THE NEWS

No one will struggle to keep warm amid an historic heat wave gripping the eastern U.S.But how about keeping “your comrade warm?”No. You’re not back in the USSR.But you might be in the Democratic party.SOCIALISTS SWEEP NYC AS AMERICANS BALK AT MOVEMENT’S BRUTAL CATCH: ‘TALK TO IMMIGRANTS’”You deserve to make sure that your international comrades are actually working with you and getting the benefits that you that you all deserve,” said Democratic New York House nominee Darializa Avila Chevalier at a union rally in New York City.”Half of the people here are strangers to you all. But now you have comrades,” said Colorado Democratic Congressional nominee Melat Kiros who defeated Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) Tuesday.”I’ve got to give a shout out to my comrades,” said Missouri Democratic Congressional candidate Hartzell Gray on a podcast interview.To Democratic Socialists, you don’t know how lucky you are.”You have the solidarity of the entire labor movement. And you have my solidarity, too,” said Democratic New York House nominee Claire Valdez.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) didn’t endorse either Avila Chevalier nor Valdez. However, he did congratulate them. Jeffries naturally needs Avila Chavalier, Valdez and Democratic New York House nominee Brad Lander to win. They probably will this fall. But when asked about progressives who prevailed in the New York primary – who he didn’t endorse – Jeffries delivered a nuanced answer.”I will support every single Democratic incumbent in the New York Congressional delegation and beyond,” said Jeffries.CNN resuscitated a set of old tweets from Avila Chevalier. Some praised communism. Others called for more Marxist literature in libraries. Yours truly pressed Jeffries about whether he should call out Avila Chevalier for some of her old social media postings.”Should she apologize or clarify some of these very inflammatory tweets that she sent?” I queried.”That’s a question you’re going to have to ask her,” answered Jeffries.”But as Leader, is that a problem?” I followed up.”I’ve spoken to this issue. I’ve expressed my position as it relates to many of the things that she has said in the past over Twitter. my statement speaks for itself,” answered Jeffries.Then the 29-year-old Melat Kiros whipped 29-year House veteran Diana DeGette in Colorado. Kiros’s victory demonstrated that the Democratic Socialist message didn’t just resonate in the urban canyons of lower Manhattan. But in the Rocky Mountains, too.”What we are fighting for is Medicare for all. Universal child care. Abolishing ICE. And ending the genocide in Gaza,” said Kiros.These are core subjects for the left.”They’re winning on platforms like Medicare for all. Universal health care. Universal childcare. Raising the minimum wage,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). “These ideas, whether you call it socialism or not, they are very popular across the country.”Progressive influencer Hasan Piker believes victories by these candidates in New York and Colorado are just the beginning.”Progressive politics, left populism. It can work in every district in every state. That’s why I kept saying over and over again, it’s coming to a city near you,” said Piker.But not everyone is on board.”Will Democrats continue to defend crazypants?” asked Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Fox.Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) is another. He’s a moderate, pro-Israel Democrat in a battleground district in which President Trump carried in 2024.HAKEEM JEFFRIES CONFRONTED ON ‘YOU’RE NEXT’ CHANTS FOLLOWING NY DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST VICTORIES”My folks want really normal folks. Democrats, Republicans, just people who are going to get things done. And so they see this because this is what gets attention,” said Landsman. “I hope the party doesn’t go in that direction. Having a diversity of opinions is one thing. But some of what some of them think is beyond the pale. It’s just outrageous.”Landsman wished Democratic leaders would speak out against controversial candidates and nominees.”The fact that they won’t even call it out, I think is an underlying current within the Democrat Party that they’re scared of their own base,” said Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC).Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) is retiring after 32 years in Congress. She’s not aligned with her likely successor, Claire Valdez.”So what do you make of some of the controversy about your prospective successor? And is that driving a wedge through the party?” yours truly asked Velazquez.”Look, we are celebrating the outcome of this Supreme Court decision that reaffirm the fundamental principle of the Constitution that anyone born in this country is an American citizen,” answered Velazquez, trying to change the subject.”But do you have but did you not see things eye to eye with your prospective successor here?” I followed up.Velazquez sighed.”Look, she won and I wish her well. And I offered myself to sit down with her and discuss the transition. But this is how democracy works,” said Velazquez.Still, other Democrats believe the party can operate under a “big tent” and court voters.”There’s room for conversations about where we go. But we’re not the party of one person or coalition and there’s going to be those discussions about where we move forward,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL).Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) asserted that wins by Democratic Socialists in New York City carried outsized weight. She also said that it was natural for the press corps to capitalize on possible divisions in the party.”I think that you all try to stir it up. Stir up this language. Try to pit people against each other,” said Dingell.I asked Dingell about “controversial things” which Avila Chevalier peddled over the years.”I don’t have to agree with everything that she said. The Republicans are putting kerosene on the fire,” said Dingell.”Didn’t she pour kerosene on it to start with?” I asked.”Look, I wouldn’t have said some of the things that she said. But I don’t vote in New York. They do,” answered Dingell.SOCIALISM GOES WEST AS DSA-BACKED CHALLENGER OUSTS LONGTIME DEMOCRATRepublicans are adamantly opposed to socialism. But in a weird way, the Democratic lurch left might actually help the GOP beat the historic odds and hold the House.”They’re a complete socialist party now,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). “They’ve got to either own it or disassociate themselves from it.”When the Beatles released Back In the USSR, American conservatives and right-wing reactionaries said this proved that the group harbored communist sentiments.Now the American right says the Democratic party has turned to the left. Republicans say listen to the rhetoric of Democratic Socialists espousing their views. And to hear the GOP tell it, those candidates may as well be back in the USSR.

