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No more worrying about whether you missed something because of a pesky algorithm or news feed. ### Meet people like you Join a community of other subscribers who share the same interests. --- ### Start your own thing Enjoying the experience? Get started for free and set up your very own subscription business using [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), the same platform that powers this website. ## Posts ### Fake Native American Elizabeth Warren can't even be bothered to celebrate Indigenous Peoples' Day URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/fake-native-american-elizabeth-warren-cant-even-be-bothered-to-celebrate-indigenous-peoples-day/ Last updated: 2026-10-12T17:20:27.000Z Across America, it's Indigenous Peoples' Day (also known as Columbus Day). Tribes will celebrate with ceremonies, dancing, speeches, and more. But you'd never know it, judging by fake Native American Sen. Elizabeth Warren's website and social media. The Senator hasn't even bothered to tweet out a message marking the day, with her last posted content as of 1:08PM Eastern Time having gone up yesterday– her advocating for a proposed tax hike she wants to levy on higher earners. Warren, who famously tried to pass herself off as Cherokee– and hilariously might be one of a relatively small chunk of people born in Oklahoma who has zero Native American ancestry– has over the last decade or so been making herself even more of an enemy to tribes across the country as her policy priorities run into persistent conflicts with tribes' economic development initiatives. It turns out that the fake Native American is not keen on tribes using their sovereignty to enter into the fintech space and improve their economic lot, much as the Osage did with oil in her native Oklahoma in the early 20th century, and tribes nationwide have done with on-site gaming and destination tourism. Warren's brainchild, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has spent most of its existence under Presidents Obama and Biden battling with tribes over fintech regulation (the record under Trump has been more favorable). Multiple progressive states have similarly tried to regulate tribal businesses, despite the fact that as a matter of federal law, states lack the power to do so. So maybe it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the former contributor to "Pow Wow Chow" who had to apologize for faking her ancestry didn't see fit to mark today's occasion. If you're honest, "Ute" have guessed as much, right? ### Bo-No! Kansas-based French Acolytes "angry" that Roger Marshall can do math and understands economics URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/bo-no-kansas-based-french-acolytes-angry-that-roger-marshall-can-do-math-and-understands-economics/ Last updated: 2026-10-09T14:23:24.000Z Apparently, recognizing that American businesses need workers is becoming controversial in certain Republican circles. In the now-too-close-for-comfort Kansas Senate race, some “Heritage American” activists are taking issue with Senator Roger Marshall. His crime? Being able to do basic math and economics regarding immigration and Kansas’ workforce. Marshall supports border security and immigration enforcement. But unlike those embracing the rhetoric of Texas Republican Bo French, Marshall has also acknowledged the economic consequences of removing immigrant workers. French, the GOP nominee for Texas railroad commissioner, [called for deporting 100 million people](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/27/texas-cpac-bo-french-islamophobia-muslim-railroad-commissioner-deport/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) during a March appearance at CPAC. That’s nearly one-third of America’s population. The [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/08/21/u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-population-reached-a-record-14-million-in-2023/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) estimated the unauthorized immigrant population at 14 million in 2023. French [generated another controversy last month](https://www.texastribune.org/2026/09/13/bo-french-john-cornyn-republican-texas-railroad-commissioner-ut/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) when he posted a photograph of University of Texas football fans of South Asian descent celebrating a victory over Ohio State. > “I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” French subsequently complained about Americans being displaced by foreigners, despite having no evidence that the students pictured were foreign nationals. Republican Sen. John Cornyn– among others– condemned the post. Apparently, cheering for the Longhorns while wearing burnt orange isn’t American enough. Kansas has its own immigration hardliner in Attorney General Kris Kobach, whose enforcement-first philosophy has influenced immigration policy for years. But the larger ideological debate is whether enforcement should account for the economic realities facing American employers. Marshall has been discussing that. Speaking to Wichita business leaders in August 2025, Marshall acknowledged that immigration enforcement was creating workforce challenges for Kansas employers. As [The Wichita Eagle reported](https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article311859093.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), Marshall said: > “It’s not lost upon me that we have more jobs than we do people in Kansas.” He specifically identified agriculture, manufacturing and construction as industries heavily dependent on immigrant labor. Marshall also suggested President Donald Trump might address the legal status of certain undocumented workers after the 2026 midterm elections. > “As he (Trump) said, he gets to define a lot of things, including what amnesty looks like, right?” That was quite a contrast with his comments on Vince Coglianese’s podcast weeks earlier. > “No amnesty. Period. Full stop. End of paragraph. End of sentence. No amnesty.” The apparent contradiction raises a legitimate question about what sort of legal status Marshall would support. But just because he knows businesses need employees doesn’t mean he’s an advocate for open borders. Marshall made that distinction clear following September 2026 ICE operations in southwest Kansas. In a [September 24 statement](https://ebs.publicnow.com/view/E93102257732BDEB19C3F19E531E3EAFCBCA94E2?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), Marshall defended immigration enforcement while criticizing inadequate coordination with local authorities. > “We must keep our communities safe, but it has to be done in a responsible and secure manner.” He said the operations had caused significant disruptions to Kansas businesses and communities. Marshall’s economic argument extends to legal immigration. During a [June 23 speech](https://youtu.be/oTKPFBQmcnE?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) to an Indian-American audience in Washington, he praised the community’s contributions to medicine, entrepreneurship and American business. > “Every time someone in Washington questions whether legal immigration works, you’re the answer. You’re not the argument; you’re the answer.” He also pledged to address employment-based green card backlogs that leave some Indian applicants waiting decades for permanent residency. That pledge is a particular bugbear for the hardline, restrictionist right, who Marshall needs to vote for him despite their misplaced angst in order to fend off a challenge from Methodist megachurch woke pastor Adam Hamilton. Legal immigration reform and amnesty are distinct issues, and Marshall hasn’t fully explained how he would reconcile his statements about "undocumented" workers. Still, he recognizes immigration enforcement carries economic consequences, especially in states where agricultural and manufacturing industries depend on immigrant labor. French’s rhetoric illustrates one approach to immigration. Marshall’s view addresses practical questions that sweeping deportation proposals must confront. For Kansas employers, those questions aren’t theoretical. It’s about them having the confidence their employees will show up for work the next morning. But the dogmatic anti-immigration attitudes of the Kansas restrictionist crowd could well be a big problem for Marshall in just under a month. ### Phar-uh-oh... here's what Egyptian law says about Abdul El-Sayed's potential dual nationality URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/phar-uh-oh-heres-what-egyptian-law-says-about-abdul-el-sayeds-potential-dual-nationality/ Last updated: 2026-10-06T18:34:36.000Z Is Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a dual US-Egyptian citizen? That question has dogged his campaign for months, with the Free Beacon [reporting](https://freebeacon.com/democrats/exclusive-video-shows-abdul-el-sayed-stating-he-has-dual-citizenship-in-egypt-and-us/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) yesterday that AES, as he has become known, has now indicated at least twice that he does indeed hold Egyptian and American citizenship. Now, a Crimson Hub review of Egyptian nationality laws prompted by a tip from a source with ties to moderates in AES’ family’s home country indicates that as a matter of Egyptian law, AES is likely to be a dual national and not simply a US citizen, no matter what his campaign is now claiming—even though it’s a little complicated. Here’s what we found. Egypt’s nationality law is set out in [Law No. 26 of 1975 Concerning Egyptian Nationality](https://clr.africanchildforum.org/Legislation%20Per%20Country/Egypt/egypt%5Fnationality%5F1975%5Fen.pdf?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Under that law, the children of Egyptian citizens automatically derive Egyptian citizenship from their parents. AES was born in the US in 1984, after his parents—Egyptian citizens—had immigrated to the US, but notably six years before they naturalized as US citizens. So AES certainly began life as an Egyptian citizen, as well as an American who acquired US citizenship upon his birth. The big question is what happened after that. Notably, under Egyptian law, AES’ parents’ decision to naturalize would not have automatically terminated their Egyptian citizenship. That’s because Egyptian law states that “An Egyptian may not acquire a foreign nationality except after obtaining a permission therefor, to be issued by decree of the Minister of Interior. Otherwise, he shall continue to be regarded in all cases as Egyptian from all points of view, unless the Council of Ministers decide to strip him of the nationality according to the provisions of article 16 of the present law.” In addition, “An Egyptian who acquires a foreign nationality shall forfeit the Egyptian nationality, if he has been permitted to obtain the foreign nationality. However, a permission to acquire a foreign nationality, may also comprise the permission for him, his wife and minor children, to retain the Egyptian nationality. If within a period not exceeding one year from the date he acquires the foreign nationality, he declares his wish to benefit thereby, they shall retain their Egyptian nationality, despite their acquiring the foreign nationality.” The big question is, did either of AES’ parents ever get permission to naturalize as US citizens from the Egyptian government? If not—as seems probable, given the bureaucracy that doing so would entail—they would still be considered Egyptians today, unless the Egyptian government had proactively decided to strip them of their Egyptian nationality. A failure to renew a passport, or use a passport, or return to Egypt, is not enough to lose Egyptian nationality. If so, then AES would likely be considered American only—unless any permission granted to his parents to forfeit Egyptian nationality made provision for him to retain it and he proactively decided to do so within that one year period. Based on AES’ statements, it does not sound like the latter scenario applied—and he would know, because he would have had to make the application to retain Egyptian nationality himself. But he has also not indicated publicly that either of his parents gained permission to forfeit their Egyptian citizenship, and again, having sought and gained that permission would have entailed quite a bit of hassle. It’s possible that correct procedure was followed, but there’s nothing to indicate it was. And humans being humans, we’d be willing to bet AES’ parents did not go to these lengths. That would make him, and them, Egyptian and US citizens today. And it would make the two instances in which AES has described himself as a US citizen accurate. AES’ campaign’s statement to the Free Beacon also hints at this probability. Campaign spokeswoman Roxie Richner told the outlet that "Abdul is not a dual citizen by any verifiable metric and never has been.” She added that AES was "told as a child that his grandfather had pursued Egyptian citizenship on his behalf, for which he was eligible due to his parents being born in Egypt." That statement suggests the campaign has nothing to corroborate a suggestion that AES’ parents followed the steps required to forfeit their Egyptian citizenship, otherwise Richner would have explicitly referenced the event. And as a matter of Egyptian law, what AES’ grandparents did or did not do is irrelevant to the nationality question. The issue is entirely whether his parents forfeited citizenship, and if so, on what terms, since all indicators are that AES himself has not engaged with the Egyptian government surrounding matters of his nationality. AES is not the first high-profile US political candidate to face questions about his nationality. During the 2012 presidential contest, it emerged that Michele Bachmann had acquired Swiss citizenship by virtue of her marriage. Upon that story breaking, she proactively forfeited Swiss citizenship. During 2016, Republican consultant Liz Mair, who is herself a dual US-UK national, asserted that as a matter of British nationality law, President Trump would also be considered a dual US-UK national by default—again, unless Trump or his mother had proactively forefeited British nationality, a relatively difficult task. Current California Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton is an immigrant from the UK, who proactively gave up his UK citizenship after naturalizing as a US citizen. Sen. Bernie Moreno is an immigrant from Colombia who likewise renounced his Colombian citizenship upon naturalizing as an American. The big difference between all of these figures and AES, however, is that AES has long espoused ideas that are anathema to the current Egyptian government and viewed as sympathetic, at best, to the perspective of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood—who controlled the Egyptian government prior to current leaders taking back power via a coup. According to AES, this led to him being hassled by authorities during a visit he made to Egypt years ago. The current Egyptian regime is extremely hostile to the Muslim Brotherhood and anyone regarded as a sympathizer, and has been criticized for mass imprisonments and travel bans ostensibly executed for the purposes of containing religious extremism. It has preferred that approach with regard to dual nationals who hold Egyptian citizenship, as opposed to proactive expulsion or deportation, as the case of [Alaa Abdel Fatah](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1m8441ngjgo?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), a dual UK-Egyptian national, exposed. Should AES be elected and visit Egypt, he would likely not receive a warm welcome. And assuming he does remain an Egyptian citizen, as appears probable, Egypt might have jurisdiction over him that the country might not with regard to other US citizens. That could mean trouble for a sitting US Senator on the grounds of alleged Islamic extremism—a first in US politics, and a potential serious problem vis a vis a critical US ally in the Middle East. ### Republican Senator Thom Tillis Goes Off On Trump! URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/republican-senator-thom-tillis-goes-off-on-trump/ Last updated: 2026-10-02T20:07:08.000Z So that happened. Earlier this year, the retiring Senator sent a series of text messages to President Donald Trump and held nothing back. The outgoing Republican said he would not accept Trump's "bull\*\*\*\*" and wrote that, if the president had threatened him, he would have promptly told him to "f\*\*\* yourself." [Politico first reported](https://www.politico.com/playbook?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) about the messages which are expected to show up in Tillis' forthcoming memoir, *How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents.* Since Tillis is not seeking reelection, he clearly has no issue with taking Trump on directly, especially as the president has been one of his biggest critics. "I still want to help, but I don't take this bull\*\*\*\* from anyone, including you, Mr. President," the North Carolina senator wrote to Trump in a text on May 22\. "Save that s\*\*\* for the cowards who don't care if you fail. I care if you fail and right now we are failing." It followed yet another bromide from the president who earlier that day called Tillis "weak and ineffective" in a post on Truth Social. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/10/image-2.png) Tillis sent other messages in June after Trump attacked him as a "loser" after Tillis said he would not support Todd Blanche's nomination as Attorney General. "As I have said before, you NEVER threatened me with a primary challenge," he wrote, according to Politico. "I get that you may have me confused with so many Republicans that you have threatened in the past, but NEVER me." "If you had ever threatened me directly with a primary, I would have immediately told you to f\*\*\* yourself, and I would have announced my retirement immediately," he continued. "Save those threats and head games for cowards and fools." Now that these texts are public, get ready, because Trump is never one to stay quiet. ### Roy Cooper's Hurricane Disaster Money Went Where? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/roy-coopers-hurricane-disaster-money-went-where/ Last updated: 2026-10-02T15:56:32.000Z Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper’s administration had $100 million in hurricane disaster relief money to spend. Where did it go? According to the New York Post, a sizable chunk went to affordable housing projects whose residents didn’t even have to be hurricane victims. [The Post reports](https://nypost.com/2026/10/02/us-news/roy-cooper-steered-100m-in-disaster-relief-to-low-income-housing-as-hurricane-victims-went-without-homes/?utm%5Fcampaign=nypost&utm%5Fmedium=social&utm%5Fsource=twitter): > Under Cooper’s watch, the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR) sent $100 million for affordable housing as the $1 billion agency was suffering from a gaping budget shortfall... One project highlighted by the Post was Starway Village, a 278-unit development that received $9 million. And here’s the kicker: > Critically, those affordable housing projects do not require applicants to be hurricane victims. Meanwhile, North Carolinians whose homes were actually damaged by Hurricanes Matthew and Florence were still waiting. > Years after those two storms ripped through North Carolina, a report by WHQR found that over a thousand families were still left without rebuilt or repaired homes. NCORR defended the spending, telling the Post that HUD encourages states to maintain a “varied program portfolio” and arguing: > “Due to the storm impacts experienced by both homeowners and renters, housing availability is considered a key component of community recovery.” The agency also said its ReBuild NC program returned 4,240 families to “safer, more resilient homes.” But Cooper left office with plenty of work unfinished. The Post reports that a state audit found **more than 1,100 home reconstruction projects remained incomplete**, while 3,522 had been rebuilt. And then there’s this: > During his tenure, the Tar Heel State took an average of 138 days to make a decision on whether someone was eligible for reconstruction funds... According to the Post, after applicants were finally deemed eligible, **construction took an average of four years to begin.** Seems like great work. And now he's running for the U.S. Senate. ### The Lefty Conspiracy Theorists Have A New Conspiracy Theory To Shop URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/the-lefty-conspiracy-theorists-have-a-new-conspiracy-theory-to-shop/ Last updated: 2026-10-01T14:57:34.000Z So, ever since the 2020 election, the dominant media narrative has been that the GOP is the party of weirdo conspiracy theorists, whereas the Democratic Party is the party of reason, science, logic, and rationality. But every so often, an amusing little example comes across the radar to demonstrate that that just ain’t so. And today, one of those examples has popped up in our US Senate race. Today we have [Democratic SuperPAC guy Pat Dennis soft-pushing the latest conspiracy theory: As a favor to Daddy Trump, tech bro weirdo and possible robot Mark Zuckerberg took down all of Sherrod Brown’s Facebook ads](https://x.com/patdennis/status/2105337424859525297?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). And of course, the theory itself comes direct from Sherrod Brown himself. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/10/image.png) This is as good a reminder as any that actually, both parties are perfectly happy to dabble in conspiracy theorist whenever it benefits them. Of course, for Brown, running against Zuckerberg is probably smart. We remain convinced that he’s still the least likable of the tech bros. ### UPDATE: Virginia R, who got primaried out for ignoring rural constituents' needs in mix to take job screwing over rural patients URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/virginia-r-who-got-primaried-out-for-ignoring-rural-constituents-needs-in-mix-to-take-job-screwing-over-rural-patients/ Last updated: 2026-09-30T17:22:50.000Z Now it is official! According to [Politico](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/29/pharmas-new-top-lobbyist-is-a-former-house-majority-leader-01097057?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, has selected former Majority Leader Eric Cantor as its next president. > Cantor, a Virginian who led House Republicans from 2011 to 2014, will now helm the trade group for branded drugmakers as it navigates growing scrutiny from the Trump administration and Congress over its pricing practices, as well as increasing competition from China. Cantor, who starts on Nov. 9, has served as vice chairman and managing director at Moelis & Company, an investment bank, since his defeat in a 2014 primary to a tea party-backed challenger, Dave Brat. --- Remember back in 2014, when House Majority Leader and theoretical future House Speaker Eric Cantor lost his primary in embarrassing fashion to Randolph-Macon college professor Dave Brat? At issue in that race were a few things. Yes, Cantor's role in pushing comprehensive immigration reform behind the scenes was a factor. Some rural constituents also did not like what was perceived as his arch-libertarian dogmatic approach to free trade. Some didn't think he was tough enough on then-President Obama. But the biggest reason Cantor lost was that his rural constituents, especially, came to the conclusion that he wasn't focused on representing them and was more intent on crisscrossing the country and hanging out in Washington, D.C., in furtherance of his national political ambitions. Complaints were persistently aired within rural communities, especially, about Cantor's poor constituent service. His staff were [accused](https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/dave-brat-and-the-rise-of-right-wing-populism-107803/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) of being "arrogant and unresponsive to his constituents." So it's more than a little amusing that twelve years on, Cantor is being [considered](https://endpoints.news/a-mix-of-former-republican-lawmakers-and-trump-admin-leaders-are-in-the-race-to-lead-phrma/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) for the top job as a Big Pharma lobbyist as chief of trade association PhRMA: > More than four months into PhRMA’s search for a new CEO, the lobbying group has considered Republican candidates with experience spanning decades on Capitol Hill and executive know-how. > According to multiple industry sources familiar with the discussions, granted anonymity to discuss private talks, candidates in the mix have included former Republican Reps. Greg Walden and Eric Cantor, former Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA) and former CMS Administrator Seema Verma, who served as part of the first Trump administration. PhRMA, and the broader drugmaker industry, has in recent years come under fire for one former member's involvement in spurring the opioid crisis, for current members' efforts to dismantle the 340B drug discount program, and for maintaining high drug prices, especially on insulin, blood pressure medication, cancer medication, and anti-HIV and AIDS drugs. All of those are top tier health care issues in red, rural America– and not ones where rank and file voters line up with the industry. It's worth noting also that former Rep. Walden is under consideration. He's a lobbyist now, but before he exited Congress, he was also tight with the drugmaker industry. Since then, Walden has cozied up with health care interests that are more sympathetic to rural Americans– his lobbying firm [represents](https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/search/?registrant=alpine+advisors®istrant%5Fcountry=®istrant%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&client=&client%5Fstate=&client%5Fcountry=&client%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&house%5Fid=&lobbyist=&lobbyist%5Fcovered%5Fposition=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdisclosure=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdate%5Frange%5Ffrom=&lobbyist%5Fconviction%5Fdate%5Frange%5Fto=&report%5Fperiod=&report%5Fyear=&report%5Fdt%5Fposted%5Ffrom=&report%5Fdt%5Fposted%5Fto=&report%5Famount%5Freported%5Fmin=&report%5Famount%5Freported%5Fmax=&report%5Ffiling%5Fuuid=&report%5Fhouse%5Fdoc%5Fid=&report%5Fissue%5Farea%5Fdescription=&affiliated%5Forganization=&affiliated%5Forganization%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fppb%5Fcountry=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fownership%5Fpercentage%5Fmin=&foreign%5Fentity%5Fownership%5Fpercentage%5Fmax=&search=search&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) the National Association of Community Health Centers, Inc. Notably, however, community health centers partnered with PhRMA on an initiative called [ASAP 340B](https://www.asap340b.org/who-we-are?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), which would have cut most providers other than community health centers out of the drug discount program. In any event, with the possible exception of Verma, all the names under consideration seem pretty old school and out-of-touch with the current political moment, which in its own way would be extremely on brand for a major K Street outfit. A parting thought: Pity poor Sen. Bill Cassidy. He has been a staunch ally to PhRMA throughout his time in the Senate, and will be in need of a new job in January. And he doesn't even appear to be on PhRMA's shortlist for the gig. Ouch. ### Whatley Gaffe To Add To Candidate's Woes In NC-Sen? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/whatley-gaffe-to-add-to-candidates-woes-in-nc-sen/ Last updated: 2026-09-29T20:13:56.000Z There's a potential new Michael Whatley mini-scandal playing out in North Carolina. Yesterday, North Carolina conservative politics site [The Daily Haymaker](https://dailyhaymaker.com/donald-who/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) posted audio of Whatley offering about the lamest explanation possible for why he's MAGA. Cue the tape... MW in New Bern Im a Trump guy becuase the alternative is worse 2 0:00 /17.546645833333333 1× The transcript: > “And President Trump right now is a pretty easy target. A lot of people are beating him up, right? They’re saying, **‘Oh yeah, you know, Whatley, he’s Trump’s guy.’** I am, you know, **because the alternative is worse**, and we got to show that contrast.” This audio is now causing a stir in North Carolina GOP circles because of the "he's Trump's guy" comment paired with that "because." On first glance, it reads like Whatley is just saying what everyone else is thinking: Politics is a choice between two options, and my goodness, Democrats really are terrible, so heck yes, I'm a Republican. But according to a source who was present when it was said, "some folks in the room were stunned by the comment" because the specific phraseology actually indicated that the only reason Whatley is "Trump's guy" is because Trump is the lesser of two evils, not because he actually *likes* or *agrees* with him. That's something a lot of Republicans– especially RINO-friendly milquetoast North Carolina Episcopalians who attend woke churches and liked Liddy Dole just fine– may think. But it's not what MAGAs think. And it's not what Trump wants to hear. Trump wants himself and his movement to be loved because they are awesome and amazing, not because they're marginally better than Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Gavin Newsom, and Roy Cooper. Our source, "couldnt \[sic\] see everyone but there was some cringing.” And this would be why. All of this reminds us of a 2020 controversy out in Western North Carolina, where Mark Meadows' handpicked replacement got herself in a lot of trouble when [audio was uncovered of her talking like a Ted Cruz-loving Never Trumper (which sh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zihoghbNFLo&ref=thecrimsonhub.com)e [certainly was in 2016, anyway) ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zihoghbNFLo&ref=thecrimsonhub.com)[about the big man himself](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zihoghbNFLo&ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Here's the transcript of those remarks: > “I’m a never Trump person. I don’t want Trump. I’m never Trump, not going to vote for him, and I want him taken off that palm card or I’m not helping you guys.” At the time, Bennett said she was being facetious and that she was "role playing" a Never Trumper, not being one, having become a MAGA at some indeterminate point post-2016. But knowing more than a few female Ted Cruz diehards who opposed Trump the whole way through 2016, and continued to oppose him well into 2020 and beyond (cough, cough Amanda Carpenter, cough, cough, Mia Love, cough, cough Carly Fiorina, cough, cough Carly Fiorina onetime consultant Liz Mair), Bennett's comments always struck us as more typical of them than a Never Trumper role play actor. And the history of this kind of thing in North Carolina–plus Whatley's own history of running away from Trump, and his own background as a sort of environmentalist Mitt Romney-George H W Bush hybrid– makes us just a tad skeptical here, and inclined to think that, yeah, maybe he's not a MAGA diehard Trump fanatic after all, and all his Trump proverbial behind-kissing has been more about political expediency than true believerism. As a reminder, Whatley was chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party when Trump [hand-picked him to take over the Republican National Committee](https://apnews.com/article/46bc8afcc152aecfd471161a59b74005?