Taking the scenic route to a very serious Republican problem



By the time you read this, my friend and managing editor Rob Eno and I should be somewhere in the Mountain West, headed southeast toward Dallas.

We are taking the scenic route.

The Republican Party is a house divided.

We took off Friday in a rental car from Inland Southern California. This was not entirely my idea. My doctor advised me not to fly for the time being, on account of a “blood pressure-induced event” in late March. Eno required remarkably little persuasion to turn a business trip into an expedition. He collects counties. He loves Buc-ee’s. He is weirdly excited about a 13-foot Sasquatch at a Terrible’s in Jean, Nevada.

We are also stopping in Moab, Utah, on purpose.

I have owned Edward Abbey’s “Desert Solitaire” for years and have never read it — an oversight I have always assumed I would get around to correcting eventually.

So naturally, we’re going to Moab to pay homage to a writer I respect but haven’t read.

There will be plenty more levity along the way. I expect Rob and I will have developed three podcasts and sketched out a couple of book proposals before the trip is over.

The destination calls for a bit more gravitas, however.

We're going to Dallas as part of Blaze Media’s coverage of the Republican National Committee’s first-ever midterm convention, a two-day spectacle at the American Airlines Center. President Trump will appear both nights. Vice President JD Vance will keynote the first night.

This is a big deal. Not necessarily because the convention needs to happen. Good Lord, no.

Nobody is being nominated for anything. There are no delegates fighting over a platform or credentials. Republicans are spending a princely sum of money to stage something resembling a presidential nominating convention two years before the next presidential election.

It’s political theater, pure and simple.

Donald Trump, of course, understands the business of show very well. He wants a spectacle ahead of a midterm election that could be very bad for Republicans.

Notice the conditional: could.

RELATED: Sorry, socialists: The internet saved your homework

Rob Eno

I offer no predictions. The conventional wisdom says the president’s party loses seats in a midterm. Republicans have a razor-thin House majority. Trump has political problems. Nobody likes the war in Iran. Nobody likes the high cost of living. Nobody wants to pay $20 for a burrito, assuming such a thing exists. Republicans know they need to persuade voters that the country is moving in the right direction. Those anxieties are part of the reason Dallas is happening at all.

But Democrats possess a remarkable talent for self-immolation.

We have seen it with Graham Platner in Maine. We may be watching it in Michigan, where Abdul El-Sayed has spent precious weeks creating problems for himself with Jewish Democrats that Republicans would be foolish not to exploit.

Then again, Democrats can be ruthlessly effective when they choose to be. They have killed candidacies that became liabilities and cleared paths for stronger nominees. Anyone who remembers what the party establishment did to Bernie Sanders in 2016 — or how quickly Democrats jettisoned Joe Biden in 2024 — should hesitate before assuming they will simply stand around while Republicans win.

The Republicans have problems of their own, and they run deeper than any generic ballot.

Like it or not, the Republican Party is very much a house divided.

What remains of the Bush-Romney establishment still possesses considerable institutional power, especially in Congress. It is conservative in the least attractive sense of the word: hidebound, risk-averse, and frequently several election cycles behind its own voters.

MAGA defeated that establishment without entirely replacing it.

Trump transformed the Republican electorate. He changed its language, its priorities, its geographic base, and its relationship with the working class. But he also made himself indispensable to the coalition he created.

That’s dangerous.

Trump is 80. The Constitution bars him from another term. Sooner rather than later, Republicans will need to answer a question they have spent a decade avoiding: What is Trumpism without Trump?

RELATED: Who gets the GOP when Trump is gone?

Win McNamee/Getty Images

If the answer is “nothing,” the Republican Party is in much worse trouble than any poll can measure.

Maybe Dallas will provide a glimmer of an answer. Maybe JD Vance will be the heir. Maybe, just maybe, economic nationalism, immigration restriction, and a less interventionist foreign policy can become a durable governing program rather than the preferences of one extraordinary political personality.

Or maybe the convention will simply be a very expensive show about Donald Trump.

Eno and I should have a better idea by Wednesday.

But first we need to traverse the mountains and the desert.

And see the Sasquatch.

Judge Halts Another Democrat Scheme To Rig State Congressional Maps

A Maryland judge has enjoined the state's Board of Elections from pushing out a ballot question drafted on the back of a broken law.

Yes, Democrats Just Passed A Resolution Seeking To Abolish ICE

The latest act by Democrats proving that once again November’s midterm elections come down to the sane versus the insane.

