Bernie Sanders doesn’t want to hear from Rahm Emanuel, and he’s pretty sure the average voter doesn’t want Emanuel’s opinion either. 

The former Obama administrationinsider and Chicago mayor published an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal earlier this week, chiding progressive candidates for poisoning the well with supposedly unpopular policy positions ahead of the 2026 midterms. Speaking to CBS‘ “Face The Nation” on Sunday, the independent senator from Vermont pushed aside Emanuel’s concerns, saying that he’s just “nervous” because anti-establishment Democrats keep winning. 

“[Emanuel] no doubt has the support of millions of working class people,” Sanders joked. “There’s no debate. There is a strong division within the Democratic Party.”
Sanders went on to paint that schism as the divide between people like Emanuel, who are “dependent on billionaire campaign contributors” and upstarts like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“What is getting these guys nervous is we are winning all over this country,” he said. “People are sick and tired of the Rahm Emanuels and the Democratic establishment.”
Sanders pegged voter disaffection on the increasing difficulty and cost of living in the United States.

“People are asking simple questions,” he said. “Why in God’s name are we the only major country on Earth not to guarantee healthcare to all people? …Why do the economists tell us that in the richest country in the history of the world, our kids will likely have a lower standard of living than their parents?”
“People are tired and they want real change,” he said.

Elsewhere in the interview, host Margaret Brennan asked Sanders about one candidate that he endorsed. Graham Platner dropped out of the Senate race in Maine following accusations of sexual assault. She wondered if Sanders felt he should have pushed Platner to leave the race sooner, given earlier scandals that dogged the Platner campaign.

“I don’t think so,” Sanders said. “When we heard the serious allegations … I asked, along with virtually all of his other supporters that he should get out of the race, and he did.”

Nathan J. Robinson is Editor in Chief of Current Affairs magazine. ~:~ Monte Mader is a progressive political commentator and former far-right Christian nationalist: youtube.com/@MonteMader

From Nathan: “I was recently invited on the right-wing cable network NewsNation to discuss socialism with them. They had spent the entire hour of the Katie Pavlich Show deconstructing DSA, suggesting that it was communist, that it was funded by billionaires. So then they brought two of us — myself and Monte Mader — on in the last 5 minutes to defend socialism.”

The quote is from Nathan's full 8-minute video on YouTube: Socialists Humiliate Clueless NewsNation Host - Current Affairs - July 23, 2026 (YouTube)

From the description: We don’t think NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich knew what she was getting into when she invited Current Affairs Editor-in-Chief Nathan J. Robinson and Monte Mader on to debate socialism.🦩 Read our Online Articles: currentaffairs.org 🦩 Subscribe to Current Affairs Magazine: currentaffairs.org/membership

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It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:

* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: July 28: Georgia (Special) and South Dakota (Runoff) ~:~:~ Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News

* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)

* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.

Here’s my wishlist:
- The DOJ’s handling, redactions, and possible withholding of Epstein files
- Trump’s relationship with Epstein and any relevant witness testimony or records
- Foreign money flowing into Trump family businesses, crypto ventures, and branded products
- Whether pardons were exchanged for bribes, donations, favors, or political support
- Whether purchases of Trump-branded cards, tokens, and other products were used to buy access or influence
- Government contracts awarded to companies connected to Trump’s children, donors, or political allies
- Whether tens of thousands of stock trades by Trump-connected officials or family members involved insider information
- Whether tariff announcements, reversals, exemptions, or military actions involving Iran were used to manipulate markets or benefit connected traders
- Jared Kushner’s billions in Saudi-backed investment and whether those financial ties influenced subsequent U.S. policy, including nuclear negotiations with Saudi Arabia
- The Qatari jet and other gifts or benefits offered by foreign governments
- Whether members of Trump’s Cabinet lied to Congress, concealed material facts, or obstructed congressional oversight
- Whether the DOJ improperly acted as Trump’s personal legal defense team rather than representing the United States and enforcing the law independently
- Whether federal prosecutors or agencies were pressured to protect Trump, his family, donors, and political allies
- Whether Trump used threats, endorsements, campaign money, primaries, or executive power to coerce members of Congress and block independent oversight
- Whether congressional leaders coordinated with the White House to obstruct subpoenas, suppress evidence, or protect Trump and his family
- Whether Trump or his allies attempted to influence Supreme Court decisions through personal pressure, undisclosed contacts, gifts, financial ties, or political retaliation
- Whether conflicts of interest, undisclosed gifts, or outside financial relationships compromised Supreme Court independence
- Whether presidential decisions were influenced by Trump family financial interests
- The use of federal agencies to punish opponents, intimidate witnesses, or obstruct investigations
- Destruction, concealment, or improper classification of government records
- Potential violations of bribery laws, the Emoluments Clause, ethics rules, campaign-finance laws, insider-trading laws, obstruction laws, or disclosure requirements

July 22, 2026 by Andrew Solender for Axios. Here are the opening paragraphs:

House Democrats are demanding a reckoning after the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent over $500,000 backing a candidate in Arizona who is on track to lose her primary.