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in 2024\. Whatley became chairman alongside Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair as Trump installed his preferred leadership team at the RNC. (Reminder: Lara Trump was originally mentioned as the preferred candidate for this state; no doubt she'd exhibit more Trump loyalty in the gig, though her "off-the-record" gaffes caught on audio might be even more entertaining). When Whatley [launched his campaign for North Carolina’s open U.S. Senate seat](https://apnews.com/article/cb3b4109f85bf2f23fee93f05f253d7b?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) last year, he did so with Trump’s endorsement and made his relationship with the president a centerpiece of his campaign. At his campaign kickoff in Gastonia, Whatley repeatedly invoked Trump and told supporters: > “With the complete and total endorsement of President Donald Trump, I am running to be next Senator from the great state of North Carolina.” But by this summer, Whatley wasn’t talking about Trump nearly as much. And as Caleb reported, [he's been erasing Trump from the campaign here and there](https://thecrimsonhub.com/whatley-literally-blurring-the-trump-line-in-nc-race-and-people-have-noticed/), while also of course [appearing alongside him at the Gastonia rally](https://www.wunc.org/2026-09-17/trump-campaigns-for-whatley-in-gastonia-as-senate-race-enters-final-stretch?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). In some ways, what we're really seeing with all this "does he love Trump or does he want to dump him" campaign schizophrenia is a case study in the perils of trying to be all things to all people when running under the GOP banner in a swing state where your political benefactor has an almost rock-bottom approval rating. And that this state loves a good surreptitious audio recording and leak. North Carolina candidates beware. ### Here’s the real reason why Susan Collins was likely happy to do defense pork john Martin Kao’s bidding. HINT: It wasn't campaign $$ URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/heres-the-real-reason-why-susan-collins-was-likely-happy-to-do-defense-pork-john-martin-kaos-bidding-hint-it-wasnt-campaign/ Last updated: 2026-09-24T19:28:52.000Z *Bonus: It’s also why Trey Jackson is either lying if he says he wouldn’t have done the same, or he’s a bad choice to represent Maine, in particular* We’ve posted a few items about the ProPublica story on Susan Collins taking donations from defense pork john Martin Kao—and the fact that a slew of other candidates, including boatloads of Democrats did, too—and apparently Collins having done Kao’s company’s bidding as a Senator. Ultimately, investigators should look at all of these recipients to ascertain if there was any funny business going on. Collins included, though we doubt they'll find anything. But while they do, it’s worth noting the big reason why Collins would have been advocating for funding benefiting Navatek in the first place—and why Trey Jackson is either lying or a bad choice for Maine if he says he wouldn’t have engaged in it, too. Here’s how. Back in the day, Kao’s firm—Navatek—had a Maine office that employed about 22 people. Not a big number, but also not insignificant number in a relatively low population state like Maine. Notably, that base was in Portland, Maine, which is also super-close to New Hampshire. As an aside, this probably explains why Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen was taking money from Kao, too—a lot of people from the Portsmouth, New Hampshire, area commute to Portland for work at job tied to, well, seafaring including US Naval-related gigs, and New Hampshire Democrats are pretty reliable advocates for these kinds of “job creation on the taxpayer dime” schemes, too. Many of the people employed at Navatek’s base of operations around then were recent graduates from the University of Maine. And subsequent Navy contracts—like the kind Collins was publicly advocating for, but undoubtedly Shaheen was privately supporting, too—were intended to facilitate expansions that were expected to grow Navatek’s workforce in Portland and Bangor to as many as 120 workers. 120 jobs is a fairly big deal in a state like Maine. Here’s a [press release](https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/senator-collins-joins-celebration-8-million-navy-contract-awarded-navatek-portland?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) from Collins about this—at the time, the jobs projection was a total of 50 in Portsmouth, but the basic trend, Navatek gets funding, more jobs are created in Maine, is evident. Bringing federal money back to a state to grow jobs may strike libertarians and opponents of defense pork as shocking and disgusting. But what is shocking and disgusting to libertarians usually isn’t a great barometer of what the general public finds salacious (hence no one blinking an eye when the national debt was sitting at $39 trillion). This kind of thing is pretty much the bread and butter of most US Senators, because a ton of voters want and expect it. Collins is especially known for bringing federal money home to her state. (Side note: Rand Paul’s Dad, Ron Paul, was also well-known for this; he would just insert his earmarks and rely on other Members of Congress to ensure the bills into which they were inserted became law, while taking optically-convenient “no” votes). Unless Jackson is saying he wouldn’t advocate for that funding or the related jobs as a US Senator, he’s lying when he’s suggesting that he wouldn’t have engaged in the same *advocacy* as Collins did. And if he is saying he wouldn’t have *advocated* for that funding, then he’s going to do a bad job of what has kept Mainers sending Collins back to the Senate term after term after term: She keeps money flowing to the state. Now, as a federal contractor, Navatek should not have been able to have made any of the donations identified—or any donations to Jackson, frankly, should he win this race. We don’t know who Collins should return that money to (not Kao, since he’s pretty clearly a federal criminal in very deep doo-doo now, and that has been demonstrated in contexts unrelated to Collins). But she for sure should have refunded those donations when made, and now should find some solid Maine charity to gift them to. But Jackson should be pressed on whether he wouldn’t advocate for jobs like Navatek was creating, or whether he would, even though it would entail him doing the bidding of a company obviously trying to steer a lot of federal taxpayer cash to itself. Or, is the issue that he’s just saying he’s better at campaign paperwork than Collins? Note: If he is, it’s worth noting he still hasn’t filed the personal financial disclosure that was due after he announced his candidacy and was gifted the Democratic nomination; let’s see if he gets around to it by the time his extension from the ethics office runs out—that’s October 5. Bottom line: Neither Collins nor Jackson is Rand Paul, and Maine ain’t Kentucky. People there like, and expect, their Senator to bring home the bacon. Collins does. Jackson knows it; that’s why he’s so heavily backed [legislation like this “Buy American and benefit Maine business” endeavor before](https://www.mainesenate.org/jacksons-buy-american-build-maine-act-gets-public-hearing/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). [That’s a regulatory, not a direct funding, subsidy for Maine Navy-related employers](https://www.mainesenate.org/jacksons-buy-american-build-maine-act-gets-public-hearing/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). But it’s essentially the same thing Collins is doing, except unlike her, even as Senate President, he couldn’t get it turned into actual law, so the attendant intended effect on job creation has been null. That’s a point to Collins on results, if not on paperwork management. ### Here are all the Democrats defense pork john Martin Kao donated to, and whom ProPublica never mentioned in their “corruption” piece URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/here-are-all-the-democrats-defense-pork-john-martin-kao-donated-to-and-whom-propublica-never-mentioned-in-their-corruption-piece/ Last updated: 2026-09-23T19:24:56.000Z Earlier, we posted [this item](https://thecrimsonhub.com/was-the-propublica-hit-on-susan-collins-originally-intended-as-a-hit-on-lindsey-graham-heres-why-im-betting-yes/) about how the ProPublica “Susan Collins” piece seems likely to have mutated from what was possibly (probably?) a major investigative piece on former Senator and #1 Trump Pal Lindsey Graham, plausibly in an attempt to use the information despite it going cold after Graham died awhile back. But there’s another interesting wrinkle here, and it’s this. While ProPublica talks about the lawmakers that defense pork john Martin Kao donated to being “bipartisan,” they notably do not namecheck the Democrats he gave to. The only people named in the piece are Collins and Graham. So, we decided to take a look at Kao’s donation record from 2019-2020\. Here’s what we found: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-949ea13c-078c-4c91-8e90-b9f7dc5d4ba5.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-c725ceb5-392e-43f4-a2a4-d504e8fdd58b.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-0a04fbde-6efe-4deb-9ef8-122e43ecc529.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-b401edba-26af-40b8-8bb8-beebd03f1c25.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-e07aef21-1c31-43b6-93cb-51af394efb7c.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-6fc3c7e6-56a1-4372-b9d5-005ae3c7e849.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-26cc7a8a-3b23-4a83-bc25-8e755164d3bc.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-79776291-30b6-4168-b08b-f208f545df8c.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-2f9d5597-565d-416b-82e5-f334d11e8068.png) Is there going to be a corruption probe into these figures also? Or a ProPublica expose on their financial ties to Kao? Admittedly, a follow up could be in the works (ProPublica often does investigations in three-part series). We would hope so, since the inclusion of Jim Clyburn here suggests another South Carolina angle beyond the [Lindsey Graham one we exposed earlier today](https://thecrimsonhub.com/was-the-propublica-hit-on-susan-collins-originally-intended-as-a-hit-on-lindsey-graham-heres-why-im-betting-yes/), and we know that was a priority for the fired investigator. (Kao also donated to Joe Wilson, another South Carolinian). Is this story going to turn out to be more about scummy dealings in the Palmetto State, which has long been known for its general sleaze in politics? For what it’s worth, there are quite a few Oklahomans on the list, too… we’ve shown you Horn above, but former Sen. Inhofe was a beneficiary of Kao’s largesse, as was Rep. Tom Cole, a powerful appropriator, too. This sure looks like a story that’s very little about Collins when you get down to brass tacks and much more about other figures and state delegations. ### Was the ProPublica hit on Susan Collins originally intended as a hit on Lindsey Graham? Here’s why I'm betting “yes.” URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/was-the-propublica-hit-on-susan-collins-originally-intended-as-a-hit-on-lindsey-graham-heres-why-im-betting-yes/ Last updated: 2026-09-23T16:14:43.000Z Political media has been abuzz for the last 24 hours about the ProPublica attack on Susan Collins. I'm not linking to it here; you can Google it yourself if you so desire. There are, however, four key things I want to highlight about the piece. This is what you need to know: · The only place where the piece gets close to suggesting that Collins was personally implicated in any of this is here: “Seven days after the super PAC cashed the check from Kao’s shell company, one of Reed’s subordinates emailed a Navatek lobbyist asking for Kao’s phone number: ‘Senator Collins would like to call Martin to thank him.’” It’s not clear that call ever took place; there’s also no indication in the piece that Collins’ campaign was coordinating with the SuperPAC, which would be illegal. · All of this was originally spotted in \*2020,\* after which \*Democrats\* controlled the relevant investigating authorities, and had a full four years to do it. If a case couldn’t be made against Collins/her staff in that period of time, you have to wonder how much “there” was there. (For the record, no, I'm not implying the Biden administration would have engaged in a partisan investigation or prosecution; I'm just saying that if they wanted to, this presumably would have provided a great opening—unless there really was no “there” there at all, in which case, however politicized the administration may or may not have been, they weren’t going to succeed). · The piece notably ends with these paragraphs: “Before Ball \[the investigator\] was fired, however, she managed to take a key step forward. Based on all the evidence, she persuaded her supervisors to approve a new investigation. It centered on South Carolina, one of the states Navatek eyed for a rapid expansion. The FBI had questions about a steak dinner Kao shared with Sen. Lindsey Graham.” · Right above that section, the piece notes this, “By late 2024, Ball and Gounaud, the FBI agents, had come to believe there was enough evidence to warrant a broader investigation into bribery of members of Congress, according to a memo seen by ProPublica. Before they could embark on their new mission, however, they became casualties of Trump’s retribution campaign.” Note the plural—*members*. Here’s why this matters. After the piece ran, Crimson Hub did an FEC contributions search to ascertain who exactly Martin Kao had been backing, financially. The piece focuses on Collins—and to be fair, with her tough re-election, she’s a great hook for it, and the easiest way to grab at eyeballs. But I noticed something interesting. Set aside the SuperPAC donations; between 2019 and 2026, in terms of actual hard campaign money—i.e., that which is spent directly by the candidate and in the manner they, with the bevy of information they have and a SuperPAC simply could not because they do not live in the mind of the officeholder, went to quite a few people, and not principally Collins. The piece notes that the probe looked at “bipartisan” Members of Congress. But it also finishes off by namechecking one in particular, who stands out a little more from FEC filings. That would be Graham. (It’s worth noting that two other South Carolina members in safe seats also stand out). Not only did Graham pocket $1k more from Kao than Collins did. She also received all her donations, $5,600, in 2019, whereas Graham kept benefiting into 2020\. Kao also repeatedly made illegally high contributions to Graham that had to be refunded, as the FEC record reflects. Notably, he did not do this for Collins. Maybe that’s because her campaign was more scrupulous about who was attempting to donate, and how much for, or maybe it’s because Graham was a bigger target. Our guess is the latter, because if Collins’ campaign was sloppy enough to be taking contributions from a federal contractor at all (they’re not supposed to donate; that’s part of the alleged scandal here), they probably wouldn’t have been on the ball enough to stop excess contributions up front, and would instead of have refunded them on the back end to achieve compliance. Also, let’s remember, as a Senator, Graham has *never* been in a close re-election race (despite Lincoln Project fangirl type touting of his Democratic contender making it a “real race” last time around). By contrast, Collins has been imperiled from the minute she set foot in the Senate. Otherwise put, there’s no reason Graham needed the money; donations to him look like naked vote-buying (or vote-renting). Donations to Collins look a lot more like trying to reward a Senator who has prioritized Navy-related jobs in her own state that might not exist at all, absent her efforts—and which were, yes, offered by Kao’s company, porky and irritating to anti-earmark fans as all this kind of thing is. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-827e3190-3ced-41f6-9d96-365d6c111ef7.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/data-src-image-e4170c5c-10eb-4270-8552-2dd9f542cff8.png) *Screenshots via spreadsheet downloaded from FEC.gov* All of this, overlaid against the information about what happened with the investigation *once Trump came into office is very interesting*. While Collins is no friend of Trump—and someone he would have little interest in protecting, since she voted to remove him from office following the 2021 Capitol Insurrection/Riot/Bad Other Description You May Prefer, Graham notably was a close Trump confidant and pal—and one who did Trump’s most favorite thing in the world, which is cozy up to him after previously ostracizing him. Remember Graham’s post-January 6th speech ripping Trump a new one? After that, he voted not to remove Trump from office over January 6th, and took to campaigning for him in 2024, and thereafter riding around on Air Force One. Collins never did that. As much as Graham Platner lied about the fact, and Troy Jackson continues to try to mislead Maine voters, Collins voted against Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill. She has also opposed the President on tariffs. Graham, by contrast, was a Yes Man on all of these things, as well as the major cheerleader for the War in Iran, which Trump has been enthusiastic about but others in his orbit (cough, cough, JD Vance) have opposed. To the extent anyone deserved a “reward,” like killing an investigation, it was Graham. Not Collins. One problem for whoever probably started pushing this months ago? Graham unexpectedly died over the summer, making him a really bad focus for a hit focused on alleged corruption with regard to donations allegedly linked to Pentagon pork. Collins by contrast remains, well, *interesting*. Her race is close. She’s always been viewed as clean as a whistle. No one loves a corruption story more than when it seems linked to someone who doesn’t have a blemished ethical record. There are other interesting takeaways about the story, and namely what ProPublica did not report—including some significant dirt on *Democrats* linked to Kao. More on that later, and stay tuned. ### Thune's Diesel Idea Is Backward. Here's the Fix That Actually Works. URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/thunes-diesel-idea-is-backward-heres-the-fix-that-actually-works/ Last updated: 2026-09-21T11:00:29.000Z Senator John Thune floated something [remarkable this week](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/senate/4727597/john-thune-diesel-export-ban-record-high-prices/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): he's open to banning diesel exports to fight [record-high prices](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/03/diesel-prices-hit-all-time-high-as-trump-administration-brandishes-energy-policies-01063862?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) at the pump. It's the kind of idea that sounds decisive in a press release and falls apart the moment you think about it. Export bans spook markets, invite retaliation, and hand adversaries a gift on energy dominance. With Iran looking the way it does right now, flinching is the last thing the GOP needs on the record heading into the midterms. This is a midterm problem for sure. [The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2026/09/trump-midterms-gas-prices/688616/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) isn't wrong that gas and diesel prices could cost Republicans the House and Senate, and diesel is the one that bites hardest. Diesel moves the freight, and freight moves the food. [RSM's analysis](https://rsmus.com/insights/economics/diesel-trucking-food-prices-and-inflation.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) shows trucking costs feed straight into grocery prices, since nearly everything on the shelf arrived by truck. Farmers get squeezed twice. [Farm equipment runs on diesel too](https://enginetechforum.org/agriculture?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), so the same spike raising shipping costs also raises the cost of planting and harvesting. They eat it until they can't, then pass it along, and everyone else eats it at checkout. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/diesel.webp) So diesel prices are a real, politically dangerous problem. But an export ban is the wrong tool. There's a better one sitting in plain sight, and it doesn't cost America a shred of energy leverage abroad. **Kill the ethanol mandate, or at least suspend it.** The Renewable Fuel Standard forces refiners to blend ever-increasing volumes of ethanol into the fuel supply, and it's quietly become one of the more expensive hidden taxes in American life. [EPRINC's modeling](https://eprinc.org/updated-chart-of-the-week-the-renewable-fuel-standards-cost-to-consumers/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) shows suspending the high blending obligations could cut costs by up to 44 cents a gallon. That's real relief, delivered fast, with no ships turned away at port. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/Gemini_Generated_Image_8pb93z8pb93z8pb9.jpeg) Here's what the RFS actually costs, and it should make every farm-state Republican uncomfortable: - The mandate runs about $183.62 per person a year, or roughly $734 for a family of four. - It hits red and rural America hardest. Thirteen of the fifteen highest per-capita RFS-cost states are Republican-held or leaning, even as cost of living topped 2024 exit polls. A family of four in Alabama is out an estimated $1,092 a year. - The per-capita number undersells rural pain. [Rural drivers log roughly 30% more miles annually than urban drivers](https://www.newsweek.com/farmers-slam-trump-record-diesel-prices-cant-survive-12448846?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), so farmers absorb even more of this than averages suggest. - The battleground math is brutal: an estimated $828 a year for a family of four in Texas, $805 in Georgia, $898 in Maine, $840 in Iowa, $710 in Ohio, $603 in California, $781 in Wisconsin, $789 in North Carolina, and $774 in Kansas. Texas alone is out $6.56 billion statewide. Texas, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Iowa are major farm states, so it's farmers taking the hit twice, and outside Iowa none of these states even lean heavily on corn. - It's a tax nobody sees. The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents a gallon, diesel's is 24.4 cents, both printed on the receipt. The RFS compliance cost runs roughly double the gas tax, but it [never shows up on a receipt](https://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/biofuel/the-renewable-fuel-standards-cost-to-american-motorists/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) because refiners bury it in the supply chain. Even Iowa isn't spared, eating $681 million a year in compliance costs, or $210 per person, propping up a program supposedly helping it. The House Freedom Caucus has already tried to suspend this tax. It went nowhere. Had it succeeded, farmers and truckers could be looking at a 60-cent reduction right now, no export ban required. Thune wants to fix diesel prices. Fine. There's a lever sitting right in front of him, one that doesn't spook markets, doesn't cede ground to adversaries, and doesn't put the federal government in charge of who buys American fuel. It just requires admitting the ethanol mandate was never the pro-farmer policy it was sold as, and that farmers are the ones paying for that fiction twice. ### Bob Kraft Cancels Ed Sheeran Concert After Realizing It Would Feature Ed Sheeran URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/bob-kraft-cancels-ed-sheeran-concert-after-realizing-it-would-feature-ed-sheeran/ Last updated: 2026-09-18T16:20:02.000Z In the latest fallout surrounding Ed Sheeran's upcoming US musical tour, Bob Kraft has taken the extraordinary step of canceling Ed Sheeran's concert date at his Gillette Stadium after realizing it would feature Ed Sheeran. Kraft was said to have realized that continuing with the event would force him into an association with an excessively bland, formulaic, and overly commercial artist whose music he privately hates and which receives routinely terrible reviews from music writers and DJs. "I can't fill a stadium with this crap," Kraft is said to have bellowed to a secretary. "And even if I could, I don't want anyone thinking I listen to, or respect, today's slightly more pop-like incarnation of Kenny G or John Tesh," he added. "People can get that \[expletive\] for free, just riding around in a hotel elevator." Kraft was also said to be worried about the risk of lawsuits from locals who, like most people with ears, hate Ed Sheeran. Sheeran was said to be disappointed by the move. "There are at least a few hundred 65-to-85 year-old ladies in the Northeastern United States who now have no hope of finding a live music event to fit their tastes," Sheeran complained to Kraft. "Michael Bolton isn't touring anymore," Sheeran added. "This consumer demographic isn't being catered to at all, and is being left behind while Kraft pursues supposedly more 'popular' sports and music that earns more acclaim, like hot, new country artists or Bruno Mars." Sheeran is said to be actively considering alternative tour dates at local senior centers and pop-ups surrounding forthcoming No Kings protests. This story will be updated as we learn more. ### China's Loneliness Epidemic Is So Bad, An App Has Been Created To Confirm If Someone Is Alive URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/chinas-loneliness-epidemic-is-so-bad-an-app-has-been-created-to-confirm-if-someone-is-alive/ Last updated: 2026-09-17T17:04:12.000Z China now has more people living alone than at any point in its history, one in four households, and the country's top-selling paid app in January was one called ["Are You Dead?"](https://hongkongfp.com/2026/01/14/are-you-dead-chinese-check-in-app-for-solo-dwellers-goes-viral/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Yes, that's the actual name. Miss two daily check-ins, and it alerts an emergency contact for you. A hundred and twenty-five million people in China live by themselves, and the market found a way to charge them for the thing a family member used to do for free: notice if you stopped moving. The commentary around this tends to split into two camps. One says it's demographic collapse, fewer people, shrinking markets, over. The other says who cares about the birth rate, the consumer is still spending. Both are working from the same numbers and missing the same thing. Singles in China [spent more than $1 trillion](https://www.cnn.com/2026/09/12/business/asia-loneliness-economy-intl-hnk-dst?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in 2025, up about 50% in two years. Pop Mart, the company behind the Labubu dolls, [brought in $5.4 billion](https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202604/09/WS69d70204a310d6866eb42647.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) last year, up 185%. South Korea's single-person households are now [36%](https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/southkorea/society/20251209/single-person-households-become-largest-household-type-in-korea-in-2024-data?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) of the total, the largest household type in the country. Japan was at [38%](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-data/h02201/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in 2020, on pace for 44% by 2050. Some of that spending isn't new. It's just visible now. A family eating dinner together generates nothing in GDP terms. The same meal, ordered alone because there's nobody else in the apartment, becomes a transaction. Nothing got produced that wasn't already being produced. It just started getting billed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/lonely2.jpeg) There's also a cost baked in that doesn't show up on a receipt. One rent. One refrigerator. One power bill, split zero ways. A [European study](https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081909?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) found people living alone produce close to double the carbon footprint per person of someone in a household of five. Somebody should mention that at the next climate summit. What markets are actually bad at is the thing families did without anyone asking them to: noticing when something's wrong. That's the gap "Are You Dead?" fills, and it's popular for the same reason a smoke detector is popular. Japan created a government minister for loneliness in [2021](https://japan.kantei.go.jp/99%5Fsuga/actions/202109/%5F00033.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Seoul is putting [$326 million](https://www.koreaherald.com/article/3827996?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) over five years into hotlines and counseling for what officials there call "lonely deaths." The World Health Organization ties loneliness to [871,000 deaths](https://www.who.int/news/item/30-06-2025-social-connection-linked-to-improved-heath-and-reduced-risk-of-early-death?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) a year worldwide. That's close to 100 an hour. > One in four Chinese households is a single person household. Thus, "Are You Dead?" is a popular app.[https://t.co/828FQhp3Zy](https://t.co/828FQhp3Zy?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) [pic.twitter.com/BgliixfVPZ](https://t.co/BgliixfVPZ?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Diana S. Fleischman (@sentientist) [September 16, 2026](https://x.com/sentientist/status/2100332681288716329?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Hospitals are where it gets complicated fastest. The whole system runs on the assumption that somebody exists who can sign a discharge form or answer a call at 3 a.m. Take that person away and a routine case turns into a bed nobody can free up. Japan expects [10.8 million](https://asianews.network/single-person-households-in-japan-expected-to-top-40-in-27-prefectures-in-2050/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) people over 65 to be living alone by 2050\. Its own demographers say a growing share of them won't have a living relative at all. The part of this actually worth watching isn't the apps or the toys. It's the paperwork. China's [new rules](https://www.lw.com/en/insights/china-introduces-rules-for-ai-companion-and-emotional-interaction-services?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) for "anthropomorphic" AI companions took effect July 15: no virtual romantic relationships for minors, parental consent required under 14, mandatory intervention if a user shows signs of self-harm. The U.S. is getting there too, just slower and state by state. New York's AI disclosure law kicked in last November. California's followed in January. By June, [78 bills](https://www.spencerfane.com/insight/hey-human-dont-forget-im-not-a-human/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) on AI companionship were sitting in 27 state legislatures. The EU has [required apps to disclose](https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/faqs/transparency-obligations-under-article-50-ai-act?