Broke and desperate DNC gambles its HQ after getting email-scammed



The Democratic National Committee is circling the drain.

Unlike the Republican National Committee, which had no debt and $128.53 million in cash on hand at the end of last month, the DNC under the leadership of Chairman Ken Martin had only $16.3 million on hand and was over $18.5 million in debt.

'The result of fraudulent activity by an external third party.'

According to the New York Times, the Democratic Party is so desperate, it has begun asking vendors to put off sending invoices until after the midterm elections.

In its desperation, the DNC had to post something near and dear as collateral in order to secure a $15 million loan from Amalgamated Bank in October — a loan that was reportedly timed to enable seven-figure financial transfers to then-gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey.

NOTUS, citing D.C. deed records, highlighted that the DNC actually put up its physical headquarters at 430 South Capitol Street in Southeast D.C. as a security — but did not explicitly note the building's use as assurance in the relevant FEC filings.

This evidently prickled those elements within the DNC that have turned on the DNC chairman, who was described last year by party officials as "weak and whiny."

"Ken gaslighting us about the DNC's finances and not being transparent about the financial situation makes us doubt if he can oversee the DNC during the most important primary of our lifetime," one DNC member said, according to NOTUS.

A DNC official said in a statement obtained by NOTUS, "This is not new. The loan documents were publicly released in November, and the DNC's building was also used as collateral in our prior lines of credit in 2019, 2018, 2014, and many other years."

RELATED: 'He's been lying to voters': Paxton BEATS DOWN Talarico over alleged election fraud

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Martin tried to paint lipstick on this donkey in a July 20 blog post, stating, "So why does the DNC have less cash on hand than some expect? Because we made a conscious decision to invest money in the work required to win in 2025, 2026, and beyond. We are converting the cash we raise into electoral assets: more people, earlier organizing, better technology, and stronger state parties."

"A larger bank account does not knock on a door, register a voter, recruit a candidate, or protect the vote," Martin wrote. "We have chosen to build. We are replacing a boom-and-bust campaign model with permanent political infrastructure. We are not choosing between winning now and building for the future. Our investments are designed to do both."

Despite his practiced ability to cast failure in a positive light, Martin, who took over the DNC in February 2025 and whose term is supposed to end in 2029, is fast running out of friends and beginning to crack under the pressure.

Multiple sources described to the New York Times an incident earlier this month where Martin, "in a pique of frustration," allegedly threw his phone at the desk of a junior aide while reprimanding the individual. Martin and the DNC declined the Times' invitation to comment on the matter.

Around the DNC headquarters, which has been staked as collateral, Martin has allegedly been making dark jokes about his ouster and expressing concerns about leaks and a potential mutiny.

"Ken needs help — H-E-L-P," former acting DNC chairwoman Donna Brazile told the Times. "And if he's reluctant to say it, I'm here to help him ask. It's hard. It's very difficult."

Some Democrats are publicly calling for Martin to throw in the towel.

California Rep. Sam Liccardo (D), for instance, tweeted on Sunday, "Ken Martin must resign. As Democrats, we have become too captured by failing strategies. We must fail forward, and pivot. The urgency of this moment will not reward — and our children will not forgive — torpidity."

The DNC's humiliation was compounded further this week by the revelation that besides the $75,000 or more the organization is paying in interest on the $15 million October loan, it was scammed out of nearly $29,000 last year, reportedly by an email scammer pretending to be Martin.

A senior FEC campaign finance and reviewing analyst issued a request to the DNC on July 8, 2025, for information pertaining to a "misdisbursement" totaling $28,860.92 referenced in a monthly report that "appears to be related to an apparent unauthorized disbursement of Committee funds."

The DNC said in response that the "identified transaction was the result of fraudulent activity by an external third party."

A committee staffer received a fraudulent email from an unknown individual claiming to be Martin in February 2025 — just days after Martin became chairman — and made a hefty payment to the fraudster, NOTUS reported.

The DNC promptly reported the transaction to its bank, Wells Fargo, but was reportedly able to recover only $7,000 of the cash. The staffer is no longer with the DNC, according to NOTUS.

"This was a one-off mistake that was promptly caught and addressed, and no similar issues have occurred since," DNC spokeswoman Mia Ehrenberg said.

In addition to throwing away money it can't afford to lose, the DNC is grappling with the party's historic unpopularity.

According to an Economist/YouGov poll conducted last month, 54% of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party. Among those over 29, the numbers are even worse for the party.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Republicans break fundraising records as midterms approach



Republicans are breaking fundraising records with just months left before the midterms.

