by | Apr 26, 2025 | Fox News
Alarming new polling for the Democratic Party suggests it is losing ground among young voters, a demographic that has traditionally leaned blue.
Brett Cooper, host of “The Brett Cooper Show,” says many in her generation feel alienated by a party that no longer reflects their values or energy.
“Democrats are completely out of touch with their voter base,” Cooper said on “Fox & Friends.” “They are aging out. We do not want them in Congress anymore on the left and the right.”
Her comments come as 80-year-old Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate, announced Wednesday he will not seek re-election in 2026. Durbin, who was first elected in 1996, has long been seen as a pillar of the party establishment.
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“You see members of Congress like Dick [Durbin] who are so old,” Cooper added. “Young people feel unrepresented, and they are fed up.”
A new poll from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics shows approval of congressional Democrats among young Americans has dropped to 23%, down from 42% in early 2017. Approval for congressional Republicans stands at 29%, slightly improved from previous years. President Donald Trump’s approval rating among 18-29-year-olds is at 31%, virtually unchanged from the beginning of his first term.
Cooper argues the dissatisfaction among young voters is widespread, cutting across ideological lines in the Democratic Party.
“If they don’t like Donald Trump, then they’re angry that their representatives are not pushing back enough. If they are more common sense in the center, they’re angry with how radical they’ve gotten. They just feel completely left alone,” she said.
Despite criticism of younger progressive leaders like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cooper acknowledges they still draw passionate support from new voters.
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“I think that they are going to have to change course. We will see if that works,” she said. “We’ll see if AOC resonates with as many people as they’re hoping.”
Democratic lawmakers have recently turned to social media to voice outrage over issues like mass deportation under the Trump administration, a tactic used in past elections to mobilize younger voters. But Cooper says that strategy may be losing its effectiveness.
“It is obviously an emotional issue, and they know that in order to reach Gen Z, I mean, historically, in the past, it has been through emotion, which is why you’re seeing these selfie videos, these rallying cries.“
But she believes today’s young voters want more than just performative engagement online.
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“The tactics that they have been able to use in the past to reach my generation, through social media, using big, broad, emotionally charged language, that might not work,” Cooper said.
“They need to listen to their voters for once and actually see how they’re responding.”
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by | Apr 26, 2025 | Fox News
It’s 2025, but it’s starting to feel a little bit like 2028 in New Hampshire, the state that traditionally holds the first presidential primary in the race for the White House.
That’s because Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, the billionaire two-term Democrat from the solidly blue Midwestern state, is coming to New Hampshire this weekend to headline the state party’s largest annual fundraising gala.
Pritzker, who has become one of his party’s most vocal critics of the sweeping and controversial moves by President Donald Trump during the first three months of his second tour in the White House, is seen as a potential contender for the Democrats’ 2028 presidential nomination.
And trips to New Hampshire — which for over a century has held the first primary in the race for the White House — are seen as an early indicator of a politician’s interest in running for the presidency in the next election.
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“We’ve got to be ready for the fight,” Pritzker said when asked by Fox News Digital what his message will be when he delivers the keynote address at the New Hampshire Democratic Party’s annual McIntyre-Shaheen 100 Club dinner.
The governor, a member of the Pritzker family that owns the Hyatt hotel chain and who has started several of his own venture capital and investment startups, argued that the nation is “in a constitutional crisis” and that “we have too many people who are ill affected by the policies of the Trump administration.”
“This is the moment for people to stand up and fight,” he added.
Pritzker, 60, is the first potential Democratic presidential hopeful to visit New Hampshire, or any other early primary state, since Democrats lost the White House and their Senate majority and failed to retake the House in November.
And Trump and Republicans down-ballot made gains with key parts of the Democrats’ base, including with Black, Hispanic and younger voters.