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) when you're talking to a machine since August. China got there first, and its rules are the most detailed on the books right now. Which means the country with the most people living alone might end up writing the rules everyone else eventually copies. This is a growing issue, but it's just an Asia-first issue. ### Time For The NCGOP To Clean House As Whatley's SECOND Sex-Offender Problem Emerges URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/time-for-the-ncgop-to-clean-house-as-whatleys-second-sex-offender-problem-emerges/ Last updated: 2026-09-16T16:58:03.000Z Crimson Hub has previously covered the North Carolina GOP's need to clean house. First, we had Lynda Bennett and Madison Cawthorn, and then Chuck Edwards– all in a single congressional district. We also had Mark Robinson. Much of that occurred on Michael Whatley's watch as Chairman of the NCGOP, as did [this sex offender scandal](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/e-mail-washington-secrets/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Now, we have a SECOND Whatley sex-offender scandal, and it's not even time for October Surprises yet. His Senate campaign just can't seem shake its association with convicted pedophiles/pederasts, and the history makes it pretty hard to argue this is just a problem being created by low-level staff. Is Whatley telling his campaign to focus on vetting people appearing at events? If not, he sure should be. [From the AP](https://apnews.com/article/whatley-pastor-sex-offender-prayer-rally-01eab33af03f6a308719ce6a62157451?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > A pastor kicked off a recent campaign stop for Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for Senate, with a prayer that asked God to bestow “integrity and honesty” upon the event and to right wrongs “hammered down on the conservative movement.” > The prayer was hardly unusual by North Carolina political standards. What was surprising was the man who delivered it. Pastor Daimon L. King is a registered sex offender, twice sentenced to prison for convictions involving children, according to state and court records. > Some 30 years ago, King was a marching band assistant at a high school outside Raleigh when he was charged with statutory rape and indecent liberties with a 15-year-old student, [The News & Observer reported](https://www.newspapers.com/image/657473881/?article=12f72a9c-08bc-415b-9558-2d341a1ad897&terms=%22daimon%20King%22&search-id=687629fc-0a80-4673-a291-53512cecc724&search-rank=21&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) at the time. King, then 31, was convicted in 1998 and served nearly five years in prison before being paroled, [according to state department of corrections records](https://webapps.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0615830&searchLastName=king&searchFirstName=daimon&searchDOBRange=0&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1&ref=thecrimsonhub.com). > In 2010, he pleaded guilty to having sex with an underage female relative and served close to three years in prison, [state records show](https://webapps.doc.state.nc.us/opi/viewoffender.do?method=view&offenderID=0615830&searchLastName=king&searchFirstName=daimon&searchDOBRange=0&listurl=pagelistoffendersearchresults&listpage=1&ref=thecrimsonhub.com). > King is required under North Carolina law to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. Whatley's campaign says it didn't organize the event and didn't invite King — the local Craven County GOP did. That may be true. But again: Someone is not doing the vetting here, and that raises big questions– especially given the prior history– about what leadership is occurring from the top (Whatley) right on down with regard to these issues. Again, this is the second time this cycle Whatley has had to explain away a convicted sex offender showing up at the center of his political operation. From Rob Crilly[ at the Washington Examiner ](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/e-mail-washington-secrets/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)earlier this year: > In 1999, West was a police officer in a small town near the Outer Banks when he was arrested and charged with the statutory rape of three girls — two were aged 14 and one was 16\. He eventually took a deal, pleading guilty to a string of lesser charges of “taking indecent liberties with a child.” After six years in prison, his name went on to the state’s sex-offender register, where it stayed until 2018. Democrats have already sunk more than $2.3 million into ads built around a photo of Whatley and West together, and Whatley still hasn't publicly answered basic questions about how long he knew about West's record. None of this is happening in a vacuum. Whatley is trailing Roy Cooper in every public poll of the race, [some by double digits.](https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/north-carolina/cooper-vs-whatley?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/09/Screenshot-2026-09-15-at-2.13.32---PM.png) Whatley wants to run as the tough-on-crime alternative to Cooper. That's already tough because of Whatley's own criminal record and refusal to [show up for court dates](https://thecrimsonhub.com/does-michael-whatley-have-sticky-law-order-problem/): > But a review of [public court records](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/law-and-order-senate-nominee-michael-whatley-faced-arrest-skipping-court-2015-nc-traffic?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) shows the former Republican National Committee Chairman repeatedly failed to appear in court for traffic cases, and in 2015, two orders for his arrest were issued as a result. Then, [there's the issue of Whatley's own soft-on-crime record with regard to COVID prisoner releases](https://www.calebhowe.us/p/michael-whatleys-biggest-campaign?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Now, we seem to have a doubling down on the sex offender problem. There's still an argument to be made that all in, given where Roy Cooper is philosophically– i.e., not a Joe Manchin (legitimately conservative Democrat) but more a Doug Jones (Southern but quite liberal)– Whatley remains the better candidate for North Carolina conservatives to support. But this is becoming a question of mere centimeters, not even inches, of difference between the candidates. And it's easy to imagine that if elected, these sorts of scandals don't stop, and become an ongoing problem for the national GOP. It's beyond time for a real, serious clean up of the NCGOP. If Whatley loses, as is widely expected, it should start the day after the 2026 midterm, no ifs-ands-or-buts. ### Talarico announced as celebrity judge on Season 19 of RuPaul's Drag Race URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/talarico-announced-as-celebrity-judge-on-season-19-of-rupauls-drag-race/ Last updated: 2026-09-16T16:18:41.000Z Following revelations that his favorite Texas drag queen is Alyssa Edwards, James Talarico's campaign for US Senate has announced that he will appear as a celebrity judge on Season 19 of RuPaul's Drag Race. The new season, set to begin filming next month, will be the latest installment in the popular reality show that first began airing in 2009. It is unknown how Talarico expects to balance his on-the-campaign-trail commitments as a Senate candidate with the rigors of judging the forthcoming contest. But a producer with the show speculated that Talarico's deep familiarity with drag queens and the drag scene could help him reach conclusions about contest participants' fierceness and overall drag prowess faster than a standard judge– and perhaps even RuPaul himself. "He knows all the drag queens like the back of his hand," the producer said, granted anonymity to speak freely. "He is an expert in who can sashay and shantay." RuPaul declined to comment to Crimson Comedy Club for this article. ### Governor Lowers NC Flags for Gloria Steinem — the Same Honor Reserved for 9/11 Victims URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/governor-lowers-nc-flags-for-gloria-steinem-the-same-honor-reserved-for-9-11-victims/ Last updated: 2026-09-14T16:56:20.000Z Quick gut check: what gets a state flag lowered to half-staff for five straight days in North Carolina? Apparently, not just fallen soldiers, not just murdered cops, not just the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in American history — but also Gloria Steinem. Governor Josh Stein ordered flags down from sunrise September 6 through sunset September 10 to honor Steinem, who died last week at 92\. Days later, those same flags came back down for Patriot Day and the 25th anniversary of 9/11\. Same pole. Same governor. Same gesture. One event killed nearly 3,000 Americans in a single morning. The other wrote for Ms. magazine. Stein's explanation: > "Steinem was a powerhouse journalist and advocate for freedom and equality,” Stein said. “Her work inspired so many and helped women in the United States and across the world make real strides.” Translation: she spent fifty years insisting abortion should be legal with zero restrictions, at any stage, for any reason — and that's apparently a state-honors-worthy legacy in Josh Stein's North Carolina. Voters noticed the math didn't add up. A Republican mayor told cities and businesses to simply ignore the order, and plenty of residents did the same online, with one cutting straight to it: they weren't about to "honor baby killers." The order carries zero legal weight off state property, which is the only reason most of North Carolina kept its flags exactly where they belong — all the way up. ### Marco Rubio opts out of Trumpalooza in Dallas, cites need to wash hair for 48 hours straight URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/marco-rubio-opts-out-of-trumpalooza-in-dallas-cites-need-to-wash-hair-for-48-hours-straight/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T20:54:45.000Z Secretary of State Marco Rubio is opting out of attending the Trumpalooza midterm convention in Dallas today and tomorrow, telling Crimson Comedy Club in an exclusive statement that he really needs to devote the full 48 hours to washing his hair. "All this international travel really takes its toll on one's locks," Rubio said. "For months now, I've been suffering from an itchy scalp, split ends, you name it. It's just a disaster zone, and it's become sufficiently dire that I really need to spend the next 48 hours shampooing, hot oiling, and deep conditioning. How the hell else am I supposed to keep up with Scott Bessent in the haircare stakes?" Rubio is mainly known for his obsession over transitioning Cuba away from Communist control, as opposed to a laser focus on haircare. But he does operate in a Cabinet where many members have been selected in part because they struck President Trump as "straight out of central casting." Rubio hinted at a little self-consciousness where the issue of personal grooming was concerned, with the Bessent comment and a subsequent note that unlike SecDef Pete Hegseth, he hadn't had the benefit of ongoing advice and routine hair and cosmetic care from Fox News makeup and hair artists over successive years. "The United States Senate is just not known for prioritizing one's mane," he added. "I had great aides there, and I have great aides now, but these people are focused on policy and diplomacy, and with UN Week coming up in New York, I need to hit the pause button now so I can be sure I look my best. I mean, I don't want to get follicle-mogged by United Kingdom Prime Andy Burnham or President Emmanuel Macron or even Russian President Vladimir Putin if they happen to show up. Can you imagine? Disaster." Rubio is said to be booked in for multiple luxury washes and trim from a five-star rated barber in Little Havana, beginning at 4:00PM ET today. Tonight, he has been told to bank a full eight hours' sleep in a satin cap to protect his damaged follicles. Tomorrow, he has a hot oil treatment and multiple rounds of intensive conditioning booked. The process is expected to take until midnight tomorrow evening, making him completely unavailable to attend the festivities in Dallas. ### Check out which DC lobby is trying to curry favor with Chuck Edwards' replacement URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/check-out-which-dc-lobby-is-trying-to-curry-favor-with-chuck-edwards-replacement/ Last updated: 2026-09-09T18:07:39.000Z North Carolina State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom is running to replace retiring, censured Rep. Chuck Edwards, representing a Western North Carolina district that looked set to flip Democratic short of Edwards' decision to stand down. And it looks like she's getting some help from a powerful DC lobby: Credit unions. Per [Politico Influence](https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-influence/2026/09/08/deion-sanders-joins-6m-push-for-college-sports-bill-01067784?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > America’s Credit Unions and its political action committee are planning to spend a record $10 million to influence the 2026 midterm results... The PAC is backing Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in their respective Senate races. It also identified the reelection bids of Reps. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.) as priorities, **as well as North Carolina Republican state Rep. Jennifer Balkcom’s campaign for Congress**. *(emphasis ours)* Here's why this is interesting: North Carolina Republicans are typically pretty friendly to the banking sector, because of the ginormous presence of Bank of America in Charlotte. For example, according to [Open Secrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/chuck-edwards/us%5Fcongress/industries?mpid=1046269&cycle=2022&display=candidate&ref=thecrimsonhub.com), in 2022– the first time Edwards ran, and the only time he really had a race to win– the banking sector gave $13,000 to him, of which $8,500 was PAC money. An additional $5,800 came from savings banks and savings and loans. The financial sector writ large was the number one source of donations to Edwards that year, but banks specifically supplied about one percent of his total fundraising. In [2024](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/bank-of-america/recipients?id=d000000090&ref=thecrimsonhub.com), Bank of America employees gave $25,336 to the North Carolina GOP. In [2020](https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/bank-of-america/recipients?candscycle=2020&id=d000000090&toprecipscycle=2020&candscycle=2020&ref=thecrimsonhub.com), the last time Thom Tillis was up for re-election, they donated $64,906 (inclusive of a $10,000 PAC donation). But banks and credit unions have been locked in a lengthy– and frankly, boring as hell– war over a couple of wonky issues in Washington, DC. First, banks hate, hate, hate that credit unions operate as tax-exempt nonprofits while banks get whacked with federal corporate income taxes. Banks think this tilts competition towards credit unions (who, by the way, have been buying up some community banks). Second, banks have to comply with the Community Reinvestment Act, which free marketeers complained during the 2008-2009 financial crisis had helped create fundamental problems in the banking system by steering mortgages towards non-creditworthy borrowers. Otherwise put, there are a lot of reasons why credit unions would want Balkcom on their side. Now, banks including Bank of America might also be funneling money to Balkcom. We don't know that yet because she's such a new candidate, zero is showing up in donations for her with the FEC. But as of now, it looks like the credit unions are determined to make friends with her and, probably, exert some additional influence in a way they simply did not appear to with her predecessor. The big question is, will it work? As an old friend and fellow Tar Heel used to remind us, the key to being a successful politician is being able to take their money and vote against them anyway. Unlike Edwards or Madison Cawthorn before him, Balkcom certainly has fewer reasons to do the bidding of her donors; she is currently carrying none of the ethical baggage either man had, and seems exceedingly unlikely to wind up copycatting them, for our money. ### EXCLUSIVE: In 2020 forum, James Talarico compared brisket to "cassette tapes," saying its appeal was "not gonna last." URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/exclusive-in-2020-forum-james-talarico-compared-brisket-to-cassette-tapes-saying-its-appeal-was-not-gonna-last/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T16:34:21.000Z In a 2020 Zoom forum with top-flight international food bloggers, Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico spoke of “dismantling” Texas barbecue, grouping it with White supremacy and climate change. In the same forum, Talarico compared Texas' world-famous brisket to “cassette tapes,” saying its appeal was "not gonna last.” Video footage reviewed by Crimson Comedy Club validates that Talarico suggested that Black and Latino Texans didn't like brisket, while offering as an aside that his analysis was based on data provided by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and that he couldn't offer any anecdotal evidence on the matter as his circle of friends only encompassed white, liberal, fellow teenage-looking males. However, Talarico argued his case forcefully in the face of criticism from a gang of Anthony Bourdain and Gordon Ramsay acolytes who argued that foodies worldwide travel to Texas to taste its brisket, and that the best-rated brisket joint in Texas was founded by Texas Latinos. The discovery of Talarico's comments follows the discovery by CNN's Andrew Kaczynski of Talarico bashing Texas' oil industry in exactly the same terms, proving an apparent 2020-era reliance by Talarico on a series of rote, memorized metaphors that definitely would have caused him to fall below a 90th percentile score on a Writing SAT II college applications test. That use of rote, memorized metaphors as a crutch apparently continues today, as Talarico replied to Crimson Comedy Club with a virtual cut, copy and paste of his response to Kaczynski regarding his oil and gas comments. "These comments about brisket were cringey, and missed the mark," Talarico personally emailed us, adding that "I am a capitalist who supports brisket and actually eats it for three meals a day, plus twice-a-day snacks." According to Kaczynski, Talarico's campaign [told](https://x.com/KFILE/status/2094796072237355517?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) CNN that "his 'cringey,' past comments 'missed the mark,' and he's a capitalist who supports oil and gas." ### Rep. Chuck Edwards officially censured by the House URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/rep-chuck-edwards-officially-censured-by-the-house/ Last updated: 2026-09-02T00:39:52.000Z Tuesday afternoon, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to officially censure Rep. Chuck Edwards after a bipartisan panel determined that there was “substantial reason to believe” the congressman had fallen afoul of the chamber’s anti-sexual harassment rules. The House voted 413 to 2 to censure Edwards. Only Rep. Ralph Norman, who is currently urging people to write him in on November's ballot in the South Carolina Senate race, sided with Edwards in voting against the censure. Following the vote, Edwards took his public and official rebuke standing in the well of the House floor. Last month, the House Ethics Committee published a report that recommended Edwards be formally reprimanded for “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers.” Edwards has disputed that characterization, but agreed to stand down for re-election. Last week, he sent fellow congressman a 22-page letter begging them to vote the other way. Apparently, that move failed. Edwards is not seeking re-election. State Rep. Jennifer Balkcom was chosen to replace him on the November ballot last month. Cook Political currently [rates](https://www.cookpolitical.com/ratings/house-race-ratings?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) the race "Lean R." ### Record Scratch: Is Michael Whatley Still Being Paid For His Green Energy Lobbying? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/record-scratch-is-michael-whatley-still-being-paid-for-his-green-energy-lobbying/ Last updated: 2026-09-01T15:21:44.000Z Yesterday, Crimson Hub broke news that Not-A-Joe-Manchin-Clone Fake Conservative Democrat Roy Cooper maintains millions of dollars in investment funds run by Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) banking giants. This morning, in an unforeseen twist, a tipster alerted us to an even bigger liability on Republican candidate Michael Whatley's part: [In addition to maintaining his own ESG investments and having represented numerous green energy interests as a "government relations professional" (heh), Whatley is ***still*** being paid for his work as a green energy lobbyist](https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/view/annual/9d6e239f-03fa-4581-bb96-7d7686e02c5c/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). On August 13, Whatley filed his most recent personal financial disclosure form (PFD). In addition to showing something between $134,000 and $410,000 that Whatley has invested in two Vanguard funds, Tesla, GE Aerospace and GE Vernova, Whaley's PFD [shows](https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/view/annual/9d6e239f-03fa-4581-bb96-7d7686e02c5c/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that he was paid at least $5,000 during the relevant period by each of his former lobbying firm, CAPCVentures, and GE Vernova, Centrus Energy Corp., and the Renewable Fuels Association. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-30-at-2.08.47---PM.png) And what do those clients do? The short version is: Green energy and decarbonization. GE Vernova describes itself this way on its [corporate website](https://www.gevernova.com/?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad%5Fsource=1&gad%5Fcampaignid=21054363822&gbraid=0AAAAA9WtW1Q6fP91-Oa5XOy7FEs7gyCS2&gclid=CjwKCAjwqc%5FUBhBKEiwAWbl25jTIsYVd8JnOIWw2Bf69SQ9H7IEw1dzwFtxxJHI-zv-1VlfgyoscdhoCXYQQAvD%5FBwE&ref=thecrimsonhub.com): "At GE Vernova, we are united by a single, urgent, and optimistic mission: electrify to thrive and decarbonize." The website adds that in GE Vernova's view, "The world needs us to accelerate the transition to more reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy." Vernova is also heavily invested in [providing](https://www.gevernova.com/consulting/solutions/data-centers?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) "data center solutions." Centrus is a nuclear energy company (nuclear is a major rival to natural gas; the two branches of the energy sector have been feuding for at least a decade now over everything from how to power data centers to the UAMPS nuclear proposal in Utah). And the Renewable Fuels Association is the trade association that advocates for ethanol mandates and regulatory subsidies. Ethanol blending requirements have been a long-favored green energy policy advocated by Democrats, most notably former President Barack Obama and former President Joe Biden, who set them at a very high level during his presidency. But those mandates are currently being blamed for adding between [20 cents and a dollar to every gallon of gas in North Carolina](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in%5Ffocus/4702573/gop-candidate-quality-problem-michael-whatley/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Truckers also revile them because they're [driving diesel costs up](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/01/diesel-prices-could-fuel-problems-for-republicans-in-red-states-01052407?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Whatley has a lengthy history in green energy lobbying. As the Washington Examiner [reported](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in%5Ffocus/4702573/gop-candidate-quality-problem-michael-whatley/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) late last week: > Having worked as chief of staff to former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, who, like Tillis, hewed to the left of the party on green energy, it was perhaps no surprise that Whatley subsequently became an energy lobbyist who advocated a boatload of green energy causes. But while that might have sold in the 2006-2008 incarnation of the GOP, the 2026 edition is different. Tillis found this out when he decided to oppose Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which, among other things, slashed Biden-era green energy subsidies. > > Lobbying disclosures show that Whatley lobbied for Exxon Mobil and General Electric while both were publicly pushing Congress for mandatory carbon caps and cap-and-trade. In 2008, he became executive vice president of the Consumer Energy Alliance. Environmentalists portray the group as a fossil-fuel front, but the CEA notably spent years pitching solar and wind on its website and praising the Obama White House’s rooftop solar panels. In 2022, the CEA said it was “pleased” with the Inflation Reduction Act, calling then-President Joe Biden’s signature climate law “a sign of progress.” Whatley also backed regulatory ethanol subsidies that were originally advanced on environmental grounds and championed by none other than then-Sen. Barack Obama, while having been broadly opposed on the Right by figures such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and the Heritage Foundation. Those regulatory subsidies are estimated to be costing each North Carolinian about $200 per year. Now, as the Examiner noted, Whatley has lobbied for more conventional energy interests, too (notably the offshore oil drillers). But that's not where he's making his money now– or at least not enough of it to have to break it out on a separate line item on his PFD. It's pretty astonishing that the upshot of this Senate race could be replacement of Thom Tillis with a senator who is even more cozy with green energy interests than the man who voted against the partial repeals of green energy subsidies in Biden's so-called "Inflation Reduction Act" was. But that's where it looks like the state is headed, whether Cooper or Whatley wins. When this race is done and dusted, the NCGOP really needs to clean up its act, and the national Republican Party organizations need to start vetting candidates well before they jump into races again. ### Trump Likes His Name Attached To Everything, But Maybe Not This URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/trump-likes-his-name-attached-to-everything-but-maybe-not-this/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T21:28:37.000Z Somewhere in the Netherlands right now, someone is holding a small green pill with Donald Trump's face stamped into it, deciding whether to swallow it. That sentence should not exist, and yet here we are. [From the AP](https://apnews.com/article/trump-ecstasy-drugs-netherlands-warning-deb14fdd18d452a70fde747310a92003?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > A Dutch drug addiction and mental health institute warned users on Friday about potentially lethal ecstasy pills shaped to look like the head of U.S. President Donald Trump. > The respected Trimbos Institute said that several of the pills have been handed in recently at a network of centers that test drugs for users before they take them. > “Absolutely do not use these pills,” the institute warned. The pills aren't just a novelty. According to the institute's alert, they're packed with PMMA, a chemical cousin of MDMA that works slower and hits harder, which means the people taking these things think the first pill failed and pop a second, unaware they're stacking a drug that cooks the body from the inside. > It released a photo of the pills that have a depiction of Trump’s head on one side and on the other side “NL” and “Trump” stamped into the surface either side of a vertical line. One of the pills has a green face and another is yellow. Yellow. That tracks. > “We do not know of any victims where PMMA was found in their blood,” she told The Associated Press. Well, that's a relief! But it's cold comfort in a country where it is illegal to produce, sell, or use ecstasy in the Netherlands, yet officials, in a 2024 report, estimated nearly 550,000 people used the drug that year. ### How Much Does Roy Cooper Love Him Some ESG Investing? Check Out His Financial Disclosures. URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/how-much-does-roy-cooper-love-him-some-esg-investing-check-out-his-financial-disclosures/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T13:49:19.000Z Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is running for North Carolina's open Senate seat. As part of that effort, Cooper is trying to project an image of himself as the second coming of former West Virginia Senator and conservative Democrat Joe Manchin. But Cooper's investments tell a different story: It turns out the Democrat has plowed tons of money into funds managed by ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance) investment titans. Cooper filed an updated personal financial disclosure form (PFD) with the United States Senate on August 13\. On that PFD, Cooper discloses between $2,605,039 and $5,876,001 invested with two investment houses: Vanguard and Charles Schwab. Both have prioritized ESG investing heavily in recent years. None of Cooper's money sits with explicitly branded ESG funds offered by either Schwab or Vanguard. Recent years have seen a push from conservatives and traditional investment strategy advocates for [divestment](https://nypost.com/2023/05/26/beware-the-guide-for-investors-to-avoid-firms-that-put-politics-over-looking-after-your-money/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) from Vanguard funds, specifically, though less so Schwab. Of Cooper's total investments, $1,284,013 is held with Vanguard, specifically. Back in 2023, Cooper [vetoed anti-ESG leislation passed by the state legislature](https://abc11.com/north-carolina-politics-govenor-roy-cooper-vetoes/13419863/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). The North Carolina legislature [overrode](https://www.nctreasurer.gov/news/press-releases/2023/06/28/treasurer-folwell-lawmakers-voted-wisely-override-gov-coopers-veto-esg-bill?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that veto. North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell [called](https://www.nctreasurer.gov/news/press-releases/2023/06/28/treasurer-folwell-lawmakers-voted-wisely-override-gov-coopers-veto-esg-bill?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) the override a move against "Wacktivism." "The best interests of North Carolina taxpayers and retirees will be served through legislative passage of [House Bill 750](https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2023/Bills/House/PDF/H750v4.pdf?