_bank">84.1%</a> in the last two years, worsening since the start of the war in Iran. 
A May 2026 Fox poll showed Trump’s support across rural America <a href="https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-rural-americans-farmers-11982592">slipping</a> into negative territory, driven by farm struggles. 
The farm economy has been under pressure. The American Farm Bureau reported that Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies rose 46% in 2025. Costs for fertilizer, seeds, and equipment are up.
Yet despite these challenges, many farmers remain supportive of Trump.
“As farmers because of tariffs we are hurting, however, for the long term if something doesn&#8217;t happen the country is going to fall,&#8221; one Nebraskan farmer told The Daily Wire. “He’s trying to make changes for the better.&#8221;
A farmer from southern Illinois echoed that sentiment. “I don’t think farmers are going to start voting Democratic. Under both the Biden and Trump administrations, we&#8217;ve dealt with low grain prices alongside higher diesel costs. Farmers have been squeezed by lower commodity prices and rising input costs. The difference today is that fertilizer costs are higher than they were under the last administration, but we’ve also received some relief through the Big Beautiful Bill’s Farmer Bridge Assistance Program. It’s not a cure-all, but it does help offset some of the pressure farmers are facing.”
The farmers’ views highlight the challenge facing Democrats. Farmers across the Midwest are experiencing real economic strain, but while the frustration is real, it has not translated into a mass movement towards the other side of the aisle. 
<a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/economics/farmers-iowa-struggling-trumps-economy-still-support-him-rcna345613">NBC interviewed</a> 13 Iowa farmers and found that while many were hurting from burdening rising costs, the majority said they don’t regret supporting Trump. 
“It’s going to get ugly for a while, but in the long run, it’s going to help us,” said one farmer. “Trump is the first president we’ve had in a long time that will stand up to China, because China just runs all over us.”
The tension between the tariffs and prices persists, though. Just last week, Trump announced he is allowing a massive increase of beef imports to try and bring prices down, upsetting some in the agricultural sector.
The White House argues that Trump&#8217;s policies are addressing the challenges farmers face. White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “President Trump is helping our agriculture industry by negotiating new trade deals, lowering input costs, bolstering the farm safety net, doubling the death tax exemption, ending taxes on rural property loan interest, creating rural opportunity zones, and more.”
The administration has also sought to communicate those benefits directly to producers. It launched &#8220;OnlyFarms,&#8221; a federal platform featuring an interactive map that allows farmers and ranchers to calculate projected savings from Trump&#8217;s agricultural agenda. Trump also invited hundreds of farmers and ranchers to the White House in March. Speaking from a balcony overlooking a gold-painted tractor, he assured attendees that they &#8220;once again have a true friend and champion in the Oval Office.&#8221;
Still, Democrats seem determined to expand the map to America&#8217;s heartland. Chuck Schumer has staved off the DSA insurgency and gotten moderate-presenting nominees in Iowa and Kansas, and in Nebraska, the party is backing an independent candidate to try and shirk the horrific brand of the Democrats. 
More battlegrounds mean a need for more money though, and an inconvenient fact remains for Democrats: the DNC is broke, and the RNC is flush with cash.

Democrats Open New Midterm Front In America’s Heartland

farmer

iowa

nebraska

tariff

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche was narrowly confirmed by the Senate on Saturday to officially serve in the role, clearing a vote that divided the Republican Party. 
The Senate voted 50 to 49, with two Republicans — Sen. Susan Collins (ME) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (AK) — siding with Democrats to oppose to Blanche’s nomination. Collins said her opposition stemmed from a Justice Department she believes &#8220;has become increasingly political.&#8221; 
&#8220;Mr. Blanche has taken several actions that have further eroded the Department&#8217;s independence, and that is the basis for my vote to oppose his confirmation,&#8221; she said in a <a href="https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-statement-on-nomination-of-todd-blanche-to-serve-as-attorney-general">statement</a> earlier this week.
Collins argued against Blanche&#8217;s approval of an IRS order to &#8220;shield[ed]&#8221; the Trump family and its businesses from audits, along with the creation of a $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Murkowski <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/second-gop-senator-comes-out-against-blanche-confirmation">echoed</a> those concerns and separately criticized the department&#8217;s handling of the Epstein files release.
The Senate voted to confirm Blanche in a late-night session that ended at 4:00 a.m. After his confirmation, the attorney general <a href="https://x.com/DAGToddBlanche/status/2086015509821038750">said</a> he was &#8220;deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice.&#8221;
 On Friday, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), who had previously opposed Blanche&#8217;s nomination, announced he would vote to confirm Blanche in what would become the deciding vote in the 50-49 outcome.
“Mr. Blanche is not perfect, and he will tell you this,” Cassidy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/todd-blanche-gets-guarantee-from-key-senator-on-confirmation-vote">said</a>. “But the choice is not between perfection and Mr. Blanche. It is between Mr. Blanche and another acting attorney general who may not run the department effectively under President Trump, and who indeed may not be as good as Mr. Blanche.”
Cassidy voiced some concern but said he believed that a confirmed attorney general would have more authority to resist political pressure than someone serving only in an acting capacity. Blanche thanked the Senate for staying late to complete the vote and thanked President Donald Trump. 
“I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me to lead the Department of Justice as our great nation’s 88th Attorney General,” he said. 
Blanche&#8217;s path to the job began outside government entirely; he served as Trump&#8217;s personal defense lawyer before nominating him as deputy attorney general upon returning to office. He was appointed to acting attorney general by the president after former Attorney General Pam Bondi was ousted from the department in April.