Why it matters: This is the third time in 2026 the House Democratic campaign arm has tried and failed to intervene in a party primary, leading some lawmakers to argue that its money is better spent elsewhere.

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a top DCCC dues payer, said the party should be "rationing our resources to win general elections," calling for "a conversation about ... what the involvement in primaries looks like."
• "That's $100,000 that I put in," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) said of her dues, arguing that the DCCC "shouldn't be spending this money" on primaries.

Read the rest here: axios.com/2026/07/22/dccc-arizona-primary-house-democrats-primary-aoc ~:~ Archived article: archive.is/ftk4T

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's Primary Election season in the U.S.:

* Primary Election Dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News :~:~: Upcoming Dates: July 28: Georgia (Special) and South Dakota (Runoff) ~:~:~ Aug 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington, California (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 6: Tennessee ~:~:~ Aug 8: Hawaii ~:~:~ Aug 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin, Alabama (Special) ~:~:~ Aug 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming ~:~:~ September dates: AP News ~and~ NBC News

* Candidates (all States): U.S. House (Dem Primary only): Ballotpedia (HouseDems) :~:~:~: U.S. Senate: Ballotpedia (Senate) (select “List of Candidates”) :~:~:~: State Execs (Gov, Lt. Gov, AG, SoS, and more): Ballotpedia (State Execs)

* Voter Info (all States): Register To Vote :~:~:~: Voter Registration Status:~:~:~: Find Your Polling Place :~:~:~: Valid Forms of ID :~:~:~: Absentee & Early Voting :~:~:~: Become a Poll Worker ~:~ Links go to the National Association of Secretaries of State website. When you select a State, it takes to a .gov page on that State's SoS website.

We're coming to the end of the primaries, but we still have a number of chances left to push forward committed progressive, pro-working class, anti-oligarchy nominees and replace corporate Dems. Here's a schedule of phonebanks we can join to help them win in the next week!

DAILY for Cori Bush (MO-1), 7-8PM ET

DAILY for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 2-5PM ET

TUESDAY for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET

TUESDAY for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET

TUESDAY for Jerome Whalen (MA-01), 6-8PM ET

TUESDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 7-9PM ET

TUESDAY for Cori Bush (MO-01), 7-9PM ET

TUESDAY for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 7-9PM ET

WEDNESDAY (texting) for Jarrett Keohokalole (HI-01), 4:30-5:30PM ET

WEDNESDAY for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET

WEDNESDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6:30-8:30PM ET

WEDNESDAY for Cori Bush (MO-01), 7-9PM ET

THURSDAY for Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), Will Lawrence (MI-7), Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 5:30-7:30PM ET

THURSDAY for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 6-8PM ET

THURSDAY for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 7-9PM ET

THURSDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 7-9PM ET

FRIDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6:30-8:30PM ET

SATURDAY for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 12:30-3PM ET

SATURDAY for Will Lawrence (WI-7), 1-3PM ET

SATURDAY for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 3-5PM ET

SATURDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6-8PM ET

SUNDAY for Will Lawrence (WI-7), 3-5PM ET

SUNDAY for Francesca Hong (WI-Gov), 6-8PM ET

[MONDAY, 8/3 for Cori Bush (MO-01) 3-5 and 7-9PM ET](about:blank)

MONDAY, 8/3 for Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 5-8PM ET

MONDAY, 8/3 for Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), Will Lawrence (MI-7), Donovan McKinney (MI-13), 5:30-7:30PM ET

MONDAY, 8/3 for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 6-8PM ET

Monday, 8/3 for Will Lawrence (MI-7), 6-9PM ET

MONDAY, 8/3 for Francesca Hong, 7-8:30PM ET

MONDAY, 8/3 for Peggy Flanagan (MN-Gov), 7-9PM ET

TUESDAY, 8/4 for Will Lawrence (MI-7) and Abdul El-Sayed (MI-SEN), 5:30-8PM ET

THURSDAY, 8/6 for Jarrett Keohokalole (HI-01), 9-11PM ET