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), which requires investment decisions to be made on the basis of the highest financial returns, not social and political 'wacktivism,'" said Folwell. “This is a good day in North Carolina. We are grateful to those lawmakers who understand the need to shield the state pension plan against the movement to weaponize public retirement systems to achieve extreme agendas,” Folwell continued. Cooper disagreed. He holds at least $250,001 in three Vanguard funds: VYM (Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF), VTIAX (Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares), and VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares). None of those are explicitly ESG funds, but they are Vanguard investments. Of note, Cooper is not the only candidate in this race with an ESG investment problem: As the Washington Examiner [reported](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/in%5Ffocus/4702573/gop-candidate-quality-problem-michael-whatley/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) late last week, "Senate disclosures show six-figure holdings in Alphabet and Microsoft, tens of thousands more in pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer and Merck, and over $130,000 in green and environmental, social, and governance-aligned funds, on top of shares in Yum China." What are those investments? Whatley's [latest PFD](https://efdsearch.senate.gov/search/view/annual/9d6e239f-03fa-4581-bb96-7d7686e02c5c/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) shows the following: - Between $100,001 and $250,000 in Vanguard's[VTTHX](http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=VTTHX&ref=thecrimsonhub.com)\- Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 Fund - Between $1,001 and $15,000 in Vanguard's [VIOO](http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=VIOO&ref=thecrimsonhub.com)\- Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF - Between $1,001 and $15,000 in Tesla - Between $16,001 and $65,000 in GE Aerospace - Between $16,001 and $65,000 in GE Vernova. So that's less in total than Cooper, but unlike Cooper, it includes three explicit green stocks. What's funny here is that Cooper's investments arguably prove correct critics' point about ESG investment houses' flawed approach– a point Cooper has been reluctant to take on board. Here's what would have hypothetically happened to $10,000 invested in Cooper's VYM (Vanguard High Dividend Yield ETF) (black line) versus Invesco's QQQ fund (blue line) since the date of Cooper's veto of the anti-ESG bill. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-30-at-1.13.02---PM.png) Here's what would have hypothetically happened to $10,000 invested in Cooper's VTIAX (Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares) (dark blue line) versus Invesco's QQQ fund (light blue line) over the past five years (VTIAX's different structure means a different method of display with Fidelity). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-30-at-1.17.40---PM.png) Here's what would have hypothetically happened to $10,000 invested in Cooper's VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares) (dark blue line) versus Invesco's QQQ fund (light blue line) over the past five years. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-30-at-1.18.26---PM.png) Whoever wins the North Carolina Senate race (and let's be honest, it's likely Cooper) won't have much of a role to play in steering pension fund investments into politically correct or incorrect directions. That's much more a matter for state-level officials. They will, of course, cast votes that impact the US' credit rating, interest rates on the federal debt, and therefore interest rates on Americans' mortgages and credit cards. What Cooper's portfolio tells us most of all where those topics are concerned is that he's much better-positioned to weather an economic downturn, personally, than the overwhelming majority of Americans– but also that he could have been even better-positioned if he had put his money in QQQ rather than putting the biggest chunks of it into these Vanguard funds. But isn't that just like a classic Democrat to miss opportunities to bank better financial returns because they were more interested in palling around with the "cool kids?" ### Texas shocker: Key Paxton ally MIA in tough Senate fight URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/texas-shocker-key-paxton-ally-mia-in-tough-senate-fight/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T17:26:19.000Z As November nears, the polls are looking rough for Texas Attorney General and GOP nominee Ken Paxton. Despite the fact that he's running against [ultra-woke twelve year-old Doppelgänger James Talarico](https://thecrimsonhub.com/james-talaricos-church-is-a-sanctuary-for-woke-1-craziness/), the Real Clear Politics average has Talarico close to [two points ahead](https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/texas/talarico-vs-paxton?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). So what gives? Paxton has lots of big issues, to be sure, but so does Talarico. If anything, shouldn't this race be so closely deadlocked that it will be decided one way or another by literally a handful of votes? Maybe so. But one big challenge for Paxton has been the fundraising gap and Talarico's massive financial advantage. And as the numbers bear out, big donors are just not shelling out enough for Paxton. Indeed, one of them– Leonard Leo– is completely MIA. Leo was Paxton's biggest backer. Until he wasn't. And his exit from the Paxton universe has had a big, bad effect on campaign finances. As of the end of June, Talarico had raised $31.6 million to Paxton's $9.3 million. Since the beginning of 2025, Talarico has raised an aggregate of $72 million. Paxton has raised a total of $16.8 million. Talarico finished June with $23.3 million cash on hand. According to [Fox San Antonio](https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/tracking-the-money-raised-and-spent-in-the-us-senate-race-between-talarico-and-paxton?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), that was "more than triple" Paxton's treasury. And according to recent fundraising emails, after the runoff, Paxton's campaign bank balance was down to $0. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-1.19.46---PM.png) A Wednesday email from Paxton For Texans steeped in GOP politics, it's a surprising situation, but one that boils down to this: Major GOP financial players remain on the sidelines, each of them waiting for another one to engage before they'll throw cash behind the Paxton effort. Leo, a longtime backer of Paxton– indeed, one might even say the man responsible for Paxton's entire rise, remains on the sidelines, [checkbook and wallet closed](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4570692/ken-paxton-texas-senate-bid-leonard-leo-could-prove-difference/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) (though he is backing Susan Collins in Maine). [Senate Leadership Fund and MAGA Inc](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/29/us/politics/texas-senate-paxton-fund-raising.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) also remain unengaged in the race, each reportedly waiting for the other to spend on Paxton's behalf, but both (and Leo's outfit) concerned about appearing to back a candidate viewed as controversial by the establishment and plenty of non-establishment figures, too. If Leo had put money into the race, it's possible SLF and MAGA Inc would have followed, but this far, none of the three is engaged. Ted Cruz has spent to boost Paxton (he probably wants to show his strength in Texas, or at least convert Paxton backers into early supporters of his 2028 presidential campaign, which is reportedly gearing up in stealth mode). There's a rumor [Elon](https://nypost.com/2026/08/20/business/elon-musk-could-spend-200m-boosting-gop-as-texas-ken-paxton-battles-fundraising-gap/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Musk might engage. But Elon's companies are already gearing up in Washington, D.C., for Democrats to take Congress. Dropping coin on Paxton could seriously rile the about-to-be-new-powers. It's not clear that the guy who has so much riding on politicians not hating him between Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and his other ventures, is likely to make a major enemy of Democrats right now in this way. So, the fundraising deficit persists. And so does the polling gap. Now, had Paxton exercised more caution and avoided several of the manifold ethical messes that he has proactively bathed himself in, this situation would have been easily avoided, years out. But it is ironic that Leo, in particular, never seemed to care about any of that up until this year. He [backed](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4570692/ken-paxton-texas-senate-bid-leonard-leo-could-prove-difference/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Paxton when he was already accruing liabilities beyond the merely philosophical, it would appear because Paxton– flawed though he was– was delivering a lot of results that benefited Leo and his benefactors. Now, he's completely MIA. And if he won't step up, it makes it a lot harder for SLF or MAGA Inc to get there. Why should they take the political hit of bolstering Paxton when his own former best pal won't even buy him a cup of gas station coffee? Truth be told, it would be better if Texas Republicans had recruited more wisely when looking at this Senate race. John Cornyn has long struck too many Texans as a milquetoast dud. Wesley Hunt wasn't impressive. And Paxton is Paxton. But Texas is a state of over 30 million people. It's almost inconceivable that this is where we are, and yet, this is the situation. ### James Talarico's Church Is A Sanctuary For 'Woke 1' Craziness URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/james-talaricos-church-is-a-sanctuary-for-woke-1-craziness/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T14:11:05.000Z James Talarico wants Texas to believe he's a moderate. A humble seminarian, faith over ideology, above the usual Democratic culture-war garbage. His own church torches that act in about four clicks. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-10.07.24---AM.png) A cross draped with the pride flag Talarico has gone to [St. Andrew's Presbyterian](https://www.chron.com/culture/article/james-talarico-transgender-22073763.php?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in North Austin since he was 2 years old, and he's preached there himself while at seminary. St. Andrew's calls itself "[Presbyterian & Progressive](https://www.staopen.org/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)," which is putting it mildly. Pull up the homepage and there's no scripture, no sin, no salvation, nothing that would've made sense to a Presbyterian fifty years ago. Just a pledge to "[affirm the full participation of all ages, sex and gender identities, races, color, and ethnicities in all our endeavors](https://www.staopen.org/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)," like an HR seminar broke into the sanctuary and started redecorating. ## Sign up for The Crimson Hub News, Analysis, Politics, Media, Sports Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. Keep scrolling. It gets worse. St. Andrew's is a "[More Light](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)" congregation, the PC(USA) label for churches that fully affirm and ordain LGBTQ clergy, and the church says outright it exists to help congregations "[lead LGBTQIA+ service and advocacy](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)." It's partnered with [Out Youth Austin](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), an outfit built around "youth of all sexual orientations and gender identities." So when [Talarico told his own congregation in 2022](https://www.chron.com/culture/article/james-talarico-transgender-22073763.php?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that "our trans community needs abortion care, too," nobody there should've blinked. He was quoting the mission statement. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-10.07.32---AM.png) St. Andrew's also holds a formal designation as a "[Reproductive Freedom Congregation](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)," a badge abortion-rights groups hand out to churches that fall in line. It's stapled right next to the LGBTQ material, same page, same self-satisfied tone, like unrestricted abortion access is just another item on the parish activity calendar. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Gemini_Generated_Image_8fsvu8fsvu8fsvu8.jpeg) AI Altered Image Then it goes full State Department. St. Andrew's says it "[support\[s\] peace and human rights for the Palestinian people](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)," partners with the [US Campaign for Palestinian Rights](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), a group whose stated mission is "to end U.S. complicity in Israel's massive violence against the Palestinian people," and has hosted an actual [prayer vigil for an "injured Palestinian who was attacked."](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) On immigration, the church brags about "[offering sanctuary to immigrants in need of refuge](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)" and runs alongside border-activism groups pushing what they call "transnational solidarity." A Presbyterian church in Austin, Texas, running Middle East foreign policy and open-borders talking points through the pulpit like it's a think tank with a collection plate. Then they built a monument to all of it. St. Andrew's has an outdoor walking trail called the [Field of Hope](https://www.staopen.org/social-justice?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), modeled on the AIDS-era original from the 1990s, meant to "lift up people and movements working for dignity, safety, and belonging." A prayer trail for causes, landscaped right onto church property, because apparently a sermon wasn't enough real estate for the agenda. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-28-at-10.09.23---AM.png) Talarico isn't hiding from any of this. He's [talked proudly about marching against the Iraq War](https://www.chron.com/culture/article/james-talarico-transgender-22073763.php?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) with a St. Andrew's group as a middle schooler. This church raised him, and he'll tell you himself he's grateful for it. [Read satirical goodness at The Crimson Comedy Club](https://thecrimsonhub.com/tag/crimson-comedy-club/) Which is exactly the point. Talarico is touring Texas selling voters a gentle, faith-driven moderate who floats above the fray. His actual church is a woke-left instruction manual with a cross bolted to the front of the building, checkboxes and all. Texans can decide for themselves whether "moderate" is the word for a man formed by that. ### Hamasachusetts? Prog candidate executes Olympic Gold-level flip flop on "Gaza genocide" to nab nomination from Biden appointee URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/another-sad-indicator-of-how-anti/ Last updated: 2026-08-27T20:58:21.000Z If it's a day ending in "day," there's a candidate looking to exploit Democratic base Hamasnik sentiment to edge out an establishment Democrat somewhere in America. But the Democratic primary in Massachusetts' sixth district– which will determine who occupies the seat in January, with a Cook D+11 partisan rating– has seen one of the more jaw-dropping instances with candidate Tram Nguyen executing an Olympic Gold-level flip flop on the issue of Gaza, and alleged genocide there, that would make 2008-era Mitt Romney blush. Yesterday afternoon, the Hamasnik group "AIPAC Tracker" [announced](https://x.com/TrackAIPAC/status/2092718373239132432?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) its endorsement of Nguyen. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-3.42.28---PM.png) Minutes later, Nguyen tweeted her thanks and compared the Israeli government to Vietnam's communist regime, which she fled as a child: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-3.43.39---PM.png) This was a rehash of the line Nguyen deployed back on August 13, when she [tweeted](https://x.com/teamtram/status/2088025260536873469?s=43&t=oVVNWxhJWGBQdy45%5FAujNw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that "As someone who fled an authoritarian regime, I know the devastating human cost of violence and displacement," Nguyen added, "The genocide in Gaza must come to an end. It's time to stop writing blank checks for forever wars." All of her Gaza positioning seems to have helped bank an [endorsement](https://x.com/teamtram/status/2091854419985932544?s=43&t=oVVNWxhJWGBQdy45%5FAujNw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) from Squad member, Rep. Ayanna Pressley: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-3.49.28---PM.png) But here's the rub: Nguyen used to be about as anti-Hamas, and AIPAC-aligned as, well, Republican Senator and arch-neoconservative hawk Tom Cotton. As Hamas-sympathetic lefty writer Ryan Grim [pointed out](https://x.com/ryangrim/status/2092795543143530923?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), "In January, in a questionnaire she filled out for Mass Peace Action, Tram Nguyen said that an arms embargo on Israel would result in Palestinians committing genocide against Israelis. Now in August she is supporting exactly that arms embargo." Record scratch. As lefty investigative outlet Sludge previously [noted](https://x.com/Sludge/status/2092319466201747720?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), "an AIPAC-linked super PAC has spent $450k boosting MA-06 Dem candidate Tram Nguyen..." That was observed after Nguyen's shift toward the Young Turks default position began– but likely hinged on her prior comments, as reported by Grim. What's behind the movement? Nguyen looking for any possible edge to best Biden White House staffer Dan Koh in the district being vacated by Rep. Seth Moulton. Nguyen's prior comments have left lots of the "Gaza genocide" crowd on X doubtful of her commitment to the cause. Nonetheless, this is all another sad reminder that the quickest route to banking a victory in a blue state Democratic primary these days is to line up with Hamasniks and reject any pro-Israel support– even if it's helped to get you where you already were in the campaign. And that says nothing good about the state of the current Democratic Party. As a side note, the issue with Vietnam's regime isn't that it's "authoritarian." It's its communist status, which within Nguyen's lifetime including her period in Vietnam, went well beyond the harshness of government seen in, say, the majority of 1980's era Latin America. Vietnam had literal reeducation camps, and some people were held in them for [eighteen years](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1994/05/15/surviving-communist-reeducation-camp/5f6164e7-6370-4d19-95e3-5f10bc66fab0/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) following the end of the Vietnam War. That would, by the way, be years after Nguyen exited her country of birth, and whatever one thinks of Prime Minister Netanyahu, it's quite something to compare the Israeli government to that particular regime. ### Awkward! Katie Britt Erases Moms With 'Birthing Person' Press Release ... Then Condemns Erasing Moms URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/awkward-katie-britt-erases-moms-with-birthing-person-press-release-then-condemns-erasing-moms/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T13:36:55.000Z ### The Republican wants credit for fighting for moms. So why did her office use 'Woke 1' euphemisms? In an [op-ed](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/op-eds/4700925/who-sees-the-mother-what-postpartum-care-should-look-like-in-us/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) this week, Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama couldn't stop saying "mother." Moms. Dearly loved children. She quotes Scripture. She name-drops Hannah, Sarah, and the Virgin Mary. She wants you to believe in her as the senator standing up for women and motherhood in Washington. But earlier this year, Britt's [press release](https://www.britt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/u-s-senators-katie-britt-cory-booker-seek-to-designate-january-23-as-maternal-health-awareness-day/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) about the Maternal Health Awareness Day resolution used very different terminology straight out of "Woke 1": "birthing people." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-27-at-1.42.43---PM.png) Katie Britt press release using the phrase "birthing people" The last few weeks in US politics has been consumed with Democrats trying to walk back weirdo language they used both before COVID and after it– favorite terminology included "Latinx," "unhoused," and "intersectionality." As The Crimson Hub has [documented](https://thecrimsonhub.com/aoc-lockdowns-woke-1-insane-old-tweets-show-her-early-eager-start/), leftist celebrity politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of the worst offenders. Despite recently having suggested that "Woke 1," as she has termed it, was somehow linked to pandemic-era crazy, AOC was merrily tweeting about "Woke 1" hot topics and using pet "Woke 1" phraseology well before the pandemic. She and a lot of her fellow Democrats have continued using this verbiage right up until recently. What's weirder and indicates far more pervasive wokeness across US culture and politics, though, is Britt's word choice just a few months back. Britt's [press release](https://www.britt.senate.gov/news/press-releases/u-s-senators-katie-britt-cory-booker-seek-to-designate-january-23-as-maternal-health-awareness-day/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) describes "community-based maternal health models that have been proven to improve the health of **birthing people** throughout the country" (Emphasis ours) "Birthing people" is a term marketed by transgender and progressive activists who want to use language changes to signal not just the normality and acceptability but also the statistical significance of women who present as men carrying babies to term. That is despite the fact that the number of transgender individuals meeting these criteria constitutes a minuscule proportion of the overall population, making them neither "normal" nor "common" as a matter of statistics-- the core problem that has led to widespread eyebrow-raising, even among demographic groups that traditionally have strongly supported Democrats. For example, a 2024 Ingram Market Research [study](https://donoharmmedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/African%5FAmerican%5FAdults%5FOpinions%5Fon%5FInclusive%5FLanguage%5Fin%5Fthe%5FMedical%5FSetting.pdf?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) found that "nearly 93 percent of Black adults prefer the term 'mother' to the term 'birthing person'" ("chestfeeding" versus "breastfeeding" performs even worse). It would seem that Britt's communications shop, if not the Senator herself, lined up with the other 7 percent surveyed, at least where this release was concerned-- an astonishing factoid considering that she is not just a self-described social conservative, but she also represents a state that is about [26 percent Black](https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AL/PST045225?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), and is the American state with the fifth-highest proportion of Black residents nationwide. Even weirder, though, is the fact that that language isn't even in the actual [resolution](https://www.britt.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/maternal%5Fhealth%5Fresolution%5Ffinal%5Ftext.pdf?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). It says "mothers." It says "women." The only time "birthing" shows up is in "birthing hospital." Britt's bill is still just sitting in the Judiciary Committee. It hasn't gone anywhere. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/booker.webp) New Jersey Senator Cory Booker So nobody *made* Britt's team use that phrase. Cory Booker didn't demand it as the price of putting his name next to hers. It's not in the legislation they're both touting. Britt's use of the phrase might be the result of a simple copy-and-paste from [Booker's press release](https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-britt-announce-reintroduction-of-bipartisan-resolution-designating-january-23-as-maternal-health-awareness-day?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). But if Britt's team is cutting, copying, and pasting from a probable 2028 Democratic presidential candidate's press shop, that looks sloppy at best, and not authentically conservative, at worst. In any event, running away from "Woke 1" appears to be not just a Democratic concern, but a Republican one, too. At least in Britt's office. As the saying goes, "personnel is policy." It seems that personnel is also press releases and performative politicking. ### Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico once claimed “God is a furry” during 2023 sermon URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/texas-senate-hopeful-james-talarico-once-claimed-god-is-a-furry-during-2023-sermon/ Last updated: 2026-08-22T19:34:07.000Z Texas Senate candidate Democrat James Talarico once claimed that “God is a furry, complete with a fake, turquoise blue tail and cat-like ears” during a 2023 sermon delivered at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Austin. Talarico, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, is also a Presbyterian seminarian. When the Texas House is in session, he reportedly attends the church, and has helped with its recent push to attract more Generation Z members. The church is reportedly popular with furries, vegans, “hate has no home here” sign owners, and especially male-female partner couples where both members describe themselves as “queer,” despite never having had a same-sex relationship. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/image--4-.jpg) Paper napkin sketch of God, allegedly produced by James Talarico while bored during Seminary classes/Image via Grok AI Talarico delivered the sermon as part of an effort to counteract “efforts by MAGAs to turn America into a Christian theocracy.” During the sermon, he also spoke of his reluctance to describe himself as a Christian, given that God is typically referred to as “the Father,” and Jesus as “the Son.” “These are incredibly gendered, and frankly anthropomorphic-phobic terms,” Talarico said during the sermon. “The fact is that furries exist because of God, and their existence proves that God is a furry.” “A close reading of the Bible bears this out, and specifically points to God having a turquoise blue, polyester plush tail,” he added, “though that shouldn’t be treated as a cause for bias or hatred towards our furry siblings who prefer pink or orange or yellow tails. Even purple-preferencing furries are in God’s image.” Talarico hedged on what type of anthropomorph God might most closely resemble, but in an exclusive interview with the Crimson Comedy Club, a fellow seminarian granted anonymity to speak candidly said that in academic discussion groups, Talarico had professed an “instinct” that God most closely resembled Sonic the Hedgehog. That was disputed by others in his class, including one student who pressed Talarico on how he could be sure that God was not a giant, invisible rabbit. Talarico currently leads Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton by 1.2 points in the Real Clear Politics polling average. Talarico’s campaign declined to comment to the Crimson Comedy Club, saying the outlet was insufficiently serious to deserve being rewarded with a substance-driven, theologically-sound reply. Beto O'Rourke contacted us, unsolicited, to send along the latest video of him skateboarding onto a small state fair stage, watched by a crowd of thirteen individuals. ### AOC says lockdowns made ‘Woke 1’ insane. Her old tweets show she got an early and eager start URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/aoc-lockdowns-woke-1-insane-old-tweets-show-her-early-eager-start/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T14:45:31.000Z Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been at the center of a minor uproar over comments she made in an interview last week putting distance between herself and the aggressive "woke" politics that brought her and other Squad members to power, and seemingly acknowledging those views may not be as popular as they once were – or as sane as she pretended at the time. The record shows the "Woke 1" early adopter doesn't have a lot of room with which to add such distance. AOC chuckled on air last week as she quoted a local politician on woke politics in response to Karl's questions about past extreme positions among certain Democrats and Democratic Socialists. Laughing, she replied, "I have a local city councilman that has this saying: Woke 1 was crazy." The progressive congresswoman, herself a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, was suggesting and implicitly admitting that there were extreme ideas and rhetoric in her wing of the left, blaming it in large part on lockdowns. She essentially acknowledged that such views aren't popular with most Americans and hinted that in fact it hurts the party's electoral prospects. AOC did couch that pseudo-criticism in pseudo-praise by arguing that the extreme politics moved the so-called Overton Window and therefore had a positive impact on how issues are discussed today. Yet she did face criticism and some mockery over the last several days as a result of the comments, even though she faced very little pushback from Karl. ***"... RHETORIC IN THAT TIME IS NOT RHETORIC THAT WE WOULD USE TODAY..."** Despite the effort to distance herself from extreme comments made by candidates like [Francesca Hong](https://thecrimsonhub.com/hong-again-thanksgiving-hating-dem-socialist-has-another-hot-white-supremacy-take-in-wi-gov-race/) in Wisconsin, and in contradiction of her claims about the pandemic spurring In an article published over the weekend,[ Axios pointed out](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/16/aoc-walk-back-positions-2028?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that AOC's mild walkaway from the wilder views of those years is belied to some extent, though the article did not put it in those words, by her own on-the-record comments from those days, some coming before the COVID pandemic ever reared its head. Axios hit some highlights, such as AOC's ["Defund the Police"](https://x.com/TweetBenMax/status/1277994205521096707?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) rhetoric and activism, about which [she proudly bragged](https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/media/in-the-news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-was-asked-about-defunding-police-and-her-answer-went?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com). They also brought up the infamous “[no choice but to riot](https://rumble.com/v7ed36c-aoc-says-marginalized-groups-have-no-choice-but-to-riot.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)” comments the congresswoman made in a 2019 radio interview. Axios had [a few more](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/16/aoc-walk-back-positions-2028?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) choice examples, including AOC's use of "menstruating person" in 2021\. That one comes after the lockdowns but shows no signs of having been walked back. Dozens of additional examples, many of which didn’t make the Axios article, are from before, during, and after lockdowns. Below are some of the most illustrative. > Our country has a “justice” system that criminalizes poverty + disproportionately targets race, yet routinely pardons large-scale crimes of wealth and privilege. > > Moments like these tell us it’s less a justice system, and more a class enforcement system. ⬇️ [https://t.co/etlIksWsiy](https://t.co/etlIksWsiy?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [April 16, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1118301610864775169?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Reminder: > \- Slavery ➡️ Jim Crow + Redlining ➡️ War on Drugs ➡️ Mass Incarceration > > \- Black Americans & PoC are far more likely to be convicted + sentenced longer than White Americans for similar crimes. > > \- Our system routinely criminalizes poverty + exonerates wealth > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [April 25, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1121434432840376322?