According to The New York Times, the DNC is $2 million dollars in debt, while President Trump controls a $400 million super PAC and the Republican National Committee has nearly $130 million in cash on hand.
According to The New York Times, the DNC is $2 million dollars in debt, while President Trump controls a $400 million super PAC and the Republican National Committee has nearly $130 million in cash on hand.
Democratic operative James Carville suggested a new leader for the Democratic National Committee amid reports of infighting and financial catastrophe.Carville recommended David Hogg, gun control activist and previous vice chair, as a replacement for current chair Ken Martin, The Daily Beast reported on Monday.The veteran strategist was recovering from surgery and recorded his podcast in bed on Sunday when he made the pitch."If David Hogg wants to take it over, then, I ain’t stopping you—go ahead, man," Carville said."I did want to...weigh in on two stories I saw,” Carville said, responding to recent reports about mounting pressure on Martin as midterms approach in the fall and fundraising ramps up. “One...was a story on the DNC that basically said it’s dysfunctional. It’s just difficult to do anything with it. And it’s all true," Carville said.The New York Times reported on Sunday that Martin has become increasingly isolated and financially strained, noting a phone-throwing incident with a junior aide that triggered an HR complaint. The DNC is $2 million in debt while vendors have reportedly been asked to delay billing until after the midterms. Despite Democrats' favorable political environment, internal distrust, a botched 2024 election "autopsy," and a widening cash gap with Republicans have fueled fears among party officials that Martin's leadership is faltering."DNC dysfunctional. Water wet. Gravity real," Carville added.Carville argued that new leadership in the organization might help the DNC "be somewhat relevant."Hogg, 26, rose to national prominence as a survivor of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. He briefly served as DNC vice chair from February to June 2025 before his election was voided following a clash over his push to primary incumbent Democrats.
The cracker has finally crumbled for the executive at the forefront of Cracker Barrel's infamous rebranding meltdown.Just over 11 months ago, Julie Felss Masino was responsible for what could be considered the American story of the year when Cracker Barrel completely swapped out its iconic logo for a mascot-free reimagining.'I want to thank Julie for her leadership and commitment to Cracker Barrel.'On Monday, Cracker Barrel announced that Masino would be stepping down after the company conducted a "comprehensive succession planning and search process."In a press release, the brand said that while Masino would stay on in advisory role until October 9, it would only be to "support a smooth transition" for her replacement, David Deno.Deno will join the Cracker Barrel board of directors following his role as CEO of Bloomin' Brands, which owns Outback Steakhouse. He also spent 15 years in senior-level operations at Yum! Brands, which owns KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.Masino has been at the helm of Cracker Barrel since late 2023, but it wasn't until 2025 that the business spiraled out of control.After ensuring audiences last August that customers would love the new changes, Masino led Cracker Barrel down a winding, woke road that had customers putting the company on blast for all its progressive initiatives.RELATED: Cracker Barrel CEO praises company's 'Google star rating' while revealing huge financial losses Joe Raedle/Getty Images Looking down the barrelCracker Barrel was knee deep in "culture and inclusion," stating on its website that it wanted to promote "inclusive, ambitious, and diverse" team members.This included the "Be Bold" program, which had a mission to develop "Black Leaders" through "allyship, mentorship, and education."The "Hola!" initiative promoted "Hispanic and Latino culture through hiring, developing, and retaining talent" within the company.Cracker Barrel also had a program about "empowering" women and another regarding "strengthening Cracker Barrel's relationship to the LGBTQ+ community."As the backlash peaked, Masino told Blaze co-founder Glenn Beck, "I feel like I've been fired by America."In March 2026, Masino had no choice but to reveal how bad the company had been doing financially. Total revenue decreased by 7.9% compared to the year before. Restaurant revenue dropped by 7.5%, and traffic had declined by more than 10%. At the same time though, Masino praised the restaurant's Google rating as having its "highest quarterly score since Q2 in fiscal year 2020."A recent notable partnership with NASCAR featured Cracker Barrel hosting a women's podcast and wine sampling on its stage at the Toyota/Save Mart 350 in late June.RELATED: 'I feel like I've been fired by America': Cracker Barrel CEO nearly brought to tears over redesign backlash Parting remarks"We are confident David [Deno] is the right leader to continue building on the Cracker Barrel legacy, drive further positive momentum operationally and financially, and create sustainable value for our shareholders," said independent chairman of the Cracker Barrel board Carl Berquist."On behalf of the board and the entire company, I want to thank Julie for her leadership and commitment to Cracker Barrel," he added.Deno described Cracker Barrel as "a truly iconic American brand, defined by its unique combination of warm country hospitality, timeless appeal, and deep connection with guests across generations."The new CEO said he was honored to lead the team while "unlocking the full potential" of the Cracker Barrel brand by focusing on food and experiences.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
I worked on Joe Biden's campaign in 2020. I believed then, and still believe, in the version of this party that shows up, does the unglamorous work and governs like it actually matters more than it performs. That's the party that passed the Affordable Care Act and clawed its way back from a financial collapse under Obama. It's the party that rebuilt roads and bridges and brought manufacturing jobs home under Biden. It's the party that delivered budget surpluses and lifted people out of poverty under Clinton. We know what this party can do when it governs instead of just posturing. So I've...
