A previously unreported dinner with Gianni Infantino and a handful of insiders shows how far the Commerce Secretary's ties to soccer's governing body extend — including a push to get Folarin Balogun's red card lifted.
A previously unreported dinner with Gianni Infantino and a handful of insiders shows how far the Commerce Secretary's ties to soccer's governing body extend — including a push to get Folarin Balogun's red card lifted.
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY: Good afternoon and happy Wednesday, readers! President Donald Trump announced that the ceasefire in Iran has ended, following the U.S. and Iran exchanging attacks overnight. The president also threatened to continue launching strikes at Iran. The escalation in the Middle East has sent oil prices back up. 🛢️🇺🇲🇮🇷 In other news, the […]
The former reality television star and Los Angeles mayoral candidate was photographed sitting with three others, including what appeared to be his son and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles.
A Midtown high-rise was dramatically evacuated during the Tuesday morning rush when massive beams in the under-construction building started buckling — prompting several floors to cave in and sending bricks raining down on the street under the crushing strain. A Midtown high-rise was dramatically evacuated during the Tuesday morning rush when massive beams in the...
The Democratic Party is failing to deal with an existential crisis that could entrench the GOP in power for years to come, a party activist and ex-candidate warned.Establishment politicians are so desperate to dismiss a surging progressive wing of the party that they risk destroying its next generation — and effectively leaving Republicans with little opposition at elections, said India Walton, a leading Democratic Socialist.“If we don’t get it together, we’re left with the Republicans," she said.“This is like, you have a nest of birds and, instead of helping to feed them and teach them how to fly, you kick them out of the nest. Eventually, you don’t have another generation to take over.“There’s no succession planning. There’s no training of people.”Walton was commenting on her party's reaction as incumbent candidates were ousted in Democratic primaries in New York City and Denver last month. It was coupled with the demonization inside the party of candidates, such as now-NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who identify as Democratic Socialists. Many in Mamdani's party refused to support him, with the city’s Senator Chuck Schumer making no endorsement while Rep. Hakeem Jeffries reluctantly backed him just days before the election.Mamdani went on to win with more than 50 percent of the vote.In May, Democratic Socialist Chris Rabb beat his nearest competitor by 15 percentage points to become the Democratic candidate to represent Philadelphia in the House. The city's Democratic Party, its mayor and its delegation in the U.S. House had all endorsed other candidates.The party's cool reaction to the emergence of left-leaning competitors was summed up by former Chicago mayor and rumored presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel, who told CNN, "What the socialist wing has decided to do is turn blue districts dark blue."The way you create a majority, either in the legislative body or win the presidency, is moving red areas to blue, not blue areas to cobalt blue or to midnight blue. And that's all that happens."And yet, Walton said, there’s a massive sway among Democrats — particularly younger voters — towards progressive causes.Walton herself beat longtime incumbent Byron Brown to win the Democratic Party's primary for mayor of Buffalo in 2021. She ultimately lost the general election after Brown, who had held the seat for four terms, launched a write-in campaign with support from the city's police and Republicans.She now serves as a senior strategist for RootsAction, a grassroots platform dedicated to furthering progressive issues.And she said the message that the establishment is sending a massive wave of voters is that they're not a welcome part of their own party."I'm a Democrat," she said. "I've always been a Democrat, my entire life. And the shame in all of this is that we should vote blue no matter who — until it's someone who has a more progressive value than the Democrats who are controlled by the oligarchs, the corporations in the big lobby? Right? Then it becomes, well, those people are no longer blue. We're going to just say they're red, so to speak."And that's not going to fly. ... These establishment Democrats, many of them, they just don't have much in common with working class Americans. They're millionaires. They're, you know, stock traders. They're not struggling, so they can't identify with our issues. "... People are becoming frustrated and are starting to see Democrats and Republicans as two wings of the same bird, so to speak." “They’re going to start being voted out,” she said about establishment Democrats."Either they’re going to vote for an alternative, if there is one. Or they're not going to vote at all.”Asked for comment, a Democratic National Committee spokesman shared congratulations that had been sent by its chair, Ken Martin, to all the progressive candidates as they won their primaries. He also shared examples of the DNC highlighting Mamdani's work.Walton went on, "We know that polling tells us that this generation of voters is far more progressive than previous ones. This is the first generation of voters who get more progressive as they age instead of more conservative.” She said they're coming out in huge numbers to support candidates representing a platform of "healthcare for all, relief for people strapped with student debt, affordable housing. You know, simple practical things that are going to relieve the suffering of everyday people."And the existing Democratic Party is being seen as reluctant to truly represent them, Walton said. Instead of tapping into enthusiasm for those ideas, the Democratic Party is criticizing President Donald Trump — yet offering nothing new."The whole strategy is flawed," she said. "They are unable to motivate voters. They're unable to motivate donors. "I think that the best strategy and highest use of our time right now is to build a broad coalition that doesn't just become how we defeat the Republicans.
President Trump has rarely missed an opportunity to castigate the Western military alliance, whose leaders he’s meeting this week, as weak and ineffective.
