Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: The left’s Bern notice

The left’s Bern notice

Aug 04, 2026

By Will Steakin, Adam Wren and Dasha Burns

Presented by

With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner

Good Tuesday morning. Start your day in Michigan, where today’s Democratic Senate primary will dominate the headlines, and where POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin sat down for his latest conversation with a would-be 2028er. Get in touch.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN: JMart took “On the Road” to Traverse City, Michigan, the place Pete Buttigieg calls home. First on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay and then at Moomers over Cherries Moobilee — a decadent mix of cherries, chocolate and more cherries — the two talked about Buttigieg’s rapid ascent and uncertain future.

The fundamental questions: Can he catch lightning again? Does his measured manner — and determination to blur factions — work in an era that rewards provocation and choosing sides? Plus, Buttigieg’s riff on today’s big Senate primary as a new Michigan voter, whether being gay has been a net positive or negative in his rise, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and how his party views 2024. Watch the full episode … Read the Q&A

In today’s Playbook …

— The Democratic players in the game for Bernie Sanders’ throne.

— Michigan looks set to chart the course for Democrats into November.

— The Boldfaces: Abdul El-Sayed, Ro Khanna, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Shawn Fain, Wesley Bell, Cori Bush, Todd Blanche, Jack Smith, Tom Kean Jr. and more.

DRIVING THE DAY

A string of insurgent primary wins has the Democratic Party’s left wing feeling something it hasn't since Bernie Sanders ignited the movement in 2016: real momentum. And if Abdul El-Sayed pulls off a win in Michigan's Senate primary today, it’ll be on course for the political stratosphere, triggering speculation about where that firepower is aimed heading into 2028.

But there’s one major problem: there just aren’t many to choose from to harness it.

A brewing war has broken out among those in the larger Sanders orbit over whether the mantle belongs to Rep. Ro Khanna or Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, your author reports this morning alongside POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill and Lisa Kashinsky.

But privately, many in the movement echo the concern one operative close to Sanders shared with Playbook: “how limited our options are given the political moment we are in.”

“It’s not certain AOC will even run for president, and right now just Ro is really out there trying to fill that lane. That leaves a pretty thin field to pull from,” the operative said.

The shallow list of Sanders heirs is all the more striking given the party's moderate wing is stacked with 2028 options, while the names emerging further left prove ineligible: NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Graham Platner and at least for now according to his own account, El-Sayed.

David Sirota — the longtime Sanders aide and 2020 campaign speechwriter — views Sanders as the left's Barry Goldwater: the firebrand senator who won his party's 1964 nomination but got beat by President Lyndon B. Johnson, only for his ideological torch carrier, Ronald Reagan, to win the White House 16 years later.

“If the analogy holds,” Sirota told Playbook, “we're 10 years into that trajectory.”

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So who's in line to seize Democrats’ Reagan moment? “That's the big question,” Sirota said, noting the list remains short: “I can only think of AOC and I can think of Ro.”

Some on the populist left have started looking beyond Washington — and one name has been coming up more and more: Shawn Fain.

The UAW president led the union’s 2023 “stand-up strike” against the Big Three automakers and won record raises for his members. He’s garnered national attention for torching the “billionaire class” while often in an “EAT THE RICH” T-shirt. He’s also never held office — and for many, that's a huge plus.

“If he's willing to run, [he] might be the best candidate for the left,” Bhaskar Sunkara, the 2020 Sanders surrogate and former vice chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, told Playbook. “Since he's progressive but very much says his egalitarian value system comes from his Christianity, [he] can speak in a moral language that can reach more independents than other candidates, and I think it would set a good precedent for labor.”

Fain was recently approached about running for president, Playbook learned, and in private, he hasn’t ruled it out — but indicated he isn’t exploring the idea ... yet.

For others, there’s a clear choice who’s already laid the groundwork.

“It's Ro Khanna,” Cenk Uygur, the Young Turks founder and Justice Democrats co-founder, told Playbook. “He's Bernie 2016 as opposed to Bernie 2020 … economic populism is the single most popular thing in the country, and that's what Ro represents. So, for me, it's a no-brainer.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow is treating her role to help bring the party back together after this contentious race “very seriously,” according to a spokesperson. Immediately after the race is called, she will be the first to endorse the winner of the primary, and will attend the winner’s election-night event as a show of unity and solidarity.

On today’s Playbook Podcast: Dasha and Will discuss how Michigan’s midterm primaries could shed light on 2028, a critical moment for Todd Blanche in the Senate, why Jeanine Pirro is deep in Reflecting Pool water and what the CIA is up to (again) in Cuba.

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THE DOWNLOAD

ELECTION DAY ELSEWHERE: Today’s other big test of Democratic ideological infighting is Rep. Wesley Bell’s (D-Mo.) rematch with Cori Bush, POLITICO’s Cheyanne Daniels previews. AIPAC is once again spending big for Bell, who’s backed by establishment Dems, while Bush hopes the increasingly victorious progressive movement keeps winning in St. Louis.