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Systemic racism is a root ideology that propped up an extractive economic system that prioritizes profit over human & environmental considerations. > > The injustices of slavery evolved into Jim Crow, redlining, the War on Drugs, mass incarceration, & beyond:[https://t.co/ox9co5QkeB](https://t.co/ox9co5QkeB?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [September 13, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1172312004251574272?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Mass incarceration is our American reality. It is a system whose logic evolved from the same lineage as Jim Crow, American apartheid, & slavery. > > To end it, we have to change. > > That means we need to have a real conversation about decarceration & prison abolition in this country. [https://t.co/9E9NTAmBNi](https://t.co/9E9NTAmBNi?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [October 7, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1181196457145225216?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Ending mass incarceration means challenging a system that jails the poor to free the rich. > > Arresting people who can’t afford a $2.75 fare makes no one safer and destabilizes our community. > > New Yorkers know that, they’re not having it, and they’re standing up for each other. [https://t.co/asvidIe5zV](https://t.co/asvidIe5zV?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [November 2, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1190683133588496389?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) In messages, speeches, and interviews, and particularly on social media, both pre- and post-lockdown AOC wanted to defund the police and abolish ICE, advocated "decarceration" and prison releases, accused wide swaths of America – both citizens and government – of harboring white supremacy, racism, and more. She also made the very serious charge that the United States was running "[concentration camps](https://x.com/AOC/status/1140968240073662466?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)" under Trump, emphasizing she meant it literally and not as hyperbole. She demanded there be "no walls" and "no fences"[ at the border](https://x.com/AOC/status/1011659359951126534?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Promised "no justice, no peace" on immigration. AOC wanted to [defund the entire Department of Homeland Security](https://x.com/AOC/status/1092214829572653056?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) over immigration policies she disagreed with politically, an obvious risk to national security. She was and remains major player in "Abolish ICE" activism. > This video was from 1 year ago this week - before my primary & the Fox News cycle. > > I flew to the concentration camp where the Trump admin was keeping children they stole from their parents. > > Back then, I was voicing my conscience. I still am. [#AbolishICE](https://x.com/hashtag/AbolishICE?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com)[pic.twitter.com/QLyc9MiMsV](https://t.co/QLyc9MiMsV?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [June 18, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1141109343171076109?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) div> AOC was also on the bleeding edge of "Woke 1" gender and euphemism politics, leading the charge on "Latinx" and the "pronouns" explosion. > What great news! > > Shout out to all our non-binary fam in the world, and the activists who’ve worked hard to let us celebrate the full spectrum of humanity 🏳️‍🌈 [https://t.co/BkpdVPleNe](https://t.co/BkpdVPleNe?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [September 18, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1174166966749335554?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Happy Black History Month everyone! > > This month I’d like to celebrate some Afro-Latinx ICONS. > > What better way to start than with the inimitable Celia Cruz? > > Nuestra Reina de Salsa (Queen of Salsa), Celia wrote the soundtrack to my childhood and pretty much all of Latin America. [pic.twitter.com/GGpmMYfHtg](https://t.co/GGpmMYfHtg?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [February 1, 2018](https://x.com/AOC/status/959086792233443328?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > .[@TimKaine](https://x.com/TimKaine?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) & [@DougJones](https://x.com/DougJones?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com), you both should be ashamed of yourselves. > > You each campaigned on the backs of Latinx & African American voters. Now you’re COSPONSORING legislation that makes redlining (a major element of poverty in these communities) easier for Big Banks? > > Step it up. [https://t.co/YeTckR6NZJ](https://t.co/YeTckR6NZJ?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [February 20, 2018](https://x.com/AOC/status/965981020448350209?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > I often think about how I work with white or male allies when they say something insensitive. > > The 1st thing I do is pull them aside + say “hey, you may not be aware of X thing regarding Latinx people, but here is the history and it’s hurtful. If you want to learn more, read Y.” > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [March 5, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1102929545928282113?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > For the curious, in Latinx culture children take \*both\* their parents‘ names. > > It’s not a “progressive, new thing.” It’s just how some names work. PR hyphenates, others mark differently. Your last name = the families that came together to make you. > > AOC is also fine though :) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [March 21, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1108538590903107588?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Over & over again, I hear insider consultants say that investing in Latinx outreach is a “waste of time.” > > When I ran, people TOLD me “not to bother” with my own community. > > Bernie takes Latinx outreach seriously. He was often the only 1 showing up to Iowa satellite caucuses,too. [https://t.co/BkpnR8evbS](https://t.co/BkpnR8evbS?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [February 22, 2020](https://x.com/AOC/status/1231356927801778177?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Another hallmark of "Woke 1" was intersectionality and identity politics and rhetoric. Again, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez was a major figure at the forefront, and not as a consequence of lockdown. > None of this is “whataboutism.” Racism and bigotry of all forms is inextricably linked. > > When you don’t address them as a system and attempt to pick them apart as though they are distinct and separable issues, eventually the thing that gets advanced is white supremacy + classism. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [March 6, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1103160188742307841?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > I respectfully disagree. The disproportionate treatment is what is exacerbating the situation. > > I think this moment is a good opportunity for an intersectional approach. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [March 6, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1103163478024601601?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > The way we reject the 0-sum idea that some communities win at the cost of others is by using opportunities to address issues intersectionally - to highlight that Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all bigotry serve the same ends & that we prevent division by championing one another. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [March 6, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1103164872374845441?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > There is a difference between white supremacists & white supremacy. > > White supremacy is like a virus. > > Supremacists are those who have been completely overcome by the disease, but supremacy - the virus - exists on a larger scale beyond just the infected. It also lays dormant. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [August 8, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1159254426097467394?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Healing ourselves of white supremacy will be hard. It will be hard because it requires us to confront \*ourselves.\* > > We wish it was as simple as denouncing a white hood, a burnt cross, vile language. But we need to address where supremacy \*begins,\* not just where it ends. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [August 8, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1159254459014402050?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) She also often voiced the extremely woke, exceedingly unpopular view that anyone – or any white person – can "aid" racism, assist white supremacy, or be racist without even knowing it just by virtue of who they are or where they live or events that occur in their proximity. > White supremacy is often subconscious. & Clearly, our nation has not been inoculated. WS is our nation’s original sin;the driving logic of slavery, of Native genocide, of Jim Crow, of segregation, of mass incarceration,of “Send Her Back.” > > It never went away. It was just dormant. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [August 8, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1159254457177333760?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > But it is incredibly important that we recognize that perfectly normal, good people are capable of aiding racism & white supremacy. > > Recognizing that is not about pillorying people. It’s about learning to recognize \*the virus\* & end an oppressive system designed to hurt us \*all.\* > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [August 8, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1159254465876299777?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > Recognizing white supremacy in ourselves - our institutions, our subconscious, our own past remarks or acts (no matter how consciously unintentional), is what makes the healing work ahead challenging. > > But it is not impossible,and confronting it is the only way to move forward. > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [August 8, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1159254462277591043?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) On *This Week,* the almost apologetic reminder of past views that Karl sheepishly offered AOC did not include mention of her many, many such views, all of which were perfectly in-line with, if not a primary source of, "Woke 1" politics and ideology. And the idea that she, Hong, and even radical podcaster and purported Democratic kingmaker Hassan Piker have walked back from their extreme views was taken as a given by the ABC journalist. Nevertheless, as Axios pointed out in [brief](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/16/aoc-walk-back-positions-2028?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), and we have documented here more extensively – though not comprehensively or utterly – it's safe to say that prior to the COVID lockdowns, Woke 1 was already well underway. And despite her effort to move toward the so-called "center" in politics, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was one of its chief architects and biggest cheerleaders. Something she herself pointed out. > Tired: Profiles about homogenous, working-class Trump voters > > Wired: Profiles about intersectional, working-class Ocasio voters - > > “They say looking at your phone is a bad thing... but that’s how I learned about intersectional feminism.” - Alejandro Osorio [https://t.co/iUwb3mRdDF](https://t.co/iUwb3mRdDF?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) [January 6, 2019](https://x.com/AOC/status/1081703108001046530?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) **One more thing**: Axios noted that AOC isn't the only progressive left figure trying to court the center in this midterm year (emphasis added): > California Gov. Gavin Newsom said last year that "not one person ever in my office has ever used the word Latinx," **though he repeatedly** [**did**](https://x.com/GavinNewsom/status/1287878270864601088?s=20&ref=thecrimsonhub.com)[**so**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hK%5FZcGlcdM&t=218s&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) **in 2020**. Ouch. ### Paxton's latest eyebrow-raising gambit to grab national, mainstream GOP donor support URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/paxtons-latest-eyebrow-raising-gambit-to-grab-national-mainstream-gop-donor-support/ Last updated: 2026-08-19T12:16:30.000Z As polling averages stubbornly show Democrat James Talarico with a [narrow advantage](https://www.realclearpolling.com/polls/senate/general/2026/texas/talarico-vs-paxton?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in the Texas Senate race, embattled Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is employing an eyebrow-raising gambit to grab at national, mainstream GOP donor support: Deploying his daughter, Mattie Paxton, to assure skeptics that he's actually a totally respectable family man. For years now, Paxton has been dogged by a string of allegations that refuse to quit pointing to big league ethical problems. His fans have seemed to want to gloss over this proverbial rap sheet by pointing to his rock-ribbed MAGAism and Talarico's wokeness and too-earnest demeanor and "I'm actually only twelve years old" visage. That has worked to a degree in Texas; Paxton is close to Talarico in polling, and in fact leads in some polls. But he's not *winning*. And Paxton supporters have fretted for months about a financial imbalance that could see Talarico seated as John Cornyn's replacement in the Senate. Most notably, former Paxton best pal Leonard Leo has [stayed on the sidelines of the race](https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/article/ken-paxton-s-senate-run-missing-leonard-leo-22271227.php?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) after previously spending gazillions to make Paxton into the MAGA star that he is. That, in turn, has kept other GOP SuperPACs– and their gazillions--on the benches. Enter Mattie Paxton, now making the argument via campaign emails to establishment GOP donors that her Dad is a *great* father– with the tacit admission that he is a terrible, terrible husband. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-7.35.20---AM.png) Image from Mattie Paxton's email send boosting her Dad In an email sent overnight and received by multiple more establishment-type GOP donors more drawn to candidates like Susan Collins or Ashley Hinson, the junior Paxton effuses about Paxton senior's presence as a Dad while she was growing up– and the role he's now playing as "Pop Pop" to her kids. "He was at my games, at my school events, present in the moments that mattered and in the quiet, ordinary ones too," the email reads. "He was the kind of dad who made you feel seen and loved, not just on the big occasions, but every single day." But the email also hints at the thing that has been bothering both more establishment-minded donors and family values conservatives, even with "God is nonbinary" James Talarico as a foil: Paxton's ongoing divorce proceedings initiated by his wife, Angela, whom he is alleged to have flagrantly cheated on during their marriage. "My dad is not a perfect man. None of us are," Mattie's email pointedly states, while following up with a note that Paxton "is a man of deep faith, genuine love for his family, and an unrelenting commitment to doing right by the people of Texas." Presumably, an expansive definition of "family" that glosses over the anchor position of "wife" is being used. But here's the real question: Will it work? Of note, the Paxton campaign has done this before. Ahead of this year's primary, where Paxton forced Cornyn into a runoff that Paxton ultimately won, Mattie was prominently featured in a [campaign ad](https://www.thedailybeast.com/wife-cheater-trump-ally-deploys-daughter-to-defend-him-after-homewrecking-claims/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) and as an [oped writer](https://texasscorecard.com/opinion/hayworth-my-dad-is-ken-paxton-and-im-setting-the-record-straight/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Paxton got to where he is now– so presumably it helped, or at least did not hurt. But loads of Texans will have seen that ad when it ran– and yet the polls remain pretty sour for the AG. Will it really be easier to get donors who thought Mitt Romney (husband and father of the year, every year), Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan were just fine and dandy to chip in even $5 here or there when enough Texan voters– who actually are the ones having to make a proverbial Sophie's Choice with their vote this November– haven't been able to even say "Paxton" to a nameless, faceless pollster? In Paxton's favor is the fact that there is precedent for his argument working. Pretty much no one argues that President Trump has been a great and amazing husband over the course of his three marriages (and thanks to Jon Ossoff, we're now enduring yet another round of discussing this on every cable news channel, *ad infinitum*). Before Trump, there was John McCain, who was also demonstrably not a great husband, at least to his first wife, but seems to have performed better on the second attempt and again appears to have done a good job as a father. But Ken Paxton's non-marital alleged misdeeds go well beyond any that McCain ever committed. And they arguably even go beyond those of Trump (check the corruption allegations closely; Trump may get to equivalent territory before the end of this term in office, but among other things, he does not appear to have ever been engulfed in controversy over [an alleged stolen luxury pen](https://www.statesman.com/news/columns/article/james-talarico-ken-paxton-1000-pen-senate-race-22388874.php?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-19-at-8.15.53---AM.png) Ken Paxton, notably **not* in the middle of a high-end pen heist Ultimately, these alleged ethical and legal infractions are not charges Mattie Paxton is especially well-situated to combat. And all the "Talarico is a vegan who believes there are sixty-six genders" needling in the world doesn't seem to be pushing Paxton ahead. It's Texas, so it's still hard to see how literally anyone with the "R" next to their name doesn't pull this out. But the Mattie Paxton effort seems more likely to win the Paxton campaign points for trying, and for trying something that feels vaguely *honest*, especially. That's not the same as fifty percent plus one vote on Election Day, though. ### Fido-No!: Abdul El-Sayed caught begging ASPCA to bury candidate survey after he botches answer to question on favorite type of dog URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/fido-no-abdul-el-sayed-caught-begging-aspca-to-bury-candidate-survey-after-he-botches-answer-to-question-on-favorite-type-of-dog/ Last updated: 2026-08-18T18:14:42.000Z Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed was busted begging top animal charity the ASPCA to “bury” his candidate survey after it emerged he botched his answer to a question about what type of dog was his favorite. El-Sayed, formerly the Wayne County, Michigan director of the Department of Health, Human, and Veterans Services, apparently wrote “dead” in response to the question, not realizing the ASPCA was trying to ascertain whether he preferred Golden Retrievers to French Bulldogs or Beagles or some other type of dog. An ASPCA public affairs staffer was alleged to be behind an anonymous X account that posted a picture of the botched questionnaire and an allegation that El-Sayed had personally contacted the organization to ask them not to release it. The El-Sayed campaign has not denied the survey’s authenticity nor the request that ASPCA bury it, and has said only that it was submitted “in error.” El-Sayed is known for euthanizing a massive number of dogs in the Wayne County DHHVS gig. According to Fox News, “Best Friends Animal Society put Detroit Animal Care and Control’s 2015 save rate at just 20%, while numbers from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's Animal Shelter Annual Report placed its live-release rate at 26%, according to The Daily Mail.” The overwhelming majority of animals euthanized were indeed dogs, with Fox News noting that “The 2015 numbers showed 1,988 dogs and 272 cats, and a total of 2,260 animals were euthanized, the outlet highlighted.” El-Sayed is Muslim; many Muslims tend to dislike dogs and regard them as unclean, though it is worth noting that in some Muslim countries like Turkey, dogs are widespread with many locals liking and caring for them. El-Sayed’s Republican rival, Mike Rogers, reportedly completed the survey with an answer designed to please all dog lovers, refusing to pick a favorite, saying he liked all of French Bulldogs (the most popular breed of dog in America), plus Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. He also continued his answer on a separate page, adding that he loves watching “Paw Patrol,” “101 Dalmatians,” “Scooby Doo,” “Bluey,” and also likes Snoopy, Pluto, and Goofy, and his favorite book as a kid was “Clifford.” In the wake of the request to bury the candidate survey, it has also emerged that El-Sayed repeatedly watched “Lady and the Tramp” as a kid, expressing to numerous friends at the time that he thought the Siamese cats in the film got a bad rap and were the subject of unfair, anti-AAPI, anti-feline discrimination on the part of Walt Disney, who he branded a “known racist.” The El-Sayed campaign declined to comment. ### Taco Bell CEO breathes huge sigh of relief as FDA only just begins cyclosporiasis inspection of Taylor Farms URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/taco-bell-ceo-breathes-huge-sigh-of-relief-as-fda-only-just-begins-cyclosporiasis-inspection-of-taylor-farms/ Last updated: 2026-08-17T19:20:36.000Z Taco Bell CEO Sean Tresvant breathed a sigh of relief this morning after learning the FDA had only just begun its inspection of Taylor Farms facilities following a major outbreak of cyclosporiasis that has been blamed on the company. Crimson Comedy Club received multiple anonymous tips from administrative and support staff at the fast food giant’s Irvine, California, headquarters. According to all of our sources, Tresvant was seen breathing a deep sigh of relief as he read this weekend’s report from [ABC News](https://x.com/ABC/status/2088622312878641313?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Tresvant is reportedly thrilled that, finally, a corporate player other than Taco Bell will be blamed for widespread diarrhea among the American public. For years, the “Mexican” food chain has walked a delicate line between overreliance on Grade D meat and the risk of losing customers should it be forced to raise the price of a Cheesy Gordita Crunch above $5.99\. The addition of rice to what, in the 1990’s, was a plain Bean and Cheese Burrito infamously forced a price hike above 59 cents, but it also came with added protection against full-scale explosive diarrhea, thanks to the binding properties of the rice. The Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito now comes in at a full $2.29, however, showing the perils of discount meal pricing in a tough economy. In a bit of additional gossip, Tresvant is said to have privately commented to Taco Bell CFO Neil Manhas at the water cooler last week that if the cyclosporiasis wave continues long enough, the use of “Taco Bell” colloquially to mean “a laxative,” something “cheap, low-quality, or fake,” or a “late-night, impulsive or questionable choice” might dissipate. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Gemini_Generated_Image_qmigxuqmigxuqmig.jpeg) AI Generated Tresvant is also said to be hopeful the cyclosporiasis outbreak could ultimately help lift the share price of Taco Bell parent, Yum! Brands against that of salad purveyor Sweetgreen—or even block rival Chopt from ultimately seeking an IPO. Crimson Comedy Club reached out to Tresvant, Manhas and Taco Bell’s media relations team for comment, but none was provided prior to publication. One member of administrative staff granted anonymity to speak candidly told us that none of those individuals was likely to be free to reply to our request, as they’d been locked in the bathroom all night and into the morning hours after a dash to the main Irvine location to pick up some Pepper Jack Steak Nacho Fries at 3 am, following a long call about the Taylor Farms FDA inspection with Taco Bell board members. ### Did the Trump Administration Just Quietly Start Fixing Medicare? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/did-the-trump-administration-just-quietly-start-fixing-medicare/ Last updated: 2026-08-13T16:49:46.000Z ## Two under-the-radar moves suggest someone in the room is actually reading the actuarial tables. Nobody throws a party for incremental Medicare reform. There are no campaign rallies for bundled payment models. Prior authorization pilots do not trend on X. Which is probably why almost nobody has noticed that the Trump administration is making a couple of genuinely interesting moves to rein in Medicare spending. First, the big one this week. [Axios reports](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/13/hospitals-on-the-hook-for-joint-replacement-costs?stream=top&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that Medicare officials have expanded a bundled-payment pilot for hip, knee, and ankle replacements to most hospitals nationwide. The program, dubbed CJR-X, sets spending targets for post-surgical care delivered within 90 days of an operation. Hospitals that come in under the target keep the difference. Hospitals that overshoot pay Medicare back. The original version of this pilot ran from 2016 through 2024 in selected regions and generated over $112 million in savings in just its sixth and seventh years. The nationwide expansion is projected to save $725 million over five years. Quality measures are baked into the formula, so this is not a crude cost-cutting exercise. It is an attempt to get hospitals to actually manage spending on some of the most common surgeries seniors undergo. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/trump_oz.jpeg) Hospitals, naturally, hate it. The Federation of American Hospitals called mandatory participation "an overreach of agency authority" and hinted at litigation. The American Hospital Association warned it could become "a permanent payment cut." These are the same organizations that have spent decades treating fee-for-service Medicare as an all-you-can-bill buffet, so their objections should be weighed accordingly. Second, there is the WISeR program, which launched earlier this year in six states. WISeR introduces prior authorization requirements into traditional fee-for-service Medicare for the first time, targeting services CMS considers prone to overuse: skin substitutes, nerve stimulator implants, knee arthroscopy, and the like. Traditional Medicare has historically operated without prior authorization, which is a polite way of saying that providers could order whatever they wanted and bill taxpayers. The program uses AI alongside human clinical review, covers decisions within 72 hours, and includes a "gold card" exemption for providers with clean track records. Democrats have attacked it, which is a reasonable signal that someone's ox is getting gored. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Gemini_Generated_Image_4sopqh4sopqh4sop.png) Here is the part nobody in Washington wants to say out loud: Medicare is going broke. The program now [costs more than the entire defense budget](https://www.crfb.org/blogs/interest-costs-will-leapfrog-medicare-and-defense-year?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). The 2026 Trustees Report projects the Hospital Insurance trust fund will be insolvent by 2033, triggering automatic 11% cuts to hospital payments. Total Medicare costs are projected to nearly double as a share of GDP by the end of the century. The ratio of workers paying into the system to beneficiaries drawing from it continues to shrink. These are not solvable problems if every attempt to introduce cost discipline gets litigated into oblivion by the hospital lobby. Bundled payments and prior authorization are not glamorous. They will not make anyone's stump speech. But they represent something vanishingly rare in American healthcare policy: actual, concrete steps to slow the fiscal bleeding in the largest entitlement program driving the country toward insolvency. If the administration keeps this up quietly while everyone else argues about other things, that might be the most effective reform strategy of all. ### Does Michael Whatley Have His Own Sticky ‘Law & Order’ Problem? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/does-michael-whatley-have-sticky-law-order-problem/ Last updated: 2026-08-12T16:51:18.000Z ## He also reportedly skipped court dates, and bench warrants were issued His foot was heavy enough to get him clocked at nearly 20 mph over the speed limit. Heavy enough to generate 14 traffic cases across two states. And heavy enough, apparently, that when courts told him to show up and answer for it, he just... didn't. Michael Whatley has made law and order a centerpiece of his U.S. Senate campaign, opening the general election flanked by police officers and [promising to "put dangerous criminals behind bars,"](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/michael-whatley-vows-put-dangerous-criminals-behind-bars-us-senate-race-gets-underway?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) while dinging former Gov. Roy Cooper for pandemic-era prisoner releases. But a review of [public court records](https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/law-and-order-senate-nominee-michael-whatley-faced-arrest-skipping-court-2015-nc-traffic?