US Fentanyl Crisis Eases But Remains Dominant

According to the latest provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. drug overdose deaths have come down from the peaks of the past years while remaining at high levels.

Recent figures suggest a notable decline to around 70,000 annual fatalities in 2025, following a peak of nearly 110,000 in 2023.

Still, synthetic opioids, primarily fentanyl, continue to be the main driver of overdose mortality, involved in more than half of the U.S. cases and underscoring the scale and persistence of the crisis.

As Statista’s Katharina Buchholz shows in the chart below, the role of synthetic opioids has grown dramatically over the past decade… 

You will find more infographics at Statista

In early 2015, fentanyl and related substances were involved in just 12 percent of all drug overdose deaths. This share rose steadily in the following years, surpassing 50 percent by early 2020 and reaching around two-thirds of overdose deaths by 2021-2022, as the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation.

At its peak in 2023, synthetic opioids accounted for roughly 70 percent of all overdose fatalities in the country, highlighting how decisively fentanyl has overtaken other drugs, in part because its extreme potency makes it cost-effective to mix into other drugs, thereby increasing the risk of overdoses.

The underlying trend reflects both a sharp increase in deaths linked to synthetic opioids and a relative stabilization, or even decline, of fatalities involving other substances. 

Deaths involving fentanyl surged from fewer than 6,000 per month in early 2015 to more than 75,000 annually by 2023 (12-month rolling totals), while deaths linked to other drugs remained broadly flat or declined slightly over the same period.

However, the latest provisional CDC data point to a potential turning point.

Throughout 2024, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids declined from around 72,700 in January to below 50,000 by December (rolling totals), bringing their share of total overdose deaths down to about 60 percent.

While this marks a notable improvement, fentanyl remains at the center of the U.S. overdose epidemic.

Public health experts attribute the recent decline to a combination of factors, including expanded access to naloxone (a medication used to reverse opioid overdoses), increased public awareness, intensified prevention efforts and shifts in drug supply.

Tyler Durden
Thu, 07/02/2026 – 23:00

Screencap of Twitter/X video.
Katie Wilson, the Democratic Socialist (communist) mayor of Seattle, wants transgender ‘refugees’ to come to her city, where taxpayers will be forced to fund their surgeries.
The left has made it clear that they are never going to let go of this issue, no matter how far they are from public opinion. They think this is a civil rights issue and that the trans community must be supported no matter what anyone thinks.
Also, Wilson is DSA, so it should come as no surprise that she is taking this position. The DSA wants trans everything for everyone, including children.
The Daily Mail reports:
Woke Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson urges transgender ‘refugees’ to come to her city and says she’ll use taxpayer cash to fund their cosmetic surgeries… after scaring off city’s wealthiest taxpayers
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s administration sparked backlash after setting up a transgender ‘refugee’ program for those fleeing other states.
The socialist mayor launched the Trans and Queer Interdepartmental Team (IDT) to offer help to ‘refugee’ trans people fleeing Republican policies.
The assistance provided through the taxpayer-funded program will reportedly include cosmetic and elective surgeries to transgender people who relocated to Seattle.
Those surgeries could include breast implants and gruesome ‘facial feminization surgeries’ where transgender women have facial bones sanded down and chopped out to make them look more ladylike.
Funds will also be handed out for housing and food for transgender ‘refugees.’
Wilson has not detailed how large the fund will be or how she will pay for it, with Seattle already facing an estimated $175 million budget deficit.
The program was pushed by the Seattle LGBTQ Commission to address the ‘trans relocation crisis’, with the IDT holding its official launch meeting on June 9.
People are talking about this on Twitter/X.

