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WATCH: Rand Paul says Fauci lobbied for $1M prize while leading COVID response

July 28, 2026 9:07am EDT / Fox News

Paul released over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s diary ahead of Wednesday’s Senate hearing on his role during the COVID-19 pandemic

By Alex Miller, Fox News

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402327206112

Rand Paul accuses Fauci of chasing awards, lobbying for $1 million prize during pandemic

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., is gearing up for a blockbuster hearing with Anthony Fauci and alleged to Fox News Digital that Fauci lobbied members of the NIH to nominate him for a lucrative, $1 million prize.

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Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., wants answers from former chief White House medical advisor Anthony Fauci on why he used his rising fame to lobby colleagues to nominate him for a $1 million prize.

Paul, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, is gearing up for a blockbuster hearing with Fauci, the former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for his role as spokesman and policy craftsman during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of the hearing, Paul dumped over 1,000 pages of Fauci’s diary, and he told Fox News Digital that one of the issues that would soon come to light during Wednesday’s fight in the Senate was Fauci’s alleged dogged pursuit of a hefty cash prize while serving under former President Joe Biden.

FAUCI’S NEWLY RELEASED COVID DIARIES REVEAL BIZARRE FIXATION ON FAME AS PANDEMIC DEATHS MOUNTED

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a press briefing at the White House on April 13, 2021, in Washington.(Patrick Semansky/AP Photo)

“We have conversations where he’s telling other people at the NIH to nominate him,” Paul said. “Like, ‘Will you nominate me? I’ll write up my nominating background for you, and then you nominate me.’”

“Why would we let — politicians aren’t supposed to get more than $50,” he continued. “Why would we let a guy that runs a bureaucracy, why would we want him to be allowed to have a $1 million prize? That just boggles my mind.”

In 2021, Fauci was awarded the Dan David Prize, a $1 million award disbursed by the Israel-based Dan David Foundation headquartered at Tel Aviv University. Per the rules of the award, 10% of the prize was meant to be designated for academic scholarships in Fauci’s field.

LINDSEY GRAHAM’S FINAL MISSION NEARS FINISH LINE AS WORLD LEADERS GATHER TO HONOR HIM

https://www.foxnews.com/video/6402298101112

The foundation said in a statement at the time that as the pandemic unraveled, Fauci “leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread.”

Despite advising seven presidents and serving at the NIH since the 1980s, Fauci was a career civil servant who never required Senate confirmation.

Strewn across the pages of Fauci’s diary are several instances, particularly in the early stages of the pandemic, that show an individual with a keen understanding of his role in the media.

FAUCI’S DIARY SHOWS HE FED QUESTIONS TO JOURNALISTS, BUILT FRIENDSHIPS WITH MEDIA FIGURES

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., talks with reporters in the Senate subway on Dec. 9, 2025.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

In May 2020, for example, Fauci wrote that a “Big front page article [about] me appeared in the Washington Post.”

“Very flattering. The situation with my national and international fame is explosive and really unimaginable,” he said. “It is not hyperbole to say that today I am the most famous and talked about person in the country and one of the most recognizable persons in the world.”

And in another entry shortly after, Fauci noted that the Trump White House was “very upset” about his meteoric rise in the media.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is sworn-in before testifying before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic at the Rayburn House Office Building on June 3, 2024, in Washington, D.C.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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When asked about Fauci’s close eye on the media and whether that might have colored his portrayal of the virus, Paul was unsure.

“I mean, he wouldn’t be the first person in Washington that publicity went to his head,” Paul said.

Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.

日本熊本县商场在地震中坍塌 料造成多人伤亡

2026年7月28日 21:00 / 联合早报

熊本县嘉岛町的大型购物中心“永旺梦乐城熊本”（AEON Mall Kumamoto）在强震中爆炸并坍塌。 （路透社）

日本熊本县嘉岛町的大型购物中心“永旺梦乐城熊本”（AEON Mall Kumamoto）在强震中爆炸并坍塌，导致多人受困，其中一些恐怕已罹难。

当地时间周二（7月28日）下午，熊本县发生最大震度7级（日本标准）的地震。永旺梦乐城熊本过后发生爆炸，二楼部分坍塌。这座商城面积约12万平方米，目前尚不清楚爆炸的原因。

永旺梦乐城熊本的发言人说，地震发生后，他们立即疏散了顾客和员工。不过，警方消息人士告诉日本放送协会（NHK），有20至30名员工失联。

新闻画面显示，购物中心部分外墙炸毁，露出里头的钢梁。一名事发时距离永旺梦乐城熊本约300米的民众告诉东京放送电视台（TBS），爆炸威力巨大。他先是听到爆炸声，接着看到一大团烟云升起，浓烟顺着风势朝他所在的酒吧移动，四周像在“下火山灰”。（路透社）