The National Republican Congressional Committee announced Monday that it raised $17.6 million in June alone. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ended June with more cash on hand than Republicans in the four previous election cycles.

‘Democrats are still holding clown show socialist auditions for who gets to lose in November.’

The NRCC is enjoying its best fundraising pace ever in an election year with $82.6 million raised in 2026 so far. With the DCCC trailing $13.7 million behind, it’s the largest Republican cash-on-hand lead by June for any election year on record.

The DCCC did not respond to a request for comment.

It also marks the first time since 2016 that the NRCC has more cash on hand than the DCCC at this point in the election cycle. Having more cash on hand at this point in the cycle allows Republicans to secure television advertising space and pump more money into competitive districts in the final stretch.

“Republicans are building a campaign machine to win, while Democrats are still holding clown show socialist auditions for who gets to lose in November,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement to Blaze News. “We have deeper pockets, a more favorable map, stronger candidates, and the better message to grow the House majority.”

RELATED: These Republicans want to make Trump's border policy permanent

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images

It’s not just the NRCC that’s setting records. The entire Republican ecosystem is finding fundraising success headed into November.

The Republican National Committee ended June with $128.5 million in its war chest. That’s the largest end-of-month stockpile since the RNC’s inception.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) broke GOP leader records, raking in $135 million in this election cycle. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) further contributed $55 million to GOP fundraising efforts, the Washington Examiner reported. Scalise raised $9 million between April and June.

"While Democrats lunge further into disarray and to the far left, House Republicans are united, well-funded, and on offense to win the midterms,” Johnson said in a press release announcing his numbers. “With less than four months to go, we continue to expose the contrast for America before voters this fall — a choice between Republicans’ common sense and Democrats’ embrace of crazy and communism.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Leftist Lawfare Group Looks To ‘Silence’ Political Speech

The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) is suing to reverse an FEC opinion that allows coordination between candidates and like-minded groups.

Vance Takes Center Stage In White House Push To Protect GOP Majority

VP Takes Center Stage In White House Push To Protect GOP Majority

GOP Secures Agreement From North Carolina Election Officials To Clean Up Voter Rolls

Elections officials will be required to use jury duty records to identify and remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.

New Jersey’s Voter Roll Chaos Makes The Best Case For The SAVE America Act

'That’s not a crack, that’s a huge gap,' Mark Demo, of Citizens for New Jersey Election Integrity, said of New Jersey's dirty voter rolls.

Pipe-bomb suspect Brian Cole's defense hits prosecutors with unexpected demands after feds pile on more charges



Brian Cole Jr., the FBI's suspect in the Jan. 5 to 6, 2021, pipe-bomb case, appeared before a federal judge on April 22 and pleaded not guilty to the two additional felony charges filed against him in a second superseding indictment.

Federal authorities arrested Cole in December, accusing him of planting two pipe bombs, one outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters and one outside the Republican National Committee headquarters, in the hours leading up to the Jan 6, 2021, protest at the U.S. Capitol. The bombs did not detonate.

A 'real mic-drop' moment.

A second superseding indictment, filed Apr. 14, included the original charges of interstate transportation of explosives and a malicious attempt to use explosives. It also added two additional charges: an attempt to use weapons of mass destruction and an act of terrorism while armed. If found guilty of these new charges, Cole could face a sentence of life in prison.

The status hearing last week included an arraignment for the additional charges, to which Cole pleaded not guilty.

Cole's defense team requested early in the hearing to discuss setting a trial date, suggesting early December, according to the hearing's transcript obtained by Blaze News.

Prosecutors proposed holding another status hearing before setting a trial date, explaining that they were not yet prepared to estimate how long the trial would take, particularly with the additional charges.

Cara Castronuova, a reporter with LindellTV, called the defense's request a "real mic-drop" moment.

"I think that really surprised the prosecution. Their mouths sort of fell open. A lot of the FBI agents and the DOJ that were sitting there watching sort of looked at each other in disbelief," Castronuova stated.

RELATED: Brian Cole Jr.’s physical presence, posture, mannerisms are no match to FBI's hoodie-clad pipe-bomb suspect

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc./Getty Images

"I don't think that they expected that. I think that they added all of these new charges sort of hoping that this young man, Brian Cole Jr. … would be scared and plea out."

The attorneys for both sides provided the judge with an update on the discovery process.

Prosecutors stated that they had obtained "over a terabyte of data" and that they were still gathering additional information, including witness interview materials.