Todd Blanche

Senate Confirms Todd Blanche As Attorney General In Razor Thin, Late-Night Vote

department of justice

lisa murkowski

susan collins

todd blanche

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced Thursday that he has been released from a rehabilitation facility and will continue his recovery at his Kentucky home, ending a months-long hospitalization that fueled speculation about his health and renewed calls for the 84-year-old to resign.
“Elaine and I are grateful for the many well wishes and support from friends, colleagues, and Kentuckians, and for the attentive care I’ve received from excellent doctors, nurses, therapists, and hospital staff,&#8221; McConnell <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/2085436771714650136?s=20">said in the statement</a>.
The Kentucky Republican, who is not running for reelection, provided no timeline on a possible return to Washington, D.C. Between June 15 and August 5, McConnell missed 51 roll call votes, <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/missing">according to a government tracker</a>. His absence could also derail Todd Blanche’s nomination to be the U.S. Attorney General, as the acting Attorney General is struggling to earn 50 votes for confirmation.
“On the advice of my doctors, I’ll maintain an intensive regimen of physical therapy from home during the state work period, and I’ll continue to engage with my staff and colleagues on important Senate business,&#8221; McConnell said in the latest health update.
The 84-year-old’s extended hospitalization has fueled mounting questions about both his health and what would happen if Kentucky’s longest-serving senator were unable to complete his final term. He has remained hospitalized <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/senator-mitch-mcconnell-hospitalized?author=Jacob+Wheeler&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=84-Year-Old+Mitch+McConnell+Hospitalized+After+%E2%80%98Unknown+Medical+Incident%E2%80%99">since June 14</a>, when emergency responders were dispatched to his Washington residence following what was widely reported as an emergency radio traffic describing a cardiac arrest requiring CPR. 
The lack of information sparked widespread speculation online. Still, it has also drawn renewed attention to an unusual wrinkle in Kentucky election law that could become significant if McConnell were to resign or otherwise vacate his seat before his term expires in January 2027. With a Democrat occupying the governor’s office, Republican lawmakers<a href="https://apnews.com/article/kentucky-legislature-senate-vacancies-faf6f1f41fa42c3e0b818fc3fb3d4d4a"> recently moved</a> to eliminate the governor’s appointment authority in favor of a special election process.
Previous health updates included photos with his wife, Elaine Chao, and statements from McConnell’s physician. 
“Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care,” the Office of the Attending Physician <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/mcconnells-office-shares-new-photo-and-update-on-the-senator">said July 27</a>. “Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls.”
“His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office,” the OAP added.

Mitch McConnell

Sen. Mitch McConnell Gives Major Update After Months In Hospital

elaine chao

kentucky

mitch mcconnell

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday that she will skip next month&#8217;s Michigan Democratic Party convention because she fears being harassed, adding another flashpoint to a party increasingly divided over Israel and antisemitism during a bitter U.S. Senate primary.
Speaking during a <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2026/07/30/nessel-says-she-wont-attend-michigan-dems-convention-over-safety-concerns/">roundtable</a> discussion with Jewish leaders and community members, Nessel said she no longer feels safe attending the party&#8217;s August 29 convention in Lansing after what she described as repeated harassment.
&#8220;I feel like my presence isn&#8217;t going to be welcome. I don&#8217;t want to get chased around. I don&#8217;t want to get harassed. I don&#8217;t want to get yelled and screamed at. I don&#8217;t want to get booed off the stage, irrespective of what I&#8217;m saying,&#8221; Nessel said. &#8220;And I believe that if I go, that is what will happen because it&#8217;s been happening to me.&#8221;
Nessel also criticized Democratic Party leadership for failing to adequately respond to concerns she said she had repeatedly raised about individuals who have targeted her, warning that antisemitism on the political Left has become a growing problem within the party. 
&#8220;I will speak as a member of the Democratic Party here in Michigan, that some things have changed,&#8221; Nessel said. &#8220;This cannot continue, and the fact of the matter is, we have to be able to be a society where we can have intelligent discourse and debate about ideas without people being threatened, and certainly without people carrying out those threats.&#8221;
Her comments come as Michigan Democrats are engaged in one of the country&#8217;s most closely watched Senate primaries, with the party&#8217;s ideological divide over Israel increasingly spilling into public view.
Left-wing candidate Abdul El-Sayed has embraced some of the Democratic Party&#8217;s most vocal anti-Israel activists during the campaign, including <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hasan-piker-michigan-senate-race-abdul-el-sayed/">campaigning</a> with far-Left political streamer Hasan Piker. Third Way, a center-left think tank, <a href="https://x.com/ThirdWayTweet/status/2036484738022596671?s=20">condemned the partnership</a>, calling Piker &#8220;anti-American, anti-women, anti-western and antisemitic&#8221; and arguing he should be &#8220;pushed to the fringe, not welcomed onto the stage.&#8221; El-Sayed dismissed the criticism in an interview with <a href="https://michiganadvance.com/2026/03/25/michigans-el-sayed-unfazed-by-backlash-against-upcoming-campaign-event-with-hasan-piker/">Michigan Advance</a>, portraying it as an attack from establishment Democrats and &#8220;corporate-funded think tanks.&#8221;
Former Senate candidate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/influential-democrat-drops-out-of-primary-in-key-senate-battleground?trueLinkId=6JvjPnkjnAeCumQ6ZN%2BoGpNLJEFZ07Awl5KNTB6i2A1L44xz%2BMg08Mz8M%2BYvzzUKo9coheltLMaAYibfZ9nbDQ%3D%3D&amp;trueLinkTs=1783452774&amp;trueLinkExpiry=43200">Mallory McMorrow</a> has also acknowledged antisemitism within the Democratic Party, recounting an incident at the Democratic National Convention in which, she said, an attendee shouted an antisemitic slur at her Jewish husband while he was walking with their five-year-old daughter. 
&#8220;There is,&#8221; McMorrow <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2026/05/mcmorrow-says-dems-have-an-antisemitism-problem-during-mich-senate-debate/">replied</a> when asked whether antisemitism was a problem within the party. &#8220;That is terrifying,&#8221; she added.
El-Sayed, by contrast, argued that antisemitism and Islamophobia both stem from &#8220;the scourge of white supremacy&#8221; before pivoting to criticism of U.S. support for Israel. 
&#8220;We can walk and chew gum at the same time,&#8221; El-Sayed said. &#8220;It should not mean that we allow our money to subsidize apartheid and genocide.&#8221;
Responding to Nessel&#8217;s decision not to attend the convention, Michigan Democratic Party spokesman Derrick Honeyman said the party remains committed to ensuring the gathering is safe for all attendees. 
&#8220;We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hateful conduct,&#8221; Honeyman said. &#8220;We are working diligently with stakeholders, elected officials, and party membership to prepare for our August convention and look forward to welcoming Michigan Democrats to the Lansing Center on August 29.&#8221;

