Commentary Culture Investigations

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed spent most of his primary debate against Rep. Haley Stevens railing against Israel. He blamed the Jewish state for problems ranging from U.S. artificial intelligence policy to the national debt to the state of the Democratic Party under Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer.
Asked whether “we need to regulate AI,” El-Sayed claimed he was “being outspent 30-to-1 in this race” and “that money is coming in from the [American Israel Public Affairs Committee].”
“That money is coming in from AIPAC. Their goal is to make sure that our money is sent abroad to kill other people rather than kept here to invest here,” said El-Sayed. “Now, the question you might be asking is, what does it have to do with a question about AI? Government will continue to work for the people who buy off government, so long as we allow people to buy off government. It is that simple.”
In response to another question about the national debt, El-Sayed said the United States needs to “end stupid wars we shouldn’t be fighting at the behest of foreign governments.”
And he repeatedly blamed Israel for luring the United States into war in Iran. “I think it’s worth asking why we got into this war in the first place. There is one man who’s been wanting this war fought, and that is the prime minister of Israel,” he said. “Why is it that we are paying $5 gas? Why is it that we can’t seem to get out of this quagmire? It’s because for too long our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the State of Israel and AIPAC, who has made sure that Democrats and Republicans are doing their bidding,” he added.
The debate was the first one-on-one faceoff between El-Sayed and Stevens since Democratic state senator Mallory McMorrow dropped out of the race earlier this week. The primary is scheduled for Aug. 4, and the winner will take on Republican Mike Rogers in the general election this fall. El-Sayed leads Stevens by 20 points, according to a poll conducted by a super PAC supporting him.
The debate highlighted El-Sayed’s efforts to center the race on Israeli and U.S. foreign policy. He has spent much of the campaign thus far slamming AIPAC and accusing the organization of buying off politicians. He has also made campaign appearances with the antisemitic influencer Hasan Piker and joined the Holocaust-denying Shiite cleric Fadhel Al-Sahlani on stage last month to celebrate the opening of a new mosque, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Despite his vocal denunciations of Israel, El-Sayed has avoided criticism of the Iranian regime. He privately told staffers he wouldn’t make a public statement about the assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei because “there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad” about his death, according to audio of a campaign meeting obtained by the Free Beacon.
During Tuesday evening’s debate, El-Sayed was asked whether he believes the Democratic Party is “shifting” too far to the left. “If you want your politics dictated to you by AIPAC or Chuck Schumer, then I’m not your guy. I think we need to go back to the idea of government of the people, by the people,” he said. “That’s money that buys something on the back end, so if you elect the person who took that money, don’t be surprised when they betray you.”
Stevens responded by noting that she was recently criticized by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. El-Sayed claimed it was part of a ploy by the Israeli government to secretly boost Stevens’s candidacy.
“I don’t think Benjamin Netanyahu is attacking [my opponent] to actually attack her. I think he’s attacking her to try and steer away the stink of how staunchly she stands for their policy,” said El-Sayed.
The post From AI Policy to the National Debt To Chuck Schumer, El-Sayed Blames Problems on Israel in Michigan Senate Debate appeared first on .