Cole's attorney, Alex Little with Litson PLLC, said the defense intended to subpoena Congress for Jan. 6 committee records. Little explained to the judge that they had plans to review lawmakers' investigation into the pipe bomber, stating that he believes that they may "have materials that we think would be useful."

The defense also shared potential plans to present "a third-party perpetrator defense" and indicated that they want to "rebut potential alibis of that third party."

During the hearing, the attorneys and judge also discussed the controversy surrounding a recent motion filed by the defense team.

Cole's legal team previously filed a motion on Apr. 1 claiming that former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Kerkhoff was "named as a person of interest in the January 5–6, 2021 pipe bomb investigation." The court filing claimed Kerkhoff was subjected to an FBI polygraph examination and that she "failed" after she was asked, "Did you place those pipe bombs?" and "Did you place those pipe bombs that evening?" Cole's attorneys further noted that the polygraph examiner called Kerkhoff's responses "seemingly rehearsed."

Kerkhoff has been officially cleared by the FBI and is no longer a suspect in the case.

Federal prosecutors argued that the motion violated the case's protective order, which set guidelines for handling confidential and sensitive discovery materials, including identifying information. Prosecutors requested that the judge hold Cole's attorneys in contempt for the public filing.

RELATED: Former Capitol Police Officer Shauni Kerkhoff files lawsuit against Blaze Media

Andrew Leyden/Getty Images

Cole's defense team asserted that the motion did not violate the protective order in the case, stating that they "were surprised" the government believed it did.

"Your Honor, they immediately jumped to ask to hold me in contempt," Little stated.

"I find it important to make this record for the court. There was nothing in that protective order that we believed are satisfied by the things we put in that motion. We wouldn't have filed them. That's not the way we do things."

He expressed regret and referred to as a "mistake" that the motion contained an individual's home address. He noted that the address should have been removed.

Cole's attorney stated that other than that one instance, prosecutors did not specify any other personally identifiable information in the motion. He claimed that prosecutors were unnecessarily labeling discovery materials as sensitive, including "photographs of shoes that you can get on the web."

"I think the difficulty is when we have now two terabytes, three terabytes of discovery, do I need to show the government a draft of each of my motions to decide whether the information" could be submitted in a public court filing, Little stated, adding that prosecutors had made "half" of the discovery material "sensitive."

Prosecutors argued that the defense's "gambit worked," stating that the public motion "went everywhere" and was "covered by the media."

"The damage was done," a federal attorney told the judge.

Little stated that they "immediately" moved to get the motion "under seal" after being notified by prosecutors that the address was in the public motion.

The defense withdrew the motion, which removed it from the public docket, and filed it under seal. Cole's team then requested that the motion be unsealed with redactions.

The judge ordered counsel to confer and come back to the court with "a proposed redacted version" of the defense's motion.

Castronuova highlighted a moment when the judge reportedly "just started yelling" at the defense attorneys.

"He went from zero to 10 out of nowhere on the defense," she continued. "No one really understood why. He just got angry at something they said and just started reprimanding them, embarrassing them, and yelling at them in court."

At multiple points throughout the hearing, the judge told the defense to "stop talking," according to the transcript.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) reacted to updates from the status hearing last week, suggesting that the defense "put the plainclothes Capitol Police officers who 'found' the second bomb on the stand."

Massie urged them to ask, "Why didn't you immediately begin looking for a third bomb?" "Who told you to go to that area and look for it?" and "Why was the bomb not immediately dealt with?"

"And a new question: why did you look so intently under the empty bush where the pipe bomber dwelled for so long the night before?" Massie continued.

"This trial could get interesting."

Cole's defense team declined to comment. He is scheduled to appear back in court on May 29 for another status hearing.

On Friday, Cole's defense team submitted a motion further arguing for the dismissal of the case due to a lack of jurisdiction. His attorneys previously contended that President Donald Trump's broad pardons related to the events of Jan. 6, 2021, which applied to "individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the United States Capitol," should also cover Cole's case.

The government rejected the argument, stating that Cole had no pending indictment at the time the presidential proclamation was issued on Jan. 20, 2025. Prosecutors also asserted that the pipe bombs were placed on Jan. 5, 2021, and therefore were not related to the protest on Jan. 6.

Cole's lawyers responded to the government's arguments by stating that "a strict time limit does not exist in the text of" the president's pardon and, therefore, should not be inferred from it. They claimed it was "an on-going directive." They also reasoned that the timing and proximity of the pipe-bomb incident to the Jan. 6 protest indicate a connection.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!