2024 Democratic National Convention TW

Jewish Democrat AG Won’t Attend Party’s Convention Due To Safety Concerns

2026 elections

2026 Midterms

abdul el-sayed

anti-Israel

Anti-Semitism

antisemitism

democratic party

Election

hasan piker

michigan

Michigan Primary

Primary

Senate Democrats

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested Thursday that he might pull the confirmation of Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche until two Republicans blocking Blanche&#8217;s confirmation have departed the Senate.
Blanche would remain as acting attorney general, the president shared on Thursday morning, slamming Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) for refusing to vote for Blanche.
Cornyn and Tillis have expressed apprehensions about Blanche, saying they would not vote to confirm Trump&#8217;s DOJ appointee until their concerns have been addressed.
Two sources familiar with the matter told The Daily Wire on Thursday evening that the DOJ had submitted a written response to both senators that addressed their concerns. But Trump&#8217;s post on Thursday morning indicated the response had not been good enough — and that he&#8217;d figure out another way to circumvent the senators.
<div id="attachment_1147257" style="width: 805px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-threatens-to-pull-blanche-nomination-until-problematic-gop-senators-depart/acting-attorney-general-todd-blanche-testifies-to-senate-judiciary-committee-at-his-confirmation-hearing-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1147257"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1147257" class="wp-image-1147257 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286226821-1-795x576.jpg" alt="" width="795" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286226821-1-795x576.jpg 795w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286226821-1-300x217.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286226821-1-768x557.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/GettyImages-2286226821-1.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 795px) 100vw, 795px" /></a>Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears at his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;Remember, both Cornyn and Tillis voted for Merrick Garland, and others, too numerous to mention,&#8221; Trump said in a Truth Social post. &#8220;I have no objection to temporarily withdrawing Todd’s name, if they do not do the right thing, and putting him back after Cornyn and Tillis are out of office.&#8221;
The president described Blanche as a &#8220;star&#8221; with the &#8220;potential to go down as one of the Greatest Attorney Generals of All Time.&#8221; Trump also criticized Cornyn and Tillis for refusing to vote for Blanche, saying he had destroyed their political careers.
Cornyn had threatened to derail Blanche&#8217;s nomination over the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, a plan the DOJ said it had abandoned after pushback from lawmakers. On Wednesday, Cornyn told Punchbowl News that the DOJ&#8217;s written proposal did not satisfy his demands.
“They know what they need to do, but they simply refuse to do it,” Cornyn said, sharing that he had cancelled a scheduled meeting with Blanche.
After Clinton-appointed Judge Leonie Brinkema issued a temporary restraining order on the Anti-Weaponization Fund on May 29, Justice Department officials ultimately complied and dropped the matter.
“We are not moving forward with the fund, period,&#8221; Blanche testified at the time.
Trump tore into the Republicans who opposed the fund, telling the Daily Caller&#8217;s Reagan Reese from the Oval Office: “Well, Congress didn’t want it. You have to talk to Congress. The Republican senators, some of them, got very weak knees. They didn’t have the stomach for the fight.”