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In the wake of those setbacks, Democrats have experienced increased intra-party tensions with an angry and energized base itching to fight back against Trump. That anger is directed not only at Trump and Republicans, but also at Democrats, with many in the party’s base upset that leaders haven’t been effective or vocal enough in pushing back against the president.
It’s also led to reflection about what the Democratic Party stands for and its direction moving forward amid flagging favorable ratings in national polling.
Two-term California Gov. Gavin Newsom, another high-profile Democrat who likely also has national ambitions in 2028, said earlier this week in an interview with “The Hill” that he wasn’t sure what the party truly represents.
“I don’t know what the party is,” Newsom said. “I’m still struggling with that.”
Asked if he’s also struggling, Pritzker responded, “I’ve been clear my whole life. The Democratic Party stands up for working people. Stands up for working families. We’re the party of civil rights. We’re the party of human rights. No doubt about that, in my mind.”
Pritzker, who is not prevented by term limits from running for re-election in 2026, has yet to say if he’ll make a bid for a third term steering Illinois. But the clock is ticking, with the filing period opening up later this year and the state’s primary just 11 months away.
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“Given the circumstances of getting on the ballot for people, I would need to make a decision and announce it by, you know, by latest July,” Pritzker said when asked about his timetable for making a decision.
But it’s a possible presidential run by Pritzker that is grabbing headlines.
Chicagoan Bill Daley, who served as former President Bill Clinton’s commerce secretary and former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, told The Wall Street Journal last week that “there is no doubt that he [Pritzker] is going to run.”
Pritzker, asked about Daley’s prediction, said, “I’d guess I’d remind you that he didn’t support me when I ran for governor the first time… I don’t know where he gets his information.”
And on the possibility of launching a national campaign in the 2028 election cycle, Pritzker said, “All I can tell you is, I’m focused on the question of whether I will run for re-election as governor, and on defeating the policies of Donald Trump.”
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The governor is no stranger to New Hampshire. He headlined the 2022 New Hampshire Democratic Party convention, and he returned last September to campaign on behalf of then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced then-President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee in July. Pritzker made multiple stops, including addressing union members at the New Hampshire AFL-CIO’s annual Labor Day breakfast.
Pritzker was among those vetted by the Harris presidential campaign as a possible running mate.
The governor, who led a successful effort to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, was also among the potential 2028 White House contenders to speak during the convention week at the New Hampshire Democratic Party delegation’s daily breakfasts.
Veteran New Hampshire-based Democratic consultant Jim Demers noted that “for many New Hampshire Democrats, his [Pritzker’s] visit is an early audition for 2028.”
“It comes at a time when voters are really looking for leadership, someone who will challenge what Donald Trump is doing. So, what he says will be weighed very heavily,” he added.
Demers, pointing to Pritzker’s handful of trips to the Granite State over the past couple of years, said that “every time he has visited with New Hampshire voters, he has delivered a message that has resonated very well.”
Neil Levesque, the longtime director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, said that “Pritzker is coming into a highly political state at an opportune time because of how fired up and charged up Democrats are in opposition to President Trump.”
And he noted that the stop “will kick off the first of multiple visits by multiple potential candidates, considering that Democrats are hungry for an opposition.”
While Pritzker’s visit is the first as the very early moves in the 2028 White House race get underway, behind the scenes there’s already action.
A Granite State-based Democratic strategist who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely shared that activists in New Hampshire are receiving fundraising emails on a regular basis from some of the potential candidates for 2028.
“Every week I receive a dozen,” the strategist said, adding that the messages are signed by Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Rep. Ro Khanna of California and other potential 2028 contenders.
The strategist said the possible White House hopefuls are “driving messaging and their names through this constant barrage of emails.”
While the stop by Pritzker may seem very early, it’s actually occurring later in the calendar than the first stop in an early-voting state in the 2024 presidential election cycle.
Mike Pompeo, the former congressman from Kansas who later served as CIA director and then Secretary of State in Trump’s first administration, spoke in Iowa in late March 2021.