More to watch: Kansas Dems will choose a Senate nominee to try and win a seat in the chamber for the first time in 94 years, while deciding competitive gubernatorial primaries and a supreme court referendum that Playbook’s Irie Sentner previewed earlier. … Nate Powell seeks a rare top-two spot as an independent in a Washington district, while Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces challengers from left and right and socialist Kshama Sawant takes on Rep. Adam Smith. … Keep eyes on a newly gerrymandered Missouri seat (the 5th) and a nearly gerrymandered Virginia seat (the 1st).

CARTE BLANCHE: Todd Blanche goes up for a Senate Judiciary vote on his AG nomination at 9 a.m., and his deal with Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) should push him through. But full Senate confirmation isn’t quite assured: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and John Curtis (R-Utah) haven’t committed to voting yes, POLITICO’s Jordain Carney and Chris Marquette report. Democrats will certainly hammer the fact that Blanche’s order rescinding the “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which CNN reports had direct White House input, still preserves Trump’s IRS immunity — and is more a political document than one without legal loopholes.

More in the Senate: The chamber will resume work on a government funding patch, which cleared an initial vote yesterday by a lopsided margin, POLITICO’s Katherine Tully-McManus reports. Senate Budget Republicans will also meet today to talk about the budget resolution for a new reconciliation bill, per POLITICO’s Inside Congress. It’s still TBD whether the Senate will move this week on college sports legislation. But you can pencil in Jack Smith to testify before Senate Judiciary next month, Chris scooped.

BRAVE NEW WORLD: Staff from the Office of the National Cyber Director will meet today with major AI companies to review the White House’s new draft oversight framework.

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THE FRONT PAGE

THE CUBA SQUEEZE: The Trump administration recently stepped up its intelligence presence in Cuba, Playbook’s Dasha Burns and POLITICO’s Nahal Toosi scoop this morning. As Trump seeks to pressure Cuba’s government into reforming or falling, one source said the U.S. has sent more spies and other assets. That could be a step toward military action — or toward trying to undermine Cuba’s leaders further from within.

THE BIG SICK LEAVE: House Majority Forward, a nonprofit group affiliated with House Democrats’ campaign operation, is airing a new digital ad that minces few words about GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s four-month absence from Congress, POLITICO’s Joey Fox scoops. “[Kean] collected his six-figure salary and his health benefits, all paid for by our tax dollars,” the ad says of Kean, who revealed in June that he had been battling depression. “But did you know Kean voted against extending earned sick leave in New Jersey? … Don’t we deserve the same benefits he took for himself?” Kean’s Democratic opponent, Rebecca Bennett, has pointedly declined to make Kean’s absence a focus of her campaign.

AD IT UP: Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) is positioning herself as a fighter against Trump, ICE and Big Pharma in a $500,000 closing TV ad going up today ahead of next week’s Minnesota Senate primary, which will serve as one of the penultimate tests of Democrats’ direction this cycle, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky writes in.

TO THE LETTER: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has a warning for Democrats as the midterms are fast approaching: Don’t back the PROMISE Act or any effort to fast-track Social Security changes — arguing it would further erode the party’s trust with voters, Will reports. In a Dear Colleague letter, Sanders called on the caucus to make clear it will not support cutting benefits, raising the retirement age, reducing COLAs or privatizing the program — and to reject any “procedural shortcuts” that would change Social Security “behind closed doors.”

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5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

1. STOP US IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS BEFORE: Trump said yesterday he’s given Iran one “last chance” at negotiations before he unleashes a new round of escalatory strikes. That’s “lucky No. 13” after the U.S. has given Tehran a dozen such chances over the past several months, the NY Post’s Caitlin Doornbos tallies up. Otherwise, Trump said, it’s “decapitation.” But no new U.S.-Iran talks appear in the offing yet.

2. HOUSE MEMBERS IN THE HOT SEAT: The clamor around Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) keeps growing over domestic-abuse allegations, which he denies. Multiple GOP senators joined Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Miller’s ex-father-in-law, in calling for him to go, per POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy and Riley Rogerson. Trump allies are urging the president to call for Miller to exit his reelection bid, per CNN, and Trump told Miller on the phone yesterday “things aren’t looking good,” per Axios. House Dems are considering an expulsion vote and Jim Renacci might jump into the race if Miller drops out.

Elsewhere in the House: The Ethics Committee recommended a formal censure of Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) for sexually harassing young female staffers with “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct,” per POLITICO’s Chris Marquette. Edwards’ team sharply criticized the panel.

A message from Anthropic:

3. IMMIGRATION FILES: Under DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, ICE deportation numbers have been relatively steady and flat from Kristi Noem’s tenure, POLITICO’s Eric Bazail-Eimil scooped. The stats are still lower than Stephen Miller has demanded from the mass deportation drive, and their similar cadence under Noem’s leadership could be grist for both Mullin’s supporters and his increasingly vocal detractors on the far right.

4. QUITE THE DATA POINT: For the first time since 2017, a Reuters/Ipsos poll finds Democrats surpassing Republicans on which party voters think has a better approach to the economy. Trump’s approval rating is at 35 percent, though Democrats have only a moderate 5-point lead on the generic congressional ballot.