Jury Selection Continues In Former President Donald Trump’s New York Hush Money Trial

Trump Threatens To Pull Blanche Nomination Until Problematic GOP Senators Depart

john cornyn

Republicans

thom tillis

Abdul El-Sayed has campaigned on reaching across the religious divide with an appeal to Christians and Muslims alike, and he boasts that over two dozen Christian leaders back his bid to replace Michigan Senator Gary Peters. Those leaders include a pastor who suggested conservative activist Charlie Kirk deserved to be shot and the senior pastor of a church that hosted a drag event for kids.
El-Sayed, who once <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/24/next-obama-abdul-el-sayed-first-muslim-governor-michigan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hoped</a> to be America&#8217;s first Muslim governor, is locked in a competitive primary race with Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens. While many of his positions on topics from abortion to so-called &#8220;gender-affirming care&#8221; directly conflict with the Bible, that has not deterred some Christians from backing his campaign.
Included among El-Sayed&#8217;s supporters is Larry Davis, the pastor of Christian Tabernacle Baptist in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Davis, who believes that President Donald Trump faked the multiple assassination attempts, had no kind words for Charlie Kirk after his murder.
“He is being held as a hero. We shouldn&#8217;t be happy that he got killed. But we shall embrace that you REAP what you SOW,” Davis <a href="https://www.facebook.com/logosmediator/posts/pfbid02RVYALdHTR2JVwFz7KctircVUXk8dE2xCjZSq5asDDfvxwyncGSWZuKQh5sXwvGJBl">posted</a> on Facebook alongside an anti-Kirk meme the day after the popular conservative activist was gunned down at an event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025.
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<div id="attachment_1142261" style="width: 872px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1142261" class="size-full wp-image-1142261" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.26.27-AM.png" alt="" width="862" height="920" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.26.27-AM.png 862w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.26.27-AM-281x300.png 281w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.26.27-AM-540x576.png 540w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.26.27-AM-768x820.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 862px) 100vw, 862px" />Larry Davis Facebook.</div>
In another post, Davis shared a clip of Kirk criticizing DEI and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/logosmediator/posts/pfbid0Jajkv4JjjFt7QpvXLSt6CKcjc1Jwe8bySvguuSjNNpV8BRWAZgMWrVmXsK5qXkaxl">asked</a>, “Would you give a racist out of his own mouth the medal of freedom.”
On September 19, the pastor again spread his message that Kirk reaped what he sowed.
“No man should take it on himself to take the life of another. But the scriptures says be not deceived God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man show [sic] that shall he also reap,” Davis said alongside an AI-generated image of Kirk and Jesus Christ.
The Daily Wire sent a message to Davis to ask about his support for El-Sayed. His church, which has no listed email address, did not answer multiple phone calls.
Pastor Terrance Johnson, another religious leader who endorsed El-Sayed, shared a similar animus toward Kirk. He suggested that he was not sad about Kirk’s assassination because he was a “racist bigot.”
“You will accept a black man refusing to mourn his own father but you wil [sic] not accept a black man refusing to mourn a racist bigot because….. We all know why,” Johnson posted in a long screed quoting Tupac song lyrics a day after Kirk’s killing.
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<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1142269" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.40.58-AM.png" alt="" width="1003" height="495" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.40.58-AM.png 1003w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.40.58-AM-300x148.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.40.58-AM-768x379.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1003px) 100vw, 1003px" /></div>
When someone commented on his post, “is this the heart of Christ,” Johnson responded by saying, “what is the heart of Christ.”
In another post, Johnson claimed that ICE was equivalent to the Ku Klux Klan.
“So ICE is the KKK rebranded. Still wearing mask it’s just that the badges are now out instead of being hid under the sheets,” he said.
Johnson’s Church, Second Missionary Baptist Church in Monroe, Michigan, recently <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Da5Kv7hgwwr/">hosted</a> El-Sayed for an event. In a Facebook post, the church <a href="https://www.facebook.com/reel/1008191515327976">said</a> the event was for the Democrat to share “why he’s running for office.”
During the appearance, El-Sayed claimed to attendees that he was the only candidate who could “guarantee you healthcare” and attacked America’s history as “sordid,” according to a video posted by the church.
“We just commemorated 250 years. And I know there&#8217;s a lot of sordid history in those 250 years, but I also know what my life would have been had I been born in a place that I was supposed to be born. But for an accident of history, I get born here,” El-Sayed said. “Are we willing to put ourselves back in to correct that system so that the next 250 look a lot better than the last ones did?”
“It is the many versus their money. We got a choice. Do we want them to come in and buy an election?,” he added.
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<div id="attachment_1142273" style="width: 1581px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1142273" class="wp-image-1142273 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.46.01-AM.png" alt="" width="1571" height="1115" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.46.01-AM.png 1571w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.46.01-AM-300x213.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.46.01-AM-812x576.png 812w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.46.01-AM-768x545.png 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-23-at-10.46.01-AM-1536x1090.png 1536w" sizes=" (max-width: 1571px) 100vw, 1571px" />Facebook: Second Missionary Baptist Church.</div>