The ongoing 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has so far been a historic success. For nearly four weeks, the three countries have shared the responsibility of hosting 104 matches and millions of visitors in their stadiums, airports, hotels, and cities. The United States’ strong performance has even increased many Americans’ interest in soccer.
Continuing through most of July, the tournament has been an exciting moment of global celebration. The tournament’s unprecedented size, however, has a darker side: It also offers an extraordinary scale of opportunity for human traffickers.
Large crowds of unfamiliar visitors, booming hospitality demand, temporary laborers, and local infrastructure stretched beyond its capacity can all allow criminal activity to blend into the background of the World Cup. These conditions, in combination with the duration of the tournament, can make it easier for traffickers to move victims and money while remaining largely out of sight.
That does not mean the World Cup has created trafficking networks out of thin air. Human trafficking is a crime perpetrated every day around the world, not something that appears only when a championship game happens. Still, the International Justice Mission describes major sporting events as “notoriously susceptible to sex trafficking” because of the demand of crowds, money, and travel surrounding them.
Consider the Super Bowl, America’s largest annual sporting event. Super Bowl LX drew a television audience of more than 125 million people when it was held in the San Francisco Bay Area in February. During the two weeks before the game, a regional human-trafficking task force conducted nearly 40 operations, recovered 73 victims, and arrested 29 alleged traffickers. Ten minors were victims.
The Super Bowl is a single championship game held in a single city on a single day. The risks it carries for exploitation draw many watchful eyes of law enforcement every year. The World Cup is a nearly six-week event spanning 16 host cities with millions of fans arriving from around the world. The ability of a tournament on the World Cup’s scale to amplify existing trafficking and exploitation cannot be underestimated. 
Trafficking can be concealed within hotels, short-term rentals, restaurants, nightlife businesses like bars or strip clubs, and even temporary labor arrangements required by the tournament. The threat is not limited to sex trafficking. Workers recruited to meet sudden demand can also be subjected to withheld wages, threats, or “restrictions on their movement.”
Awareness and coordination are essential to preventing trafficking from slipping through the cracks. The Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign has urged law enforcement, hospitality and transportation employees, and private businesses to know how to spot indicators of trafficking and exploitation. Information sharing between these different sectors and law enforcement is crucial to stopping trafficking where it happens.
The World Cup has been a successful celebration of both the sport of soccer and the nations participating in it. But an event that draws millions of people and billions of dollars across countries must ensure that its crowds and commerce do not provide cover for those who profit from exploiting vulnerable men, women, and children.

Looking back, the fact that the United States of America is here at all — much less here to celebrate its 250th birthday — is amazing for sure. And decidedly worth all the celebratory hoopla.
Yet quietly, the very fact of the nation’s 250th birthday brings up another question. Will the United States make it for another 250 years — for its 500th birthday?
Perspective is needed. And taking some perspective from America’s old friend and occasional opponent, the British — now the United Kingdom — it is worth a look back at America’s last 250 years.
History records that for the British, the island that would evolve into the United Kingdom has been inhabited for, yes, some 10,000 years. This is not to be confused with the modern United Kingdom as it is known today. That formed officially, history records, in 1707 when England and Scotland joined.
But to be clear, as recorded in the United Kingdom at Complete Era: “However, the history of its constituent parts — England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland — goes back thousands of years, shaped by Celts, Romans, Vikings, Normans, and more.”
The United States is, of course, founded on the continent of North America. Wikipedia records this of the founding of North America:
While it was commonly accepted that the continent first became inhabited by humans when individuals migrated across the Bering Sea 40,000 to 17,000 years ago, more recent discoveries may have pushed those estimates back at least another 90,000 years. People settled throughout the continent and, over time, developed into diverse communities, from the Inuit in the far north to the Mayans and Aztecs in the south. These complex communities each developed their own unique cultures and ways of life.
….Records of European travel to North America begin with the Norse colonization in the 10th century AD. In 985, they founded a settlement on Greenland that persisted until the early 1400s.
And on goes the fact of settlement, eventually attracting Columbus in 1492 and the English Pilgrims in 1620.
Why is it worth reminding ourselves of these old facts of history?
Because as the United States celebrates birthday 250 it is worth noting that while North America has been around for thousands of years, not so with the quite youthful USA. In the scheme of things, the USA is just a youngster. And without question, it has more than the capability to make it to its 500th birthday — and yes, well beyond that.
It is also worth remembering what the USA has had to endure through those 250 years.
There was the Revolution that got it all started in 1776. And once solidly established with a Constitution and a strong self-government, the USA was seriously ready, if occasionally surprised, to endure the challenges presented to it.
A partial list of those 250 years of challenge includes:
The American Revolution.
The Constitutional Convention.
The Northwest Indian War
The War of 1812.
The Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
The Civil War (1861-1865)
The Spanish-American War (1898)
World War I (1914-1918)
World War II (1939-1945)
The Korean War (1950-1953)
The Vietnam War (1955-1975)
The Cold War (1947-1991)
All of those don’t include America’s various economic troubles over the years, such as the Great Depression, plus various recessions.
In short, life for the citizens of the moment in the USA was filled with challenges.
But the one incomparable asset that Americans had and continue to have is their freedom.
All of which says that the constant talk of America being “the land of the free” in fact translates to a very real, very significant characteristic. That would be that freedom is “a” if not “the” major characteristic that ensured America would not only survive all those various difficult confrontations of war and economic challenges over the course of the last 250 years.  But that freedom has ensured America and Americans would be ready and prepared to face whatever lies ahead.
In other words? In other words, based on its history in dealing with and confronting all those challenges of war and economic crisis over the last 250 years, America is ready to go to for the next 250 years and when it reaches age 500 one suspects it will be stronger than ever, leading on ahead to whatever challenges need to be faced in both the world and by then the larger universe.
So.
Happy 250, America. And on to birthday number 500.
READ MORE from Jeffrey Lord:
America at 250 — and Beyond
Time for a ‘Politicians’ Tax’?
Socialist Vandals and the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool

Men suffer immensely, and nobody pays us any attention. Nobody cares about us. I’m deeply depressed as I write these lines. Headlines like these: “How does war affect men and boys?” “Six uncomfortable truths about men’s health.” “How to talk to teenagers about the feminazisphere: A Guide for Parents.” “Let’s End Violence Against Men Today.” Haven’t you seen these headlines on the U.N. website? Of course you haven’t, because they don’t exist.
If you Google “UN Women,” you’ll find a U.N. entity, created in 2010, devoted exclusively to protecting “women’s human rights,” with stories like the ones above, except aimed at women. But if you search for “UN Men,” all you’ll find is a section of the U.N. website called “Male Engagement,” devoted to nagging men into empowering women. There is no UN Men, but there is a UN Women, and suddenly I feel gravely unprotected.
It’s peculiar that the U.N. has an entire agency devoted to publishing studies like one I read today, claiming that since the rise of social media, 73 percent of women journalists have suffered “digital violence”; I assume that’s when someone throws a router at your head. I conducted a quick survey among my male colleagues, and the percentage was substantially higher, but nobody wants to talk about it: 100 percent say they’ve suffered digital violence as a result of their journalism. Dramatic. Chilling. Nothing this terrifying has been seen since the fall of Rome.
The U.N. has been committing a longstanding affront to men against men since 2010, and I’m determined to correct it by launching my own special publication, UN Men, devoted to men’s issues while faithfully following the exact same style of headlines used by UN Women. I’ve already got the mock-up ready, and our first stories will finally address this long-standing neglect of men’s problems. Here’s an exclusive preview of our upcoming headlines, reports, and groundbreaking research:

The silent killer: the defective pants zipper.
Why do women hire house cleaners but, if they have a husband, refuse to pay for a locksmith, a moving company, or an electrician? Their battle cry is always: “When the hell are you going to do something with your life and fix the…?”
Public awareness campaign on male hypochondria: 99 percent of men feel misunderstood by their partners after announcing they’re having their third heart attack of the day.
Long live free love: men have the right to love beer more than their girlfriends.
An uncomfortable truth about violence against men by women: why do they talk to us so much?
What does it mean to be a straight man in Woke Mecca — that is, California?
The burden of carrying the Homer Simpson stereotype that women project onto men.
How OnlyFans turned social media into a bear trap for men — and what it’s doing to their financial well-being.
A new study confirms endemic, normalized, structural violence against men on family road trips: 99 percent of women force their husbands to pull over, roll down the window, and ask a random stranger for directions, a direct assault on the deepest core of male dignity.
The other gender gap: a sociological approach to the extreme male suffering caused by an accidental blow to the testicles.
Let’s shatter this glass ceiling (with dynamite): the suicide bomber trend results in far more male terrorist deaths than female terrorist deaths.
How does war affect men’s mental health?
How does an accidental scratch on the car affect men’s mental health?
How does watching their favorite team lose affect men’s mental health?
How does men’s mental health affect men’s mental health?
Does anybody give a damn about men’s mental health?

