Khanna torches Democrats for running 'status quo' candidates, admits working-class voters were ‘shafted’

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said Sunday that Democrats have failed to connect with working-class voters because the party too often backed "status quo establishment candidates" unwilling to challenge what he described as a rigged economic system.

Speaking on "Meet the Press," Khanna weighed in on a newly released Democratic National Committee autopsy report examining the party’s 2024 election loss and broader struggles with voters.

"We do need to recognize that the status quo has failed," Khanna said. "This is a system that has created massive inequality. That the economy is lopsided and unfair, and it’s not working for many working-class and middle-class Americans. And too often we’ve run status quo establishment candidates who have been unwilling to call out an economic and political system that has failed."

DEMOCRATS IN RETREAT, WITH VOTERS SAYING THAT THE PARTY IS NO LONGER A ‘FRIEND OF THE WORKING CLASS’: REPORT

Khanna made the remarks after NBC's Kristen Welker cited a passage from the DNC report arguing Democrats have focused too heavily on "winning arguments" while Republicans focused on "winning elections."

The California Democrat rejected the idea that Democrats should abandon reasoned debate but acknowledged the party needs a stronger economic message aimed at voters struggling financially.

"I don’t think we need to give up reason," Khanna said. "I think more Americans probably want reason debate in this country."

DEM PARTY BLAME GAME: ACCUSATIONS FLY AS TO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HARRIS' MASSIVE LOSS TO TRUMP

Khanna also reflected on former Vice President Kamala Harris and the report's conclusion that the White House did not do enough over several years to improve her standing before Democrats switched nominees.

"In retrospect, had she been in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio talking about the economy and been the lead for the president’s economic policies — the Inflation Reduction Act, the American Rescue Plan, the CHIPS Act — perhaps we would have done better," Khanna said.

Still, Khanna argued Democrats must now focus on rebuilding support among working-class voters heading into future elections.

"We need to have an economic message that actually is talking to the working-class folks who have been shafted," he said, "and that’s taking on a system that has been rigged."

DEMOCRATS' 'COMEBACK RETREAT' SUGGESTS PARTY TO 'EMBRACE PATRIOTISM' TO WIN BACK WORKING-CLASS VOTERS

Khanna also defended the DNC Chair Ken Martin as some Democrats call for his resignation following backlash over the handling of the autopsy report.

"No," Khanna said when asked whether Martin should step down.

Khanna pointed to Martin’s opposition to super PAC involvement in Democratic primaries and his criticism of superdelegates selecting party nominees as positions he supports.

"Ken Martin is a Paul Wellstone Democrat," Khanna said. "There are two things he’s done that I actually agree with."

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Khanna added that Martin could have handled the autopsy process better and should work more closely with state parties ahead of the 2026 and 2028 election cycles.

"Could he have handled this autopsy better? Absolutely," Khanna said. "Should he be working more with state parties to make sure they’re funded into ’26 and ’28? Absolutely. But I don’t believe he should resign."

The DNC report was commissioned after Democrats’ losses in the 2024 election cycle and was reportedly delayed before its public release amid internal disagreements over its findings and political fallout.

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Trump tells US negotiators 'not to rush' into deal with Iran

The deal under discussion would involve a 60-day ceasefire extension during which the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened, according to US media.

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Liberal NY Times columnist roasts Dem election autopsy as 'ridiculous,' says AI could have done a better job

New York Times opinion columnist Michelle Goldberg blasted the Democratic National Committee’s long-awaited 2024 election autopsy Friday, deriding the report as "mysterious," "anticlimactic" and "ridiculous" after months of internal party drama over its release.

"The document, it’s now clear, was kept under wraps not because it was impolitic, but because it’s a disaster," Goldberg wrote, criticizing Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin for changing his rhetoric regarding the report.

"What’s most striking is its utter lack of substance," she continued, noting that the words "Israel" and "Gaza" appear nowhere in its 192 pages.

"It offers little insight into why the Democratic Party lost large numbers of Black and Latino men, or its failure to speak to disconnected, irregular voters... I wondered if it was written by A.I., though A.I. probably would’ve done a better job," she added.

DNC CHAIR RIPPED FOR DOWNPLAYING UNRELEASED 2024 AUTOPSY AFTER DEM LOSSES: 'SELF-INFLICTED CRISIS'

When vying for the DNC chairmanship, Martin ran on releasing the autopsy but, with time, said it would not be released after all.

The move, Goldberg said, made the report "an object of suspicion and fascination."

FORMER DEM MEGADONOR BLASTS 2024 AUTOPSY AS WASTE OF TIME, SAYS REASONS FOR LOSS ARE OBVIOUS

"Some thought he was protecting Kamala Harris ahead of 2028. Many progressives were convinced that the D.N.C. quashed the autopsy because it would show Harris was done in by Gaza. Rob Flaherty, who’d been deputy director of both the Harris and Joe Biden campaigns, speculated that it didn’t even exist," she wrote.