“Second Missionary Baptist Church of Monroe does not endorse or oppose any political candidate or party,” the church posted on July 17. “Our prayer is that every voter takes time to seek wisdom, research the candidates, and make an informed decision at the ballot box.”
Another pastor backing El-Sayed’s campaign is the ultra-woke Nathan Dannison of Fountain Street Church in Grand Rapids, which recently hosted a “queer prom” for adults and youth that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FountainStChurch/posts/pfbid0jKRtWoLiCbmbVCfLggmD7JiVrBDH99WCEtbi8S6THySZAqP78MAx7cNLHYGJnvt1l" target="_blank" rel="noopener">featured</a> “12 drag performances.”
Dannison, who recently <a href="https://nathandannison.substack.com/p/preaching-about-psychedelics">said</a> that psychedelics have been part of his “spiritual discipline” for the last twenty years, said that abolishing ICE is a baseline position any candidate supported by him needs to take. In recent Facebook posts, Dannison has defended El-Sayed over his strong anti-Israel positions.
Dannison <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nscottnorth/posts/pfbid0keXseMToK1b6q7uxnda7z8Ad6MyDkAPSG3F3zWYwC48srDutvR1FUFNtJqCGpGcvl">said</a> that he’s “pretty horrified by a lot of the anti-Abdul posts I&#8217;m seeing from center-left Michigan voters that are obviously mashing the ‘fwd:fwd:fwd’ button or the copy-pasting ad copy from astro-turfed emails/sms/etc from defense lobbyists.”
“Dr. El-Sayed is not antisemitic. To the contrary, one of the reasons I support him is because he understands the real and present dangers facing Jewish Americans who are being blamed for foreign policies and wars that have absolutely nothing to do with their religion and history in this country,” he added.
Fountain Street Church <a href="https://fountainstreet.org/justice/choice-fund" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raises funds</a> for women to end the lives of their unborn children and says it is “proud to be the State&#8217;s longest standing abortion fund.”
Other pastors backing El-Sayed’s campaign included Detroit Rev. Horace Sheffield III of New Destiny Christian Fellowship and Rev. Keith Whitney of Sanctuary Fellowship Baptist Church.
Sheffield, who unsuccessfully <a href="https://ballotpedia.org/Horace_Sheffield">ran</a> for Congress in 2014 and <a href="https://www.horacesheffield.com/projects/)" target="_blank" rel="noopener">appeared</a> in the anti-white documentary “White With Fear,” sells anti-Trump t-shirts on his ministry website that say “I will take Biden in a wheel chair over Trump standing up.”
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<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1142979 aligncenter" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-11.37.41-AM.png" alt="" width="1250" height="974" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-11.37.41-AM.png 1250w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-11.37.41-AM-300x234.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-11.37.41-AM-739x576.png 739w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-21-at-11.37.41-AM-768x598.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1250px) 100vw, 1250px" /></div>
Whitney is the <a href="https://www.mosesaction.com/boardmembers/blog-post-title-one-gd3dr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">president</a> of Moses Action, an advocacy group that pushes for left-wing criminal justice reform and <a href="https://www.mosesaction.com/reproductive-freedom-statement" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supported</a> a ballot initiative to make the right to end the life of your unborn child a constitutional right.
“Throughout black history, government officials — most of them white men — have made decisions about black women’s bodies and health that have been harmful, traumatizing, and often deadly. Granting our current lawmakers the ability to dictate personal health decisions feels like a dangerous step backwards,” the group said in a statement.
Several of the pastors listed on El-Sayed’s campaign website, including Bishop Alan Evans and Pastor Parris McMurray, appear to be affiliated with the Church of God In Christ, Inc. The denomination <a href="https://www.cogic.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/SOLife-Resolution-11_12_19-1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">adopted</a> a &#8220;sanctity of life” resolution in 2019 that “abortion is the killing of the innocent” and describes abortion as “genocide.”
The denomination did not respond to questions about its pastors endorsing the pro-abortion El-Sayed.
El-Sayed wants to codify the right to an abortion in federal law and suggested he will fight back on efforts to crackdown on abortion pills.
“Everyone has the right to make personal decisions about their healthcare,” his campaign <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/medicare-for-all-the-path-to-a-healthier-america/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a> says. “That includes reproductive and gender-affirming care. I’ll fight to codify the rights once protected by Roe v. Wade into federal law.”
Earlier this month, El-Sayed earned the endorsement of the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity, which said it supported his emphasis on “affordability” and “human dignity.” It did not respond to questions about El-Sayed leftist advocacy on social issues.
“Pastors attend to their communities in the best and worst of times, and their support is about trusting me to show up in those moments with them,” El-Sayed said. “Together, we’re building a Michigan that brings people together across faiths, regions, and backgrounds in the work of offering dignity, opportunity, and respect for every Michigander.”
The Democratic primary is on August 4.