I’m convinced UN Men will be a huge success. As soon as the U.N. guarantees funding for the project, I’ll be delighted to launch it. Our motto will be “HOO! HOO! HOO! RAAAAHHHH!” and I can’t describe our official emblem in case there are children present.
READ MORE from Itxu Díaz:
July 4th, or Everything a Giant Hamburger Represents
A Defense of Wasted Time
Who Knew the Thermostat Was Sexist?

Rather than reminding fellow Americans of what has made this nation great for 250 years, New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke from George Washington’s desk and criticized the nation’s history. “You each hold a special power. The power to determine what America means. The powerful have always known their answer. America, in their view, is an arena of supremacy, where only a select few are allowed freedom, where not all are created equal,” Mamdani said. (RELATED: Socialism Just Had a Shocking Come Back. We Need a Better Response)

NYC Mayor Mamdani on American exceptionalism: “We are told that America is exceptional because we are richer, stronger, more powerful than everyone else… The truth, my friends is that America is exceptional because here, nothing is fixed into place.” pic.twitter.com/FAiPfcPvB3
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 3, 2026

The Spectator P.M. Podcast hosts Lyrah Margo and Madelynn McLaughlin analyze Mamdani’s speech and criticize what they describe as his portrayal of America as a nation defined primarily by its flaws while overlooking its long list of accomplishments. They contrast Mamdani’s remarks with a message posted on X by Spencer Pratt, who offered a rebuttal by comparing love of country to love for a family home.
Tune in to hear their discussion!

Listen to the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Spotify.

Watch the Spectator P.M. Podcast on Rumble.

The Interior Ministry acted days after local media reported that Chinese state actors in 2024 hacked the database of a police unit assigned to protecting Chinese dissidents.

The Little Sisters are living the Gospel, but the government — federal and state — is fixated on sex. 

On Tuesday, amid new scandals and calls to drop out of the race, Maine Senate Democrat nominee Graham Platner posted an “urgent” job opening for a Research Director. Among this director’s tasks is to “Anticipate opponent lines of attack and build comprehensive defense strategies and rapid response toolkits,” suggesting the possibility that more allegations are to come.

By Tuesday afternoon, however, all job openings – including this one – had been deleted from the Senate candidate’s “Careers” webpage. Before-and-after screenshots of the webpage confirm that multiple positions had been listed on the website earlier in the day, before they were all scrubbed.

The job was also posted on Daybook, a job site specializing in political and legal job openings, where it remains listed.

Platner’s campaign is offering to pay this researcher between $7,000 and $11,000 a month, though the position’s long-term career potential appears dubious, as a growing number of his fellow Democrats are now calling for him to immediately withdraw from the race.

Given the unlikelihood that all positions were filled in the short span of a few hours, Platner’s Senate campaign appears to have cancelled all plans to add new staff, including the urgently-needed Research Director – a foreboding sign for his campaign.

On Monday,  Politico broke the news of Platner’s latest scandal: accusations by Jenny Racicot that Platner raped her in 2021 after entering her home uninvited while intoxicated.

In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Racicot alleged that Platner “Violated multiple layers of consent that night” and, when asked if what happened to her was rape, she responded, “By definition, yes, absolutely.”

Multiple Democrats, including those who had enthusiastically endorsed Platner in the past, have rescinded their endorsements and called for him to leave from race.

Vermont Democratic Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, one of Platner’s strongest supporters since October 2025, has called for Platner to withdraw over the allegations, according to an X post Tuesday:

“I have spoken with Graham Platner about the best path forward for Maine. In Light of these very serious allegations, I have recommended that he step aside.”

