July 11, 2026
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Michael's Daily Notes
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But Can They Win?
That's the question dividing the Democratic Party, and it's the one I'm putting to Tad Devine on CNN today.
Look at the primaries and you see a party arguing with itself. Democratic socialists keep winning — Zohran Mamdani is now mayor of New York. But the enthusiasm and the victories have come in select, deep-blue places. The harder test is a general election in a state Donald Trump carried, which is exactly what's unfolding in the Senate races that decide control of the chamber. Maine is in turmoil over Graham Platner. In Michigan, Sanders-and-AOC-backed Abdul El-Sayed — already dubbed "the Mamdani of Michigan" — leads a moderate the establishment is spending millions to protect. The insurgents have the passion. The centrists warn it can't win where it counts. Both can't be right, and the party has to sort it out before 2028. Meanwhile, Trump is salivating, branding the whole lot "communists."
Few people are better positioned to referee this than Devine. He has worked in every presidential campaign since 1980 — for establishment figures like Al Gore and John Kerry — before becoming chief strategist for Bernie Sanders in 2016. He has stood on both sides of this divide.
His new book is an insider's account of what happened to the Sanders campaign in 2016 — and yet it could not be more timely for what is going on today. His thesis is blunt: Democrats must stop impeding the will of their own primary voters. The rules, he argues, are rigged to favor insiders over the outsiders the base actually wants. (His book title tips his hand: "How the Democrats Screwed Bernie")
Whatever you make of that, it's the fight the party is having right now.
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DAILY POLL
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Is being a democratic socialist an asset or liability to winning the Democratic nomination in 2028?
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TOP STORY
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The Trump administration is demanding that Iran publicly commit to keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and halt attacks on commercial ships, warning of harsh consequences if Tehran refuses after a memorandum of understanding signed three weeks ago nearly collapsed this week.
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TODAY'S YOUTUBE
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SPONSORED BY PARX CASINO
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IN OTHER NEWS
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Federal and local investigations are underway after witnesses and attorneys disputed ICE's account of the fatal Houston shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo during an immigration operation, raising questions about the use of force, transparency, and the agency's handling of evidence.
England and Norway meet in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals, setting up a marquee striker showdown between Harry Kane and Erling Haaland as both lead their teams towards a spot in the final four.
Graham Platner formally withdrew from Maine's U.S. Senate race Friday after a sexual assault allegation he denies, forcing Democrats to pick a new nominee by July 27 in a contest seen as pivotal to control of the narrowly divided chamber.
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A MESSAGE FROM INCOGNI
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Unknown Number Calling? It's Not Random
The BBC caught scam call center workers on hidden cameras as they laughed at the people they were tricking. One worker bragged about making $250k from victims. The disturbing truth? Scammers don’t pick phone numbers at random. They buy your data from brokers. Once your data is out there, it’s not just calls. It’s phishing, impersonation, and identity theft.
That’s why we recommend Incogni: They delete your info from the web, monitor and follow up automatically, and continue to erase data as new risks appear.
A growing U.S. outbreak of cyclosporiasis has sickened at least 843 people across 31 states, with health officials warning that confirmed cases are likely an undercount as they work to trace the source of the foodborne parasite linked to contaminated fresh produce.
CNN clarified that commentator Scott Jennings’ claim of speaking with hospitalized Senator Mitch McConnell reflects his personal account rather than independently verified CNN reporting, as questions about the Kentucky Republican's health continue since his hospitalization nearly a month ago.
Reports that Israel shared intelligence about an Iranian plot to kill President Trump have intensified security concerns as a U.S.-Iran ceasefire collapses, with Trump saying he has left instructions to bomb Iran at unprecedented levels if he is assassinated.
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MORE NEWS
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The Pentagon on Friday released a fourth batch of 40 UFO files under President Trump's executive order, including a 2015 incursion over the Pantex nuclear weapons facility in Texas, Navy "range fouler" debriefs from 2019 and 2020, and 2025 sensor footage of unidentified objects over the Yellow and East China seas.
A sweeping bipartisan housing affordability bill will become law Saturday without President Donald Trump's signature, after the White House said he will not veto the legislation Congress passed by overwhelming margins last month despite Trump dismissing it as a "yawn."
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Taylor Swift reimbursed the city more than $160,000 in permit fees for NYPD supervision of her July 3 wedding to Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden, addressing concerns that taxpayers would bear the security costs.
For the Left
High-end supermarket Waitrose removes the term ‘feminine care’ from its sanitary products aisle following an internal customer complaint, with critics calling the move “disgraceful” as the chain defends the change in regards to reflecting a new range of products.
For the Right
The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Tuesday an agreement with Columbia Falls Aluminum Company requiring the owner to pay $57.6 million toward cleaning up the 1,340-acre industrial site near the Flathead River in Montana, using “waste in place” strategy.
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