Michigan Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Holds Rally In Detroit With Sen. Bernie Sanders And Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Meet The Christian Pastors Who Endorsed Pro-Trans Muslim Abdul El-Sayed

abortion

christianity

islam

Muslim

transgender

Dr. Anthony Fauci refused to turn around and face some of the people who were hurt by the draconian regulations and lockdowns he pushed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fauci, on Capitol Hill for a Wednesday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fauci-faces-congress-as-explosive-diaries-take-center-stage?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Daily+Wire&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=After+Fauci+Pleads+The+Fifth%2C+Rand+Paul+Makes+Contempt+Move">hearing</a> reviewing his statements and actions throughout the pandemic, spent most of his time refusing to answer questions — even those as benign as &#8220;what color is your tie?&#8221; — and invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. But under direct questions from Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Fauci took things a step further and refused to even look at the people seated behind him in the gallery.
Moreno first asked if Fauci could identify his own attorney, who had just been kicked out of the hearing for repeatedly attempting to speak when he hadn&#8217;t been called on. &#8220;Who is David Schertler?&#8221; Moreno asked, and Fauci immediately invoked the Fifth Amendment — prompting Moreno to ask what the Fifth Amendment said.
Fauci, after a brief consultation with his attorney, did not answer but again invoked his rights.
Moreno went on to explain that Schertler previously represented disgraced former Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) and was known as the guy to call &#8220;when you&#8217;re in deep sh*t.&#8221; Schertler represented Menendez&#8217;s campaign and his wife in 2023, who were the subjects of a Justice Department probe at the time.
Turning back to Fauci, Moreno asked, &#8220;Do you feel like you&#8217;re in deep sh*t?&#8221;
Fauci again invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.
&#8220;Clearly what you think today is that somehow you&#8217;re above reproach. Somehow you feel like you don&#8217;t need to be treated like a normal American,&#8221; Moreno said to Fauci, and then pivoted to address the audience. &#8220;Can you do me a favor, in the audience, and stand up if during the time of the COVID pandemic, you were called a &#8216;racist&#8217; for calling the virus the &#8216;Wuhan virus&#8217; or the &#8216;China virus,&#8217; if you thought the six-foot rule was total crap, if you thought the vaccine wasn&#8217;t something that you should take, if you thought it was outrageous the way the mask policy was rolled out, if you were fired from your job for not taking that vaccine — including members of the military — if you thought closing schools was catastrophically stupid, and &#8230; saying these things made you somehow a lesser human being.&#8221;
People in the gallery began to stand up in the rows behind Fauci — just two or three at first, and then more than a dozen were standing.
&#8220;Dr. Fauci, could you just turn and look at the people behind you?&#8221; Moreno asked. Fauci ignored the request and looked straight ahead. &#8220;You&#8217;re not willing to do that? It&#8217;s not a question. It&#8217;s not a question.&#8221;
One of Fauci&#8217;s lawyers tapped him on the shoulder then, and while he did turn to speak with the attorney, he kept his head low and pointedly did not look at the people standing behind him.
&#8220;To your lawyers, it&#8217;s not a question, it&#8217;s a request,&#8221; Moreno added. &#8220;All you have to do is look up from your lawyers and look at the people who were absolutely shamed for saying what we now know to be the truth. You can&#8217;t even look at them? That&#8217;s a question. Are you able to look at them?&#8221;
When Fauci still said nothing, Moreno told the audience members that they could sit. Fauci&#8217;s mic was off, but he could barely be heard repeating his invocation of the Fifth Amendment like a mantra as they sat.

Fauci Won’t Even Look At People Hurt By COVID Regulations He Pushed

anthony fauci

COVID-19

Lockdowns

Pandemic

rand paul

School Lockdowns

One Democrat senator admitted to being &#8220;blinded&#8221; by his own political assumptions during the COVID-19 pandemic as Dr. Anthony Fauci repeatedly pleaded the Fifth Amendment during a Senate Committee hearing on Wednesday.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman confessed he regrets allowing political partisanship to influence his rejection of the &#8220;Right-wing theory&#8221; that COVID came from the Wuhan lab in China during the early days of the pandemic. Fetterman said the so-called lab leak theory, which was branded as a conspiracy by the legacy media, had “seemed to make sense,” but added that it “became a very partisan thing.” 
“Early on, there was the theory that the virus could have emerged from the lab, and early on that became like a ‘Right-wing&#8217; kind of theory and I thought it seemed to make sense,” said Fetterman. “Now there was a really advanced lab that was close by, and then you have this unknown virus out. But that became a very partisan thing, and now it seems now it&#8217;s a more and more emerging theory that it would have come from the lab.” 
Fetterman, who was uncharacteristically dressed in a suit at the hearing, said he hopes the next time America faces a crisis, it is not “blinded by the partisan idea that maybe the truth might come from a side that&#8217;s different that you are,&#8221; as he “might have been” blinded.  
&#8220;Americans should be willing to pursue truth no matter where that may have emerged,” said Fetterman.   
Fetterman was the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania throughout the COVID pandemic and worked alongside Democratic Governor Tom Wolf and trans-identifying Secretary of Health Rachel Levine to implement some of the most draconian mitigation policies in the nation, including extended school closures and forcing senior citizens to die alone in nursing homes. 
Fetterman adamantly supported Wolf and Levine’s policies, including a <a href="https://lvb.com/dr-rachel-levine-issues-expanded-mask-wearing-order/">universal masking mandate</a> that required children as young as 2 years old to be masked whenever leaving home. He also <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/fetterman-on-rising-coronavirus-cases-in-pa/">begged</a> Pennsylvanians to “just wear a mask” in a November 2020 video. Wolf implemented a <a href="https://www.pennlive.com/news/2020/12/no-more-indoor-dining-casinos-and-theaters-will-close-and-new-limits-on-retailers-pa-gov-tom-wolf.html">second lockdown</a> in Pennsylvania in December 2020 that extended to January 2021 and further devastated local businesses during the holiday season.   
Fetterman noted during the hearing that members of his family had died from COVID and also said he grieves for people who lost their businesses due to pandemic decisions and will “never be the same.”  
&#8220;During the pandemic I was lieutenant governor so we were in the middle of all of that maelstrom, trying to find the right balance between protect life and protect the economics of all of it,&#8221; said Fetterman. “I&#8217;m not sure if we got it all right or wrong, but without a doubt I continue to question myself.” 
Fetterman is an outspoken supporter of transgenderism and supports the inclusion of men in women’s sports. In a March 2025 post on <a href="https://x.com/SenFettermanPA/status/1896728606812028954?s=46&amp;t=ZAoIkqhiKpZyQayFV_2XbQ">X,</a> Fetterman wrote, “The small handful of trans athletes in PA in a political maelstrom deserve an ally, and I am one.”