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) shows the former Republican National Committee Chairman repeatedly failed to appear in court for traffic cases, and in 2015, two orders for his arrest were issued as a result. Those "orders for arrest" are what most people call bench warrants. Bench warrants are generally not an asset a candidate wants to carry into a tight Senate race. **THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY CASE** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/whatley.webp) The most serious episode began with a [June 26, 2015, citation in Rutherford County](https://portal-nc.tylertech.cloud/app/RegisterOfActions/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com#/32D138879DD7346D6E796F37F6539191D3BC18F9CBBA6CBA23AE107176D9CD037907ED9060384197E9BE156994F147077D989BF23A6E8D50DCC7B1588D0844E6E5CEFD1D228BB899EA352E60AD22D2D0/anon/portalembed). Records searched by Crimson Hub show Whatley was accused of driving 64 mph in a 45-mph zone, charged as a misdemeanor. He missed his court dates. The court issued two arrest orders, with bonds of $500 and $1,000\. Attempts to serve them in September and December were unsuccessful. Whatley appears to have retained counsel in January 2016, after the arrest orders had already been issued, and the court recalled them. He ultimately pleaded responsible to a reduced charge of faulty speedometer and paid $258 in April 2016\. The records do not indicate he was taken into custody. Raleigh defense attorney Colby Berry told NC Newsline that a driver who signs a citation is promising to appear in court. A defendant may hire a lawyer to appear instead, but the Rutherford County record shows Whatley did not retain counsel until after the arrest orders were issued. **THE PATTERN** Nearly eight years later, while serving as general counsel to the RNC, court records indicate Whatley missed two court dates in a [2023 Martin County traffic case](https://portal-nc.tylertech.cloud/app/RegisterOfActions/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com#/8CF87A5732B166CC44F065CD2E182B62CC24E1129AB2ED15EAB227871BA19BFE7E7F5D890586E20D4B780F217E519FAC8E25B323B1EB6E9D6707B4BA79EC0CEE86F3A9ECC877073E0CFB4BC33132E894/anon/portalembed) for doing 68 in a 55 on U.S. 64 near Jamesville. That was eventually recorded as a traffic-control-device violation. An older case from [February 1997](https://portal-nc.tylertech.cloud/app/RegisterOfActions/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com#/413218ABB1CFF1FD06A565788E55119359C3D86239F6746C8A732C454A0005A42B9C583935DA5885CE83AC0FAE1F939B977107549AF09FA638934FC6743C4F61AB7EF172BB059C14F26D39CFD14167A2/anon/portalembed) also includes a failure-to-appear entry for driving without an operator's license and no seat belt. In Virginia, guilty findings were entered in Whatley's absence in at least four cases, including an HOV violation in Prince William County and an illegal U-turn in Stafford County. A separate [1997 docket](https://portal-nc.tylertech.cloud/app/RegisterOfActions/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com#/C3E91342C5E6F40F53FC24EDECFDE8EA9939A8D84F7D00C7D193F9F8B200EBBF8BE2BA8A00ED2068F8699E22DD79E35918FA9CF4E3A5B0FFCC978FFD4AC664815568690D04FA4020B2025FD4FF31A4F4/anon/portalembed) shows a charge of passing a simple worthless check. The available record does not establish how that case was resolved. At minimum, President Trump has a better record of showing up to court than his former RNC Chairman does. That's an area where Trump probably, well, trumps Whatley. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/whatleytrump.jpg) **THE POLITICS** To be clear: the records reviewed do not show a felony conviction or a violent offense. Whatley's legal history is overwhelmingly speeding, vehicle equipment, and other traffic matters. Public records reviewed by NC Newsline show he's paid $912 in traffic fines since 2015. But the political problem is real. Whatley, 57, built his general election launch around law enforcement. He's picked up endorsements from the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association and the North Carolina Troopers Association. At his July endorsement event, he [told the crowd](https://nsjonline.com/article/2026/07/whatley-receives-unanimous-endorsement-from-police-benevolent-association/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): "I don't think we need to reimagine law enforcement. I think we need to enforce the law." Cooper's record on crime is less than stellar. But the pandemic prisoner release attack isn't the clean hit Whatley wants it to be. As the [Daily Caller](https://dailycaller.com/2026/05/10/we-may-finally-get-answers-on-covid-era-mass-prisoner-release-deal/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) has noted, both Cooper and current Governor Josh Stein were involved. Stein's office negotiated the release settlement while Cooper was chief executive. And Whatley's own state party was out there in 2020 slapping Cooper for failing to "protect folks in prisons" during the pandemic. Shared liability all around. Whatley's campaign did not dispute the underlying court records when it [responded to other reporting](https://www.wcabnews.com/post/whatley-campaign-responds-to-traffic-case-report-targets-cooper-on-public-safety?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Spokesman DJ Griffin called them "speeding tickets" and accused Cooper of trying to change the subject. That's one framing. Here's another: a candidate who wants to enforce the law might want to start by showing up when the law asks him to. ### Did AOC Just Quietly Admit She's Not Running for President? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/did-aoc-just-quietly-admit-shes-not-running-for-president/ Last updated: 2026-08-11T21:41:51.000Z ## Or maybe she's dumber than we all thought There's been a lot of talk about the now-infamous video of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discussing her decision to freeze her eggs at 36\. Everyone's landed on the same read: this is a 2028 tell. She's clearing the decks to run. Maybe. But walk the timeline out, and a different, less flattering story shows up. The theory goes that AOC is freezing her eggs now so she's "free" of the biological clock while she campaigns and, if she wins, serves. Fair enough, campaigning while pregnant or with a toddler is a genuinely hard ask. But so is doing IVF and early parenthood while sitting in the Oval Office. If the goal really is the presidency, then what's the plan? Is she going to go through IVF in her early 40s while in office? Or wait until after two potential terms, which puts her at 46 starting to implant eggs she froze at 36? Neither version lines up cleanly with "I'm running for President." A campaign timeline built around egg-freezing at 36 reads a lot more like someone quietly taking herself out of the running than someone gearing up for it. Or, there is a simpler explanation: this isn't a strategic tell at all. It's the same thing we've seen from her before ([but we knew that already](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/01/07/alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-very-bad-defense-her-falsehoods/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)) — she just can't do math very well. Freezing at 36 instead of in her 20s already works against her on fertility odds, well past the [egg quantity and quality](https://crh.ucsf.edu/blog/egg-freezing-in-your-20s-vs-30s-what-to-know-about-timing-success-rates-and-cost?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) window that makes freezing worth it in the first place. Add a possible run, two terms, and a wait until her mid-40s to implant, and the numbers get worse, not better. If this was meant to signal "I'm prepared to run and have a family," the math doesn't cooperate. It reads more like AOC didn't think the sequence through at all, in the same way she's had "fuzzy math" on what her policy agenda would cost the country. Either AOC just tipped her hand that she's not running in 2028, or she went public with a decision that undercuts its own supposed purpose because she didn't do the arithmetic. Both are plausible, but neither is a great look. And given the pattern, don't expect a straight answer if she's asked directly. ### Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg calls for Chuck Grassley FBI criminal probe after second Grassley electrical appliance turns up dead URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/manhattan-da-alvin-bragg-calls-for-chuck-grassley-fbi-criminal-probe-after-second-grassley-electrical-appliance-turns-up-dead/ Last updated: 2026-08-10T18:13:51.000Z Veteran Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) may have elicited mass sympathy when he announced over the weekend that his beloved vacuum cleaner, Beth, had finally given up the ghost. But after reports emerged online Sunday night that the remains of a burnt-out toaster were found in a junkyard less than a mile away from Grassley’s home, Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg urged the Federal Bureau of Investigation to probe the situation, raising concerns that the President Pro Tem of the United States Senate could be on an electrical device killing spree. The toaster, found in the junkyard located nearest to Grassley’s family farm in Butler County, is reportedly an MCM Vintage Toastmaster Chrome 1950's Model 1B14 with Hospitality Tray. The model is known for its durability, and several such toasters can currently be found listed on Etsy and eBay. But this toaster appears to have been fatally fused. It was surreptitiously deposited in the junkyard around midnight local time on Saturday night. The owner of the junkyard told Crimson Comedy Club that security footage showed a figure who appeared to be elderly and relatively slow-moving, about 6’2” and of medium build, dumping the toaster and then fleeing on foot at a slow jog of about 15 miles per hour. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/image.png) **The toaster found in the Butler County, Iowa, junkyard* The figure wore glasses and farmers' overalls, the junkyard owner said. While Manhattan DA Bragg has no prosecutorial authority in Iowa and it’s not clear the FBI is the right law enforcement agency to be handling alleged crimes in Butler County, Bragg weighed in anyway, telling Crimson Comedy Club that it was important to get to the bottom of the incident. “We’re talking about two dead electrical devices in just 72 hours,” Bragg emphasized. “This is no small thing, and it looks like an example of more lawlessness on the part of the GOP, under Republican Party misrule.” “Republicans claim they are the party of law and order, but once again, we see a pattern that just looks too convenient and highly criminal playing out,” Bragg added. “If the FBI doesn’t get to the root of this, who knows what will happen next. Will a 1970’s-era iron be murdered? What if Grassley deliberately detonates his microwave, perhaps by putting tinfoil in it?” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/image-1.png) Manhattan DA, Alvin Bragg Crimson Comedy Club reached out to Sen. Grassley’s staff for comment. They told us that the Bragg push was another “sick effort to pervert law enforcement and turn prosecutors into de facto deputies of the Democratic Party.” A Grassley spokesperson also clarified that claims that the death of Beth, the vacuum cleaner, might not have been purely coincidental or related to the natural life cycle of what was admittedly a very old appliance were potentially defamatory. “Beth was a much-loved member of the Grassley household, and in fact was beloved nationwide, as evidenced by the New York Times obituary that ran in her honor,” the spokesperson said. “Any suggestion that Sen. Grassley had anything to do with Beth’s demise other than plugging her in, and attempting to use her as per completely normal, is false and defamatory, and we are actively considering our legal options with regard to DA Bragg’s statement.” A different Grassley aide, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, pointed us to an incident in 2010 when neighboring state Sen. Amy Klobuchar was alleged to have thrown an electric pencil sharpener she claimed was malfunctioning across her Senate office. That aide alleged hypocrisy on Bragg’s part, and criminality on Klobuchar’s part. “This is the kind of thing that Alvin Bragg should be concerning himself with. It’s a report of proactive violence towards an electrical device, and by the way, one that was apparently only a few years old at the time,” that aide told us. “Once again, we see Democrats trying to cast aspersions on Republicans by making us out to be murderers of household devices, when the reality is, they are the real criminals.” Bragg refused to respond to that accusation, but did emphasize that he’d taken a strong stance against disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner blaming his phone for him having texted out explicit photos of his genitals back in summer 2011. “Politicians are not some special, protected class,” Bragg said. “We are not above the law, and that includes where use and abuse of electrical appliances are concerned.” ### EXCLUSIVE: Biden-era Voice of America promoted Socialist Francesca Hong in overseas-targeted film short URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/exclusive-biden-era-voice-of-america-promoted-socialist-francesca-hong-in-overseas-targeted-film-short/ Last updated: 2026-08-06T15:14:21.000Z *Hong promotional video raises new questions about Voice of America expenditures and ideology during the Biden years* In the nineteen months since President Trump took office for the second time, progressive outcry over his DOGE cuts to taxpayer-funded media entities like Voice of America has been loud and consistent. A staple argument against the cuts has been that they diminish America's ability to advance foreign policy and core diplomatic and security goals through soft power means, and leave America more vulnerable to enemies including Communist China and similar regimes. But a Crimson Hub audit has revealed that under the prior administration, Voice of America produced and disseminated a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbT-hrK%5FcZQ&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) profiling Democratic Socialists of America member and "fresh face" of the Wisconsin Democratic Party, Francesca Hong. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-06-at-11.09.22---AM.png) VOA's Hong puff video, titled "Cookin' Up Policies" In the video, titled "Cookin' Up Policies," Hong is mostly profiled as the first Asian-American member of the Wisconsin legislature and as a chef. But she also makes time to mention lefty policies ranging from "food sustainability" to "climate justice" to a vastly-increased minimum wage. That might be expected from an elected official who joined the Democratic Socialists of America in [2020](https://actionnetwork.org/events/endorsement-interview-with-francesca-hong?utm%5Fsource=chatgpt.com), years before the video was produced and posted online. The Voice of America video does not mention her DSA affiliation, perhaps not surprisingly, given its intended dissemination into South Korea and Asia more broadly. South Korea is the Western-aligned nation left after the Korean War split the Korean peninsula into a Communist chunk, and a non-Communist chunk. Communist China remains a strategic rival in the region today, just as it did during the Korean War that divided the peninsula and in which it played a key role. Democratic Socialists like Sen. Bernie Sanders explicitly differentiate themselves as socialists from "Social Democrats" of the type found in Europe, putting them on the ideological continuum between European center-left parties and full-on communist regimes in Asia and Latin America. Those governments have widely been regarded as American adversaries by the entire right and most of the political left in the US. So why was Voice of America spending US taxpayer money to hype a Korean-American Democratic Socialist, given the US' multi-decade anti-socialism-on-the-Korean-peninsula-and-across-Asia strategic objectives? For now, the specifics of this editorial decision remain a mystery; Voice of America representatives did not reply to our request for comment prior to publication. However, the Hong film short seems egregiously out-of-step with the objectives of an organization intended to advance American values and objectives. ### MoveOn.org partners with top Etsy seller 'Crafting Cyndee' to gift every NIAID scientist a new Fauci-themed 'lock and key' secret diary URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/moveon-org-partners-with-top-etsy-seller-crafting-cyndee-to-gift-every-niaid-scientist-a-new-fauci-themed-lock-and-key-secret-diary/ Last updated: 2026-08-06T13:18:52.000Z In the wake of revelations by Senator Rand Paul that Dr Anthony Fauci kept a secret diary detailing discoveries made during the COVID-19 pandemic that allegedly conflicted with his public statements, top progressive non-profit MoveOn.org has announced a partnership with top Etsy seller “Crafting Cyndee” to gift every NIAID scientist a new Fauci-themed “lock and key” secret diary. “These diaries will enable future NIAID leadership, as well as the rank-and-file corps of scientists, to better keep secrets about discoveries they have made that might conflict with their public statements or even congressional testimony regarding future pandemics,” a MoveOn.org spokesperson said in an exclusive interview with the Crimson Comedy Club. “We don’t want those scientists putting everything on email, or typing it into a computer, where it can be so easily discovered again by pesky senators,” the spokeswoman added. “For generations, little girls across America have relied on traditional, ‘lock and key’ diaries to keep their secrets safe, and now, thanks to this partnership, people with reams of PhD and MD degrees will have that same opportunity.” The diaries are a custom design developed by top Etsy seller, “Crafting Cyndee.” Crafting Cyndee has operated a top-five best-performing Etsy shop for three years in a row now. Previous best-selling items have included fake penis prosthetics for transgender babies, yoni-scented candles, and organic hemp bags designed for repeat use at self-fill chia seed dispensaries at Pacific Coast co-ops. The initial round of diaries, which will be provided first to self-described non-binary and neurodivergent NIAID scientists, will be funded through a generous one-off donation from communist billionaire Neville Roy Singham, husband of Code Pink co-founder Jody Evans. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Gemini_Generated_Image_mb7gy2mb7gy2mb7g-1.png) Neville Roy Singham with his Anthony Fauci bobblehead - AI Generated Image “We’re excited about this public sector-private sector partnership that will help keep our allies laboring under an American regime overly concerned about transparency safe from future public scrutiny,” said World Health Organization deputy head of US partnerships Gerhard Muller von Fabenhorstenguten, speaking from his office in Geneva. “The world needs more Dr. Faucis if we are to ensure future racial justice representation in international health research funding and a steady stream of grants to Chinese laboratories, free from pesky questions about ‘gain of function’ research,” von Fabenhorstenguten added. A mass-consumer-market version of the diaries will also become available in time for the 2027 holiday season, Crafting Cyndee confirmed through a spokesperson. “Our initial AI market analysis indicates huge uptake among more conservative Generation X purchasers for their Baby Boomer mothers, especially where those mothers have a demonstrated pattern of donating to MoveOn.org, ActBlue, and candidates like Abu El-Sayed, Zohran Mamdani, AOC, and Ilhan Omar.” ### There's No Overtime Primary: Here's How GOP Will Replace Ex-Nominee Chuck Edwards On NC Ballot URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/theres-no-overtime-primary-heres-how-gop-will-replace-ex-nominee-chuck-edwards-on-nc-ballot/ Last updated: 2026-08-06T13:06:47.000Z Incumbent North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards on Wednesday announced he’s abandoning his reelection bid despite having won the GOP primary. The beleaguered second-term U.S. congressman’s exit won’t trigger a primary do-over, though. And it won’t mean second place becomes first. Instead, an obscure bit of state election law has been set in motion that will see Edwards replaced on the ballot without a single additional primary vote cast. “After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to withdraw from my re-election campaign,” Edwards wrote in a pre-dawn post on X, Wednesday, just days after the House Ethics Committee released its finding there is “substantial reason to believe Representative Edwards violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.” The report, which recommended his censure, was released on Monday. Edwards dropped out less than 48 hours later. And now the GOP needs a new candidate. ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!8Imw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F66c0a2c9-a070-4e57-a1f0-e2f07693f9e2_640x306.jpeg) And that’s where things are a bit quirky. The fact that the GOP’s primary winner is dropping out doesn’t give the runner-up the nod, for obvious reasons. You can’t take the distribution of votes that were cast as a given, so there’s no way to say taking the guy in second would be the “will of the people.” But it also doesn’t mean everyone will now vote again. [North Carolina General Statute 163-114](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter%5F163/GS%5F163-114.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) assigns such a vacancy in a House nomination to the party’s relevant district executive committee, which is NC-11 in this case. It doesn’t promote the runner-up, require a new district convention, or reopen candidate filing for new blood. And there’s no relevant Federal law either, not to have another primary or what to do in the event of a quitter. So in other words, deciding who will replace Edwards on the ballot against Democrat Jamie Ager and Libertarian Travis Groo is a task that now falls to the NC GOP’s 11th Congressional District Executive Committee. That’s a committee composed of district officers, county party leaders, elected members-at-large, and appointed officials. **WHEN** Now, this doesn’t technically happen automatically, though it’s what’s going to happen. But strictly speaking, just announcing he is out doesn’t really count as an official withdrawal. [Under Section 163-113](https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter%5F163/GS%5F163-113.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), Edwards has to submit a *written request* to the North Carolina State Board of Elections to drop out, and do so **before** the first day military and overseas absentee ballots are sent. For the November 3 election, absentee voting [begins September 4](https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting/upcoming-election?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). So time is of the essence, both in terms of the deadline for withdrawal and the party’s process for selecting a replacement. **WHO** And while it’s not the electorate per se making the call, it’s not a small handful of party brass, either. The party’s [plan of organization](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ncgop/pages/12797/attachments/original/1781816142/2026%5FNCGOP%5FPlan%5Fof%5FOrganization.docx.pdf?1781816142&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) lays out the executive committee as including four district officers, chairs and vice chairs representing the district’s counties, 25 elected members-at-large, and three appointed positions: the finance chair, audit committee chair and general counsel. That adds up to theoretically as many as **64** voting positions for NC-11’s replacement, though with vacancies and some members holding more than one position, the actual voting roll will be smaller. The district’s current [public leadership page](http://current%20public%20leadership%20page/) identifies Merry Guy as chair, Ashley Hart as first vice chair, Michael Lyons as secretary and Kim Genova as treasurer. Molly McKim is second vice chair, who [under the district plan](http://under%20the%20district%20plan/) substitutes only if the first vice chair isn’t present. **HOW** Now, [calling the meeting is relatively straightforward](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ncgop/pages/12797/attachments/original/1781816142/2026%5FNCGOP%5FPlan%5Fof%5FOrganization.docx.pdf?1781816142&ref=thecrimsonhub.com). The district chair can do it, or one-third of the committee’s voting members can force the issue. The party plan generally requires 10 days’ notice, unless members unanimously agree to waive it. Once assembled, 25% of the committee constitutes a quorum unless district rules set a higher threshold, and members have to show up for themselves. Proxy voting isn’t allowed. ****…the committee is even free to choose a Republican who never appeared on the primary ballot** ***at all** **…** **WHOM** And then it all comes down to this. This is the real ballgame: who can be named. Nominations are **open**. Committee members can nominate one or more eligible Republicans, and nothing in the published rules gives primary runner-up Adam Smith a leg up. Smith can certainly be considered, but the committee is also free to choose a Republican **who never appeared on the primary ballot at all**. Exactly how the vote proceeds gets slightly more technical. [The party plan turns to Robert’s Rules of Order where its own rules are silent](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ncgop/pages/12797/attachments/original/1781816142/2026%5FNCGOP%5FPlan%5Fof%5FOrganization.docx.pdf?1781816142&ref=thecrimsonhub.com), meaning ordinary majority rule would generally apply unless the committee adopts some other lawful procedure. That majority-vote standard is an inference from the party’s published rules, by the way, not something explicitly spelled out in the state law governing the replacement. There are some limits on whom they may pick, but not many, really. The replacement has to meet the [Constitution’s qualifications for the U.S. House](https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/article-1/section-2/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): be at least 25 years old, have been a U.S. citizen for at least seven years, and a resident of North Carolina when elected. Notably, the Constitution does not require members of Congress to live in the district they will represent. **THE BALLOT** Once the committee makes its choice, it certifies the new nominee to the State Board of Elections. If ballots haven’t yet been printed, the new candidate’s name goes on them. If they have, state law calls for them to be reprinted where practical. And if they can’t be, there’s one more quirk: a vote cast for Edwards will count for the Republican who replaced him. **THE PLAYERS** So who are the people who will likely make the final decision? The Crimson Hub and Howe It Is have reconstructed the likely voting pool from district and county party records and the 2025 district convention minutes. The list isn’t definitive, since vacancies, overlapping offices and several positions with uncertain current status could change the final roll, but here’s who the available public records put in the room: ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B0k5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F25b01101-fa2b-4bd2-a373-77cfacfe72e2_700x830.jpeg) ![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!GoGh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fbe927866-3ef3-41f7-8243-fd69109d8121_700x798.jpeg) The operative word there is “likely.” The committee’s official voting roster will ultimately settle vacancies, overlapping offices and several positions whose current status can’t be established conclusively from public records. The secretary-certified roll should resolve current vacancies, the three appointed offices, any county vice-chair changes, the status of the Polk at-large seat, and whether Molly McKim will substitute for Ashley Hart. It should also account for the [one-person, one-vote rule](https://assets.nationbuilder.com/ncgop/pages/12797/attachments/original/1781816142/2026%5FNCGOP%5FPlan%5Fof%5FOrganization.docx.pdf?1781816142&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) where offices overlap: Kim Genova is both district treasurer and Haywood chair; Jeff Patterson may hold both a county and at-large seat; and Harvey Sankey may hold both an at-large seat and the audit chairmanship. For a definitive list, the most reliable records will be the voting roster issued for the committee meeting, the final credentials or roll-call record and the certification sent to the State Board. The district’s public contact address is info@nc11gop.org. *This post originally appeared on* [*Howe It Is*](https://www.calebhowe.us/p/theres-no-overtime-primary-heres?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)*.* ### HONG AGAIN: Thanksgiving-Hating Dem Socialist Has Another Hot 'White Supremacy' Take In WI Gov Race URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/hong-again-thanksgiving-hating-dem-socialist-has-another-hot-white-supremacy-take-in-wi-gov-race/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T23:42:32.000Z ### *Leading Democrat pick for Governor serves racism accusations à la carte in Wisconsin.* MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - Democrat and Democratic Socialist State Rep. Francesca Hong is both leading in her party's gubernatorial primary race and leading all Wisconsinites in having wild hot takes blow up on social media in the final weeks ahead of the vote. Among the recent controversies was her failed attempt to explain away an atrocious anti-Thanksgiving post to X, one of many polarizing hot takes that have taken social media by storm. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Francesca-Hong-Socialist-Thanksgiving-Is-Racist-1.jpg) **Screenshot via CNN* Leaving aside that her "so be it" is practically an endorsement of reform by pandemic, it's just a single, if wacky, example of her many appeals to racism, white supremacy, "colonialism" and any other buzzword that might feel at home when rallying with the likes of Hasan Piker and Rep. Ilhan Omar. Which [Hong did](https://x.com/FrancescaHongWI/status/2083973366159986769?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), by the way, over the weekend. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Ilhan_Omar-Hasan_Piker-Francesca_Hong_Socialist_WI-1.jpg) **Screenshot via Jonathan Klett on YouTube* Those words were also prominent in a [2021 interview](https://archive.is/9ZDLV?