The left is now a competition to see who can be the most psychotically destructive to our civilization https://t.co/6zDN39KPNG
— Rob Schmitt (@SchmittNYC) July 2, 2026

She is the worst mayor in the history of the city. She has been emboldened by the latest DSA wins in NYC and Colorado and she’s putting her foot on the gas now to send our city off a cliff in debt. https://t.co/Rqxjt1w3DH
— Suzy (@wadesgirlie) July 2, 2026

Seattle was once a great American city. It’s now the flagship for what the communist democrats want to do to the rest of the country. Take heed as they burn their city to the ground. They want to do that to the rest of us next. https://t.co/wxSrEbXCBY
— Gavin Newsom’s Hair (@LelandShow) July 3, 2026

This is definitely a preview of what the DSA people who are about to enter congress will push for.
This is a priority for them.

The post Seattle’s Socialist Mayor Urges Transgender ‘Refugees’ to Come to Her City for Taxpayer Funded Surgeries appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

The 4 Percent Rule Is Showing Its Age: Smarter Withdrawal Strategies For 2026

Authored by Peter Daisyme via Due,

The 4 percent rule has guided retirement planning for three decades. The idea is simple: withdraw 4 percent of your savings in year one, adjust that dollar amount for inflation each year after, and your money should last about 30 years. It is a useful starting point and a great mental shortcut. But the person who created it has spent recent years telling people it is far more flexible – and often more generous – than the rigid version most savers cling to.
Experts say the best retirement withdrawal strategy adjusts to changing conditions. oneinchpunch/shutterstock

Where The 4 Percent Rule Came From

Financial planner William Bengen introduced the rule in 1994 after crunching decades of historical market data. He wanted to find the highest withdrawal rate that would have survived even the worst market conditions of the 20th century, including the Great Depression and the brutal 1970s. The answer he landed on was about 4 percent, and the figure stuck so firmly that it became gospel.

The crucial detail that gets lost is what “survived the worst case” actually means. Bengen was not describing the typical retirement – he was describing the single most unfortunate starting year in history. For the vast majority of retirees, a portfolio drawn down at 4 percent not only lasted; it grew substantially.

What The 4 Percent Rule Gets Right – And Wrong

The rule’s strength lies in its simplicity and conservatism. It forces you to think in terms of a sustainable withdrawal rate rather than a lump sum, and it builds in a margin of safety. The weakness is that the same conservatism can leave you underspending for decades and dying with a fortune you never enjoyed.

“The 4 percent rule – or the newer version of the 4.7 percent rule – is the worst-case scenario. It’s really designed for only the most conservative person to use in retirement planning.”

That is Bengen himself, quoted by Bankrate. With broader diversification across asset classes, he has argued that retirees may be able to start with withdrawal rates closer to 4.7 percent in some circumstances. In other words, the famous 4 percent figure is better viewed as a conservative baseline than a hard spending limit.

Why 2026 Calls For A Flexible Approach

A fixed percentage ignores what is actually happening around you. Markets rise and fall, and inflation eats into every dollar you pull out. Bengen has called inflation retirees’ “greatest enemy” for exactly this reason – a few bad inflation years early in retirement can do lasting damage to a portfolio. Morningstar’s ongoing research has landed on a more cautious starting figure in some years, underscoring that there is no single magic number that works in every environment.

The real risk hiding behind the 4 percent rule is called sequence-of-returns risk. If the market drops sharply in your first few years of retirement while you are also withdrawing, you sell assets at depressed prices, and your portfolio may never fully recover. The same average return delivered in a different order can produce wildly different outcomes. That is why when you retire and how you adjust matter as much as the percentage you choose.

A Real-World Look At Sequence Risk

To see why flexibility matters so much, picture two retirees who both start with $1 million and both average the same 7 percent return over time. The only difference is the order of those returns. The first retiree hits a string of strong market years right after retiring; the second runs into a steep downturn in years one and two. Even though their average returns are identical over the long run, the second retiree is withdrawing money from a shrinking portfolio at the worst possible moment, locking in losses they can never fully recover. Years later, the first retiree may have more money than they started with, while the second is watching their balance dwindle.