Pompeo, who took a hard look at running for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination before deciding against launching a campaign, was the first of the potential Republican White House hopefuls that cycle to visit one of the early-voting primary and caucus states.
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by | Apr 26, 2025 | Fox News
Comedian and pro-Israel activist Daniel-Ryan Spaulding thinks America needs to get in touch with itself again to help address the nation’s mental health crisis.
The Canadian stand-up star told Fox News Digital that he is alarmed at what he has seen after recently moving to the United States, pointing out the demoralization, political division, and mental health crisis he believes are causing the implosion of society.
“If you have been raised your whole life to think that America is evil and that the president of your country is the most horrible person in the world, and men are evil, and the military is evil, and all the systems and the history of your country is evil, you know, you’re gonna end up really weird, and you’re not gonna necessarily know the difference between right and wrong,” he said.
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Spaulding is a gay comedian who has gone viral in recent years for his social media posts mocking leftists that call for the downfall of Israel. In one of his most liked videos on Instagram following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack, the comedian mocked LGBTQ protesters for thinking that Hamas would appreciate their help in condemning the Jewish state.
In addition to his concerns about Israel, the comic expressed worry about the cultural state of the West, particularly of the United States, where he believes many people have been taught to hate their own country and its ally, Israel.
“I believe that we’ve been so demoralized, the West has been so demoralized. Like, if we can get to the point where Jews are like on the side of Hamas, if we get to the point where gay people are on the side of Hamas, if we get to the point where young college kids are on the side of a terrorist regime, this is a big, big problem,” he told Fox News Digital.
“This is a level of perversion and self-hate, that is like, my mind can’t even comprehend it,” he added.
He accused the mainstream media of greatly contributing to America’s moral crisis.
“And the way things are covered in the news – like the way the New York Times reports something versus the way the New York Post covers something – like, you’ll see the same photo with a completely different write-up and headline, and people are just living in these little echo chambers, and no one is seeing the crap on the other side, you know?”
“They’re always focused on being angry at someone else. So, it’s sort of this rage culture that’s been developing,” Spaulding added.
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The comedian also pointed out the poor physical and mental health that many Americans are in, thanks to their poor diets, appetite for prescription drugs, and the “rage culture” he said the media’s been amplifying.
“But I think that from my time in America, having never lived in America and then moving there as an adult, like there’s some real problems with health, like mental health, first of all,” he said. “There’s like full-on schizophrenic people everywhere in New York. People are nuts. And then also people seem like they’re on medication. Like a lot of people are weird. Like I think a lot of people are on pills.”
“And then, also, yeah, the food,” he continued, “Like you can get good food, but there’s also just like a lot of crappy food as well. And the crappy food is cheaper than the healthy food. So I think that to get all those chemicals out of the food, like this is very important, this is important.”
Spaulding recently underwent a dramatic weight loss, having dropped 220 pounds over the course of three years, so he knows how important good health is and that it should be a priority for Americans. He praised new U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for targeting Americans’ unhealthy diets and childhood obesity, saying if he makes progress on his agenda, “that will be a game-changer for the United States.”
When asked more about his thoughts on the nature of the country’s mental health crisis, Spaulding pointed to the intersection between the pharmaceutical industry agenda and that of the media.
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“Well, I think that, like, definitely the pharmaceutical industry makes money off of getting everyone anxious and getting everyone upset. I think the news in a lot of ways and the way the news is framed – like I can’t even watch CNN or MSNBC or any of those programs anymore because it’s just constant, ‘Fear, fear, fear. Anger, anger, anger.’ And it’s not real.”
“So it’s sort of this rage culture that’s been developing,” he added.
The comic, who says he has always considered himself a liberal until seeing the radicalism of fellow liberals, says he sees hope for the future and senses a shift to a “hyper-patriotism” that will inspire people to love their country and its allies again.