Over at The Washington Post, conservative opinion columnist Ramesh Ponnuru focused on what wasn’t in the report: "There’s nothing about President Joe Biden’s age and voters’ worries about it. Nothing about the border crisis the Democrats first caused through their policies and then denied in their rhetoric. Nothing about the party’s declining appeal to religiously observant voters. Nothing about the boutique left-wing views — such as support for taxpayer-funded sex changes for illegal immigrants and prisoners." 

The report was ultimately released Thursday and initially covered by CNN, argues the party weakened its infrastructure through declining voter registration, cuts to state party support and a failure to listen to certain voter groups.

DEMOCRATS HAVE HIT 'ROCK BOTTOM,' PARTY LEADER SAYS; HERE'S HIS UNORTHODOX REBOUND PLAN

The report also notes that the party must have a renewed focus on voters in Middle America and the South.

It has already created internal tensions within the party, with Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin publicly distancing himself from the autopsy, saying it doesn’t meet his standards.

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"I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards," he said, adding that he could not "in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it."

He added that the report was released for the sake of transparency "as I received it – in its entirety, unedited and unabridged – with annotations for claims that couldn’t be verified."

Fox News Digital reached out to the DNC for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Fox News' Madison Colombo contributed to this report.

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'Too high a mountain' for Leinster as Bordeaux lift Champions Cup

After their previous European final defeats came down to "fine margins", Bordeaux's thrashing of Leinster in Bilbao highlighted a gulf between the sides

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Teen boys' racist murder sentences to be referred to Court of Appeal

Kamran Aman was killed by Marcus Staniforth and another boy outside his mother's home.

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Dog saved from ISIS by Army veteran 'kidnapped' from family yard by local authorities

An 11-year-old dog that survived ISIS and helped a U.S. Army veteran during wartime is now being held at a Virginia animal shelter after being taken away by authorities. The family is asking the public for help as they await word on the dog’s fate.

Brendan Jones, a military veteran and Arabic linguist, rescued his dog Lucy while deployed in the Middle East. He said that after the birth of his son, he struggled with returning to deployment. Lucy changed that for him.

"That’s not the headspace you want when you’re overseas in danger. When you have to be focused on the mission," Jones said on "The Sean Hannity Show" Wednesday. "Lucy helped me get over that. Because she filled that void that was missing."

He found Lucy in 2015 while deployed near the border with Islamic State-controlled territory. In a post on X, he said he had to bribe a Jordanian officer to get the dog veterinary care before bringing her home.

US MARINE PROTECTED PUPPY WHILE DEPLOYED, NOW HOPES TO BRING HER HOME

But nearly a decade later, trouble with neighbors began after the family moved onto their multi-acre farm in Strasburg, Va. Dolly Jones, Brendan’s wife, said neighbors were upset with their way of life, and that the family has faced over a dozen police calls, multiple visits from authorities and court complaints over things like animal sounds.

"So when that incident with Lucy happened, that really was the weapon they needed to wield against us," Dolly Jones said.

The family said Lucy had been declared "dangerous" a year earlier after she nipped a passerby. They said the behavior was out of character for the dog, who had recently come out of surgery and was groggy.

PEANUT THE PET SQUIRREL TAKEN AWAY BY NEW YORK STATE OFFICIALS FROM ADOPTED HOME, MAY BE EUTHANIZED

Though they disagreed with the designation, the family said they went along with the demands to appease their neighbors. They said this unknowingly set up what they described as a legal trap.

Three weeks ago, Lucy temporarily slipped out of her collar while on a morning walk and barked at a neighbor. The family insists the dog never left their property and did not bite or touch anyone.

PEANUT THE SQUIRREL TOUCHES OFF SOCIAL MEDIA FIRESTORM AFTER NEW YORK OFFICIALS EUTHANIZE BELOVED RODENT

However, because of strict rules surrounding the dangerous dog registry, the incident allowed neighbors to call authorities. Hours later, the family said authorities removed Lucy from their property.

"When they actually came and kidnapped her off our property, the kids were outside playing and the cop came up and removed her from the field," she said. "They don’t remember a day without her. They miss her, asking questions to us if she’s going to be put down, and we’ve not had these answers for them."

Dolly Jones said the family has tried to get Lucy back and accused the neighbors of plotting against them, adding that they are fighting for their "rights to exist on our own property without fear."

The Jones family has launched the #SaveLucy campaign in hopes of saving the dog they’ve owned for more than a decade. "We're hoping that her life is bookended by miracles," Brendan said. "One to get her here, to save her from the Islamic State, and one to get her out of the hands of our own state."

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Hamilton says he has no plans to retire from F1

Lewis Hamilton says he has no thoughts about stopping racing in Formula 1 and insists he will "be here for quite some time".