地震发生后，九州高速公路一段桥梁断裂。（路透社）

熊本县八代市（Yatsushiro City）一座跨河大桥在地震中部分坍塌，桥身断裂坠入河里。（路透社）

日本制纸公司位于熊本县八代市（Yatsushiro City）工厂的一座烟囱在地震中倒塌。（路透社）

熊本县八代市（Yatsushiro City）一栋房子在地震中失火烧毁。（路透社）

熊本市一家商店外墙被震碎。（法新社）

日本三大名城之一的熊本城城墙在地震中部分垮塌。（路透社）

熊本市中央区的民众从大厦疏散后，在一处公园等候。（法新社）

日本《读卖新闻》在东京分发报道九州熊本地震的号外。（路透社）

日本熊本县商场在地震中坍塌 料造成多人伤亡

2026年7月28日 21:00 / 联合早报

熊本县嘉岛町的大型购物中心“永旺梦乐城熊本”（AEON Mall Kumamoto）在强震中爆炸并坍塌。 （路透社）

日本熊本县嘉岛町的大型购物中心“永旺梦乐城熊本”（AEON Mall Kumamoto）在强震中爆炸并坍塌，导致多人受困，其中一些恐怕已罹难。

当地时间周二（7月28日）下午，熊本县发生最大震度7级（日本标准）的地震。永旺梦乐城熊本过后发生爆炸，二楼部分坍塌。这座商城面积约12万平方米，目前尚不清楚爆炸的原因。

永旺梦乐城熊本的发言人说，地震发生后，他们立即疏散了顾客和员工。不过，警方消息人士告诉日本放送协会（NHK），有20至30名员工失联。

新闻画面显示，购物中心部分外墙炸毁，露出里头的钢梁。一名事发时距离永旺梦乐城熊本约300米的民众告诉东京放送电视台（TBS），爆炸威力巨大。他先是听到爆炸声，接着看到一大团烟云升起，浓烟顺着风势朝他所在的酒吧移动，四周像在“下火山灰”。（路透社）

地震发生后，九州高速公路一段桥梁断裂。（路透社）

熊本县八代市（Yatsushiro City）一座跨河大桥在地震中部分坍塌，桥身断裂坠入河里。（路透社）

日本制纸公司位于熊本县八代市（Yatsushiro City）工厂的一座烟囱在地震中倒塌。（路透社）

熊本县八代市（Yatsushiro City）一栋房子在地震中失火烧毁。（路透社）

熊本市一家商店外墙被震碎。（法新社）

日本三大名城之一的熊本城城墙在地震中部分垮塌。（路透社）

熊本市中央区的民众从大厦疏散后，在一处公园等候。（法新社）

日本《读卖新闻》在东京分发报道九州熊本地震的号外。（路透社）

New audio undercuts Dems who defended Biden, slammed Hur after classified docs report revealed memory loss

2026-07-28T10:42:22-04:00 / Fox News

Democrats said Hur characterizing Biden as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory’ was gratuitous and politically motivated

By Peter D’Abrosca Fox News

Published July 28, 2026 10:42am EDT

Biden tapes released showing memory was ‘significantly limited’

New recordings between Joe Biden and memoir ghostwriter Mark Zwonitzer have been released. In one instance, on April 24, 2017, Biden struggled to recall two economic advisers. (Credit: The Oversight Project)

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After special counsel Robert Hur’s 2023 investigation and the subsequent report into former President Joe Biden’s retention of classified documents, Democrats rushed to defend the 46th president from his characterization that Biden was an “elderly man with a poor memory.”

The left-wing’s narrative surrounding Biden’s mental cognition — especially as he was running for re-election against President Donald Trump — is now crumbling after audio tapes from the investigation were revealed Monday night.

Prominent Democrats lined up to defend Biden when the initial report was released in 2024, many using the same line that Hur’s report was “gratuitous.” Then-Vice President Kamala Harris was chief among the chorus of defenders, saying that the report was “inaccurate and inappropriate.”

“The way that the president’s demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts,” she told reporters at an event in Washington at the time. She also said the report was “clearly politically motivated, gratuitous.” Months later, Biden dropped out of the presidential race and was replaced on the ticket by his No. 2 without a primary election to decide his replacement.