“So, I think that we need to move towards reclaiming patriotism, stop hating each other so much, learn from each other, take care of each other. You know? Have pride in your country, have love of country. I think if all of these things – success, patriotism – if we start to reprogram ourselves to enjoy that, ‘America! Top Gun! Yeah!’ sort of – but people really want that again.”
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by | Apr 26, 2025 | Fox News
The funeral for Pope Francis, who was 88 years old when he died on April 21, is expected to be widely attended by not only the faithful, who are expected to travel worldwide for the event, but also by world leaders.
Some 130 delegations confirmed they will travel to Rome for the funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica, including roughly 50 heads of state and at least another 10 world leaders.
President Donald Trump will travel with his wife, first lady Melani Trump, who is a Roman Catholic, for the funeral in a show of respect despite the fact the president and the pope at times butted heads.
Neither Vice President JD Vance, who visited the pope on the eve of his death, nor his wife, Usha, are expected to be at the funeral.
Former President Joe Biden is expected to be in attendance, according to Italian media reports.
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Just as his father, now-King Charles III, represented the late Queen Elizabeth II at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in 2005, the eldest son and next in line for the throne, Prince William, will attend the funeral on Saturday.
His family is not expected to be with him, though Prime Minister Kier Starmer is expected to attend the pontiff’s funeral.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reportedly canceled travel plans to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan so she could attend the pope’s funeral.
In a tribute to Pope Francis posted on social media the day he died, Meloni said, “I had the privilege of enjoying his friendship, his advice, his teachings, which never ceased, not even during times of trial and suffering.”
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Javier Milei, president of Pope Francis’ native country of Argentina, confirmed he would make the journey to pay his respects to the man of whom he was often critical.
In a statement issued after the pope’s death, Milei said, “Despite differences that seem minor today, having been able to know him in his goodness and wisdom was a true honor for me.”
Ireland, a Catholic nation, will be represented by both President Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Martin for the pontiff’s funeral.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed he will attend Pope Francis’ funeral at St. Peter’s Basilica, and in a tribute to the pontiff, he said, “We remember his prayers for peace in Ukraine. Our state will be represented in Rome at the farewell ceremony this coming Saturday.”
Zelenskyy last visited the pope in October 2024.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirmed she will attend the pope’s funeral in what will mark the first event she and Trump have attended since he took office.
Many other world leaders are expected to attend, though notably leaders from adversarial nations like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as leaders of nations the pope was critical of over human rights concerns, like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will not be in attendance on Saturday.
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by | Apr 26, 2025 | Fox News
Shedeur Sanders went from being a top-five overall selection to not even a top-five quarterback.
Cam Ward, Jaxson Dart, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe, and Dillon Gabriel were all selected ahead of Sanders over the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.
It’s an unprecedented, stunning fall for Sanders, who some mocks even had No. 1 earlier this offseason.
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After dropping out of the first round, Sanders admitted that he “didn’t expect” the fall. He even became the culprit of a prank call who told him he had to “wait a little longer.”
But, late in the third round, Sanders took the X to keep some confidence.
“Thank you GOD for EVERYTHING,” he wrote.
Sanders had plenty of opportunities to be selected, but with three quarterbacks taken over him on night two, he clearly is not on many teams’ radars.
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Shough went 40th overall to the New Orleans Saints. Then came the third round, where Milroe went 92 to the Seattle Seahawks, and the Cleveland Browns, who had numerous chances at Sanders, took Dillon Gabriel three picks later.
Earlier this week, reports started to shun Sanders, with one coach saying his formal meeting with the quarterback was “the worst,” adding that he is “entitled” and “not that good.”
Perhaps more teams are starting to feel that way.
Saturday will feature rounds four through seven, with over 150 picks remaining. The Tennessee Titans, who no longer need a quarterback, kick off the fourth round at noon ET.
The Raiders have the sixth pick of the fourth round, but at this point, it’s anybody’s guess on where Sanders will land.
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