That is sequence-of-returns risk in plain terms, and it is the best argument against rigidly withdrawing a fixed inflation-adjusted amount no matter what. A retiree willing to trim spending modestly during the early bad years dramatically improves their odds of never running out.

Three Withdrawal Strategies Worth Considering

Instead of locking yourself into one rate, build in flexibility. These approaches all reduce the odds of running dry while letting you spend more when conditions allow:

Guardrails: Start near 5 percent, then trim spending in down years and give yourself a raise after strong ones.
The bucket approach: Keep one to two years of expenses in cash so you never sell investments during a downturn.
Dynamic spending: Tie withdrawals to portfolio performance rather than a rigid inflation adjustment, so your spending breathes with your balance.
Each acknowledges a simple truth: real retirees do not spend the exact same inflation-adjusted amount every year for 30 years. They flex, and a strategy that flexes with them is more realistic and usually more efficient.

How To Set Your Own Number

Your personal safe rate depends on several factors the rule of thumb ignores:

Your retirement age and realistic life expectancy.
How much of your spending is covered by guaranteed income, such as Social Security or a pension?
Your asset mix and your tolerance for spending cuts in a bad year.
Whether leaving a large inheritance is a goal or a non-issue.
A 70-year-old with a pension and modest spending can safely withdraw far more than 4 percent. A 55-year-old early retiree with no other income should probably start at a lower level. The number is personal, which is exactly why a one-size-fits-all rule eventually breaks down. The healthiest approach is an annual check-in where you review your balance, spending, and remaining time horizon, and then adjust. Early in retirement, when sequence risk is highest, these reviews matter most.

Don’t Forget Taxes In Your Withdrawal Plan

Your withdrawal rate is only half the equation; the order in which you tap your accounts matters too. Pulling money tax-efficiently – generally from taxable accounts first, then tax-deferred accounts like a traditional 401(k), and finally Roth accounts – can stretch your savings meaningfully further than withdrawing haphazardly. Required minimum distributions, the taxation of Social Security, and Medicare premium thresholds all interact with how much you withdraw and from where. A retiree who coordinates withdrawals with taxes can often support a higher effective spending rate than one who ignores them, simply by keeping more money out of the government’s hands. It is one more reason the rigid 4 percent rule is just a starting point rather than a complete plan.

The Bottom Line

Treat the 4 percent rule as a floor for planning, not a ceiling for spending. Run your own numbers, account for your guaranteed income and time horizon, stay flexible enough to adjust in volatile years, and revisit the plan annually. Done right, you avoid both nightmares: running out of money too soon and reaching the end of a long life having denied yourself a retirement you could easily have afforded. If you want a deeper framework, our retirement planning guide can help you pressure-test your assumptions before you stop working.

Tyler Durden
Thu, 07/02/2026 – 22:35

A federal appeals court just upheld a New York state ban on gas stoves, which is very strange, considering the fact that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York insisted that the ban on gas stoves wasn’t even happening.
This has all been unfolding quietly in the background for about two years now.
Groups which are part of the gas industry challenged the ban but a federal court just sided with the state.
Just the News reports:
Federal appeals court upholds New York’s ‘gas stove ban’ amid legal challenge
New York could be moving ahead with a first-in-the-nation ban on natural gas hookups in new buildings after a federal appeals court rejected a challenge from industry groups.
The ruling issued Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals Second Circuit rejected a lawsuit by natural gas industry groups challenging a provision of New York’s All-Electric Buildings Act, which would ban gas hookups in new buildings under seven stories, among other restrictions.
A coalition of construction and trade groups sued to block the 2023 law, saying it conflicts with federal law under the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act and would drive up costs for businesses and energy consumers.
But the appeals court upheld lower court rulings that had determined federal law “does not preempt ” the state’s regulations on natural gas hook ups, and on Tuesday dismissed the industry lawsuit.
In 2023, when people started complaining about this, Chuck Schumer treated it like a conspiracy theory and condescendingly claimed no one is coming after gas stoves.
The Hill reported at the time:
Schumer mocks GOP: ‘Nobody is taking away your gas stove’
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is accusing Republicans of fueling a frenzy over unfounded rumors that the Biden administration is getting ready to ban popular gas stoves because they don’t want to explain what spending cuts they want in exchange for raising the debt limit.
“At first you have to laugh at the ‘gas stove ban’ narrative being cooked up by the MAGA GOP,” he said in a statement released Friday.
Schumer’s comments come a day after centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced that he had teamed up with conservative Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to introduce the Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act.
This is so typical of the left.
Deny something is happening, right up until the moment that it’s happening, then claim that it’s a good thing that it’s happening.