President Joe Biden pauses as he concludes his address to the nation from the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, about his decision to drop his Democratic presidential re-election bid.(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, Pool)

BIDEN’S HUR INTERVIEW TAPES COULD NOW GO PUBLIC AFTER HIS ATTORNEYS WAVE WHITE FLAG

“What everyone will soon realize is that this is a Republican special counsel who completely went out of his way to editorialize, to include material in his report that is unnecessary and irrelevant to what he was tasked with doing,” Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., piled on in comments to ABC at the time.

Hur’s appointment was nonpartisan.

In 2023, Hur was investigating Biden for retaining classified information. At the center of the investigation were audio tapes of Biden from interviews with his “Promise Me, Dad” memoir ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, from 2016 and 2017.

Hur’s report concluded that Biden did, in fact, retain classified documents, but that prosecuting him might not lead to a conviction, because he could be viewed “as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

“Mr. Biden’s memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017 and in his interview with our office in 2023,” the report said.

Former special counsel Robert Hur returns from a short break to resume his testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 12, 2024, in Washington, D.C. Hur investigated President Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents and published a final report with contentious conclusions about Biden’s memory.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

BIDEN’S FIGHT TO KEEP HUR INTERVIEW TAPES UNDER WRAPS SUFFERS FRESH COURT BLOW

After a prolonged legal battle during which Biden sought to keep the audio tapes private, a nonprofit called the Oversight Project obtained them via public records requests. The damning tapes reveal Biden’s inability to remember basic names and dates.

In one instance, on April 24, 2017, Biden struggled to recall the names of two economic advisers.

“I’ll think of his name,” said Biden, who at the time was a private citizen and former vice president. “I should write the names down because I keep forgetting them.”

There was then a long pause before Zwonitzer prompted Biden by saying Alan Krueger’s name.

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th National Convention on July 25, 2024, in Houston, Texas.(Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

BIDEN SCORES TEMPORARY COURT VICTORY AS TRUMP-APPOINTED JUDGE DELAYS RELEASE OF HUR INVESTIGATION MATERIALS

In another instance, when trying to recall a memorial he attended for a fallen service member, Biden forgot the date of the service and name of the deceased.

“I think I went to that memorial service in Wilmington. It says [REDACTED] December the 4th, but I don’t — I know what this means. Memorial service — [REDACTED] gets names really f—ed up,” said Biden.

“So it says memorial service for [REDACTED]. I don’t think her name was [REDACTED]. Or I forget [REDACTED].”

The interviews were marked by consistent lapses in memory.

But in 2024, that didn’t stop Democrats from accusing Hur of being a partisan activist who intentionally tried to tarnish Biden and his chances in a rematch against Trump.

Andrew Weissman, a former general counsel to the FBI, cried foul on MSNBC.

“That is not the role of the Department of Justice … to talk about your memory today — irrelevant, it is gratuitous,” he reportedly said. “And it is also exactly what you’re not supposed to do, which is putting your thumb on the scale that could have political repercussions.”

Andrew Weissman, the top prosecutor from the Russia investigation, confessed he has a “man crush” on the judge overseeing Trump’s hush money trial.(MSNBC)

Ian Sams, a spokesperson for Biden’s general counsel, said at the time that the report was “gratuitous.”

“When you are the first special counsel in history not to indict anybody, there is pressure to criticize and to make, you know, statements that maybe in otherwise you wouldn’t make,” Sams reportedly said.

“I think this issue of age is already out there, and when November comes, it’s going to be a choice between two people,” said Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., told POLITICO. “I was with a congressional leadership about two weeks ago, and no one walked out of that meeting, saying, ‘Oh, my God, it was like he wasn’t in charge.’”

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., who at the time had just spent a day traveling with Biden, insisted that he was, “at the very top of his game, all the way through it, both in private and in person.”

Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) listens as U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the Fed’s “Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress,” on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C.(Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)

Later in 2024, Biden was yanked from the top of the presidential ticket after an embarrassing debate performance against then-candidate Donald Trump, which showcased his apparent mental decline.

Harris, serving as vice president at the time, was then coronated as the party’s presidential nominee despite never winning a primary. When she ran in 2020, Harris never made it to the primaries, dropping out on December 3, 2019, months before the first elections took place.

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A Biden spokesperson ducked the former president’s memory in a statement to CBS.

“President Biden’s conversations for a book a decade ago that discussed his late son are private, and were provided to the Department of Justice on the express condition they stay that way,” TJ Ducklo told the outlet. “Reversing course and making them public is just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution.”

“It’s wrong, and while President Biden disagrees with today’s decision, he also respects the courts and the vital role an independent judiciary plays in a healthy democracy.”

