MANCHESTER, N.H. — Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tops the list of potential 2028 Democratic presidential contenders in a new poll conducted in New Hampshire, which has traditionally held the first primary in the race for the White House for over a century.
Twenty percent of Democratic primary voters in New Hampshire said they would vote for Buttigieg if the 2028 presidential nomination contest was held today.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York were tied for second at 15%, with former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ 2024 nominee, and Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona each at 10%. Everyone else was in single digits.
The University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll was released Thursday, a couple of hours before Buttigieg arrived in New Hampshire to campaign with Democrats running in this year’s midterm elections.
Asked about the survey by Fox News Digital, Buttigieg noted,” I’m not on any ballot right now.”
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg greets patrons during a stop at a restaurant in Manchester, New Hampshire, on Feb. 19, 2026(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News )
“Obviously, it feels good to be well received,” added Buttigieg, who made plenty of friends in the Granite State as he came in a close second in the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary, slightly behind Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Buttigieg’s stop in New Hampshire was his third in an early voting state in the Democratic nominating calendar since stepping down as transportation secretary at the end of former President Biden’s administration. It follows trips last year to South Carolina and Iowa. While he mostly avoids 2028 talk, Buttigieg has said he would consider what he brings “to the table” in regard to another White House run.
As he kicked off a three-day swing in key New England swing state, Buttigieg teamed up with Rep. Chris Pappas, the clear frontrunner for the Democratic Senate nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a fellow Democrat. Shaheen’s seat is a top GOP target in the midterms.
Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, center, and Rep. Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, left, a Democratic Senate candidate, campaign in Manchester, N.H., Feb. 19, 2026(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Later Thursday, Buttigieg joined the state’s other Democratic House member, Rep. Maggie Goodlander. And he was scheduled to hold more events on Friday and Saturday, including a grassroots mobilization event that was expected to draw some top New Hampshire supporters from his 2020 presidential campaign.
Buttigieg is heading next week to battleground Nevada, and a source told Fox News Digital Buttigieg has plans to campaign for candidates in Ohio, Georgia and Pennsylvania in the weeks ahead.
“I’m a big believer in going everywhere across the media landscape and geographically. Some are well-known places on the political map. Some are a little bit off the beaten path. All of them deserve attention,” Buttigieg told Fox News Digital.
He added that he’ll “continue to go wherever I think I can be useful in elevating attention to issues and working with candidates I believe in, and Chris Pappas is a great example of a candidate I am proud to be supporting and speaking up for.”
Newsom will be next up in New Hampshire.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during an election night news conference at a California Democratic Party office in Sacramento on Nov. 4, 2025.(Godofredo A. Vásquez/AP Photo)
The California governor’s tour for his new book, “Young Man in a Hurry,” will bring him to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, March 5. It will be his first stop in the state in two years.
Newsom grabbed headlines this past weekend as one of a handful of potential Democratic presidential contenders to speak at the high-profile Munich Security Conference in Germany.
Ocasio-Cortez was among the other Democrats in Munich. But the progressive champion, who has long been laser focused on affordability and other domestic issues, has faced intense criticism for nearly a week over a gaffe in Munich, when she asked during a panel discussion whether the U.S. should send troops to defend Taiwan from a possible invasion by China.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026.(Liesa Johannssen/Reuters)
The four-term lawmaker appeared to stall for nearly 20 seconds before offering that the U.S. should try to avoid clashing with China over Taiwan.
Social media posts on the right slammed her for offering up a world salad.
But it wasn’t just Republicans who critiqued Ocasio-Cortez.
A veteran Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely told Fox News Digital, “It is abundantly clear that AOC is not ready for prime time given her remarks in Europe.”
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”
New York’s Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez’s highest‑profile outing on the world stage yet at the Munich Security Conference last week has sharpened speculation about her long‑term political ambitions.
Newsweek has reached out to Ocasio‑Cortez via email for comment.
Ocasio‑Cortez’s trip to Germany marked her most prominent international appearance to date, placing the New York congresswoman alongside world leaders and senior policymakers at one of the world’s most closely watched global security forums.
She has defended the purpose of her trip and rejected suggestions that it was about positioning herself for a White House run.
But William Kedjanyi, political betting analyst at Star Sports, told Newsweek the Munich Security Conference represented a significant step in how her political trajectory is now being viewed.
“AOC’s appearance at the Munich Security Conference was a notable step, an outing onto the world stage where she received as much attention as some other heads of state,” Kedjanyi said.
“While it was not all plain sailing, the fact she was there shows an intention and a seriousness to be at the very least heavily involved in any conversation.”
Although Ocasio‑Cortez has built her reputation largely through domestic policy battles, the Munich appearance elevated her international profile and placed her within a broader discussion about future Democratic leadership.
Star Sports currently lists Ocasio‑Cortez at 12/1 to win the 2028 U.S. presidential election, placing her behind Vice President JD Vance and California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, but ahead of a wide field of potential contenders.
Within the Democratic race, she is priced at 7/1 to secure the party’s nomination, second only to Newsom, the 6/4 favorite.
“Newsom is very much dominating the betting from the Democrat side, but Ocasio‑Cortez is the only person to get close,” Kedjanyi said.
“If she were to express a serious interest in running, I’m sure that those odds would go much shorter than they are now.”
Kedjanyi also pointed to shifting dynamics on the Democratic left, where Ocasio‑Cortez is widely seen as a natural heir to the progressive movement once led nationally by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
“There’s no doubt that there is a lot of youth energy behind Ocasio‑Cortez, particularly with Senator Bernie Sanders on the left of the party, perhaps not as prominent as he once was after his two runs for president,” he said.
“And despite having perhaps the largest international profile of any Democrats at this moment in time, Newsom does have an open exposed flank on his left.”
Prediction Markets
Prediction markets tracking the 2028 Democratic nomination and the presidential race more broadly largely mirror the picture seen in traditional betting, with Newsom consistently positioned as the front-runner and Ocasio‑Cortez grouped among the leading alternatives.
Kalshi and PolyMarket put her chances of securing the Democratic presidential nominee at 11 percent and 10 percent, respectively, at the time of writing, with Kalshi’s figure rising 3 percentage points since her arrival in Germany on February 12 and PolyMarket’s staying relatively flat.
While no sharp post‑Munich surge has been recorded, markets continue to place Ocasio‑Cortez firmly within the top tier of speculative contenders, reflecting her sustained national prominence and the added exposure from her highest‑profile international appearance to date.
Prediction markets tend to move decisively only after candidates signal formal intent, meaning her position could shift quickly if she were to indicate clearer presidential ambitions.
What People Are Saying
William Kedjanyi, political betting analyst at Star Sports, said: “It would be no surprise if Ocasio‑Cortez could mount a challenge from the left of the party using its progressive wing.”
President Donald Trump said of Ocasio‑Cortez following her appearance in Munich: “I watched AOC answering questions in Munich. This was not a good look for the United States.”
He added in remarks to reporters on Air Force One: “She’s just Trump deranged. She was so deranged. She is an angry woman. But I watched the other two speaking and answering basic questions.
“I never heard her speak very much, and they started answering questions. She had no idea what was happening. She had no idea how to answer, you know, very important questions concerning the world, but she can’t answer questions concerning New York City, either, because New York City has got some problems.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez said during a Sunday: “Progressive foreign policy has not been represented internationally in a very long time, if not ever, and I felt that it was very important to start bringing that into spaces of power.”
She added: “I remain ambitious, but my ambitions are in changing our political environment. That’s why I—when I was first elected—my ambition was to change the Democratic Party.”
New York Democratic strategist Jon Reinish previously told The Hill: “She has flubbed on foreign policy before, in speeches, in interviews, in some pretty high‑profile ways. So it was a bit surprising to me that she put herself in a position to do so again, on an even more high‑profile stage.”
What Happens Next
Ocasio‑Cortez has not officially declared any intention to run for president, and the Democratic field remains unsettled with years still to go before formal campaigning begins.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., pledged her “full support” for a nationwide anti-ICE protest scheduled for Friday, but said her office would not participate.