Many other progressives, including Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), as well as Representative Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), have also revoked their endorsements.

Democrat leaders in the Senate have announced they will no longer support Platner, even if he remains the nominee. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and DSCC Chair Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY) released the following statement on Monday:

“The allegations reported today are incredibly disturbing- violence, abuse, and sexual assault are absolutely unacceptable.

“Graham Platner needs to immediately withdraw as the Democratic nominee for Senate and allow Maine Democrats the opportunity to choose a new candidate who can defeat Susan Collins. The DSCC will not invest in the Maine Senate race if Platner remains on the ballot.”

Platner has until July 13th to withdraw from the race in time for Democrats to nominate a different candidate, which they then must do by July 27th, according to Maine election law.

Former Democrat State Senate leader Troy Jackson is seen as Platner’s likely replacement. Platner had endorsed Jackson’s failed bid to become the Democrat candidate for governor and, until recently, had enjoyed Jackson’s endorsement for senator.

On a call with Reporter Benjamin Kail of Bangor Daily News, Jackson reportedly revoked his endorsement and expressed his interest in taking Platner’s place as the nominee:

“This is something I never considered, but if Graham’s stepping away, I am very, very interested & think I’m the best person to replace him.”

 

A one-year defund still represents an important achievement for pro-lifers.

As NewsBusters reported in late June, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was blocking Navy veteran Zachary Young from publishing his book American Spy, which was largely about his successful defamation case against CNN. NewsBusters has now obtained a copy of the letter sent by the CIA’s Author Review Office (ARO), and they were demanding so much more. According to a Samantha R. Overlong, the Agency was demanding that Young and his publisher “delete” everything about the book.

Without acknowledging the fact that everything Young and co-author Scott McEwen (author of American Sniper)had written about his work with the CIA was already out in public due to the CNN trial, the letter engaged in some circular arguments as it scolded Young for not getting the manuscript approved before writing the manuscript:

We must remind you that your nondisclosure agreement requires that you submit your draft manuscripts) to ARO and receive approval prior to sharing the material with anyone who is not subject to the same nondisclosure agreement and access prerequisites. To remain in compliance with your nondisclosure agreement you should not have shared the manuscript or the information within it with a co-author, literary agent, publisher, counsel, or any other third party until after you received approval from ARO.

In issuing its “Final Determination,” the ARO barred the book’s publication and demanded Young delete everything having to do with the manuscript:

The manuscript cannot be published or disclosed as written, because the manuscript is predicated upon sensitive information subject to your nondisclosure agreement. In issuing this denial, we reviewed the additional materials you submitted with the manuscript, but must stress that these materials did not constitute confirmation or acknowledgement by the organization of the information contained in the manuscript or alter the status of the sensitive information. Therefore, you must delete any and all copies containing the sensitive information. Electronic copies should be deleted from your hard drive, mobile device, the cloud, and any backup or remote storage locations. Ensure these items are also deleted from “Recycle Bin” and “Trash” folders. Please shred or burn hardcopies. You are also responsible for ensuring any third party with access to the manuscript, including co-authors, literary agents, publishers, and counsel, take the same steps to securely delete and destroy all copies of the manuscript.

The ARO offered Young an appeal but seemingly tried to put him behind the eight ball at the same time. Young needed to get his appeal in “30 days of the date of this letter.” The letter was dated June 15, but Young had only received it on July 7; half the allotted time wasted with the letter in transit. Young lives in Austria.

“The Agency’s own press office confirmed my CIA background to a CNN reporter. The world watched two weeks of my trial testimony. And now, years later, the CIA is telling me to destroy the book I wrote about my own life and to force my publisher to destroy it too. I have nothing to hide. This story is already public. The only party trying to shut it down is the CIA,” Young said in a statement to NewsBusters.

You can read the letter yourself in the provided images below.