Peter D’Abrosca is a politics reporter at Fox News Digital.

印度将对泄题行为处以更严格惩罚

2026年7月28日 21:09 / 联合早报

7月26日，印度孟买的“蟑螂运动”抗议者庆祝教育部长普拉丹因全国资格暨入学考试试题泄露事件而辞职。 （路透社）

印度政府星期二（7月28日）提议对泄露试题者处以更长的刑期和更高的罚款，以期在青年主导的、抗议教育不公的活动席卷全国后重塑公众信心。

法新社报道，根据提交给议会的法律修正案，泄题者的最高刑期将翻倍至10年，罚款最高可达100万美元，且诉讼程序将加快。

此前，在抗议活动持续数周后，印度教育部长普拉丹于上周辞职。

这场由“蟑螂人民党”发起的抗议活动获得了全国各地年轻学生的广泛支持。

高级部长辛格在议会下院说，拟议的修正案重申了“本届政府致力于维护学生和青年福祉的坚定承诺”。

辛格说，这旨在使立法“更加严格，确保司法公正、迅速”，从而“提升并恢复考试的公信力”。

印度最高法院星期二也下令释放所有在“蟑螂运动”中被拘留的18岁以下且无犯罪记录的抗议者。

试卷泄露长期以来一直困扰着印度竞争激烈的教育体系。尽管政府多次打击，试卷泄露仍然是国家级和邦级考试中反复出现的问题。

7月20日，新德里的“蟑螂运动”示威活动演变为暴力冲突，大批民众从简塔·曼塔天文台向议会大厦进发。

警方发射催泪瓦斯并使用警棍驱散抗议人群，引发冲突和拘留。

印度将对泄题行为处以更严格惩罚

2026年7月28日 21:09 / 联合早报

7月26日，印度孟买的“蟑螂运动”抗议者庆祝教育部长普拉丹因全国资格暨入学考试试题泄露事件而辞职。 （路透社）

印度政府星期二（7月28日）提议对泄露试题者处以更长的刑期和更高的罚款，以期在青年主导的、抗议教育不公的活动席卷全国后重塑公众信心。

法新社报道，根据提交给议会的法律修正案，泄题者的最高刑期将翻倍至10年，罚款最高可达100万美元，且诉讼程序将加快。

此前，在抗议活动持续数周后，印度教育部长普拉丹于上周辞职。

这场由“蟑螂人民党”发起的抗议活动获得了全国各地年轻学生的广泛支持。

高级部长辛格在议会下院说，拟议的修正案重申了“本届政府致力于维护学生和青年福祉的坚定承诺”。

辛格说，这旨在使立法“更加严格，确保司法公正、迅速”，从而“提升并恢复考试的公信力”。

印度最高法院星期二也下令释放所有在“蟑螂运动”中被拘留的18岁以下且无犯罪记录的抗议者。

试卷泄露长期以来一直困扰着印度竞争激烈的教育体系。尽管政府多次打击，试卷泄露仍然是国家级和邦级考试中反复出现的问题。

7月20日，新德里的“蟑螂运动”示威活动演变为暴力冲突，大批民众从简塔·曼塔天文台向议会大厦进发。

警方发射催泪瓦斯并使用警棍驱散抗议人群，引发冲突和拘留。

Vice President JD Vance places a wreath near Sen. Lindsey Graham’s casket

Published 11:49 AM EDT, Tue July 28, 2026 / CNN Politics

Vice President JD Vance places a wreath near Sen. Lindsey Graham’s casket

Vice President JD Vance presents a wreath by Sen. Lindsey Graham’s casket. The wreaths represent condolences from the executive branch, the Senate and the House, respectively.

0:35 • Source: CNN

消息指阿曼向伊朗建议设区域机制管理霍尔木兹海峡

2026年7月28日 21:17 / 联合早报

近日沙特阿拉伯与也门胡塞武装组织互相攻击。胡塞武装星期天（7月26日）说，他们在也门西北部击落一架沙特无人机。 （法新社）

（华盛顿／德黑兰综合电）消息指出，伊朗和阿曼谈判代表正试图在美伊暂时停火的时刻加速外交努力，以尽快恢复霍尔木兹海峡的航运。若双方顺利达成协议，这将为伊朗和美国恢复谈判和寻求结束战争铺平道路。

波斯湾地区一名消息人士周二（7月28日）向路透社透露，阿曼已向伊朗提出建议，设立联合区域机制、通过自愿缴费的方式管理霍尔木兹海峡。

消息人士称，这项方案获得中东区域支持，伊朗不会单独控制这一关键航道。方案的构想参考了马六甲海峡的模式，即由使用海峡的各方自愿出资，为航行保障、环境保护和搜救行动提供资金。