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Jeff Bezos confronted on Washington Post layoffs, argues paper must be profitable regardless of his wealth

Billionaire Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos on Wednesday responded to criticism of the brutal round of layoffs at his paper earlier this year, saying it needs to maintain relevancy and turn a profit regardless of his wealth.

Several departments were gutted, including its sports, metro and books sections, as well as its foreign correspondents and photojournalists. The massive headcount reduction stunned the media industry, although the paper's heavy financial losses were no secret.

Bezos sat down with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, who bluntly asked, "The company laid off about 30 percent of its staff, and there are a lot of people out there who said, ‘Jeff’s super wealthy, he’s talked about this being a public trust, something that he bought early on, how much you care about that piece of it. Why lay people off? Why fire people? Why don’t you subsidize the business?"

"The Post needs to be a profitable enterprise that stands on its own two feet," Bezos shot back. The Amazon founder is among the world’s richest men with an estimated net worth of around $270 billion, according to Forbes.

WASHINGTON POST’S DAILY DIGITAL READER BASE SHRUNK DURING BIDEN YEARS BY NEARLY 90%, INTERNAL DATA REVEALS

"But does it? Some people say it should be a trust," Sorkin said.

"Let me tell you why. It’s a measure of its relevance. If people won’t pay for our product, it’s not a good enough product," Bezos said.

"It would be like poetry without rhyming. It’s too easy," Bezos added. "So, it’s got to be something that people will pay for, because that’s a signal. It’s a signal that we’re providing a relevant service."

Bezos then pointed out that The New York Times, where Sorkin also serves as a financial columnist, makes "a ton of money."

BEZOS DEFENDS WAPO ENDING PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENTS AS THE 'RIGHT' CHOICE: 'I'M VERY PROUD OF THE DECISION'

"You guys are doing very well financially, and you’re providing a service that people are willing to pay for. We can do that, too," Bezos said.

"And guess what I told them when we were planning those layoffs. I didn’t pick who was going to get laid off or which departments. I said, ‘Follow the data,’" Bezos continued. "Follow the data, and I said there is one exception to this… don’t follow the data on investigative reporting."

Bezos said the "heart of the Post is investigative reporting," and suggested the unit will continue to thrive.

"Our newsroom today, after the layoffs, is still larger than when we did Watergate and the Pentagon Papers," Bezos said. "The Post is going to continue to be an important institution, in fact, it’s going to be a more important institution because of this financial discipline."

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Bezos pointed to a recent Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, which is considered the most prestigious of awards. The Post won the 2026 edition for in-depth coverage of the Trump administration's efforts to transform the federal government.

"It needs to be relevant to readers, it needs to stand on its own two feet," Bezos said.

Sorkin also asked Bezos point-blank if he wanted to own the paper.

"Do you want to own it? And the reason I ask is you’ve talked about how you are, by default, to some degree a conflicted owner, given you own all of these other businesses," the CNBC host asked.

"When I bought The Post, it was very unprofitable when I brought it. The newsroom was even smaller than it is today. We turned it around in two years, it was profitable for six years. I put all that money back in The Post and grew the newsroom, so we’ve shrunk it back some now. But we haven’t shrunk it back to what it was when I bought it," Bezos responded.

He said the Post didn't adapt, and the news environment has changed a lot over the years.

Bezos bought the Washington Post in 2013 for $250 million. The paper thrived during the first Trump administration, but it has struggled in recent years with subscriber losses and bruising layoffs.

Bezos took particular heat in 2024 when he yanked the liberal editorial board's planned endorsement of Kamala Harris, shortly before her loss to President Donald Trump.

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Has The UK Softened Russia Oil Sanctions?

And fuel duty freeze extended to the end of the year

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JD Vance says Trump is 'locked and loaded' to restart military campaign against Iran if nuclear talks fail

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that President Donald Trump is still pursuing a diplomatic deal with Iran but remains "locked and loaded" to restart the military campaign if nuclear talks collapse.

"It takes two to tango," Vance told reporters at a White House press briefing. "We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon.

"So as the president just told me, we're locked and loaded," Vance added. "We don't want to go down that pathway. But the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to."

The administration sees two paths forward, according to Vance: a negotiated agreement that permanently blocks Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, or renewed U.S. military action.

VANCE WARNS IRAN THAT 'ANOTHER OPTION ON THE TABLE' IF NUCLEAR DEAL NOT REACHED

"We think the Iranians want to make a deal," Vance said. "The president of the United States has asked us to negotiate in good faith. And that’s exactly what we’ve done."

But Vance warned that diplomacy will not come at the cost of Trump’s core demand that Tehran never obtain a nuclear weapon.

"There’s an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign to continue to prosecute the case, to continue to try to achieve America’s objectives," Vance said. "But that’s not what the president wants. And I don’t think it’s what the Iranians want either."