The post Appeals Court Upholds New York ‘Gas Stove Ban’ That Chuck Schumer Insisted Wasn’t Even Happening appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

U.S. Olympian David “Davey” Hearn was indicted Thursday on a charge of destruction of property following his arrest last month.

Screenshot: Alex Soros/Instagram
Far left billionaire George Soros and members of his family are buying acres upon acres of land on Shelter Island, a small and exclusive community on the eastern end of Long Island in New York.
Isn’t it fascinating how the people who push climate change the hardest also happen to love buying waterfront properties?
Other people who live on the island fear that the Soros family is eventually going to price them all out and that the Soros properties, including a dormitory they built for all of their servant employees, are going to ruin their home values.
The Soros family even bought the only pharmacy on the island that fills prescriptions and shut it down, further angering locals.
The New York Post reported:
George Soros and family buy 18 plots of land in exclusive Hamptons enclave, squeezing locals: ‘Ruining the island’
George Soros and his family have been on a property buying spree, scooping up homes and prime parcels of land in an idyllic Hamptons enclave, angering local residents who worry the billionaire land grab is already upending the tight-knit community, The Post has learned.
The family now control nearly 120 acres of property on Shelter Island, which is only accessible by ferry, making the Soroses — billionaire Hungarian-American investor George, 95, his sons Alex, 40, and Gregory, 38 — the largest private landowner in the community.
The 18 properties they have bought were purchased through myriad shell companies, according to public records reviewed by The Post.
“We never really figured out what their purpose in buying so much land could be,” said a former resident who sold their property to the family a few years ago. “But because you can only get here by ferry, we thought they might be building a bunker, away from everyone.”…
In addition to the Soros family, real estate developer Stefan Sovoliev recently purchased some of the key businesses on the island, including the historic Chequit Hotel and the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy, then angering locals by promptly shutting down its prescription service — the only one on the island…
The Soros land grab came to light in the last year after the family purchased a 63.6-acre horse farm on Smith Street and erected a deer fence around the property without the proper authorization from the island’s zoning board.
If this story was about the Trump family, leftists would be losing their minds and it would be front page news.
Because it’s the Soros family, none of them care. Their radical politics provides them with a free pass.

The post REPORT: George Soros Family Buying Up Tons of Land in Exclusive Waterfront Community on Long Island, NY appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Reducing S. Korea’s widening economic divide will be a core test of his administration and called for programs helping young people build assets.

FBI Mole Wore Wire Inside Newsom’s Inner Circle: Lawyer

A mole working for the Biden FBI was secretly recording Gavin Newsom’s inner circle before the agency expanded its corruption probe into the California governor and his wife, according to a bombshell report by the NY Post. 
Gov. Gavin Newsom, Alexis Podesta

Democrat insider Alexis Podesta, a 45-year-old Sacramento consultant and Newsom appointee – no known relation to John Podesta – secretly taped conversations for the FBI as early as June 2024, while Joe Biden was still in the White House, according to McGregor Scott, the former US attorney now representing Dana Williamson. Williamson, 53, ran Newsom’s office as chief of staff until late 2024; in May she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, filing a false tax return, and lying to federal agents.

Federal prosecutors accused Williamson and others of orchestrating a scheme to siphon roughly $225,000 from a dormant campaign account which belonged to former HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra -disguising the payments as legitimate consulting fees while routing the money to benefit Becerra’s former chief of staff, Sean McCluskie. According to Podesta’s attorney, she was placed in charge of overseeing the account in question – but did not know the payments were improper.

Becerra is now the Democratic nominee to succeed Newsom as governor. 

“Alexis wore a wire, and Dana did not,” said Williamson’s lawyer and former US attorney for the Eastern District of California, McGregor Scott. 

“A lot of people received letters essentially informing us that there were certain periods of time where the FBI was given access to follow phone calls,” said assemblymember Josh Hoover (R-Folsom), who said he was among those who received a letter even though he had never spoken with either Podesta or Williamson. 

“I don’t know how these investigations work, but it sounds like they cast a pretty broad net across the Capitol community to see what they could find.” 