5. MONUMENTAL NEWS: “Documents Undercut Trump’s Claims About Utah National Monument,” by NYT’s Maxine Joselow: “When President Trump sharply reduced the size of Bears Ears National Monument in Utah by more than 1.2 million acres, he claimed it was necessary because recreation was virtually impossible within the site’s boundaries. … But recreation has been allowed in Bears Ears since President Barack Obama designated the monument in 2016.”

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TALK OF THE TOWN

ALL EYES ON JEANINE PIRRO — The U.S. attorney for D.C. is under intense pressure today after the Justice Department admitted shoddy installation, not Trump’s alleged vandals, was the culprit for problems with the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Pirro met with Trump at the White House yesterday, after he publicly said she “folded like an umbrella” and privately considered firing her.

Pirro’s dismissal of the case against Olympian Davey Hearn wasn’t the only backtrack: Federal prosecutors also dropped three similar misdemeanor cases against others related to the reflecting pool, in a series of “extraordinary motions,” NYT’s Clarence Williams reports.

Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum insist vandalism is to blame, without providing evidence. But not every Republican is toeing the party line. Hearn, remarked Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) drily, “may be the first customer of the ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund.’”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — How do we understand Teddy Roosevelt today? Bill Clinton is out with a new essay reflecting on the 26th president’s legacy as one of expanding the meaning of “We the People,” with progressive reforms and global peace efforts — while still falling short of the standards 21st-century observers would apply. “Every generation inherits not only the progress, but also the unfinished business of our ancestors,” Clinton writes, “and every generation must decide whether to widen the circle or let it close.” The piece is part of an ongoing, bipartisan More Perfect project called In Pursuit, bringing together former presidents and others to reflect on American history and democracy. Read it here

ANNALS OF DIPLOMACY — Ukrainian Ambassador Olga Stefanishyna has been dismissed in the latest diplomatic shakeup from Kyiv, per Reuters. She said it was her own decision.

MEDIAWATCH — Sharyn Alfonsi and Scott Pelley, two of the high-profile “60 Minutes” correspondents who exited CBS amid clashes with Bari Weiss, are heading to Columbia Journalism School as journalists-in-residence, per NYT’s Benjamin Mullin.

SPORTS BLINK — The UFC’s White House fight lost its parent company some $30 million — but they said it would pay off in terms of long-term exposure and deals, per Bloomberg.

FOR YOUR RADAR — The Fund for American Studies has announced its 2026-27 Robert Novak Journalism Fellowship recipients: Frannie Block of The Free Press, Faith Bottum and Mary Julia Koch of the WSJ, Gilbert Guerra and Grayson Logue of The Dispatch, John Sailer of the Manhattan Institute and Liz Wolfe of Reason.

MEDIA MOVES — ProPublica is adding Cate Brown, Aaron Davis, Joel Schectman and Byron Tau as reporters in its Washington bureau, focusing on national security accountability journalism. Brown previously worked at the Guardian, Davis at WaPo, Schectman at the WSJ and Tau at the AP (and POLITICO).

TRANSITIONS — Ravi Garla is now chief program officer for Voting Rights Lab. He previously worked for the Nuclear Threat Initiative. … Sarah Salas is now deputy chief of staff for the State Department’s China House. She previously worked for Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and is a Rick Scott alum. … Dan Leonard has been named a senior adviser at ColdSpark, with a focus on health policy. He founded the health care consultancy Granite Capitol and is an Association for Accessible Medicines and National Pharmaceutical Council alum. …

… Adam Novak is now senior director of development at Unleash Prosperity. He most recently worked at National Review. … Andrew Lautz is joining the Tax Foundation as senior director of federal tax policy. He previously worked at the Bipartisan Policy Center and is a National Taxpayers Union alum. … Jane Garza is now national press secretary at the Democratic Attorneys General Association. She previously worked for Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Former President Barack Obama … House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries … Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds … AP’s Seung Min Kim … Bret Baier … CBS’ Katie Watson … Bob Cusack … City Cast DC’s Michael Schaffer … Joby Warrick … NYT’s Mike Madden … Alex Mallin of ABC … AARP’s Deirdre Shesgreen … Joel Bailey of BGR Group … Slingshot Strategies’ Greg Krieg … Pete Brodnitz … Minnesota AG Keith Ellison … Brett Loper … Kate Michelman … Emil Hill … Claire Berry of Rep. Christian Menefee’s (D-Texas) office … Andrei Cherny … former AG Alberto Gonzales … Harry Harris … former Reps. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) and Tom Rice (R-S.C.) … Logan Luse … former U.S. Treasurer Rosario Marin … Reagan Anderson … former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland … Varuna Bhatia … former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot … Something Major’s Randi Braun … Semafor’s Jessica Yarvin … Olivia D’Angelo of Sen. Jacky Rosen’s (D-Nev.) office … Caren Auchman … Chad Kolton of Blueprint Communications … Ron Bodinson … POLITICO’s Alexandra Gal … Wayne Pacelle

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Correction: Yesterday’s Playbook misspelled Jack Posobiec’s name.