Organizers of the “National Shutdown” campaign have called for “no school, no work and no shopping” on Friday, arguing that “enough is enough” in the wake of fatal shootings involving Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minneapolis amid a federal immigration crackdown across Minnesota.
“The people of the Twin Cities have shown the way for the whole country — to stop ICE’s reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN,” organizers wrote on their website.
Ocasio-Cortez, who has criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics in the state, said her office would not be shutting down.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voiced support for a nationwide anti-ICE “national shutdown” protest while saying her congressional office would remain open.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Full disclosure — my office handles crucial casework and immigration cases for the community. We will be open tomorrow to continue community support and defend immigrant families,” she posted to Instagram.
Ocasio-Cortez then offered her “full support for national mobilizations, general strikes, and mass movement work.”
Organizers for the shutdown campaign asserted online that ICE and Border Patrol agents “are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbors and sow fear.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she supports nationwide anti-ICE protests but will not shut down her office, citing ongoing constituent and immigration casework.(AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)
The online campaign added that “it is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough.”
Pretti, a 37-year-old Department of Veterans Affairs ICU nurse, was shot and killed by Border Patrol agents on Jan. 24 while recording federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
Good was fatally shot on Jan. 7 by an ICE officer, who fired in self-defense after she used her Honda Pilot SUV in a way that posed a threat, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Demonstrators hold signs during a protest in response to the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minneapolis earlier in the day Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, in Los Angeles.(AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)
Thousands of anti-ICE protesters rallied to halt federal immigration enforcement as part of an “ICE Out of MN: Day of Truth and Freedom” march across downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 23, one day before Pretti was fatally shot.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for comment.
Fox News host Laura Ingraham has warned Republicans that U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York—also known by her initials, AOC—is “building the most powerful political operation we’ve seen since Obama,” referring to the former Democratic President Barack Obama.
In a post on X, Ingraham wrote that the 36-year-old congresswoman for New York’s 14th congressional district “is positioning herself to run for president in 2028.”
To support her statement, the journalist, author and host shared a video of Ocasio-Cortez talking about her campaign raising enough money to donate 1,600 turkeys for families in the Bronx this Thanksgiving.
Why It Matters
There is still a lot of speculation over who will run in the first presidential election without President Donald Trump—that is, unless he decides to flaunt the rules and make a bid for a third term, an idea which he has teased in the past. The Democratic Party is still working out a new path after the painful defeat last November, with the race wide-open.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been rumored to potentially run for the Democratic primary, as well as former Vice President Kamala Harris, who recently said she was “not done” with politics. Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive star of the Democratic Party, could potentially run, as she is now over the minimum age of 35 required to be U.S. president.
What To Know
Ingraham is not the first to mention that Ocasio-Cortez might be looking into running for president in 2028. In September, Axios reported that “people familiar with her operation” said she was positioning herself to run for either the presidency or the U.S. Senate in 2028.
According to the news site, Ocasio-Cortez has spent millions this year on social media to grow her supporters’ base and find potential donors to expand her grassroots fundraising pot. Across all social media platforms, the young Democrat now counts over 36.7 million followers.
A recent analysis by ABC News also identified Ocasio-Cortez among the Democrats who have been traveling to key battleground states this year, suggesting they might be preparing the ground for a presidential bid. The list included Harris, Newsom and California Representative Ro Khanna.
Ocasio-Cortez visited Arizona in March as part of the Fighting Oligarchy tour with independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. In the same month, she also visited Nevada.
A recent poll assuming hypothetical races between Newsom and Vice President JD Vance and Ocasio-Cortez put the California governor ahead with 36 percent of the vote against the vice president and the New York congresswoman tied at 34 percent each.
Vance is currently the favorite in polling for the Republican Party candidate, but others are likely to run—including, potentially, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
Newsweek contacted Ocasio-Cortez’s office via email on Sunday, outside of standard working hours, for comment.
What People Are Saying
Fox News host Laura Ingraham wrote on X on Sunday: “AOC is positioning herself to run for president in 2028. Republicans, as you fight amongst yourselves, she’s building the most powerful political operation we’ve seen since Obama.”
Asked if she would make a formidable candidate in 2028, Senator Bernie Sanders told Axios in a recent interview: “I think she would. I think other people would as well. That’s her decision to make.”
Ari Rabin-Havt, a longtime Sanders aide, told Axios: “She has a supporter base that, in many ways, has a larger potential width than Bernie’s. She has been in the glare of the spotlight from day one and has the national campaigning experience a lot of other potential candidates are now trying to get.
“It would be the height of arrogance to assume she couldn’t win the 2028 nomination.”
Political commentator Chris Cillizza wrote in his newsletter that “AOC would be INSANE not to run for president in 2028.”
What Happens Next
Ocasio-Cortez is still in the midst of deciding what her political future will be.
Her decision is likely to influence the future of her entire party, which currently appears conflicted between taking the middle ground or chasing the success obtained by progressive candidates such as Zohran Mamdani, who recently won New York City’s mayoral election.
Podcast host Stephen A. Smith claimed that high-profile Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Gov. Gavin Newsom have been ignoring invitations to appear on his show.
During his show on Friday, Smith addressed the backlash he’s received from close friends over his critiques of Democratic politicians like Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
He stood by his comments and claimed that he had invited several Democrats, like Crockett, AOC and Newsom, along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, to appear on his show, only to be met with silence.
Stephen A. Smith asked Democrats why they seemed more reluctant to come on his show than Republicans.(Lou Rocco/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. via Getty Images)
“Jasmine Crockett has been on this air — invited on this show for four months,” Smith said. “AOC has been invited on this show for four months. Gavin Newsom has been invited on this show longer than that. Props to Hakeem Jeffries. He’s a friend of the show, always welcome on here. I like that man. I respect him. Chuck Schumer has been invited on this show. Hasn’t shown up. Where they at?”
He added, “Every single Republican I have asked to show up on this show has either said yes, or that they’re coming. Not the Dems. Why?”
Fox News Digital reached out to Crockett, Ocasio-Cortez, Newsom, Jeffries and Schumer’s offices for comment.
Stephen A. Smith claimed Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Gavin Newsom, have ignored invitations to come onto his podcast.(Shutterstock/AP)
Of those he referenced, Jeffries was the only Democrat who appeared on his show recently after being interviewed by him in October. However, in the past month, Smith has interviewed other Democrats such as Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Rep. Madeleine Dean, Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Regarding Republicans, Smith recently interviewed Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and House Speaker Mike Johnson earlier this month. He also spoke to Texas Rep. Chip Roy in October.
Smith has drawn criticism from other folks in the media after he called out Crockett last month for focusing on what he considered performative politics over helping her constituents.
Stephen A. Smith later apologized to Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett for his comments.(Paras Griffin/Getty Images; Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Perhaps the most important thing that happened with the Democrats winning big in the off-year elections is the psychological boost. The Democrats haven’t had anything to celebrate for a year. Now, they’re high-fiving themselves. This is clearly a protest against President Donald Trump and Trumpism, which makes the victory a little sweeter.
Two women had especially big nights. In New Jersey, Mikie Sherrill is the new governor-elect. In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger is the commonwealth’s first female governor-elect. Hell, even Jay “two bullets” Jones, who sent those awful texts about wanting to kill the then-House speaker, won his race for Virginia Attorney General.
If you live in those states, your life may change a bit.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger celebrates as she takes the stage during her election night rally at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Tuesday, Nov. 4, in Richmond, Va. Spanberger defeated Republican gubernatorial candidate Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the first female governor in the commonwealth’s history in an election that was seen as a national political bellwether leading into the midterms. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
But, it’s also a reminder that politics is not just about policy. Sure, the Democrats were shrewd to run on affordability, given that the president had promised to bring prices down. But ultimately, voters want someone they feel comfortable with, someone who can deal with unforeseen crises.
Yet on the national front, Trump still controls the White House. He still controls the House. He still controls the Senate. He’s largely backed by the Supreme Court, despite skepticism at yesterday’s oral argument about whether tariffs fall under his emergency powers.