A compliant House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) could do what President Donald Trump is struggling to do: make sure the GOP comes out on top in November.According to a New York Times column from legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-NY) is raising the alarm over what he calls a "disaster scenario" where Johnson fires the clerk of the House who schedules new members to be sworn in on Jan. 3, 2027.The mechanism for election overturning is deceptively simple, Toobin wrote. Democrats could win the House in November, but Trump could simply declare the election fraudulent and refuse to acknowledge Democratic victories. Then, at Trump's direction, Speaker Johnson could fire current House Clerk Kevin McCumber — a nonpartisan official who has served under both Republican and Democratic leadership and is generally regarded as scrupulously fair.Johnson could replace McCumber with a partisan GOP operative willing to manipulate the roll of incoming members. This Republican loyalist could then certify Republican victories in races Democrats actually won."While the speaker does have the unilateral power to remove the clerk, his choice for a permanent replacement would have to be approved by a vote of House members," Toobin elaborated. "Mr. Morelle said that in that case, Speaker Johnson might not be able to persuade his slim Republican majority to replace Mr. McCumber.""You'd have a number of members who are retiring, who I think would no longer be beholden to Johnson or the president, who I think would take a very, very dim view of efforts to overturn the election," Morelle added as a caveat.But the real nightmare involves timing, the legal analyst explained. Unlike the Senate, a continuing body that operates seamlessly between Congresses, the House ceases to exist at noon on Jan. 3 following each election. No member remains in office unless they're sworn in again."This is why any delay tactics, like those conceived by President Trump’s lawyers in the 2020 election, could have a particularly bad outcome for the House," Toobin warned.
A long-time political strategist is detailing two main issues that are connecting most with voters as candidates are now less than 100 days away from the 2026 midterm elections. Speaking to The New Republic's Greg Sargent for the Monday podcast, Democratic strategist Andrew Bates explained that one consistency is how different the economy is in 2026 compared with 2024. During the 2024 election, Trump was promising lower inflation, lower grocery prices and lower gas prices. He claimed that increasing tariffs would help pay down the national debt because other countries would be paying the tariffs. Americans now understand that none of that was true. "Trump was promising that immediately, quote-unquote, he would lower costs, and tariffs were a critical way he said he would do this. Then people lived through them," said Bates. "And now, like you were talking about, because prices went up across the board, they’re extremely unpopular, and more tariffs are the opposite of what voters want, including a lot of Republican voters.""So it’s something that Democrats, wherever they fall within the ideological spectrum of the party, have been unified in calling out as something that is going to hurt everyday people. It’s also powerful that the tariff revenue goes to fund the tax breaks for billionaires and monopolies, which are also very unpopular," he added. Trump also claimed to be "pro-worker" and "pro-Made in America," but under his leadership, manufacturing jobs have declined due to his tariffs."And in 2024, Republicans were saying, this is how we bring manufacturing back. But now people have lived through the opposite. It’s also been very painful for people in rural areas," Bates explained. Farms are taking a big hit as tariffs are hurting the costs of farming equipment, and Trump's trade war has alienated international buyers of American products and crops. "And that’s a huge hit to farming communities, because over a fifth of American crops are usually exported," said Bates. Sargent said that the president may not be aware of it, but top White House allies made it very clear that there's no winning message on tariffs. He cited two such allies who explained the disaster to Politico. “If it’s not focused on affordability, it’s not helpful.” Tariffs will be reflexively seen as a “bad thing” by voters. The other Republican commented, “Any conversation about tariffs, unless it’s reducing them, is a bad conversation for Republicans.”It all comes while a second problem from Republicans is in the background, and that's "people have had to live through seeing this crowd abuse their power in ways that make all the problems they voted to end worse," said Bates. "And you can’t get away from it. You’re reminded every single time you go to the grocery store, or every time you need to put gas in your car."It isn't merely the tariffs, but the war in Iran, which has raised gas prices, abuse by ICE agents and Trump's lavish spending on rebuilding parts of Washington, historic landmarks and hundreds of millions of dollars on a "maxed out" private presidential plane that only Trump will use and leave the White House with."And you’re offended when you see folks in Washington making billions of dollars personally off of you, talking about how one of their highest priorities is building a ballroom, and that they don’t think about everyday people’s finances—that’s a direct quote. And especially when your representative, who’s supposed to fight for your community’s interests and for your interests, is instead selling out to those people and becoming a more corrupt establishment than anything that has existed before in our lifetimes—that’s the sort of thing that can bring about a sea change in public opinion. And it’s why you are seeing the most anti-incumbent mood since at least 2006," Bates closed.