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Hong gave to website Hollywood Life back in 2021 when she declared that the restaurant business and the concept of tipping are as racist and white supremacist as the police, ICE, and Thanksgiving. Writing about Hong's activist group for women and "non-binary chefs" in an article about the state rep.'s pandemic-inspired move to politics, the site wrote, " > It’s not just sexism. Racism is rampant in the restaurant world, as well, says Hong, something that she’s kept in mind as she works at Wisconsin’s capital. “If we think about the structure of restaurants, especially the power between workers and restaurant owners. That structure is rooted in white supremacy and racism," Hong said in the interview. "If you look at where tipping came from, if you’re looking at who is making the food vs. who is receiving and gaining access to that experience." ***"THAT STRUCTURE IS ROOTED IN WHITE SUPREMACY AND RACISM"*** Restaurants, tippers, turkeys, cops, ICE, and even "the senate" are all targets of the far-left candidate's endless volley of "white supremacy" accusations. A suitable if transparent application for membership in The Squad, a group affiliation to add to a dubious list, including the Democratic Socialists of America. **AND ON A PARTING NOTE**: Why would taxpayers have to pony up to promote this extreme leftist DSA member to South Korean audiences we literally fought a war to keep from being subjected to communism? Because [that happened](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbT-hrK%5FcZQ&ref=thecrimsonhub.com). It's a VOA DSA WTF, I'd say. If we have to get rid of programs like Voice of America to prevent this kind of thing then, in the words of wannabe Squad member Francesca Hong, *so be it*. ### Michigan Senate candidate El-Sayed offers surprise explanation for alleged anti-Semitism in new interview URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/michigan-senate-candidate-el-sayed-offers-surprise-explanation-for-alleged-anti-semitism-in-new-interview/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T15:56:32.000Z With just hours until Michigan’s polls close in the 2026 Democratic Senate primary, left-wing candidate Abu El-Sayed offered the Crimson Comedy Club a surprise explanation for alleged anti-Semitic comments. El-Sayed, an epidemiologist by trade, said that the entire narrative about him hating Jews was down to a simple misunderstanding: He has indeed bashed “Zionism” and “Zionists” in the past, but that’s because he has a particular hatred for Utah’s Zion National Park and believes it is overhyped relative to neighboring Bryce Canyon National Park. “Look, I’ve been an avid hiker for years,” El-Sayed explained. “I’ve visited both parks, and I simply do not understand why Zion is regarded as so ‘special’ by so many of my fellow outdoor enthusiasts. This is almost like an article of faith for them, and this special relationship that Americans—especially the right wing—seem to think exists between all of us and these ‘Zionists’ needs to stop.” When asked what steps he would take as a US Senator to address this state of affairs, which El-Sayed described as “shocking to the conscience,” El-Sayed pledged to cut off taxpayer funding for all Zion Park-related interests. “That includes so-called ‘self-defense’ measures,” El-Sayed added. “American taxpayers should not be on the hook for paying for park rangers for this abomination.” When further pressed about statements he has made regarding “Jews,” El-Sayed said that was a separate issue where transcription errors have been made. “Look, I have no problem with anti-Zion Jews. The majority of American Jews are very progressive and recognize that Bryce Canyon has been getting short shrift, even to the point of its virtual extermination, as a result of Zionist dogma within the American political class. What I do have a problem with is all this pro-Zion policy, and also juice. I really, really, really hate juice. The world should be cleansed of juice as soon as is humanly possible,” El-Sayed offered. El-Sayed pointed to at least 130 procedural votes that rival Democrat Haley Stevens had cast in support of budgets that funded everything from park rangers to wildfire prevention to connect-the-dots worksheets for kindergarten visitors to Zion during her term in Congress. His campaign spokesperson also noted that Stevens has received corporate PAC donations from Minute Maid, Tropicana, and even Florida’s Own, as well as several suspicious high-dollar donations from megadonors using addresses in Southwestern Utah. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/Gemini_Generated_Image_yp11f8yp11f8yp11.png) Haley Stevens - AI Generated “Stevens needs to understand that a huge volume of Michigan voters have a deeply personal, and deeply negative experience, with these Zionists. In addition, we drink soda, coffee, and tea here. We are anti-juice. And as for Mike Rogers, well, he is even more deeply in the pocket of these Zionists, and he loves juice more than he loves his own would-be constituents.” The Stevens campaign declined to respond to El-Sayed’s attacks in detail, saying just that El-Sayed’s anti-juice, anti-Zion attacks would make him unelectable in a general election. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/rogers-oj.jpeg) Mike Rogers - AI Generated The Rogers campaign told the Crimson Comedy Club that Rogers is a huge fan of juice, and drinks several glasses a day, ranging from orange to apple to cranberry. Rogers is also an advocate of more security for Zion National Park and confirmed that he would vote for continued funding of park shuttle services, higher pay for rangers, and trail improvements if elected in November. ### Seriously, What Is Wrong With the NCGOP? Chuck Edwards Edition URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/seriously-what-is-wrong-with-the-ncgop-chuck-edwards-edition/ Last updated: 2026-08-04T12:47:39.000Z Quick quiz: what does it take to get censured by your own colleagues in Congress? Apparently, a poem, a puzzle, two engraved handguns, and thirty pints of ice cream. [The House Ethics Committee released its report Monday](https://www.axios.com/2026/08/03/chuck-edwards-house-ethics-sexual-harassment?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) on Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), and it reads less like a congressional document and more like a registry. The panel found Edwards violated House rules on sexual harassment. Not "may have." Found. Bipartisan, unanimous, and now recommending censure, teed up for a full House vote whenever Congress remembers it has a job after Labor Day. Here's the gift list, straight from the committee's own report: > "Numerous gifts from Representative Edwards, including jewelry totaling over $1,000, designer purses, guns, shoes, flowers, a laptop and cell phone, KitchenAid mixer, a robotic vacuum, vacations, tickets to performances, and one-on-one dinners." A robotic vacuum. The guns were personalized, pink for one staffer, blue for the other, both engraved with their names. Then there's the poem, read aloud, teary-eyed, at a staffer's going-away party while colleagues in the room told the committee they felt uncomfortable. The handwritten letter telling her she'd written "a complex chapter in my heart." The Adam Sandler puzzle mailed with a dinner invitation. The singer he hired to perform Ed Sheeran at her birthday, billed as "from a special someone." Thirty pints of ice cream. And Vegas, where he had flowers waiting in a former staffer's hotel room during the government shutdown and testified he kept the trip secret from his own scheduler because "rumors swirled around." Edwards' lawyers say the committee cleared him of actual misconduct and that censure rests on vague standards, not a hard rule violation. Maybe. Try making that argument stick after the ice cream part. In May he called the allegations "horseshit" and told *Axios* he'd welcome an investigation. He got one. Now here's the part nobody in Raleigh wants to say out loud: Edwards isn't an anomaly, but a pattern in that area. His seat is in the 11th District, the same as former Rep. Madison Cawthorn. The same Cawthorn who confirmed on the record that a video of himself naked and dry-humping another man in bed was real, and called its release a "blackmail" campaign. That was in addition to the unsubstantiated claim that fellow House Republicans were doing cocaine and inviting him to orgies, which he later admitted to Kevin McCarthy was exaggerated, and on top of getting stopped trying to board a commercial flight with a loaded handgun — twice. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/cawthorn.jpeg) Madison Cawthorn Cawthorn only got his shot because Mark Meadows left for the Trump White House, kicking off a primary fight over his handpicked successor, Lynda Bennett, a Haywood County realtor and close friend of Meadows' wife, Debbie. Bennett had the machine and eventually Trump's own endorsement. She still lost to a 24-year-old nobody had heard of two months earlier, helped along by a mysterious "Never Trump" recording Meadows swore was doctored, though to trained ears used to the arguments and talking points of "Never Trumpers" who backed Ted Cruz in 2016, it sounded completely legit. Rumors on the ground in North Carolina back in 2020 also focused on an alleged unusual relationship between Meadows' wife and Bennett, rumors that have never been substantiated but also helped turn voters against her. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/08/meadows.jpg) Mark Meadows Run the tape: a seat emptied for a White House job, an unproven rumor that sank the machine candidate, a chaos agent who won anyway, and now a formal harassment finding against the guy who holds the seat today. Four Republican nominees, one western North Carolina district, six years. It's worth remembering that when all of this played out – plus the Mark Robinson for North Carolina Governor campaign – current Senate candidate Michael Whatley was GOP Chairman in North Carolina. He was also Chairman when the saga unfolded involving [Harvey L. West](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/e-mail-washington-secrets/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), convicted of sex offenses involving two 14-year-old girls and one 16-year-old, who Whatley did nothing to ostracize from his role as an important fundraiser and event host for the party, despite plenty of intra-party criticism that continues to this day. At some point, Whatley is going to have to address all this in a more direct and substantial way than he has to date, especially since we're hearing rumors that he's trailing Roy Cooper (blech) by three points in Edwards' district, which used to be Cawthorn's district, which was supposed to have been Bennett's district. Maybe the state party can get some tips from Edwards on which brand of robotic hoover to buy to clean this mess up. The whole situation is looking about as sticky as thirty melted pints of ice cream. ### BUSTED: Autism pros caught ripping off taxpayers, insurance plans across the... South? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/autism-pros-caught-ripping-off-taxpayers-insurance-plans-across-the-south/ Last updated: 2026-08-03T17:58:13.000Z For months now, loads of attention has been concentrated on the problem of "[autism fraud](https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/first-defendant-charged-autism-fraud-scheme-0?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)" in Tim Walz's Minnesota. But a new report makes clear that this problem is not just rearing its ugly head in liberal enclaves up North. Nope: Along with summer's heat and humidity, autism fraud has now come to America's South. Medicaid spent more than $5.15 billion on Applied Behavior Analysis therapy between 2018 and 2024, and three providers alone collected roughly $685 million of it, according to [HHS data reported by Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/latest-fraud-scheme-targets-taxpayer-funded-autism-therapy-boom?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). A ton of that has occurred in the South. Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a statewide Medicaid Integrity Initiative last month after the state recovered more than $72 million in improper Medicaid payments and barred hundreds of behavior analysts from the program over documented fraud. DeSantis has, of course, taken a pounding over this. But the numbers are staggering and demonstrate just how fiscally untenable dishing out these funds without rigorous oversight is. And in North Carolina, a crackdown is also playing out. The Tar Heel state's auditor clocked a 47,000% increase in autism therapy billings in the state over five years, from $1.4 million to more than $660 million annually. Even the state's Democratic attorney general, Jeff Jackson, told lawmakers this year that the growth in ABA billing "deserves to be flagged as a potential source of fraud," and confirmed his office has open investigations into phantom billing schemes. Where are the fraudsters perpetrating all this in Florida and North Carolina coming from? Unfortunately, the answer also appears to be... the South. A [state-by-state breakdown](https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2026/04/27/autism-therapy-costs/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) of North Carolina's biggest ABA billers shows how fast newcomers to the field have grown. One of them, Autism Behavioral Institute, based in Savannah, Georgia, only had its National Provider Identifier assigned in 2019, yet billed North Carolina's Medicaid program more than $10.8 million for ABA therapy in 2025 alone. That is a seven-year-old company pulling eight figures a year from a single neighboring state's Medicaid program. Nobody serious disputes that autism diagnoses have risen. Nobody serious believes diagnoses rose 47,000%. Also in Georgia, concern has exploded from insurers paying claims that professionals lacking full psychiatric qualifications have been billing payers as if they were credentialed to the hilt, raising costs sharply. Records obtained by [State Affairs](https://pro.stateaffairs.com/ga/health-care/georgia-medicaid-children-caresource-cuts?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) show that CareSource reclassified licensed psychologists as "mid-level and/or non-physician providers" in October 2025, cutting their reimbursement rate from 100% down to 85%. Psychologists are less qualified than psychiatrists and arguably do not meet Georgia state law requirements for some autism-related work. Georgia requires a doctoral degree and a license to conduct the psychological testing used to diagnose autism and other conditions in children. A "mid-level provider" is, by definition, someone with only a master's degree who is not authorized to perform that testing at all. If CareSource's classification is accurate, psychologists billing at the physician rate were never entitled to it in the first place, since a real academic and licensing gap separates a doctorate-holding psychologist from a master's-level provider. Nonetheless, a bevy of psychologists– not just psychiatrists– had been billing the full rate. Clinics are now pushing back hard on CareSource's efforts to recoup the money. Despite all this, Georgia's state government response has not followed the example of either Florida or North Carolina, leaving insurers to battle over exploding costs and risk being tagged for "denying care to autistic kids." But the reality is that autism fraud is emerging as a huge issue, and a buster of state and private employer benefits and budgets. Florida and North Carolina are leading the charge on fixing the problem, leaving Georgia looking behind the curve. ### So Why DID James Talarico Use a Stunt Truck in Sad Ad Ploy? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/james-talarico-uses-stunt-truck-in-sad-ad-ploy/ Last updated: 2026-07-30T15:56:44.000Z A video making the rounds on Wednesday is not a Dodge trucks ad, but you could be forgiven for thinking so. As it turns out, it's actually just an embarrassing campaign ad. 0:00 /0:30 1× Oh wait, wrong clip. *Here's* the correct one: Can you imagine buying a pick-up truck called a Colorado to seem more Texan? That's basically what James "Jesus Loves Abortion" Talarico did. He's a Chevy Colorado owner and, by all accounts, right in the brand's wheelhouse. But still, in a new ad, he's driving around in what is apparently a rented Dodge Ram. > Odd detail in new Talarico ad. He drives a Chevy Colorado, which has appeared in other ads and in profiles. > > But here he's driving a Dodge Ram 1500\. And it's not hard to spot; you can see the plate, which is linked to an Enterprise rental. > > Was his car in the shop or something?… [pic.twitter.com/CeBPmhcZQr](https://t.co/CeBPmhcZQr?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) > > — David Weigel (@daveweigel) [July 29, 2026](https://x.com/daveweigel/status/2082501846724190294?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) Now, I know what you're gonna say: "But Caleb, you're always wearing Ford hats so you're biased!" Oh wait, y'all don't know me that well. Okay, then maybe you were going to say "But stranger online, if he actually owns a pick-up already, why would using a different one in an ad burnish his image?" Let me answer that question with a pullquote, as we say in the business. > **They named it the Colorado because you’d have to be high to think buying one was a good choice.** There are jokes about the Chevy Colorado all over the internet, as with most things. But these do seem to follow a central theme, and one that is surpassingly apt for Talarico. > **The bed of a Chevy Colorado stays new forever because it's never used to haul anything but Whole Foods groceries and "I'm With Her" signs.** I may have tweaked that one, but you get the idea. Talarico is the Texas candidate who keeps trying to convince everyone he's a down home Christian Texan by arguing that, "*Akshully* all this progressive gender stuff is exactly what the Bible *meant* to say!" With the trucks it's a pretty simple basis. The demographic profile of their customers, the target audience for their respective ad campaigns, the places they are popular. Here’s what one source who has worked extensively in automotive marketing told me: “Colorado buyers tend to be younger by about nine to ten years. They’re also less well-off, generally, than Ram 1500 buyers. That’s just as you would expect, given the $20-30,000 price differential between the two trucks (the Ram 1500 is the more expensive). The Colorado is more for urbanites and suburbanites who want a parkable truck. The Ram is more for heavy duty, rural towing, and again, it’s generally regarded as a much more comfortable truck—so again, more sought after by better-off, older men—also known as Republicans. People who maybe have some back problems, because they're not 25 or 30 years old anymore.” For what it’s worth, searches with Google and Microsoft AI support that assessment and comparison. So does normal intuition. (Democrats are big on intuition.) You can look at the RAM and *see* it looks tougher than the Colorado. Size matters. That RAM is taller, longer, wider. More like a truck. Better for an ad. He's wearing lifts to look taller. Think Dukakis tank. So why would Talarico diss his own truck? Because he’s probably already getting the support of more than enough urban and suburban younger men who like the idea of the Texas aesthetic, but are married to, date, or pal around with what right-wingers call AFWLs. [Affluent White Female Liberals](https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=AWFL&ref=thecrimsonhub.com). But the rural, richer, older, male voters Democrats covet, the people who probably loved Rick Perry as governor, but maybe aren't quite as sold on Ken Paxton? Yeah, he needs them. He thinks he can get them, sway them. And there's no detail too small when the margins are like they are. Talarico's entire gimmick, like much of his party, is trying to pitch himself as a good ol' boy who just happens to also love drag shows and abortion. What he wants is to hit that sweet spot where he's just lib enough to keep the Democrat pressure groups mollified, and just "normal" enough that waffling traditional Texan voters might switch the (L)etter on the ballot this time. Not for nothing, but this is what Democrats are relying on in dozens of races. It's what they thought they had with Graham Platner, and what they want to get out of lionizing that [dog-abusing podcast jerk](https://dailycaller.com/2025/10/08/hasan-piker-dog-livestream-abuse-kaya-shock-collar/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) who now [holds sway](https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/28/hasan-piker-democrats-midterms-2028-00849453?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) over their 2028 nomination. It's something they just can't get a handle on. I mean they call it the "man-o-sphere" so, yeah, they don't get it. But boy howdy do they keep trying, one [spectacular implosion](https://www.calebhowe.us/p/genius-platner-camp-destroyed-by?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) after [another](https://www.calebhowe.us/p/the-no-democrats-democrat-strategy?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). ### Jamie Raskin's Foreign Money Blind Spot URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/jamie-raskins-foreign-money-blind-spot/ Last updated: 2026-07-28T14:05:27.000Z Democrat Jamie Raskin wants you to believe foreign money in American elections keeps him up at night. He and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse just [reintroduced the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act](https://raskin.house.gov/2026/7/raskin-whitehouse-introduce-legislation-to-safeguard-elections-close-major-campaign-finance-loophole-as-foreign-ownership-of-american-corporations-skyrockets?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), legislation barring U.S. companies with foreign ownership above set thresholds, as low as a single foreign national holding 1 percent of voting shares, from spending on campaigns. Raskin called it a fight against autocrats and oligarchs who funnel money into American elections. That all sounds nice, but his outrage has a blind spot, and it happens to be the platform bankrolling his own political career. ActBlue, the small-dollar processor functioning as the Democratic Party's financial bloodstream, is in the middle of a foreign-money scandal that makes Raskin's bill look almost quaint. A [joint House committee report](https://judiciary.house.gov/media/press-releases/new-report-reveals-illicit-foreign-donations-and-mass-resignations-actblue?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) found that ActBlue's entire legal and compliance team resigned, was fired, or went on extended leave in the months after the 2024 election. The employees who sat for depositions invoked the Fifth Amendment 146 times, refusing to answer a single substantive question about how the platform screens out foreign money. Then it got worse. ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones [herself took the Fifth](https://gvwire.com/2026/06/10/actblue-ceo-invokes-fifth-amendment-repeatedly-in-testimony-to-congress/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in a House Administration Committee hearing in June, after the New York Times reported her own lawyers had warned she may have misled Congress about the company's foreign-donation vetting. When Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan pressed her on a specific number, that [ActBlue's own board chairman had said](https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/jun/25/actblue-may-accepted-illegal-foreign-contributions-tried-cover/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) the platform accepted up to $38 million in contributions bearing signs of foreign origin in 2024, Wallace-Jones didn't deny it or explain it. She invoked her constitutional right against self-incrimination and said nothing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/ceo_actblue.webp) ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones The chief executive of the organization processing hundreds of millions for Democratic candidates would not answer whether her own platform accepted tens of millions that looked like it came from overseas. That's a company's own CEO declining, under oath, to rule out exactly the kind of foreign interference Raskin has built his political brand denouncing. Raskin has said nothing about it. No press release, no floor speech, no follow-up letter demanding answers the way he demanded them from corporate executives in his own committee hearings. He is no bystander in ActBlue's success either. His campaign has pulled in more than $11.1 million in itemized contributions across the last three election cycles per FEC filings, climbing from $2.5 million in 2022 to $3.4 million in 2024 to over $5.2 million already this cycle, a pace that has his committee reporting $5.7 million in total receipts through the first quarter of 2026 alone. ActBlue is the engine behind that growth, the same engine whose own CEO would not say, under oath, whether it let foreign money through the door. Raskin can write all the bills he wants about corporate ownership thresholds. But if he actually cared about foreign money in elections, rather than the version that makes a good floor speech about oligarchs, he'd have something to say about the platform funding him that just took the Fifth rather than answer for $38 million in donations that looked like they came from outside the United States. He hasn't said a word. ### Whatley (Literally) Blurring the Trump Line in NC Race and People Have Noticed URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/whatley-literally-blurring-the-trump-line-in-nc-race-and-people-have-noticed/ Last updated: 2026-07-27T22:55:06.000Z One year ago, candidate Michael Whatley couldn't stop talking about Donald Trump. But at a campaign stop in Gastonia last week, he barely mentioned him at all. The shift was striking enough that local media devoted an entire story to asking whether the Republican is putting some distance between himself and the president. Naturally, the media use the story as a club against Trump, saying he's bad and everyone hates him and candidates are running away from him. And I mean ... they are, in some cases, of course. That happens every midterm election and there are always endless stories about it. The Democrats seeking shelter from Hurricane Biden last time were particularly amusing, I thought. Still, Whatley's... let's call it *avoidance* of the Trump nuclear football is pretty noticeable even given all those throat-clearing caveats. WFAE noted that Whatley invoked Trump at least **ten** times when he kicked off his campaign last year. [At his latest Gastonia stop](https://www.wfae.org/politics/2026-07-24/on-the-campaign-trail-republican-michael-whatley-doesnt-talk-about-trump-like-he-used-to?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)? **Two** mentions. Both were about Hurricane Helene recovery. And when reporters asked whether he was trying to put some daylight between himself and the president, he didn't answer the premise at all. Instead, he pivoted straight back to Roy Cooper and the state issues he wants voters thinking about. Which is kind of answer in itself, right. The media says it's because of Trump's approval numbers. But they say that so often it's lost all meaning, if it ever had any. The fact is, Trump's issues, his administration's general priorities, line up pretty well with Republican voters here. But it's true there have been rumblings and dissatisfaction over Iran and some other moves. You also can't discount that voters in the state have their own local priorities and issues - many of which are very bad news for the Democrats but also aren't top of mind in national politics. Or maybe that avoidance is just the realization that Senate races are won by talking about the guy on the other side of the debate stage. Whatever the case, the campaign does seem to have put 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue on the back burner. Very noticeably so. Even Whatley's campaign website seems to be on the same, uh, page. Front and center is a photo of him stepping off Air Force One — but with the presidential seal blurred out. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/blurred-out-seal.jpg) (image via screenshot) And while that oddly symbolic image holds the center, the front page is all under a banner that proclaims "ENDORSED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP." ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/endorsed-by-trump.jpg) (image via screenshot) Mixed messaging? That's our state alright. **BUT, EVEN SO, AND, YET, ALTHOUGH, AND STILL ...** you've **gotta** admit that Democrat opponent Roy Cooper, the bad governor who is pitching himself as a bad potential senator, has an even less enviable task than tip-toeing around Trump. Roy Cooper has to distance himself *from Roy Cooper*. [As I wrote the other day at Howe It Is](https://www.calebhowe.us/p/josh-stein-gets-saved-from-failure?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > I see ads for Cooper’s Senate campaign every day. Seriously every damn day. And he’s running this barrage on how health insurance companies are the Big Bads and he’s out to get them. Trying to make "insurance companies are mean to you" the centerpiece is such an obvious attempt to latch onto a politically “safe” issue to avoid the more uncomfortable issues like “Why are Democrats so crazy?” or “Why is the new Democratic Kingmaker a loudmouth dog-abusing anti-Semite?” or “Why are anti-American communists [taking over ](https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-most-terrifying-political-takeover-in-america-just-accelerated?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)Democrat politics?” or “Why did you release a dozens of repeat violent offenders including the man who brutally murdered Iryna Zarutska on public transportation in your state?” and, well, you get the idea. Yeah so that's the thing. There's always another fish, if not a bigger one. North Carolina politics, I've come to learn over the decades, ain't beanbag, as they used to say. Not sure what that means but I like how it sounds. But "pobody's nerfect" and other pseudo-pithy sayings aside, it's really something after all these years to watch the way North Carolina candidates for national office have to dance in two completely different styles of music. Or eat two different kinds of barbecue, maybe. The vinegar based when they're here, whatever the trend is when they're in terrible places like D.C. But hey, maybe the real vinegar is the disappointed former friends they made along the way. By the way, and it probably goes without saying: Roy Cooper is worse than ... well, anyone. ### AOC, Her Brother, and the Property Taxes Billed To Their Mother URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/aoc-her-brother-and-the-property-taxes-billed-to-their-mother/ Last updated: 2026-07-22T18:45:42.000Z Democratic Socialist champion Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has continuously advocated for a higher tax burden on everyone, including poorer Americans and the middle class, via taxes they'd be required to pay to fund her universal Medicare plan dreams. But a review of public records undertaken by the Crimson Hub shows that even when Ocasio-Cortez was taking a salary from her campaign during the 2018 cycle when she was first elected to Congress, property tax bills for the condo AOC occupied in the Bronx were not being billed to the soon-to-be congresswoman. In fact, those bills were being sent to the celebrity politician’s mother, who remained legally responsible for them. It suggests that even while paying herself out of campaign donor money, AOC was quietly relying on Mom's bank account to cover costs. At the time of her first campaign, AOC was close to thirty — despite becoming the youngest-ever female Member of Congress when sworn into office in 2019\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/image-2.png) But throughout the period, property taxes on the Bronx condo were being sent to her mother, who — like many New Yorkers since — had already moved to budget-friendlier Florida. Nowadays, as then, AOC’s mother lives in a house that could charitably be described as “modest” in Eustis. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/image-3.png) AOC's mother's home in Eustis, FL In May 2016, a property tax lien for $4,713.17 was sold by the City of New York to Tower Capital Management LLC. The bill to Tower Capital was paid before they could auction the property for past-due bills. Even after having lived through years of unpaid property taxes and a lien being placed on the property, a 2019 public records search also indicated tax liens on the Bronx property for non-payment of condo fees. The timeline suggests that AOC and her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, who was himself paid by a PAC supporting her 2018 campaign, were skirting bills legally due. It raises more than question, both about their ability to “adult” (as her generation says) and more importantly, the capacity for people in their then-financial circumstances to shell out higher taxes like those the congresswoman now wants to impose on others. Of note, congressional disclosures show that AOC has always been a relatively less well-off Member of Congress, with little in the way of assets registered in her name, suggesting that at least at the outset of her political career, she would have been living beyond her means. Today, Ocasio-Cortez no longer lives at the condo. She has instead relocated to a three-bedroom, two-bath Elmhurst apartment that was last listed for rent in 2022 for $3,200 a month. According to Zillow, the unit boasts a granite countertop, a marble bathroom, and a private balcony. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-22-at-9.45.49---AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/apt.webp) The Bronx condo she lived in during her congressional campaign appears to now be occupied by her brother, Gabriel. The tax bills for the apartment continue to be sent to the their mother, not Gabriel, who is [in his early thirties](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3307937/meet-aocs-hot-gay-brother-gabriel-ocasio-cortez-who-just-shut-down-fentanyl-trafficking-rumours-he?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Gabriel is an avowed anti-capitalist like his sister, and is founder of an arts organization “[supporting the deaf queer community](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3307937/meet-aocs-hot-gay-brother-gabriel-ocasio-cortez-who-just-shut-down-fentanyl-trafficking-rumours-he?ref=thecrimsonhub.com).” Despite having reported a $4,597 per month salary as a housing specialist at Samaritan Daytop Village in Briarwood, NY, back in 2022, he declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, making him another Ocasio-Cortez kid living, or at least spending, beyond his means. It is not clear to what degree AOC has helped Gabriel financially, though as a Member of Congress, she earns $174,000 per year, and presumably is equipped to help her brother in covering costs, including any property tax bills. Still, the pair's mother remains on the hook for those tax bills, not the kids who actually occupied the Bronx unit. While AOC’s family is decidedly less wealthy fellow Socialist, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's, public records still paint a picture of her and her brother as fully-grown hipster leftist adults who, despite having university degrees and income streams, appear to have continued to rely on *The Bank of Mom* to cover costs. That lifestyle certainly appears to have left their mother living in somewhat less comfortable accommodationS in a state that is often attacked by Democrats for its conservative governance, but which offers lower costs of living than longtime progressive-run New York City. That's something of a "vot"e in favor of Florida by way of her feet, so to speak. As for AOC and her brother, it's unclear how they think regular working people are supposed to afford the tax hikes she wants to use for Medicare, since neither of them seem to have shown such financial wherewithal over the years. ### Trans Activists Upset With Kaptur, Acton, For Siding With 90% of Voters URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/trans-activists-upset-with-kaptur-acton-for-siding-with-90-of-voters/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T13:49:50.000Z As Marcy Kaptur fights for her political life in a district explicitly drawn to turf her out of Congress, and Amy Acton continues to battle Vivek Ramaswamy for the governorship– making the race a whole lot closer than we would have expected, candidly– both of the Democratic women are taking fire from transgender rights activists who are pissed at the ladies for siding with 90 percent of voters. From [Signal Ohio](https://signalohio.org/top-ohio-democrats-retreat-on-transgender-issues-leaving-some-transgender-activists-feeling-abandoned/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > Top Democratic candidates in Ohio are showing signs that the party is recalibrating its approach to transgender issues ahead of[ the November election](https://signalohio.org/ohio-november-election-2026-state-and-midterm-news/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), upsetting some party activists and leaving some transgender Ohioans feeling abandoned. > > Both Amy Acton, the Democratic governor candidate, and U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a long-tenured Toledo Democrat facing a tough reelection fight in November,[ were the targets](https://thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/07/06/ohioans-deserve-an-explanation-from-marcy-kaptur/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) of[ separate critical op-eds last week](https://thebuckeyeflame.com/2026/07/07/dr-amy-acton-betrays-ohios-trans-community/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in the Buckeye Flame, an LGBTQ-focused news outlet in Cleveland. > > The reason for the criticism? Acton said she “doesn’t support boys playing in girls’ sports” in a newspaper statement in June. Acton, a first-time candidate, had not previously announced her views on transgender issues, but nonetheless disappointed LGBTQ+ activists who pointed out she’d [attended Pride events earlier in the month](https://www.facebook.com/amyactonoh/posts/happy-pride-columbus-/122165475938718957/). Kaptur, [who had a record](https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/human-rights-campaign-endorses-184-u-s-house-incumbent-supporters-of-the-equality-act-for-2022-re-election?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) of previously voting for LGBTQ+ protections, broke from that pattern in May, voting for a Republican-backed bill requiring schools to notify parents of a child’s request to change their gender, pronouns or preferred name. The bill also would strip federal funding from schools that “teach or advance concepts related to gender identity.” > > Both Buckeye Flame op-eds criticized Acton and Kaptur for not more clearly stating their overall views on transgender issues. > > Ken Schneck, the Buckeye Flame’s editor, told Signal Statewide that Democrats in competitive races across the country have begun to back off transgender rights after their losses in the 2024 election. > > “What we’ve heard from various elected officials is, if you’re going to try to get a statewide electorate, you’re going to have to make some compromises,” Schneck said. “But that comes at a cost at the hands of LGBTQ voters.” Does it, though, we must ask? Increasingly, we see evidence of gay and lesbian Americans seeking to split the “T” off from “LGB” (and “Q,” and “+”) in the proverbial “alphabet soup” identifier moniker. The desire to do this is often quietly, almost silently voiced, frequently behind closed doors and “off the record.” But it’s real. We’ve seen increasing concern voiced by lesbians that gay women are being pushed to reconsider whether they are actually women attracted to women, or men trapped in women’s bodies who are attracted to women. (Side note: Expect to see a lot more of this with Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” hitting theaters– it stars Elliott Page, formerly Ellen Page of “Juno” fame). We’ve also heard not a few gay men complain that they think the majority of transgender individuals are suffering from mental illness, and don’t like the elision of “trans” with “gay” given the history of anti-gay advocates treating homosexuality as a form of mental illness. We’ve never seen survey data on this, but our best guess is that something between 30 and 50 percent of LGB voters don’t think males who have transitioned to female should be competing in sports against biological females. We also know a few LGBTQ+ advocates who have worried that a lack of parental notification of children’s requested gender transitions actually deprives parents who would be supportive, even if their kids or teachers or medical professionals doubt that they would be, of an opportunity to back their children while undergoing what is, by any measure, a monumental life change. There are also prominent gay rights advocates who have opposed policies like Colorado’s [now-defunct](https://eppc.org/publication/in-colorado-conversion-therapy-case-childrens-health-is-at-stake/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) “conversion therapy gag rule” on the basis that it infringes on medical professionals’ freedom of speech. Yes, these advocates tend to be on the right. But that doesn’t mean they don’t silently exist on the left, too. Mostly what this saga underlines is that the Democratic Party is continuing to struggle through navigating a situation in which 90 percent of voters disagree with a very vocal minority that probably actually amounts to about 5 percent of the vote (we’re prepared to concede that as crazy as it sounds, perhaps 5 percent of voters still don’t know what they think about these issues). But it’s pretty tough to fault either Acton or Kaptur for shifting their position in the 90 percent direction given the way Kaptur’s district lines have been redrawn, and given that Ohio stopped being a swing state in the true sense of the term in 2016 and is now more plum-colored, if anything. Ultimately, Democrats have to figure out whether they want to win elections outside blue or truly purple states, or whether they want to pass ideological purity tests and remain electorally marginal in states that have shifted red in the post-Obama era. On “trans” issues more than any others, this is true. *This story originally appeared at the* [*Buckeye Briefing*](https://buckeyebriefing.com/2026/07/17/trans-activists-pissed-at-kaptur-acton-for-siding-with-90-of-voters/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)*,* ### Follow The Money: Big Pharma Wants This Bill Passed, and Its Donations Helped URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/follow-the-money-big-pharma-wants-this-bill-passed-and-its-donations-helped/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T20:18:37.000Z Members of Congress pushing a proposed health care "improvement" bill took hundreds of thousands of dollars in combined donations from the very industry that would benefit from the legislation they recently introduced, a Crimson Hub analysis has found. The analysis could further entrench concerns that the pharmaceutical industry is seeking to dictate health care policy at a time when both the Republican and Democratic bases view the sector unfavorably and have voiced skepticism about its outsized impact on US politics and policy. On July 6, Reps. Scott Peters (D-CA) and John Joyce (R-PA) introduced legislation known as [the SECURE 340B Act](https://scottpeters.house.gov/press-releases/peters-joyce-unveil-landmark-bill-to-improve-discount-drug-pricing-program?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), co-sponsored by Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), and Nanette Barragán (D-CA). The bill authors describe it as a bipartisan effort to "modernize the 340B Drug Pricing Program." But in practice, the bill appears focused on narrowing the definition of a "patient" for the purposes of federal law in a way that would limit safety net health care providers from acquiring drugs from manufacturers at a discount, as federal law currently requires when those manufacturers also bill taxpayer-funded entitlement programs for sales to seniors and people on Medicaid. It also appears directed at preventing patients from accessing a discount on their medication if a provider whose pharmacy dispenses it has also obtained that medication at a discount, or blocking safety net providers' pharmacies from acquiring drugs at a discount when a pharmaceutical manufacturer is offering a discount directly to patients. A release announcing the bill states that "the federal government still has no uniform way to prevent...duplicate discounts," suggesting that drugs being sold for less, not more, is somehow a problem despite widespread voter angst about the cost of living and inflation. Many drugmakers currently deny such duplicate discounts as a matter of their own internal policies, but want the restriction written into federal law to provide legal cover for what are now commercial-only, profit-driven decisions. The release touting the bill also suggests that patients, especially in California, skip medication because drug prices are too high. That claim sits awkwardly next to a bill aimed at further limiting, not extending, discounts. It's also worth noting the high cost of living in California is being driven largely by excessive regulation, taxation, and anti-development attitudes among progressive power brokers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/340b_protests.jpg) In short, Big Pharma critics argue the bill is a giveaway to drugmakers. That may come as little surprise given how much each co-sponsor's campaign has benefited from drug manufacturer largesse. [Open Secrets](https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/scott-peters?mpid=1065851&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) data shows Peters has already taken in $59,725 in donations from pharmaceutical manufacturers this cycle, about $50,000 of which came in the form of PAC donations. In 2024, he raised $104,526 from the same sector, with $99,500 coming from PACs. In 2022, Peters' pharma sector money totaled $151,710, again with the overwhelming majority coming from PACs. [Joyce](https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/john-joyce/us%5Fcongress/industries?mpid=1138534&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) has brought in $76,000 from pharma donors this cycle, plus $82,050 in 2024 and $49,500 in 2022\. Most of this money also came from industry PACs. [Crenshaw](https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/dan-crenshaw/us%5Fcongress/summary?mpid=1047097&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) has taken less, though his lighter 2026 total may reflect his primary loss earlier this year. Over the past three cycles, Crenshaw has banked about $75,000 from drugmakers. [Nanette Barragán](https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/nanette-barragan/us%5Fcongress/industries?mpid=1072121&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) has brought in $22,500 in 2026, all of it PAC money, plus $66,400 in 2024, and $27,500 in 2022, also all PAC money. [Auchincloss](https://www.opensecrets.org/profiles/jake-auchincloss/us%5Fcongress/summary?mpid=1101972&ref=thecrimsonhub.com) has banked $55,250 from pharma interests so far in the 2026 cycle, after raising $31,180 in 2024, and $20,600 in 2022. Peters, especially, has previously taken heat for efforts to dismantle the drug discount program in question, most notably from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/scottpeters.png) Scott Peters In [2021](https://www.aidshealth.org/2021/09/ahf-protests-us-rep-scott-peters-for-vote-against-rx-price-negotiations/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), the organization led protests targeting Peters featuring a mobile billboard accusing him of blocking efforts to lower pharmaceutical prices. In 2018, 200 picketers also organized by AHF protested Peters' district office over his assaults on the same drug discount program now in the crosshairs of his SECURE 340B Act. Among the health care providers who could be adversely impacted by the SECURE 340B Act are HIV and AIDS clinics, including Ryan White clinics, and rural, red state hospitals serving predominantly working class voters, also known as MAGA voters. Notably, states like Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, West Virginia, and Missouri have taken steps to protect, not restrict, the drug discount program. During his first administration, President Trump instituted ceiling prices for drugs within the program, further bolstering it. ### Vance Hopping On The Israel Conspiracy Train? URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/vance-hopping-on-the-israel-conspiracy-train/ Last updated: 2026-07-16T11:59:39.000Z If it’s a day ending in “day,” we shouldn’t be surprised to Vice President JD Vance stirring the pot when it comes to some sort of edgy Israel-sour rightwing chat. But today’s [comments](https://x.com/esaagar/status/2077446512854876663?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) on Rogan are going to make the collective brains of the Republican Jewish Coalition, AIPAC, the Paul Singer network, Marco Rubio, and a bunch of Never Trumpers who lined up against Trump because they believe he’s too cozy with anti-Semites, explode. Via [Saagar Enjenti](https://x.com/esaagar/status/2077446512854876663?ref=thecrimsonhub.com): > JD Vance on Joe Rogan Podcast about Epstein: “He clearly had connections to the highest levels of American intelligence, he clearly had connections to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence” We’re not exactly in line with Tom Cotton on this overall subject, but this sounds an awful lot like straight-up parroting of [Drop Site News](https://www.dropsitenews.com/s/epstein-and-israel?ref=thecrimsonhub.com). Which, um, is read and liked on foreign policy matters by Thomas Massie fans. But not by really any other Republicans. And Vance should know, sitting across the Ohio River from Massie’s district, that Massie lost by ten points. Is this smart positioning to win the 2028 primary? Or is it just more weird podcast edge lord bullshit that, in hindsight, is going to look extremely passé and just a touch anti-Semitic by the time the next nominating contest kicks off? *Originally published at* [*Buckeye Briefing*](https://buckeyebriefing.com/2026/07/15/vance-stirs-the-israel-conspiracy-theory-pot-on-rogan/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) ### Nirav Shah, In The Maine Senate Race, Says He's an 'Outsider,' And He Sure Is URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/nirav-shah-in-the-maine-senate-race-says-hes-an-outsider-and-he-sure-is/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T21:34:31.000Z Nirav Shah wants Maine voters to know he's one of them. The former public face of the state's COVID response has entered the Senate race with the standard biography: Brunswick resident, Colby faculty member, a Mainer through and through, as the framing goes. As Caleb Howe first reported at [his Substack](https://www.calebhowe.us/p/this-maineish-post-platner-tryout?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), the paperwork tells a different story, at least as of a few months ago. Shah announced his campaign last week, joining a field of Democrats with lengthy government résumés angling to fill the opening left by a scandal-plagued frontrunner. Despite that résumé, the failed 2022 gubernatorial candidate has positioned himself as something of an [outsider](https://x.com/nirav%5Fmaine/status/2075173985029927185?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) in the race. The address on file tells a more complicated story. On March 24, 2026, Shah [donated $3,500](https://townofbrunswickme.tylerportico.com/css/citizen-selfservice/real-estate/parcel/U27034000000/assessment-overview?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) to a congressional candidate in Illinois, listing his address as 2232 W Oakdale Ave in Chicago. That's not a Brunswick address. At around the same time, he was using his Brunswick address for Maine-based donations tied to his statewide ambitions here. Two addresses, two audiences, roughly the same window of time. Shah is also a licensed Illinois attorney, and his bar registration reportedly lists that same Oakdale address. \[**Note for Caleb: your original links to an ARDC lookup here, but the link in the source text is a placeholder, not a live URL. Send me the actual ARDC record and I'll drop it in.**\] None of this disqualifies Shah from running for Senate in a state he didn't grow up in. Candidates move, and voters get to decide whether that matters to them. But a candidate who wants to be seen as unambiguously rooted in Maine might want his own paperwork to agree with him. As of this spring, it didn't. ### Maine Senate Candidate Troy Jackson Wants Higher Taxes But Had His Own Tax Issues URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/maine-senate-candidate-troy-jackson-wants-higher-taxes-but-had-his-own-tax-issues/ Last updated: 2026-07-15T16:00:15.000Z Now that Graham Platner has dropped out of the race to try to defeat Republican Senator Susan Collins, following a rape allegation, others have been quick to jump into the race. One of them is Troy Jackson, the former Senate President and prominent progressive. Jackson launched a bid for governor in 2025, and his campaign featured a large swath of ideas and issues that have become common on the Democratic left, especially on the issue of taxation. So Jackson had a plan. Naturally, he called it his "fair share" plan because one of the more humorous aspects of Democratic tax plans is the accusation that wealthy taxpayers don't pay their "fair share," when it fact, they pay more taxes than all other income groups combined. The plan included all the usual delights, such as a higher top state income tax rate, a surcharge on millionaires, higher corporate taxes, and the repeal of a 2011 tax cut package. This would be all well and good except that it took a state lien to get Jackson to pay his fair share of taxes. In August of 2025, the state hit Jackson with a lien related to unpaid state income taxes from 2020\. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-15-at-11.42.16---AM.png) In October, the lien was released by the state. It didn't indicate why, but since Jackson was in the middle of a campaign advocating for raising taxes, it's reasonable to conclude that he paid the tab for that reason. After all, it's hard to advocate that people pay more taxes when you have thousands sitting out there unpaid. The only operative question is, "Why didn't he pay when the bill was due in 2020?" An enterprising reporter could inquire and also ask if there is anything else he hasn't told anyone. Graham Platner did not learn that lesson. ### Hey NFL: You can't pawn off outrage over streaming madness as background noise anymore URL: https://thecrimsonhub.com/hey-nfl-you-cant-pawn-off-outrage-over-streaming-madness-as-background-noise-anymore/ Last updated: 2026-07-17T21:30:07.000Z *This story originally appeared at* [*Howe It Is*](https://www.calebhowe.us/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com)*.* Watching NFL games used to require one thing: finding the right channel in the right region. Now, depending on the week, team, or popular “importance” of the game, it may require remembering who bought the rights to kickoff. And then paying them for access. The NFL [insists](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/%5F/id/48778847/nfl-pushes-back-criticism-streaming-games?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) its patchwork of partners and streaming exclusives is the most fan-friendly model in sports. They’re pretty much the only ones who feel that way, as anyone who uses social media knows. The unrest is getting louder by the day. And why not? The NFL’s current plan to air games on 10 different streaming platforms this season. Yeah. TEN different subscriptions to watch the NFL, if you want to have access to every game. According to the Big Lead/Yahoo Sports, that’ll cost in the ballpark (ha!) of about [$1,000](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/2026-nfl-season-streaming-costs-140938543.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) over the course of the entire season. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/Standard-Pricing-As-Of-May.jpg) Just a sample of the stacking prices that could gouge the pockets of NFL fans The idea that you have to subscribe to 75 different add-on services to see a continuous season of this single product is nuts. Especially considering it’s a product shored up with public money and that relies on public support, even from non-fans. See it’s not just subscription *fatigue* at play, this is genuine outrage. I mean, if you’re an NFL fan who happens to be conservative, you’ve already felt a thousand times that the league doesn’t respect you and takes advantage of you. But even if you’re not conservative, if you’re not political at all, it doesn’t matter anymore. People don’t like being taken for a ride. And the NFL’s TV/Streaming/Blackouts/Subscription schemes feel like they’re straight out of a spam email: designed just to rip you off. It’s not just crazed fans or right wing X posts saying so. Politicians feel the way the wind is blowing and some have even introduced legislation. A *Democrat*, mind you. Oh, and actual football legends, too. “I don’t like it,” said Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney,, joining the chorus last week in a Fox News interview. "To be honest with you, I think it should be accessible to all fans, no matter what your economic bracket is,” he said. Freeney’s comments echo a common frustration and complaint as we all juggle broadcast networks, cable channels, Peacock, Prime Video, Netflix, NFL Network, Paramount+, ESPN, and all the other services and upcoming exclusive providers just to follow a single team for a single season. And yes, Trump has weighed in too, okay? It happens. He made a similar point earlier this year during an [interview](https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/article/nfl-responds-to-criticism-from-president-donald-trump-department-of-justice-over-putting-games-on-streaming-services-185223133.html?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) with The National Desk, calling it “sad” that football is increasingly being priced out of reach and suggesting the league’s strategy basically amounts to price gouging. “They’re making a lot of money. They could make a little bit less,” Trump said. “They could let the people see. You have people who live for Sunday.” But his being in agreement shouldn’t deter anyone from their own objections because this goes way beyond the weekly White House outrages. Sen. Mike Lee, also a Republican of course, [has argued](https://www.lee.senate.gov/2026/3/senator-lee-urges-probe-of-nfl-s-soaring-streaming-service-prices?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) that fans can spend hundreds of dollars or more to follow a season. Those concerns helped prompt a Justice Department antitrust investigation into the league’s broadcast practices, congressional hearings examining whether the NFL is still honoring the public-interest bargain behind its antitrust exemption, and most recently, a sharply critical report from the House Judiciary Committee. [That report](https://gridironheroics.com/nfl-backlash-government-media-leak/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), by the way, argues the league has drifted well beyond the narrow purpose Congress envisioned when it passed the Sports Broadcasting Act in 1961, granting the NFL unique antitrust protections in exchange for making games broadly available to the public. Among the more striking findings are allegations the league actively resisted lower-cost options for fans that were on the table. ESPN allegedly proposed offering NFL Sunday Ticket for roughly $70 per season, while other proposals **would have allowed fans to purchase access to only their favorite team’s out-of-market games** instead of an expensive league-wide package. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cf/ac/cfac1fd0-23e3-490f-a17a-a11b795ef5b5/content/images/2026/07/Football-Streaming-Cash.jpg) **!!!!!!** Yeah. Read that again. Imagine getting the chance to buy just the out of market games for the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills? (Hey that’s who WE watch anyway.) The report is that the NFL rejected such reasonable and fan-friendly pitches in favor of their big expensive mess. It’s all in court now, so whether the allegations have any teeth remains to be seen. But still. It’s not just Republicans, Democrats, too, question whether the NFL is satisfying the public obligations that justified government protections. Sen. Tammy Baldwin has [introduced](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/senator-tammy-baldwin-takes-issue-with-packers-thanksgiving-eve-game-on-netflix?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) legislation aimed at addressing sports blackouts and the burden these exclusive streaming contracts represent for fans. Yet through all of the backlash, the NFL has maintained that its strategy benefits viewers by making games available across more platforms than ever before. Commissioner Roger Goodell declined an invitation to testify before Congress on the issue, leaving the league’s public defense basically unchanged. Under that pushback from the Trump admin and Congress, Goodell just plays the whole “nothing to see here” [card](https://dailycaller.com/2026/05/21/roger-goodell-nfl-games-streaming-platforms-trump-administration/?ref=thecrimsonhub.com), saying “87 percent-plus \[of games\] are on free television; 100 percent are on in the local markets.” You know, a couple years ago, ticket reseller Vivid Seats did an [analysis](https://www.vividseats.com/blog/most-popular-nfl-teams-by-state-county?ref=thecrimsonhub.com) of which NFL team is most supported in which county, nationwide. This is the modern world, so nobody should be surprised at pockets of fans become the majority of fans in some counties far from their favorite teams home venue and market. Steelers enclaves, in Mississippi and Kansas. Tennessee Titans counties in Maine and Utah. Even my team, the Carolina Panthers are big time in Harney, Oregon, and Big Horn, Wyoming. The NFL has an antitrust exemption that lets them dole out games in its archaic, serfdom-era fashion. But those exemptions were based on the idea of local, free TV. That’s not what’s happening now despite Goodell’s weak, protestations — a type of half-hearted pushback he thinks he’ll get away with Because Trump. He doesn’t seem to get that this isn’t just another political or culture war fight for a league that has faced *many* over the last 20 years. And he and the league think playing the Because Trump game makes them immune from public outrage, press criticism, and the law. Time and again, they play act at being the adults in the room refusing to bend against criticism from the right — all while continuing to kowtow to the left. That ain’t gonna work this time. This time, it’s not about players protesting the flag or DEI or raunchy halftime shows or political ads or any other cultural flashpoint. This time it’s about regular people who watch a sport wanting to, well, WATCH THAT SPORT. > **“… I don’t know if it’ll ever be on regular TV again…”** Football legend Michael Irvin is among those hinting at an even worse future for fans as the NFL plows ahead. Speaking with On3, Irvin predicted that once the NFL’s current media rights agreements expire, the league could eventually award **exclusive** Super Bowl rights to a streaming platform such as Netflix, potentially ending the era of the championship game airing on traditional television altogether. “They’re going to open that up for bids. And I guarantee you where the bids go, when the streaming service, it’s going to be … I don’t know if it’ll ever be on regular TV again, to be honest with you, because ABC can’t capitalize fully. They can get it in the region or the area. CBS can’t capitalize,” he said. Um. Yikes. Maybe that won’t happen. But you think it might, don’t you? Me too. And that’s a damning realization. When millions of fans, former players and stars, sports writers and reporters, a sitting president, a Senate antitrust chairman, a progressive Democrat from a small-market football state **all** say the same thing about a $20 billion business with a federal antitrust carve-out, the league claiming it has nothing to fix isn’t confidence. It’s the same habit that’s gotten the NFL into trouble with the White House for years: assuming fans, and the law, will just adjust to whatever the league decides is best. It’s a bad call and poorly designed play.