A separate source with knowledge of the matter said they knew of four Sacramento insiders who also received FBI notifications confirming they had been recorded.

One recipient told the source: “Dude, I got this f—ing letter. I never even met with Dana Williamson!”

“Their curiosity was that they never even met with Dana Williamson, so they were wondering what this is all about,” the source said.

“And now you have the answer.” -NY Post

News of the wire comes just over two weeks after Newsom claimed that the Trump administration is punishing him because he may run for president in 2028. 

“They’re demanding records, they’re abusing the grand jury process, digging through years and years of random documents. Donald Trump isn’t just coming after me because of my mean tweets, he’s coming after me because I’m considering running for president, because he hates that I’ve consistently called him out over and over again for his lies and deceit,” Newsom said, before sending a mass email asking for political donations. 

Sources close to the investigation, however, told The Post that the feds have spent the past year digging into Newsom, his staff, and his wife’s taxes after whistleblowers reportedly dropped the dime that led to the probe. Williamson’s attorney told the outlet that his client declined to cooperate because she didn’t have anything on Newsom. 

Podesta – a former staffer for the late Dianne Feinstein, is a longtime Democratic power broker who remains on California’s State Compensation Insurance Fund board – to which Newsom appointed her in January 2020. She also held senior positions in Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, and served as secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. While she hasn’t been charged with a crime, her attorney identified her as an uncharged co-conspirator in the Williamson indictment.

Of note, Podesta is still getting paid $60,797 by the state while cooperating with the FBI, while she sits on the Insurance Fund Board. 

Campaign finance records show Becerra’s committee making $10,000 monthly payments to ‘Podesta Company’ during 2023 and 2024. During this period, Williamson – while Newsom’s CoS – shared confidential info with Podesta regarding a corporate client that has now been identified as Activision Blizzard.

Williamson’s plea agreement states that she was captured in a June 2024 wiretap strategizing with the co-conspirator about how to respond to a Public Records Act request involving the state’s litigation against the company. Williamson and Podesta exchanged text messages on the issue, according to court records. Podesta has not publicly commented on the matter. -NY Post

Hoover, the Republican assemblymember, told The Post: “All of this stuff just raises so many questions … “What is going on in this administration? What types of conversations are being had? I think the entire case should be really concerning for the general public. It’s really raising a lot of mistrust.”

“I think it underlines how problematic this current administration is. [Newsom] is someone who wants to run for president of the United States. It’s really disappointing to see that this is the level of our politics.”

Tyler Durden
Thu, 07/02/2026 – 22:16

Major League Baseball handed down four suspensions Thursday in the aftermath of Tuesday night’s benches-clearing brawl between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.Boston first baseman Willson Contreras and Washington starter Cade Cavalli each received seven-game suspensions and undisclosed fines for their roles in the fourth-inning altercation.ZERO BS. JUST DAKICH. TAKE THE DON’T @ ME PODCAST ON THE ROAD. DOWNLOAD NOW!The suspensions stemmed from an incident during Washington’s 8-1 victory Tuesday, when Cavalli struck out Contreras looking on a full-count pitch and yelled, “Sit down, boy.”WATCH:Contreras answered by charging the mound, then firing his batting helmet toward Cavalli, prompting both benches and bullpens to empty.MLB also disciplined two players who left the dugout and became involved in a separate scuffle.Nationals right-hander Miles Mikolas was suspended five games, while Red Sox outfielder Nate Eaton received a three-game ban. Both players were also fined undisclosed amounts and ejected during the game.BREWERS PITCHER ABNER URIBE GETS A ONE-GAME SUSPENSION FOR CROTCH-CHOPPING CELEBRATIONAll four suspensions are scheduled to begin Friday.The Red Sox open a three-game series in Anaheim on Friday, while the Nationals host the Pittsburgh Pirates.Boston figures to feel the impact more immediately. While Cavalli and Mikolas are likely to miss only one turn through the rotation, Contreras will be out of the Red Sox lineup for a full week.Cavalli apologized Wednesday, saying he regretted using the word “boy” and now understands its historical weight. He added that the incident kept him awake that night because of the example he wants to set for young fans. Nationals officials also addressed the matter with the right-hander.Contreras, meanwhile, entered Tuesday’s game after an emotional stretch. The veteran first baseman had been ejected the previous night for arguing a checked-swing call and has also spoken publicly about the stress of devastating earthquakes in his home country of Venezuela.Any appeals would delay the suspensions until MLB’s review process is complete.Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela