Socialist insurgents force moderate Democrats into high-risk showdown over must-hold races

The Democratic Party’s ideological war is moving from deep-blue congressional districts to statewide contests in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, where progressive victories could reshape the party and endanger must-hold seats in November. After far-left and socialist candidates defeated more moderate contenders in deep-blue districts last month, upcoming Senate primaries in Michigan and Minnesota and Wisconsin’s gubernatorial primary will test whether the movement can translate those wins into statewide power. Progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont and two-time Democratic presidential primary runner-up, touted on the campaign trail this past weekend, “Within the last year, we have won mayor’s races in New York City. We’ve won mayor’s races in Seattle. Washington, D.C. We have won congressional elections and Democratic primaries in Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, Montana, Colorado, New Jersey and New York.” After victories by far-left and socialist candidates over more moderate contenders in deep-blue congressional districts in New York City and Colorado last month drew outsized national attention, upcoming primaries in Michigan and Wisconsin are now the latest battleground in the high-stakes showdown. And the center is pushing back. MEET THE FAR LEFT INSURGENTS WAGING WAR ON THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY IN THE 2026 MIDTERMS “Socialism has not worked anywhere on the globe,” former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday in an interview on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria.” “Promises of free lunch, free buses, free bread, free everything. There’s no such thing as free. Someone always pays. This is a dream. This is nirvana. This is utopia. And they’re selling to young people who are buying it. It’s not going to work.” The former governor resigned amid multiple scandals five years ago and failed in his political comeback last year, losing New York City’s mayoral election to socialist Zohran Mamdani, The victories by a trio of far-left congressional candidates in New York City heavily supported by Mamdani, followed a week later by Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)-backed challenger and first-time candidate Melat Kiros’ defeat of 15-term Democratic Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado, have emboldened progressives as they wage a far-left national pressure campaign against the Democratic Party. DEMOCRATIC PARTY CIVIL WAR HITS DEBATE STAGE IN CRUCIAL PRIMARY SHOWDOWN “Only socialism can solve decades of capitalist mismanagement in the US. Our newly elected leaders will fight for the working class — not for crumbs,” the DSA proclaimed in a social media post celebrating the string of primary election victories. That view is far from universal. “I’m tired of being told that, to be a progressive, I now must swear allegiance to crazy ideas,” Democratic political analyst Van Jones, a veteran of then-President Barack Obama’s administration, lamented in a social media post. “Supporting Hamas is not progressive. ‘No police, no prisons, no borders’ is not progressive. Celebrating the murder of Israeli civilians is not progressive. These ideas are REGRESSIVE,” Jones wrote. Jamie Metzl, a technology and healthcare futurist who years ago served in former President Bill Clinton’s administration, said in a Fox News Channel interview that it’s time for Democrats “to stand up” to what he called “the bigots and anti-Americans in our own party.” Metzl said the DSA and other far-left groups “who are trying to take control of our party and our brand” represent “a fundamental threat to our party and our country.” VAN JONES WARNS FAR-LEFT AGENDA IS ‘REGRESSIVE’ THREAT TO DEMOCRATIC PARTY Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another progressive rockstar, parachuted into Michigan’s campaign trail this past weekend to boost Abdul El-Sayed, the far-left candidate they’re supporting in a crucial Democratic Senate primary. El-Sayed, a former Wayne County Health Department director who unsuccessfully ran an insurgent campaign for governor in 2018, is facing off for the party’s nomination in the Great Lakes battleground state against Rep. Haley Stevens, a more moderate lawmaker backed by longtime Senate Democratic Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and the establishment. https://www.foxnews.com/category/politics/elections/republicans The winner of the Aug. 4 Democratic primary will take on former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers, who is on a glide path to the GOP nomination, in the key midterm Senate faceoff to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. The rare open Senate seat is a top Republican target in the midterms, as well as a must-hold for the Democrats as they aim to win back the Senate majority from the GOP, which currently controls the chamber with a slim 53-47 margin. El-Sayed, who, if elected, would make history as the nation’s first Muslim senator, has made support for Medicare for all a major component of his campaign. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB The far-left candidate has also called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and is a vocal critic of Israel amid its war with Hamas — even characterizing Israel’s actions in Gaza as “genocide” against Palestinians. And El-Sayed, who served as a top surrogate on Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign, has vowed not to accept PAC donations. Schumer and the party establishment view Stevens as more electable than El-Sayed, who has sparked controversy with his past comments. They worry that El-Sayed as the party’s nominee would jeopardize the Democrat-controlled Senate seat by pushing the party too far to the left in a state that President Donald Trump carried two years ago by just over one percentage point. The primary clash is combustible and expensive, with outside groups spending big bucks to flood the campaign trail with ads. The biggest spending, to boost Stevens and attack El-Sayed, is United Democracy Project, a political action committee aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER “I think we’re at an opportunity to show folks where the Democratic Party ought to go. Whether or not there are people who oppose that, that’s for them to decide. But if you’re opposing that on behalf of big corporations, folks like AIPAC, you’re going to find that their power is going to start to slip,” El-Sayed warned in a Fox News interview on Sunday. Sanders, speaking alongside El-Sayed and Ocasio-Cortez on
Top media networks put on notice after refusing to air Trump’s primetime address: ‘Serious concerns’

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., is asking the Federal Communications Commission to review ABC, NBC and CBS’ broadcast decisions after the networks either declined to air live or cut away from President Donald Trump’s July 16 primetime address. In a letter first obtained by Fox News Digital and sent Monday, Carter asked FCC Chairman Brendan Carr to review whether the networks violated their obligation to “serve the public interest” and whether their actions should be considered in future broadcast license proceedings. “The public airwaves should inform the American people, not be used by corporate executives to decide which matters of national importance they are permitted to hear,” Carter wrote. Carter raised “serious concerns” in the letter, saying networks can disagree with President Trump’s remarks while still airing what he says. ABC, NBC, CNN AVOID AIRING TRUMP’S PRIMETIME ELECTION SECURITY ADDRESS LIVE “Broadcasters may criticize, analyze, or fact-check the President’s statements,” he wrote. “However, refusing to air a major presidential address because executives disagree with its content raises serious concerns that they intended to keep Americans in the dark about potential foreign interference in our elections.” Carter also argued that Americans should have been allowed to make up their own minds. “Regardless of political affiliation, the American people deserved to hear this information directly from their President and judge it for themselves,” Carter wrote. “Instead, ABC and NBC declined to broadcast the speech on their primary television networks, while CBS cut away before the President completed his remarks.” Carter added that airing the speech on streaming services was not an “adequate substitute for free, over-the-air television—particularly for Americans without reliable broadband access.” TONY DOKOUPIL CLASHES WITH MARK WARNER AFTER THE SENATOR RIPPED CBS FOR AIRING TRUMP SPEECH ‘AS NEWS’ The letter follows President Trump‘s Thursday night primetime address, during which he called for ABC and NBC’s broadcast licenses to be revoked, accusing the networks of being part of a “plot” to “continue this fraud” and “protect the radical left.” “In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech,” President Trump said. “They knew what it was about because they don’t like the topic, because they know how corrupt our system is and they don’t want to reveal it.” President Trump used the more than 20-minute address to announce the “immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence” documents he said revealed “shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure.” “America is back and doing really well, but we still have a major challenge that must be urgently addressed, because no country can be great without fair and honest elections,” President Trump said. “You have to trust your country, because if there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. And that’s very simple. No trust, no greatness.” ‘SHADOW GOVERNMENT’: TRUMP CLAIMS INTEL COMMUNITY BRAGGED ABOUT HIDING CHINESE MEDDLING According to the White House, the documents released during the address included files related to alleged voting system vulnerabilities, China’s alleged acquisition of U.S. voter data, a Michigan voter registration investigation and noncitizens on state voter rolls. Fox News Digital could not independently verify the contents of the documents or President Trump’s claims. “Just as disturbingly, this vital information has been covered up and hidden from you, the American people, our beautiful, great American people, for many years,” President Trump said. “But that all changes right now.” ABC News and NBC News streamed President Trump’s speech on their digital platforms before later airing special reports summarizing his remarks on their broadcast networks. CBS News initially aired analysis before joining President Trump’s speech several minutes after it began, then cut away after he criticized ABC and NBC. Carter said the issues raised during Trump’s address warranted live broadcast coverage, adding the “allegations concern both election integrity and national security. Fox News Digital reached out to the FCC, ABC News, NBC News and CBS News for comment.
Chaos in India as ‘Cockroach activists’ march on parliament

NewsFeed Chaos erupted outside India’s parliament as thousands attempted to storm the building, amid growing protests challenging Modi’s government. The ‘Cockroach Janta Party’ began as a satirical online movement. Now it’s become something far bigger. Al Jazeera’s @avawarrinerr explains. Published On 20 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
What are the new British Prime Minister’s biggest challenges?

NewsFeed Britain has a new Prime Minister: Andy Burnham. The former Mayor of Manchester must now unite a nation divided politically, economically, & socially. Will he take a firm stance on the genocide in Gaza, or focus on domestic challenges? Al Jazeera’s Antoine Allen explains. Published On 20 Jul 2026 Adblock test (Why?)
Argentina, minus Messi, return home after World Cup final heartbreak
Thousands wait to greet the team, who return without captain Messi and a few other players after the World Cup. Thousands of Argentinians lined up to welcome their football team, who returned without iconic captain Lionel Messi and a few other players after their loss to Spain in the World Cup final in the United States. The Argentinian Football Association (AFA) said on Monday that some squad members would not be on the flight, and Messi was not seen descending from the aircraft in images broadcast on local television. Coach Lionel Scaloni and the rest of the team were welcomed with a red carpet outside the aircraft and a military band. Thousands of fans braved the cold and the rain, waiting outside the AFA training complex near the Ezeiza international airport to welcome home the players, draped in flags and holding blue-and-white umbrellas to shield them from the drizzle. It was not the homecoming Argentinians had hoped for, four years after millions filled the streets to celebrate their team’s victory in 2022, but many turned out to thank the team for their performance. A fan waves a flag bearing images of Messi [Luis Robayo/AFP] ‘Thank you to Messi’ “Argentinians will celebrate anyway,” said Marga Ledezma, 36, who thanked Messi for “all the years he made us happy”, urging him not to quit playing for Argentina. Argentina lost 1-0 to Spain, failing to win back-to-back World Cups in a match that has been criticised for a plethora of fouls and displays of poor sportsmanship from La Albiceleste. “I think they criticise us because we know what it’s like to suffer, that we get up, we fall down again, and we keep going,” said Ledezma. Many fans highlighted that the real victory for Argentina was the 2-1 semifinal win over England, played against the backdrop of a lingering dispute between the countries over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands. “This team united us all, and we should be grateful for that. We will always be there for them, rain or shine. I would say thank you to Messi, and that he gave it his all,” said Leonardo Barrientos, 36, who works in a textile workshop. Maria Ortiz, 28, came to welcome the team with her two-year-old, and said that Spain “deserved the win” but she was “happy for what the team gave us”. While crestfallen after the loss, thousands of Argentinians headed to the traditional celebration point at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, where they partied for hours on Sunday evening, with fireworks and gratitude for their team. Late at night, brief clashes broke out at the monument, and police used water cannon, tear gas, and rubber bullets to disperse revellers. Fifteen people were detained, according to police sources. Adblock test (Why?)
Sonam Wangchuk continues his hunger strike after Parliament clashes, urges Centre to let protestors present their grievances

After clashes broke out between protestors and security personel on Monday, activist Sonam Wangchuk has declared that he will continue his hunger strike. Meanwhile, Dipke and Angmo have continued their sit-in.
Delhi Police call protest ‘unlawful’, defend lathi-charge; investigate conspiracy angle

Providing the first official law enforcement briefing on the high-intensity demonstrations in central Delhi, the Delhi Police on Monday confirmed they resorted to crowd-control measures following instances of violence, including stone-pelting, from the crowd.
Sonam Wangchuk: Safdarjung Hospital says activist in stable condition, doctors continue monitoring

According to a health bulletin issued on Monday, his vital parameters are within the stable range. The bulletin said that while his blood sugar levels remain on the lower side, other blood parameters have shown improvement following oral rehydration therapy and potassium supplementation.
Assam floods: Five more people die as death toll climbs to 10

Following incessant rainfall in Assam and neighbouring states, the water levels of the Brahmaputra river and its tributaries have been increasing.
Texarkana region embraces lithium mining potential

Texarkana’s first lithium symposium marked a milestone for Texas lithium development, laying the groundwork for discussions on critical issues.