So what has really changed?
The continuing government shutdown fueled a sense of frustration and impatience with the president, as he acknowledged in that terse response to the GOP losses — which extended to California, where Gavin Newsom pushed through a redistricting plan in response to Republican gerrymandering.
Trump was quick to note that he wasn’t on the ballot. But, in a very real sense, he was on every ballot.
The media invariably overinterpret these off-year elections in two left-leaning states. Trump sensed disaster so he just opted out, not wanting to be tainted by the coming losses.
But he’s still got all his power.
Let’s imagine it’s six months from now and the shutdown, now the longest in American history, is a distant memory. Let’s say the economy has improved somewhat — a big if, to be sure. Who knows whether that means the Democrats will romp in the midterms?
Joe Biden suffered no midterm losses when predictions of a blue wave never materialized. Barack Obama lost the House in his first midterm, and then lost the Senate in his second midterm. George W. Bush lost the House in his second midterm, making Nancy Pelosi speaker. Trump lost the House in his first midterm, in 2018.
Bush called it a “thumpin’,” Obama a “shellacking.”
It’s just too early to say whether Trump will suffer a similar fate in next year’s midterm elections, when Democrats would only need to pick up a handful of seats to take control.
Zohran Mamdani delivers a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
The other unfolding drama is in the media capital, where Zohran Mamdani was elected New York City’s first Muslim mayor, beating Andrew Cuomo for the second time. Cuomo refused to make the traditional concession call, a petty move that was beneath him.
Talk about the power of personality. The obscure assemblyman, who’s never run anything, is a self-described socialist who started at 1 percent in the polls. He is beloved by younger people and put together a coalition that somehow combined wide-eyed liberals with working-class immigrants in Brooklyn and Queens.
Mamdani did blunder by making a fiery speech, almost yelling at times, rather than a more inclusive one.
He fared poorly among Jewish liberals, who are upset by his refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and threatend to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu if he comes to the U.N.
The mayor-elect will inevitably fail to fulfill many of his promises–free buses, free child care, free everything — because he won’t have the power and needs help from Albany. And some of his past comments from his defund-the-police, abolish-ICE days would have sunk a less charismatic candidate.
Mamdani now has 81 percent name recognition, in keeping with the high profile of New York City mayors, from John Lindsay and Ed Koch to Rudy Giuliani, Mike Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio.
AOC is thrilled, but it’s the Republicans who couldn’t be happier.
Independent mayoral candidate and former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo speaks to the press after voting at a polling location at the High School of Art and Design in the Manhattan borough of New York City on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)
“A radical left earthquake just hit America. The epicenter: New York,” the spot says.
They had already been campaigning against Mamdani in trying to make him the face of an increasingly left-wing party. Some starry-eyed supporters see socialism as the answer, but it hardly plays as well in Butte or Baton Rouge as in the Bronx.
He is always about firing up his base and the party he has remade in his image, even if Hill Republicans are resisting his demand to abolish the filibuster.
The media are heavily anti-Trump, and in a visceral way, especially since their corporate owners keep settling his lawsuits. That’s why you’re seeing so many on-air smiles as they replayed the victory speeches all day long.
But these early proclamations of Trump’s inevitable demise may well turn out to be exaggerated.
Howard Kurtz is a media and political analyst and the former host of FOX News Channel’s MediaBuzz. Based in Washington, D.C., he joined the network in 2013 and regularly appears on Special Report with Bret Baier and The Story with Martha MacCallum among other programs.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., claimed Monday that President Donald Trump blocked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., from running for Georgia’s Senate seat next year — a move she says prompted Greene’s ongoing “revenge tour” against the GOP.
Ocasio-Cortez made the comments during an Instagram livestream, telling her followers, “Here’s some tea for you. MTG, people are like, ‘Oh my God, she’s saying all these things, like, what’s gotten into her lately?’ ‘Oh, like, she’s bucking against Trump, she’s bucking against the administration.’”
“Marjorie Taylor Greene wanted to run for Senate in Georgia. She wanted to run for Senate earlier this year in the state of Georgia, she wanted to be the Republican nominee for Senate. So, she was gearing up for that statewide race, and Trump told her no,” she continued.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claims President Donald Trump blocked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from running for Georgia’s Senate seat, sparking her recent “revenge tour.”(Drew Angerer/Kevin Dietsch)
“Trump said no, and the White House and Trump Land shut down Marjorie Taylor Greene’s personal ambitions to run for Senate — and she has been on a revenge tour ever since,” Ocasio-Cortez added.
Greene said in May she would not seek Georgia’s Senate seat next year, opting against a challenge to Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Republicans are targeting Ossoff’s seat as one of their best pickup opportunities in 2026.
“Even with a few good Republicans in the Senate, nothing changes,” Greene wrote on X at the time. “So no, Jon Ossoff isn’t the real problem. He’s just a vote. A pawn. No different than the Uniparty Republicans who skip key votes to attend fundraisers and let our agenda fail.”
In recent weeks, Greene has stepped up criticism of GOP leadership, taking aim at the party’s approach to health care and the ongoing government shutdown — even as Republicans control both Congress and the White House.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene announced in May that she would not challenge incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff in next year’s Senate race.(Getty Images)
She has also broken from her party on foreign policy, calling Israel’s military campaign in Gaza a “genocide” and “humanitarian crisis.”
On ABC’s “The View” Tuesday, Greene brushed off any suggestion that her criticism has strained her relationship with Trump.
“I do love him,” she said. “When I ran for Congress in 2020, I ran criticizing Republicans and Democrats equally, because I come from a working-class family.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has been criticizing the Republican Party and GOP leadership in Congress in recent weeks.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Greene has warned that Republicans could lose control of the House if inflation and everyday costs don’t ease soon.
Last month, she told Semafor that she could not “see into the future, but I see Republicans losing the House if Americans are continuing to go paycheck to paycheck.”
“They’ll definitely be going into the midterms looking through the lens of their bank account,” she added.
Riley Gaines clapped back at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in the latest edition of her OutKick podcast, “Gaines for Girls,” after their recent social media feud.
The two went back and forth in a spat that stemmed from AOC saying if Gaines had put “all this anger into swimming faster [she] wouldn’t have come in fifth place” in the 2022 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
Gaines mentioned that she is in the “roughly 2%” of people who competed in Division I athletics and that “there are only eight women … who make the final and are All-Americans in their event.” The person she tied with was Lia Thomas, a transgender swimmer who won the national title in the 400-meter freestyle the day prior.
Riley Gaines and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., sparred on social media on Oct. 27, 2025.(IMAGN/Getty Images)
“If they think fifth place is bad, what in the world do they think about 462nd? Because that’s what Will Thomas placed amongst the men just 12 months prior,” Gaines responded, calling Thomas by the former UPenn swimmer’s birth name.
“This comment is just so snide. It’s basically that same tired idea we’ve heard from the Democratic Party and those who support men stealing our opportunities and our spots on the podium over and over and over again, that women aren’t allowed to be angry when we’re screwed over, and if we are, then there’s something wrong with us as women, as female athletes,” Gaines continued. “And also, this notion that women lose against men in sports because we just don’t try enough, because we’re lazy, maybe we should have just swam faster, it’s dismissive, it’s condescending, and honestly, it’s sexist…. They would only feel comfortable and confident and secure in saying that to a woman.”
“For the life of me, I cannot understand this line of attack.”
University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas and Kentucky swimmer Riley Gaines react after finishing tied for fifth in the 200 freestyle finals at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on March 18, 2022, at the McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta, Georgia.( Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Gaines then said the New York congresswoman was “hell-bent on being on the wrong side of every 80-20 issue.”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the border, crime, castrating kids, parental rights, or the men in women’s sports issue,” Gaines said.
After Gaines challenged AOC to a debate on “The Ingraham Angle,” the congresswoman then “challenged” Gaines to “get a real job.” Gaines said she does have one — being a mother to a new daughter.