TRUMP WARNS IRAN'S 'CLOCK IS TICKING': MOVE 'FAST' OR 'THERE WON'T BE ANYTHING LEFT'

The exchange came after Trump said he was just an hour away from ordering fresh attacks on Iran on Monday night.

"We were getting ready to do a very major attack [Tuesday], and I put it off for a little while — hopefully maybe forever," Trump said, "because we've had very big discussions with Iran, and we'll see what they amount to."

"There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out," Trump told reporters at the White House. "If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I’d be very happy."

The announcement marked the latest shift in Trump’s handling of the fragile ceasefire reached in mid-April. For weeks, the president has warned Iran that fighting could resume if it did not accept a deal, while repeatedly setting deadlines and then backing away from them.

Over the weekend, Trump warned that "the Clock is Ticking" and said Iran needed to move "FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them."

Trump first disclosed the pause in a social media post Monday, saying he had ordered the U.S. military to be ready "to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice" if an acceptable deal is not reached.

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The £100Bn HS2 Debacle

HS2 could now cost over £100bn, but government vows to deliver project “to completion”.

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Bodies of four missing Italian divers found inside 'shark cave' in Maldives days after they vanished

Rescuers located the bodies of four Italian divers deep inside an underwater cave in the Maldives, days after the group vanished during a dangerous dive far beyond recreational limits, Italy’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

Officials said Finnish cave-diving specialists found the bodies in the innermost section of the cave system in Vaavu Atoll, where the divers disappeared Thursday while exploring at a depth of about 160 feet. The recreational diving limit in the Maldives is 98 feet.

"As was previously thought, the four bodies were found inside the cave, not only inside the cave but well inside the cave into the third segment of the cave, which is the largest part," Maldives government spokesman Ahmed Shaam said, adding the victims were found "pretty much together."

The Thinwana Kandu cave system where the bodies were found is known locally as "shark cave."

RESCUE OPERATION FREES INJURED MAN TRAPPED 130 FEET UNDERGROUND IN ITALIAN CAVE

Recovery crews plan to retrieve two bodies Tuesday and the remaining two the following day, officials said.

The discovery came after authorities resumed the search following the death of a Maldivian military diver involved in the rescue mission. Mohamed Mahdi died Saturday from decompression sickness after attempting to reach the trapped divers.

A fifth Italian diver, identified earlier as a diving instructor, was previously found dead outside the cave.

BAGPIPER DIES DOING POPULAR VACATION ATTRACTION DAYS BEFORE MISSING SON’S REMAINS FOUND IN BACKYARD TREEHOUSE

The specialized Finnish team used advanced closed-circuit rebreather systems, allowing for longer and deeper dives in the cave’s confined environment.

Rough seas and hazardous underwater conditions repeatedly delayed search efforts as crews mapped and marked the cave entrance before pushing deeper inside.

Authorities continue to investigate the situation and what led to the divers' deaths.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Americanswers... on 5 Live! Has Zohran Mamdani achieved a miracle in New York?

The new mayor says he’s rescued NYC from its budget crisis

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Osula stars as Newcastle increase West Ham's relegation worries

William Osula scores twice as Newcastle soundly defeat West Ham United 3-1, to leave Nuno Espirito Santo's side on the brink of relegation from the Premier League.

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Second FDA executive departing organization in less than a week as top drug regulator claims she was fired

Dr. Tracy Beth Høeg, former acting director of the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), became the second high-ranking official to depart the FDA this week after claiming she was fired Friday.

Høeg's departure came after that of former FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, who publicly resigned Tuesday after rumors that President Donald Trump was unhappy with him swirled for days.

Høeg, who worked closely with Makary on regulating drugs before being elevated to CDER head in December, claimed she was forced out.

TRUMP'S FDA BOSS RESIGNING AS ADMIN TAPS NEXT ACTING LEADER

"I said I didn’t want to resign," Høeg told MD Reports in an interview published Friday. "I said I’m not signing a letter of resignation if it’s not my choice."

"They made it clear that it wasn’t their decision," she told the outlet. "They said it was from someone above them, from someone way above their pay grade."

TRUMP FDA OVERHAULS COVID-19 VACCINE APPROVAL TO FOCUS ON OLDER POPULATIONS, HIGH-RISK INDIVIDUALS

Høeg will be replaced by her former deputy, Dr. Mike Davis, according to an FDA email to staff obtained by The Associated Press.

While the White House has yet to officially comment on her departure, Høeg's exodus may be part of a larger shakeup following Makary's resignation.

In addition to Høeg, former director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Katherine Szarama is also leaving, along with FDA Chief of Staff Jim Traficant, according to reporting from STAT News.

Fox News Digital contacted the White House, the FDA, HHS and Høeg for comment.

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