John Fetterman

Fetterman Admits He Was ‘Blinded’ By Partisanship During COVID

COVID

COVID-19 Vaccine

Face Masks

john fetterman

pennsylvania

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who has criticized &#8220;greedy landlords&#8221; and proposed cracking down on corporate ownership of housing, owns three rental properties with his wife, including two overseas properties inherited through her family.  
Financial disclosures show the couple&#8217;s three rental properties are valued at up to $1 million, with two located in Dubai and India and another in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
El-Sayed said the Dubai and India properties were inherited from his wife&#8217;s parents and are jointly owned by family members. Together the two properties are valued at up to $500,000 and each generate up to $15,000 in annual rental income, according to his financial disclosures. The couple&#8217;s Ann Arbor rental property is also valued at up to $500,000 and generates up to $15,000 annually.
When questioned about the foreign rental properties, El-Sayed suggested racism could be at play. 
“People that pay attention to properties that literally my wife’s family inherited and put in their and all of their kids’ names and then sold. … I wonder why they are so focused on foreign properties for somebody with a name like mine. Do you think it might fit within a well-worn trope? I don’t know,” he said. 
Despite earning rental income himself, El-Sayed has criticized &#8220;greedy landlords&#8221; while campaigning on a housing platform that would crack down on corporate ownership of housing.
Financial disclosures also show El-Sayed and his wife earned $686,069 in 2025, placing them among the top <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/socialist-backed-dem-who-ripped-wealthy-cracks-states-top-1-tax-returns-show">1%</a> of Michigan&#8217;s highest earners. His campaign website argues that “extreme wealth is an existential threat to our economy and our democracy and it demands a crisis-level response.” 
Asked whether he considered himself a millionaire, El-Sayed responded, “Well, if you take my assets and her, my wife’s assets together, then I guess they add up to something like that,” El-Sayed <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eSvWfT0ChA">said</a> in late June. “But my career has never been about trying to maximize on money. Otherwise, I would have just gone and been a surgeon.” 
Recently, he argued he had no problem with millionaires, just billionaires. 
&#8220;So a lot of folks are like, ‘Well, Abdul, you know, you just don’t want people to get rich.’ No! I don’t begrudge anyone their millions,&#8221; El-Sayed said at a campaign event. &#8220;But I do begrudge everyone their billions.&#8221; The campaign event was with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). 
El-Sayed has spoken at multiple Democratic Socialists of America events over the years, though he denies being a member or a socialist. The group argues that workers create economic value while corporate owners capture an outsized share of the profits. The organization has backed significantly higher taxes on top earners, including a 70% marginal income tax rate on earnings above $10 million — a proposal that Ocasio-Cortez has also championed. 
El-Sayed <a href="https://abdulforsenate.com/priority/money-in-your-pocket/">supports</a> aggressive tax policies of his own, with his campaign website stating he supports taxing long-term capital gains over $1 million at the same rate as ordinary income. The tax code taxes all capital gains held longer than a year at a maximum of 20%. El-Sayed&#8217;s new tax rate would follow the marginal income tax rate — even rising as high as 70% if the Democratic Socialists of America succeed in changing the tax code.
Capital gains taxes had the same top tax rate as ordinary income in 1988, 1989, and 2000. Supporters of lower capital gains taxes argue higher taxes disincentivize investment while lower taxes encourage investment, leading to economic growth.

Abdul El-Sayed

Abdul El-Sayed Slams ‘Greedy Landlords.’ He Owns Three Rental Properties.

democratic socialists of america

wealth tax

The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan sanctions package targeting Russia and Iran on Tuesday, passing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by an 86-12 vote just hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and attended the funeral of the bill&#8217;s namesake.
The legislation, named in honor of the late South Carolina GOP senator, represents one of the final initiatives Graham worked to secure before his unexpected death earlier this month. Graham had spent the days leading up to his passing negotiating the measure with the White House after returning from a trip to Ukraine.
The vote came after Zelensky personally lobbied senators during a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill before final passage. Zelensky traveled to Washington both to attend Graham&#8217;s funeral and to press lawmakers to approve the sanctions package aimed at increasing pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Following the meeting, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), one of the bill&#8217;s lead sponsors, <a href="https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/sens-blumenthal-britt-shaheen-wicker-risch-after-meeting-with-ukrainian-pres-zelensky/683470">said to reporters</a>, “This bill is the one that will pass. This bill is the one that the President will sign. We want a law, not just a bill.&#8221; Blumenthal added that “it sends a message to Putin: your days of war are numbered. You are on the losing side.&#8221;
The legislation would impose sweeping new sanctions on Russian political officials, oligarchs, financial institutions and the so-called Russian &#8220;shadow fleet&#8221; used to evade existing sanctions. It also authorizes secondary sanctions and tariff authority targeting countries that continue purchasing large quantities of Russian oil and gas, one of the Kremlin&#8217;s primary sources of wartime revenue.
In addition to Russia, the bill extends sanctions targeting Iran&#8217;s energy and weapons sectors through 2031, preserving restrictions that were otherwise set to expire this year. Senators agreed to combine the Russia and Iran sanctions into a single package after weeks of negotiations. 
Supporters described the measure as a fitting tribute to Graham, who was among the Senate&#8217;s most outspoken advocates for Ukraine throughout Russia&#8217;s invasion. &#8220;There is no greater way to honor Senator Graham&#8217;s legacy than to move forward with this bipartisan agreement,&#8221; the bill&#8217;s bipartisan sponsors said in a <a href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/bipartisan-group-of-senators-announce-agreement-to-move-forward-on-major-sanctions-legislation">joint statement</a> before Tuesday&#8217;s vote.
The measure drew opposition from a much smaller group of bipartisan senators.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who frequently opposes sanctions legislation on libertarian grounds, joined 11 Democrats voting against the bill. Democratic opponents cited concerns over the legislation&#8217;s tariff provisions rather than the sanctions themselves. &#8220;I support Zelensky,&#8221; Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) <a href="https://x.com/AndrewDesiderio/status/2082249948972617951">said</a> after voting no. &#8220;We&#8217;re all on board on the sanctions &#8230; But why do we need the tariff power in there right now?&#8221; 
Despite those objections, the legislation secured well above the 60 votes needed to pass, underscoring broad bipartisan support for increasing economic pressure on Russia as the war in Ukraine continues.
The House is not expected to consider the legislation until lawmakers return from the August recess. If approved there, the bill will head to President Donald Trump&#8217;s desk for his signature.