Riley Gaines has championed fairness in women’s sports.(XX-XY Athletics)
“If AOC had a little girl, she would probably feel a little differently about a grown man exposing himself to her daughter. But on the other hand, she’s proven herself to be a self-absorbed, misogynistic socialist, so probably not,” said Gaines.
GOP Sen. Kevin Cramer says Congress can reach health care deal after government reopens – CBS News
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One week after it began, lawmakers appear no closer to ending the government shutdown. Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota joins “The Takeout” to discuss the state of play.
United States House of Representatives member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has never been the one to mince her words. Especially when it comes to slandering the Republicans and the current U.S. President Donald Trump, AOC is always one step ahead of the others.
If Republicans want to blame their shutdown on me, they are more than welcome to come to my office and negotiate anytime.
Unlike them, I won’t let kids and hard working people get cut off their insulin and chemo on my watch.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has consistently called the Republicans and Trump out for their hypocritical behaviour, boastful attitudes, and tendency to promote unfounded conspiracies. On a broader scale, Ocasio-Cortez has accused Trump and his administration of neglecting the needs of the American people in favour of their own interests.
This time, AOC is again taking a dig at the people who refuse to stop supplying her with content worth of criticism. In light of the recent government shutdown that became effective on September 30, 2025 (thanks to Trump and his Republican bros not agreeing on a bill about healthcare), she spoke with MSNBC to discuss the implications of the situation and what needs to be done.
In her speech, AOC highlighted that Trump and the Republicans were trying hard to establish an authoritarian government with tactics such as the shutdown. However, she urged people not to take their threats seriously. She remarked:
“They are weaker than they look, and it is important that we remember that.”
She also mentioned that the current government, led by Trump, relies heavily on the impression of power and the “perception of inevitability.” Hence, she believes that it is important for people not to submit to his wishes beforehand in anticipation of that certainty.
Doubling down on her previous comments, AOC emphasised that Trump and his party were experiencing “record levels” of “unpopularity” across the board and in general. She also attributed the government shutdown to the same. She added that they want the others to “blink first”, knowing that they have “too much to save”
Following this interview, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to X (previously Twitter) to share her thoughts again. Reposting the clip from the discussion she wrote:
“Republicans are jacking up healthcare costs across the country and Trump is FAR weaker than he looks.”
In addition to that, she also called for a plan of action, urging people to take the chance to “defend the healthcare of millions of Americans.”
As Zohran Mamdani greeted supporters following his upset victory over Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary in June, the chants erupting around him weren’t about pragmatism or compromise—they were about housing, justice and revenge against a system he said had failed ordinary people.
“This wasn’t just a primary,” Mamdani told the crowd. “This was a referendum on a crumbling status quo.”
The 33-year-old democratic socialist’s victory wasn’t just a local surprise; it symbolizes a broader political shift. Across the nation, more voters—urban and rural, working-class and professional—are rejecting technocratic centrism in favor of leaders who promise to fight, not finesse.
For decades, “moderation” in U.S. politics was synonymous with stability. The Reagan era’s embrace of supply-side economics in the 1980s set a conservative template; the Clinton years extended it through “Third Way” centrism—balanced budgets, free trade, welfare reform. The pitch: a steady hand at the wheel.
Newsweek Illustration/Getty Images
But the underlying economy didn’t support that narrative for long. From 1980 to 2020, the top 1 percent went from controlling 25 percent of national wealth to nearly 40 percent, according to Federal Reserve data. Over the same period, wage growth for middle- and lower-income workers stagnated.
Housing costs also jumped 300 percent in urban areas, far outpacing income. By 2024, Gallup reported just 34 percent of Americans identified as moderate—down from over 40 percent in the early 1990s—while self-identified conservatives and liberals reached historic highs.
“Moderation meant compromise—not excitement. People lost faith that those deals ever made a difference at their own dining table,” Mike Madrid, a political consultant and co-founder of the Lincoln Project, told Newsweek. “When rent and tuition cost more than your paycheck, a handshake won’t help.”
As the 2024 election made clear, politics is now filtered through the realities of inflation and affordability. Inflation peaked above 9 percent in 2022 and remains stubbornly elevated; nearly 40 percent of Americans say the cost of groceries is their biggest concern, a July AP-NORC poll found.
Mamdani’s win in New York was the clearest sign of this mood on the left: a candidate who spoke bluntly about rent, wages and fairness defeating a seasoned moderate with a long career in public service, even if it ended in disgrace. Democrats have often hesitated to fully embrace that message, but Republicans have done the opposite with Donald Trump—rallying quickly and decisively around a single figure who steadily pushed moderates out of his party.
MAGA: The First Rebellion
The first real test of this shift came from the right. Donald Trump’s rise in 2016 marked a direct challenge to Republican orthodoxy, promising to fight for those left behind by globalization while mocking the party’s traditional leadership.
By 2025, the transformation was complete. A mid-2025 Gallup survey found that 77 percent of Republicans identified as conservative, while moderates dropped to a historic low of 18 percent. And even as the president’s overall popularity has slipped in his second term, more than 85 percent of Republicans still approve of Trump’s leadership.
Mitt Romney and John McCain talk on Romney’s campaign bus on January 4, 2012. Mitt Romney and John McCain talk on Romney’s campaign bus on January 4, 2012. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
“Republicans have near unanimity in supporting Donald Trump, and he is exhibiting strong leadership,” Republican strategist Matt Klink told Newsweek. “Contrast this sharply with Mitt Romney‘s loss in the 2012 presidential election and the Republican Party being rudderless.”
It was a hostile takeover of a party that once valued calm stewardship and corporate-friendly conservatism. Mitt Romney was sidelined. John McCain fought Trump until his death in 2018. George W. Bush‘s brand of “compassionate conservatism” was shelved before he even left office. Liz Cheney was cast out of House leadership and lost her Wyoming seat after defying Trump on January 6. Paul Ryan walked away from Congress as Trump’s grip tightened. Marco Rubio fell in line and now serves as his secretary of state. One by one, the party’s old guard was replaced, leaving the GOP remade in Trump’s image.
But Trump’s consolidation of the GOP is only half the story. His political rise has also reordered the map of American politics in ways that continue to haunt Democrats. According to a New York Times analysis, Trump improved Republican margins in nearly half of U.S. counties across his three presidential campaigns—1,433 in all—while Democrats gained ground in just 57.
The Democrats’ Mamdani Dilemma
Mamdani’s primary upset in New York reflects a similar shift on the left. His platform—rent freezes, city-owned grocer stores, free bus service, steep taxes on the wealthy—was more blueprint than compromise. His backers are not looking for a manager; they want a revolution.
And the numbers show their enthusiasm. In the June primary, Mamdani defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo by 12 percentage points, earning 56.4 percent of the final round of ranked-choice votes to Cuomo’s 43.6 percent—a decisive victory for an underdog few expected to win.
But the Democratic establishment has kept him at arm’s length, despite polls showing Mamdani likely to win the general election in November. Weeks after his win, half of the state’s top Democrats still hadn’t endorsed him. Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have all stayed silent—often mumbling through media appearances when pressed on the subject.
At “Brooklyn Against Trump” Event, Zohran Mamdani and Brooklyn Leaders Call Out Trump and Cuomo as Architects of Housing CrisisBrooklyn Against Trump At “Brooklyn Against Trump” Event, Zohran Mamdani and Brooklyn Leaders Call Out Trump and Cuomo as Architects of Housing CrisisBrooklyn Against Trump Zohran Mamdani for NYC/YouTube
“It is pathetic,” said former Barack Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau during a recent episode of Pod Save America, the popular liberal podcast. “Donald Trump’s going to try to get Eric Adams out of the race so that he can help Andrew Cuomo. Meanwhile, Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer have not yet endorsed the candidate who won the Democratic primary in New York City—the choice of Democratic voters,” he added.
For some on the left, dissatisfaction with Democratic leadership has reignited a longstanding debate about the party’s future. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has even suggested that progressives consider running as independents rather than as Democrats.