President Trump on Monday called out Senate Majority Leader John Thune, demanding that the Senate pass the SAVE America Act and terminate the filibuster, and saying the Democrats got "lucky" for Thune's failed leadership. Trump lit up the Senate and Leader John Thune during a rally in Georgia last week, demanding, “Everybody call John Thune at the Senate.
The post JUST IN: Trump Calls Out John Thune, Says Dems “Can’t Believe How Lucky They Got With This Senate Leadership” appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
There’s a hypothesis I can’t shake after years of observations.Alabama Republicans are getting bad at politics.So far, that hasn’t threatened their hegemony. The party controls all state offices; holds seven of the state’s nine congressional seats and enjoys supermajorities in the Alabama Legislature.For that, the GOP can thank an opposition that for the better part of 16 years has been weak, underfunded and divided. It’s like watching a high school baseball team take the field against a sixth-grade rec squad whose coaches are screaming at each other.No need for brilliant skill. Swing the bat and jog the bases while the ball rolls past the fielders and toward the outfield fence.But playing weak opponents can weaken your grasp of the fundamentals. And two developments this month felt like unforced errors.A pair of Republican congressmen — Gary Palmer of Hoover and Robert Aderholt of Haleyville — went out of their way to announce their support of a federal bill that would ban transgender women from joining the Daughters of the American Revolution.If your reaction to that sentence was “huh?” well, it was mine too. I hate to describe what’s happening, because it implies there’s a good-faith disagreement that requires the mediation of Congress. There isn’t. It’s just another instance of bigots demanding the imposition of bigotry.Here’s a summary. Leaders of the Daughters of the American Revolution said in 2023 that they would welcome transgender people who meet their membership requirements. As is the now-tedious inevitability, a few gonad obsessives lost their minds. Earlier this month, about 60% of the delegates at a DAR conference (called a “Continental Congress”) voted to keep the policy. The people who lost now want Congress to intervene.Good for the DAR for preserving common decency. There is zero issue with transgender people being in the organization. A responsible official might turn away from the hate and toward issues like grocery prices, healthcare costs and the quality of education.Yet Palmer and Aderholt consider this issue just as important as those, if not more so. They think this niche obsession is a winner. Maybe with Alabama’s identity-obsessed, lickspittle conservative media. The rest of us may properly scratch our heads.Then there’s Tommy Tuberville’s stampede toward data centers.The Republican gubernatorial nominee told Alabama sheriffs that he opposed statewide moratoriums on data centers; that concerns about their community impacts were “bullcrap” and that China drove opposition to them. He stuck with this argument (and the ludicrous Chinese connection) in later comments to a Huntsville TV station.Tuberville was taking his cues from President Donald Trump, who attacked New York for creating a statewide moratorium on data centers. The U.S. senator has always played Smithers to Trump’s Burns, so that’s not surprising.But it’s one thing for Tuberville to make the case for data centers in his read-the-assignment-minutes-before-class kind of way. Politics 101 demands that you acknowledge the widespread concerns the projects are sparking in Alabama, over power consumption and environmental effects.Here’s a non-exhaustive list of Alabama communities that have seen strong local opposition to data centers or moved to ban them: Bessemer. Pinson. Wilsonville. Cullman. Birmingham. Mobile. Leeds. Homewood. Fairfield. Nationwide, more Americans oppose having data centers in their neighborhoods than support them.This is not manipulation by a foreign government. These are citizens in an ostensible democracy voicing their concerns. A sensible politician would not antagonize people packing town halls and organizing against data centers.Yet Tuberville feels comfortable not only dismissing the critics, but impugning their motives. Even in a place like Cullman, not known for green politics or liberal ideas. If the Republican gubernatorial nominee thinks data centers are the future, he has to acknowledge the concerns. You won’t make data center opponents more comfortable with the facilities by calling them stooges.In the DAR example, we have a willful ignorance of Alabama’s needs. In data centers, we have an open opposition to them. And in both, there’s a seeming disconnect between the politicians and the voters.But this isn’t the only example from Team Red. There was the odd move to rename the Gulf of Mexico 15 months after Trump likely forgot that he ever raised the issue. Or responding to outrage over Alabama’s high power bills by kneecapping the state’s electric regulatory commission. Or the all-Republican Supreme Court confidently ending IVF treatments in the state without considering the political consequences. In each case, you see a party paying more attention to donors or its weird obsessions than what’s happening beyond them.I doubt this will lead to any profound change in November. The Republicans’ institutional advantages are significant.