Briefing of US Senators Lindsey Graham and Richard Blumenthal in Kyiv

Senate Honors Lindsey Graham, Passes New Russia Sanctions

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volodymyr zelensky

President Donald Trump on Tuesday eulogized the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) as &#8220;the giant of the United States Senate&#8221; whose unwavering belief in American strength defined both his public career and his personal life, telling mourners gathered at Washington National Cathedral that the longtime South Carolina Republican &#8220;felt in his bones that our destiny is to win.&#8221;
Speaking before a congregation that included Vice President JD Vance, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, members of Trump&#8217;s Cabinet and congressional leaders from both parties, the president remembered Graham as one of the U.S. Senate&#8217;s defining figures whose influence stretched far beyond Capitol Hill.
&#8220;The giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Nothing of consequence happened in this capital without Lindsey Graham knowing about it. Nothing of significance happened anywhere in the world without Lindsey Graham having a view on it.&#8221;
Trump centered much of his remarks on Graham&#8217;s worldview, describing the late senator&#8217;s foreign policy philosophy as one rooted in projecting American strength abroad. &#8220;Above all, Lindsey Graham believed in a strong America,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;He had unwavering faith in the righteousness of American power and prayer. &#8230; He felt in his bones that our destiny is to win — and that his job was to do everything he could to ensure our enemies would lose.&#8221; 
Trump said that conviction motivated Graham&#8217;s 33 years of military service in the Air Force and Air National Guard, as well as his frequent overseas travel as a senator. &#8220;It was this conviction that took him as a senator to almost every country on earth, confronting America&#8217;s adversaries and standing up for America&#8217;s friends,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a testament to his towering impact that among those mourning him here today are leaders, presidents, prime ministers from all over the globe.&#8221;
The president also reflected on his unlikely friendship with Graham, recalling their bitter rivalry during the 2016 Republican presidential primary before the two became close political allies. &#8220;We became great friends, and Lindsey did not stop calling me for the next 10 years,&#8221; Trump joked. &#8220;I always cherished the memories of our golf games.&#8221;
Trump acknowledged Graham&#8217;s reputation as one of the Senate&#8217;s most hawkish members while framing it as an extension of his patriotism. &#8220;He was extremely hawkish. I will tell you, he never saw a war that he didn&#8217;t like,&#8221; Trump said to laughter. &#8220;Only his true friends would understand that — but he wanted it for the good of our country.&#8221;
Fox News host Sean Hannity, one of Graham&#8217;s closest friends, echoed many of those themes during his own eulogy, rejecting criticism that Graham was a warmonger. &#8220;The truth was the opposite,&#8221; Hannity said. &#8220;Lindsey desperately wanted a lasting peace in the Middle East.&#8221; Hannity argued that Graham&#8217;s support for a strong military stemmed from what he called the senator&#8217;s &#8220;moral clarity.&#8221;
&#8220;He understood right from wrong, good from evil,&#8221; Hannity said. &#8220;He knew &#8230; there can be no path to peace until evil is defeated.&#8221; The longtime television host also reflected on Graham&#8217;s decades of military service, his devotion to South Carolina, and his friendship with Trump, saying the president had given Graham &#8220;the greatest gift of his life&#8221; by allowing him &#8220;a front-row seat at the highest levels of history.&#8221;
Graham&#8217;s niece, Emillie Boggs Roberts, offered a more personal portrait of the senator, reflecting on his deep pride in his family and the relationships that shaped him away from public life. She described him as more than an uncle or senator, but &#8220;the foundation of our family.&#8221; 
Roberts recalled how he became both brother and parent to her mother after their parents died, and said that despite decades in national politics, Graham never failed to prioritize his family, making time for holidays, vacations, graduations, hospital visits, and phone calls from home, no matter what demands awaited him in Washington.
The funeral concluded ahead of Graham&#8217;s burial in South Carolina, where the longtime senator will be laid to rest after more than three decades in Congress.

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