“If there’s any hope for the Democratic Party, it is that they’re going to have to reach out—open the doors and let working-class people in,” Sanders said during his “Stopping Oligarchy” tour, a five-city rally alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez aimed at mobilizing resistance to Trump, Elon Musk, and what they describe as a billionaire-led assault on American government.
“If not, people will be running as independents, I think, all over this country.”
“We’re seeing Democrats in New York who want to flip the tables over, much like Republicans did in their Tea Party moment,” Madrid, the political analyst, told Newsweek. “Voters seem to be asking their politicians to take a stand and adopt clear positions, and I think one of the reasons the Democratic campaign lost last year was because the positions weren’t clear enough.”
Can the Center Hold?
Not all centrists are fading. But they no longer sell themselves. Survival now depends less on policy and more on posture. Candidates who look like fighters—even if their actual politics are relatively moderate—are the ones breaking through.
In Arizona, Senator Ruben Gallego offered a glimpse of what that looks like. Running in a state Donald Trump carried, Gallego didn’t try to tiptoe around culture wars or triangulate. He leaned into toughness, telling voters he would fight for wages, affordability, and border security while refusing to get pulled into debates over “masculinity” that have roiled both parties.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., arrives for a vote in the Capitol on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., arrives for a vote in the Capitol on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call via AP Images
“A lot of times we forget that we still need men to vote for us. That’s how we still win elections. But we don’t really talk about making the lives of men better, working to make sure that they have wages so they can support their families,” Gallego said in a wide-ranging interview with The New York Times Magazine.
“He’s not playing both sides,” Madrid told Newsweek. “He’s saying: I’ll go fight and I’ll come home with results. People see that. They want that posture. His win showed that even in red states, a Democrat could compete if they looked like someone ready to brawl for ordinary people.”
The same instinct is showing up elsewhere. California Governor Gavin Newsom, once accused of hedging or “fence sitting,” on divisive issues, has adopted a more aggressive style in his battles with Trump, boosting his standing in Democratic primaries. Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders still draw crowds because they fight visibly.
“The lesson for Democrats is to stop talking only to their base,” Madrid said. “You can have politicians in the very center of the party like Gallego or on the far left like Mamdani, and both are succeeding right now.”
Klink, the veteran GOP strategist, also warned that moderation without fire simply doesn’t cut through anymore. “Generally, Democrats fare better when they nominate a moderate candidate,” he said. “But the base decides the pace. Moderates decide the margin. Without base energy—without fight and authenticity—you’re invisible.”
While Democrats are still grappling with whether to embrace the party’s more radical flank or hold to the center, the picture inside the GOP is far clearer. Trump has already answered the question for Republicans: the path to power runs through him. Where Democrats debate strategy and identity, Republicans measure their future in degrees of loyalty to the president.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) (L) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (R) take an elevator just off the Senate floor after the Senate stayed in session throughout the night at the U.S. Capitol Building on July… Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) (L) and Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) (R) take an elevator just off the Senate floor after the Senate stayed in session throughout the night at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
A CBS News/YouGov survey found that 65 percent of Republican voters say loyalty to Trump is important, with more than a third calling it “very important.” In practice, that has meant dissenters often retreat when it matters. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has voiced concerns about Trump’s hold on the party but still voted for his signature “One Big, Beautiful Bill.” Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia briefly criticized the package, then fell back in line to support it.
After months of friction with the White House, Senator Thom Tillis and Representative Don Bacon announced their retirements rather than continue testing their luck in a party where deviation is punished and loyalty is prized. In today’s Trumpist party, such departures have become increasingly rare — simply because so few dissenters remain.
In the final days of the campaign, both Vice President Kamala Harris and former president Donald Trump’s camps have been attempting to appeal to Latino voters—a growing, key, and politically non-monolithic electorate.
What has been a consistent competition for these votes throughout the entirety of the 2024 election cycle intensified last week when Trump surrogate and stand-up comicTony Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as “garbage” during his time slot at the Madison Square Garden MAGA rally on Sunday.
“I don’t know if you guys know this, but there’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now,” Hinchcliffe, who has said comedians should never apologize, began. “I think it’s called Puerto Rico.” During his 12-minute remarks, Hinchcliffe also said, “These Latinos, they love making babies, too, just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country.”
The pushback from Puerto Ricans across America was instantaneous. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, who first responded to the comments while on a Twitch stream with Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, said it was “super upsetting,” adding that her family is from Puerto Rico.
“The thing that is so messed up that I wish more people understood, is that the things that they do in Puerto Rico are a testing ground for the policies and the horrors that they wish … that they do unveil in working-class communities across the United States,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico ‘floating garbage,’ know that that’s what they think about you.”
Celebrities with Puerto Rican heritage, including Jennifer Lopez and Bad Bunny, joined in, denouncing the remarks and expressing love for the islands—whose residents cannot vote in the presidential election despite being American citizens.
“You do know he’s a COMEDIAN, and these are JOKES, right????” the Trump campaign’s national press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in an email to TIME magazine. “The joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” senior advisor Danielle Alvarez said in a statement, also to TIME.
“Nobody loves our Latino community and our Puerto Rican community more than I do,” Trump said at a rally in Allentown, a majority Latino town.
“Puerto Rico is home to some of the most talented, innovative, and ambitious people in our nation. And Puerto Ricans deserve a president who sees and invests in that strength,” Harris said in a video posted the same day as Trump’s MSG rally. “I will never forget what Donald Trump did and what he did not do when Puerto Rico needed a caring and a competent leader. He abandoned the island.”
Not long after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe appeared at Donald Trump’s massive Madison Square Garden rally this weekend and called Puerto Rico an “island of floating garbage,” the internet came alive with Google searches for his name. In fact, as Nate Silver points out, searches for Hinchcliffe have eclipsed those for Taylor Swift. The obvious implication would seem to be that tons of people had no idea who Hinchcliffe was and were swiftly trying to ascertain the identity of the guy who had just insulted the island.
Hinchcliffe’s comments have set off a political firestorm, with some commentators even questioning whether the viral remarks—which are sure to offend some members of America’s sizable Puerto Rican population—could cost Trump the election. Problematically for the Trump camp, 2022 census data shows the U.S. has about 5.9 million people living in it that ethnically identify as Puerto Rican. Indeed, close to half a million Puerto Ricans live in the closely watched swing state of Pennsylvania alone.
The viral jokes had significant political after-effects, with numerous politicians—both Democrats and Republicans alike—decrying it. The Trump campaign has distanced itself from Hinchcliffe (a representative told Fox: “This joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign”), despite presumably vetting his material before it went live. The joke also apparently inspired Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny—considered one of the most popular artists among Gen-Z Americans—to endorse Kamala Harris for President.
In addition to outrage, Hinchcliffe’s joke seems to have inspired a lot of confusion—or at least interest—from droves of people, some of which had likely never heard of the comedian. Below is a screenshot of the parallel Google search stats of Taylor Swift and Hinchcliffe, with Hinchcliffe’s results represented in blue:
Google Analytics related to Hinchcliffe shows some interesting regional metrics. In Florida, for instance, where some 1.2 million Puerto Ricans live, Hinchcliffe’s nationality was a top Google search. The Miami Herald, one of Florida’s largest newspapers, has reported that local politicians, including those who support Trump, have come out to decry Hinchcliffe’s comments. One U.S. Representative, Maria Elvira Salazar, of Miami, said she was “disgusted” by the joke. La Mesa Boricua de Florida, a Puerto Rican political advocacy group based in Florida, was quoted as saying: “Trump must not forget that in Florida around 800,000 Puerto Ricans have the ability to exercise their right to vote.”
That said, Google Search interest seems to have been most heavily concentrated in predominantly “blue” states, signaling that liberal denizens of those environs hadn’t heard of Hinchcliffe or his brand of edgelord-comedy. Searches were highest in Washington D.C., New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and California. Hinchcliffe seems to be quite popular with certain demographics, as his podcast has nearly 2 million subscribers on YouTube.
Hinchcliffe didn’t just belittle America’s island territory on Sunday. He also made a joke about a Black audience member and watermelon (“Look at this guy, oh my goodness. Wow. I’m just kidding, that’s one of my buddies. He had a Halloween party last night. We had fun. We carved watermelons together”), shared his thoughts about the links between Hispanics, immigration, and birth control (“These Latinos, they love making babies too, just know that. They do. They do. There’s no pulling out. They don’t do that. They come inside, just like they did to our country”), and even dipped his toe in the Israeli Palestinian conflict (he referred to Palestinians as “rock throwers,” and made a joke about Jews being stingy). Truly a cringe gauntlet of hacky material.
The comedian’s racial comments have gotten him in trouble before. In 2021, he was “canceled,” after he referred to comedian Peng Dang—who had introduced him at a standup event in Austin—as a “filthy little fucking chink.” Dang later told USA Today that he was offended by Hinchcliffe’s remarks: “Tony never came up to me, talked to me or apologized. I don’t think he thinks that was offensive,” he said. Not long after the incident went viral, Hinchcliffe was dropped by his agents. Now, Hinchcliffe has his own podcast (Kill Tony) and has buddied up with podcast king Joe Rogan. Indeed, an old Rogan clip circulated on X on Monday in which the podcast host suggested that Trump get Hinchcliffe to write him some jokes.
It’s difficult to interpret what, exactly, the Trump campaign was hoping to accomplish with its MSG rally. In the mainstream media, the rally was widely referred to as a quasi-“fascist” invocation of the MAGA movement’s most odious tendencies. That said, lots of stuff happens at Madison Square Garden. Many presidents have held their rallies there, and Cyndi Lauper is set to play there later this week. Just because a big, loud political rally was held at New York’s premiere events center, doesn’t mean that it was meant to emulate the notorious 1939 pro-Nazi rally that was held at the same location. Having said that, a whole lot of racist and sexist stuff got said on Sunday, and the overall tone (for this viewer, at least) really felt like one of swiftly encroaching darkness. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has told multiple news networks that she feels the rally was an effort to rile up the uglier parts of the Trump base. Perhaps the campaign just saw it as another way for Trump to make viral content. I guess mission accomplished, on that front.
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was born on November 20th, 1942.
And Joe Biden is old. He’s so old that “Robinette” probably seemed like a reasonable thing to put in the middle of your kid’s name back when he was born.
The fact that our two options in the 2024 election to lead us are men who are both more than 35 years older—and about 40% whiter—than the average American, is a damning indictment of our political system. But with both men widely accused by their critics of losing a step and declining into senility, should age be a defining issue in this election? Is Joe Biden, 77, so much older than Donald Trump, 74, that he should be disqualified?
The question of age — old age, to be precise – is garnering a lot of attention lately. And for good reason: the fate of the Western world very possibly hinges on it.
This autumn, Americans will most likely have to choose between two old white men for President of the United States. One is in his early 80s. The other is in his late 70s. Both are showing signs of physical and mental aging. Both claim to be in great shape and ready for the Herculean demands required of the most powerful leader in the world. Both claim the other isn’t.
Whether you think this is a clash of the Titans or merely a pillow fight in a senior care facility, there’s no denying that our nation’s oldsters have accomplished some amazing things. Here are only a few of the performers, politicians, athletes, tycoons, and scientists who saw no reason to rest on their laurels. They can inspire us all.
Betty White – Won a Grammy at 90
Betty White had been a working actor since the 1940s, but she didn’t win her first Emmy until 1975 for her role as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Ten years later she was starring in the sitcom classic The Golden Girls. Eighteen years after that she was appearing in Hot in Cleveland. When she was a kid of 90, she was honored at the 54th annual Grammy Awards for Best Spoken Word Album for the narration of her audiobook If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t).
Tao Porchon-Lynch – Taught yoga at 101
Of French and Indian descent author and yoga teacher Porchon-Lynch was also a model, an actor, a cabaret performer mentored by Sir Noel Coward, a ballroom dancer, a social activist, Hollywood actress, wine expert, and magazine publisher. At 93 she was named the world’s oldest yoga teacher by the Guinness Book of World Records. She was also one of the best.
It’s a life of such variety and depth it could only be true. You wouldn’t believe it in a novel!
John B. Goodenough – Won a Nobel Prize at 97
Chemist and Materials scientist John B. Goodenough is noted for his contributions to the development of Random Access Memory in computing and Lithium-Ion battery technology. In 2019 the Nobel Prize committee presented him with the Nobel Prize in chemistry.
Goodenough was still working at the age of 98, developing new battery technology at the University of Texas. When his Nobel prize was announced, his advice to young scientists was “don’t retire too early.” Good advice whether you’re in the laboratory or not.
Christopher Plummer – Won an Academy Award at 82
Beginners exemplified how much living can be done later in life. Christopher Plummer plays Hal Fields, a gay man who lived his life in the closet until coming out after the death of his wife.
Fields discovers new love and how to live his authentic self in his 80s.
At 82, Plummer was awarded the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor – and became the oldest person to ever win the award. In 2018, at 88, he became the oldest person to be nominated for the same award for his role in All the Money in the World.
He ran a distance famous for killing an ancient Greek messenger after surviving the Great Depression, World War II, and 24 James Bond movies. He ran 26 nine-minute miles in a row…again, after also traveling around the sun 85 times. Ed Whitlock passed the next year, probably moments after deciding he was finally ready to retire from running.
In a piece about Whitlock’s career as an older athlete, the Services for Runners website referred to “the prime of the ancient marathoner.” A witty description of an indomitable figure.
Jimmy Carter – Building Houses at 95
Several years ago former president Jimmy Carter fell in his home, sustaining a black eye and a cut that required 14 stitches. Days later, he returned to the construction site where he was building homes for those in need. He was 95 years old at the time.
It’s been said that Carter accomplished more out of office than he did as the main resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. That may or may not be accurate, but Carter’s dedication to Habitat for Humanity, his modesty and concern for his fellow citizens stands in stark contrast to the criminal buffoons who view the Presidency as nothing but a giant ATM card. According to his grandson, Carter is nearing the end of his life. Plains, Georgia’s most famous son has proven how much difference one person can make.
Bernie Sanders – Transformed American Politics at 78
For fans of Bernie Sanders, the coalescing of the entire Democratic party around moderate candidate Joe Biden in March of 2020, just when it seemed like Sanders was about to secure frontrunner position, was heartbreaking.
Consolation can be found in Sanders’ effect on the nation’s progressive politics. He’s been a consistent voice for Medicare for All, a livable minimum wage, cannabis decriminalization, and bold climate legislation. It’s clear he’ll keep fighting the good fight until his last breath. He is anything but shy – and Democrats could use a dose of his feisty approach to politics.
Aida Germanque – Ran in Olympic Torch Relay at 106
In 2016, Aida Germanque participated in the Olympic torch relay in Brazil in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympic games in Rio. At 106 years old, Germanque was the oldest person to ever take part in the ceremony. She reportedly broke the record for oldest skydiver at 103.
But while it’s true that Germanque didn’t exactly sprint through her portion of the relay, the significance of her achievement is in the symbolism of the relay. It’s about passing the torch to the next runner. And as Joe Biden has already hinted, that’s what he intends to do with the presidency—serving one term, before passing it to the next generation of Democratic politician, whether that’s Kamala Harris or (fingers crossed) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who will be eligible to run for president in 2024.
It should be clear by now that age needn’t be an impediment to a healthy and productive life. How this plays out in November is something we’ll all be watching closely. Age will certainly be a factor in the presidential race. It shouldn’t automatically disqualify a candidate for office. Leave that to other, far less savory things like inciting violence, threatening to open concentration camps, and “joking” about running for a third term.
The moral of the story is a simple one.
Lay off the Big Macs. Help others. You’ll live longer and enjoy it more!
So, clearly, being 77 or 81 does not mean you’re done doing amazing things. That said, there is such a thing as “biological age.” If a person were to work out five times a week —as opposed to living off Big Macs and (allegedly) amphetamines and only working up a sweat by ranting from the podium and on Twitter — that person could be much “younger” than someone born a few years after them.
Last week, presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked me to moderate what he called “The Real Debate.”
Kennedy was angry with CNN because it wouldn’t let him join its Trump-Biden debate.
His people persuaded Elon Musk to carry his Real Debate on X, formerly Twitter. They asked me to give RFK Jr. the same questions, with the same time limits.
I agreed, hoping to hear some good new ideas.
I didn’t.
As you know, President Joe Biden slept, and former President Donald Trump lied. Well, OK, Biden lied at least nine times, too, even by CNN’s count.
Kennedy was better.
But not much.
He did acknowledge that our government’s deficit spending binge is horrible. He said he’d cut military spending. He criticized unscientific COVID-19 lockdowns and said nice words about school choice.
But he, too, dodged questions, blathered on past time limits, and pushed big government nonsense like, “Every million dollars we spend on child care creates 22 jobs.”
Give me a break.
Independence Day is this week.
As presidential candidates promise to subsidize flying cars (Trump), free community college tuition (Biden), and “affordable” housing via 3 percent government-backed bonds (Kennedy), I think about how bewildered and horrified the Founding Fathers would be by such promises.
On the Fourth of July almost 250 years ago, they signed the Declaration of Independence, marking the birth of our nation.
They did not want life dominated by politicians. They wanted a society made up of free individuals. They believed every human being has “unalienable rights” to life, liberty, and (justly acquired) property.
The blueprints created by the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution gradually created the freest and most prosperous nation in the history of the world.
Before 1776, people thought there was a “divine right” of kings and nobles to rule over them.
America succeeded because the Founders rejected that belief.
In the Virginia Declaration of Rights, George Mason wrote, “All power is vested in, and consequently derived from, the people.”
By contrast, Kennedy and Biden make promises that resemble the United Nations’ “Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” U.N. bureaucrats say every person deserves “holidays with pay…clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.”
The Founders made it clear that governments should be limited. They didn’t think we had a claim on our neighbor’s money. We shouldn’t try to force them to pay for our food, clothing, housing, prescription drugs, college tuition.
They believe you have the right to be left alone to pursue happiness as you see fit.
For a while, the U.S. government stayed modest. Politicians mostly let citizens decide our own paths, choose where to live, what jobs to take, and what to say.
There were a small number of “public servants.” But they weren’t our bosses.
Patrick Henry declared: “The governing persons are the servants of the people.”
Yet now there are 23 million government employees. Some think they are in charge of everything.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.), pushing her Green New Deal, declared herself “the boss.”
The Biden administration wants to decide what kind of car you should drive.
During the pandemic, politicians ordered people to stay home, schools to shut down and businesses to close.
Then, as often happens in “Big Government World,” people harmed by government edicts ask politicians to compensate them.
After governments banned Fourth of July fireworks, the American Pyrotechnics Association requested “relief in the next Senate Covid package to address the unique and specific costs to this industry,” reportedThe New York Times. “The industry hopes Congress will earmark $175 million for it in another stimulus bill.”
Today the politically connected routinely lobby passionately to get bigger chunks of your money.
For some of you, the last straw was when the administration demanded you inject a chemical into your body.
When some resisted vaccinations, Biden warned, “Our patience is wearing thin.”
His patience? Who does he think he is? My father? My king?
At least Kennedy doesn’t say things like that. But he does say absurd things. In a few weeks I’ll release my sit-down interview with him, and you can decide for yourself whether he’s a good candidate.
This Fourth of July, remember Milton Friedman’s question: “How can we keep the government we create from becoming a Frankenstein that will destroy the very freedom we establish it to protect?”
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY JFS PRODUCTIONS INC.
Watch The Real Debate as it was meant to be with all three candidates — Kennedy, Biden, Trump.#TheRealDebate has already been seen more than 11 million times. pic.twitter.com/W27pXIOLkd
— Robert F. Kennedy Jr (@RobertKennedyJr) June 30, 2024
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) called out Chairman James Comer (R-KY) for having members at the hearing who’ve submitted falsified evidence to the record, as well as having submitted mischaracterized closed-door hearings and engaged in revenge porn, explaining that given these facts, it makes sense that Hunter Biden would want to testify in front of the public.
Watch AOC here:
Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said:
The chairman said in front of the country several times to Hunter Biden, you can show up here in front of the world, in front of the public. Hunter Biden took him up on that offer. He said I will show up in public. I will show up in public. He showed up here today. He showed up here in the past.
And Mr. Chairman, I know you do your best with what you’ve got, but you’ve got members here that have submitted falsified evidence to the record. You have members here that have submitted and mischaracterized closed-door hearings, and people want to say back and forth at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter what party it’s happened from.
You’ve got members who’ve engaged in revenge porn in this committee. So it is understandable why Hunter Biden would want to testify in front of the public for the American people to be able to witness that testimony for themselves.
She is correct on all fronts, and that is a sad fact to acknowledge because it does not speak well of the U.S. political system.
Republicans have literally submitted falsified evidence to the record of U.S. House hearings, including Jim Jordan falsely claiming that Hunter Biden said he was unqualified for Burisma board, which he was fact-checked for saying the week prior, so he said it knowing it was a lie.
Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) made a completely false claim about a supposed bribe. But, “Mace’s claim is false; we do not “already know” that Joe Biden took any bribe. The claim about a bribe from Burisma is a completely unproven allegation. The FBI informant who relayed the claim to the FBI in 2020 was merely reporting something he said he had been told by Burisma’s chief executive.”
CNN also pointed to Jordan’s “highly misleading” claim in that September hearing about a weaponized DOJ. “The Justice Department official who gave this instruction said Joe Biden’s name shouldn’t be mentioned in the search warrant because there wasn’t any legal basis to do so. Furthermore, this occurred during Trump’s presidency, so it doesn’t prove pro-Biden meddling by the Biden-era Justice Department.”
Yes, Republicans found alleged evidence of wrongdoing… during the Trump administration, so impeach Joe Biden! While that sounds far-fetched, this is not their first time trying to pin things that happened during the Trump administration onto Joe Biden. Even when those things were not actually happening.
It would be troubling if we were to impeach presidents on unsubstantiated, second hand hearsay while refusing to impeach them for, say, inciting an insurrection against their own country and everyone who didn’t vote for them. But that is precisely what Republicans are angling for, which is why AOC’s point is so important.
If lawmakers have presented false evidence, why are they still allowed to participate in the hearing? What does this say about the principles and integrity of the Republican leadership?
At this point, Hunter Biden appears to need a restraining order against several Republican members and it’s more than understandable that Hunter Biden wants to testify in front of the public; it’s been made clear that Republicans are not dealing in good faith or even in facts.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tore into Republican lawmakers during a congressional hearing regarding bans on transgender athletes in sports. AOC acknowledged the proposed sports bans as being discriminatory and transphobic, which they undoubtedly are. Then she went on to unpack the horrifying ramifications of these kinds of bills, which affect not only trans athletes but cisgender ones as well.
“I think about this all the time because trans people in the United States doesn’t even exceed one percent of our population and yet, there are so many resources, energy, and time dedicated to figuring out how we can more finely exclude them from our sports.” AOC continued, “I started to realize that a lot of these proposals here involve invasions of privacy of all women.”
AOC then asked Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, what “sex testing” entails. The answer is horrifying. Goss Graves said, “In some states, it requires actual genital verification, which is shocking.”
If you’re appalled by the above statement, you’re not alone. Ocasio-Cortez responded, “In Ohio, there was a proposed ban on trans athletes that originally allowed for genital examinations on minors in order to quote-unquote protect women.” She added, “And so we’re seeing here, in this guise, under this guise, of not only trying to further marginalize trans women and girls, we’re opening up all women and girls to genital examinations when they are underage.”
Targeting trans children for playing sports makes all women, whether trans or cisgender, less safe. Sex testing is regressive, invasive, discriminatory, and a fundamental violation of our privacy as women and as Americans. This is shameful. pic.twitter.com/ikrdhBMfpj
She added, “Per usual, I don’t believe we’re sitting here in a panel of men that has actually thought about the biology and privacy consequences of all women, trans or cisgender, here.” AOC then discussed the groups more likely to face this kind of horrific discrimination, namely Black women and girls. Goss Graves noted, “We have seen examples of Black women who are even professional athletes whose bodies have been more examined and demonized.”
We have, of course, seen Black women athletes and their bodies scrutinized, such as South African Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya. Even international athletic superstars like Simone Biles and Serena Williams have been subject to intense criticism and discrimination.
Yesterday, our President testified on something we wholeheartedly believe: When you exclude trans women and girls, you hurt all women.
For over 50 years, we’ve endured misogynistic attacks on our work—bigots and bullies aren’t going to silence us now. pic.twitter.com/bNWeke9d7Y
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made her life in Congress miserable, frequently singling out the more junior lawmaker because of her age, according to an upcoming book that focuses on the New York Democrat’s congressional career.
“The amount of times she told me that stupid ‘I have protest signs older than you in my basement’ shit. Like yeah, but mine don’t collect dust,” Ocasio-Cortez said of the Democratic speaker in a text to Ryan Grim, the Washington bureau chief for The Intercept and a former D.C. bureau chief for HuffPost. The anecdote is included in an advanced copy of Grim’s book obtained by HuffPost.
Ocasio-Cortez, known as AOC, was elected to the House from a New York City district in 2018, at the time becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress at age 30. She has since become known for her progressive politics and bold moves, including attending multiple protests.
AOC told The Washington Post in 2019 that she thought Pelosi had singled out “newly elected women of color.”
For example, Pelosi had called out newly elected Democratic Reps. Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), popularly known as “The Squad,” for not having the same support in Congress as other lawmakers.
“All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,” Pelosi told The New York Times in 2019. “But they didn’t have any following. They’re four people, and that’s how many votes they got.”
Ocasio-Cortez called the jab “outright disrespectful,” according to The Washington Post interview.
The 83-year-old congresswoman, who served as speaker from 2007 to 2011 and again in 2019, stepped down from that leadership role in January. When Pelosi moved on from the speakership, Ocasio-Cortez thought her “misery” would continue. But she was wrong.
“I thought things would get worse,” AOC said, according to Grim’s book. “I thought a lot of my misery was due to leadership more broadly having a thing against me. But … my life has completely transformed. It’s crazy. And it’s that that made me realize it was kind of just [Pelosi] the whole time.”
“Now, senior members talk to me, [committee] chairs are nice to me, people want to work together. I’m shocked. I couldn’t even get floor time before,” she added.
Ocasio-Cortez, now 34, told Grim that today she’s treated fairly by her congressional counterparts.
Grim’s book, “The Squad: AOC and the Hope of a Political Revolution,” is set to be released on Dec. 5.
A representative of Pelosi declined HuffPost’s request for comment.
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Elon Musk has offered his Starlink advanced satellite system to support internationally recognized aid organizations working in Gaza, following a communications outage as Israel steps up its military campaign in the territory.
Palestinian telecommunications company Paltel announced on Friday night that all landline, mobile and internet had been lost on the Gaza Strip after the Israeli bombing destroyed remaining fiber routes serving the territory.
The Israeli military action is in response to horrific terror attacks carried out by Palestinian extreme militant group Hamas in Southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,400 people and resulted in more than 220 people being taken hostage.
Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that the military operation in Gaza Strip had entered a “new phase.”
Aid organizations, emergency services and media outlets operating on the Gaza Strip said the communications outage was severely hampering their work.
Cindy McCain, Executive Director Of the United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) reported on X on Saturday that it had lost contact with its teams in Gaza and that the situation was at a “tipping point”.
Musk offered Starlink’s services in a message on his X platform (ex-Twitter) in response to a post by Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in which she denounced the communications blackout.
“Journalists, medical professionals, humanitarian efforts, and innocents are all endangered. I do not know how such an act can be defended. The United States has historically denounced this practice,” she wrote.
Musk replied to the post: “Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.”
Starlink will support connectivity to internationally recognized aid organizations in Gaza.
It is unclear whether the communications outage is due to a deliberate act by Israel or is collateral damage.
Senior Adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Regev, told the BBC on Saturday that disrupting the communications of an enemy was standard behaviour for the British and American armies during military operations.
However, he would not confirm whether Israel had deliberately cut communications in Gaza.
Musk’s offer follows in the wake of Starlink’s deployment in Ukraine after Russia destroyed its telecommunications infrastructure when it invaded the country in February 2022.
The tech tycoon courted controversy, however, when it emerged that he had refused to allow Ukraine to use the Starlink service to launch a surprise attack on Russian forces in September 2022.
The offer to aid agencies in Gaza was welcomed in replies on X, but some responders asked why it could not also be extended to all Gaza residents who are now cut off from their families in other parts of the territory and the outside world.
More than a dozen U.S. lawmakers introduced a House resolution Monday that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, as the death toll in the region continues to climb and human rights groups warn of ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
In the resolution submitted by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), the 13 members of Congress urged the White House to immediately call for and help facilitate deescalation and a ceasefire. The bill is the first congressional resolution that recognizes the loss of all civilian lives since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel, killing hundreds of people, and Israel retaliated with a massive bombardment of Gaza.
“The United States bears a unique responsibility to exhaust every diplomatic tool at our disposal to prevent mass atrocities and save lives,” Bush said. “We can’t bomb our way to peace, equality and freedom. With thousands of lives lost and millions more at stake, we need a ceasefire now.”
In addition to Bush, the resolution was introduced by Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib (Mich.), André Carson (Ind.), Delia Ramirez (Ill.) and Summer Lee (Pa.). Democrats who are also original co-sponsors include Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (Minn.), Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), Jonathan Jackson (Ill.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (N.J.), Nydia Velázquez (N.Y.) and Chuy Garcia (Ill.).
After Hamas’ attack, which resulted in 1,400 people dead and more than 100 held captive, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would give its unwavering support to Israel, including military assistance and potentially billions of dollars in additional aid. The president is set to travel to Israel this week as the violence threatens to expand into a larger regional conflict, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday.
But despite Biden’s assurance that Israel will follow the laws of war, the U.S. ally has been continuously attacking civilians, homes and sanctuary buildings in Gaza ― leaving more than 3,000 Palestinians dead, about a third of them children. The Israeli military is preparing for a ground invasion of the enclave, and has targeted civilians who are fleeing under Israel’s own evacuation orders.
Before the ceasefire bill, internal emails obtained by HuffPost revealed that the State Department had been discouraging diplomats working on Middle East issues from publicly saying anything that suggests the U.S. wants to reduce the violence in the region. High-level officials reportedly did not want press materials to include any of the following three phrases: “de-escalation/ceasefire,” “end to violence/bloodshed” and “restoring calm.”
Congress is currently preparing to vote on a separate resolution sponsored by House foreign affairs committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and ranking member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.). That bill calls on Hamas militants to cease fire, but it pledges continued support for Israel’s military response that human rights groups say amounts to war crimes, ethnic cleansing and genocide. The resolution makes no mention of Palestinian civilian casualties or the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“The answer to violence is not more violence. The answer is not military response and more killing of innocent children and women,” Carson said in a statement. “Palestinians are already surrounded by long-term military blockades ― they have literally nowhere to go.”
On Monday, Blinken said he secured an agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss creating a pathway to deliver humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza. But as of Tuesday, there was not yet a deal in place.
Netanyahu has meanwhile escalated the dehumanizing language that Israeli officials have used to describe Palestinians. On Monday, he said in a now-deleted post on X, the former Twitter, that the violence is “a struggle between the children of light and the children of darkness, between humanity and the law of the jungle.”
The next day, a hospital in Gaza City was bombed. Hamas said Israel was responsible, while Israeli officials said the explosion was due to an errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants.
“President Biden must also share in the accountability for this crime after giving Israel the green light to attack civilians in Gaza,” CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad said in reference to the hospital bombing. “This slaughter is taking place with American weapons and U.S. taxpayer dollars.”