有其他消息指另一可能方案，是把对霍尔木兹海峡收取的服务费，拨入国际海事组织（IMO）参与管理的联合基金。除此之外，也有消息指伊朗和阿曼在讨论重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的中间航道。自2月28日美伊战争爆发以来，大部分船只一直避开这条中间航道，改走靠近伊朗海岸的北部航线，或经过阿曼飞地穆桑达姆（Musandam）附近的南部航线。

伊朗外长阿拉格齐周一与阿曼及沙特阿拉伯的外长，针对霍尔木兹海峡问题进行了讨论。阿拉格齐强调有必要加强合作并推进联合外交努力，以维护区域稳定，并消除因为美国的挑衅而给霍尔木兹海峡带来的不安全局势。

阿曼外长阿布赛迪周一除了与伊朗和沙特的外长通电话外，也与卡塔尔、科威特和埃及的外长通电话。他表示，他与这些外长重点探讨如何对霍尔木兹海峡的航运达成务实、公平且可持续的安排。

美国24日起停止攻击伊朗，伊朗也因此暂停对波斯湾地区的报复袭击。美国官员说，停止攻击的部分用意，是希望为谈判留出空间。

美国总统特朗普周一（27日）对美伊达成和平协议表示乐观，他表示，如果无法达成新的停火协议，美国将恢复对伊朗的军事打击。

特朗普也说，美军目前弹药库存充足，有大量不同类型的弹药。

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃周一说，伊朗目前没有和美国进行任何谈判，双方继续通过调解人员传达信息。他也说，伊朗和阿曼就海峡管理进行的磋商，与美国无关。

另外，获得国际社会承认的也门政府周一说，在胡塞武装组织对沙特发动袭击，并宣布对沙特实施海上封锁后，他们已做好应对任何局势升级的准备。

也门候任外长祖巴在沙特首都利雅得的也门大使馆对媒体说，也门政府越来越担心，胡塞武装正仿效伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡的做法，企图控制曼德海峡（Bab al-Mandeb Strait）这条连接红海的重要航道，而国际社会反应不足，更让胡塞武装有恃无恐。

消息指阿曼向伊朗建议设区域机制管理霍尔木兹海峡

2026年7月28日 21:17 / 联合早报

近日沙特阿拉伯与也门胡塞武装组织互相攻击。胡塞武装星期天（7月26日）说，他们在也门西北部击落一架沙特无人机。 （法新社）

（华盛顿／德黑兰综合电）消息指出，伊朗和阿曼谈判代表正试图在美伊暂时停火的时刻加速外交努力，以尽快恢复霍尔木兹海峡的航运。若双方顺利达成协议，这将为伊朗和美国恢复谈判和寻求结束战争铺平道路。

波斯湾地区一名消息人士周二（7月28日）向路透社透露，阿曼已向伊朗提出建议，设立联合区域机制、通过自愿缴费的方式管理霍尔木兹海峡。

消息人士称，这项方案获得中东区域支持，伊朗不会单独控制这一关键航道。方案的构想参考了马六甲海峡的模式，即由使用海峡的各方自愿出资，为航行保障、环境保护和搜救行动提供资金。

有其他消息指另一可能方案，是把对霍尔木兹海峡收取的服务费，拨入国际海事组织（IMO）参与管理的联合基金。除此之外，也有消息指伊朗和阿曼在讨论重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的中间航道。自2月28日美伊战争爆发以来，大部分船只一直避开这条中间航道，改走靠近伊朗海岸的北部航线，或经过阿曼飞地穆桑达姆（Musandam）附近的南部航线。

伊朗外长阿拉格齐周一与阿曼及沙特阿拉伯的外长，针对霍尔木兹海峡问题进行了讨论。阿拉格齐强调有必要加强合作并推进联合外交努力，以维护区域稳定，并消除因为美国的挑衅而给霍尔木兹海峡带来的不安全局势。

阿曼外长阿布赛迪周一除了与伊朗和沙特的外长通电话外，也与卡塔尔、科威特和埃及的外长通电话。他表示，他与这些外长重点探讨如何对霍尔木兹海峡的航运达成务实、公平且可持续的安排。

美国24日起停止攻击伊朗，伊朗也因此暂停对波斯湾地区的报复袭击。美国官员说，停止攻击的部分用意，是希望为谈判留出空间。

美国总统特朗普周一（27日）对美伊达成和平协议表示乐观，他表示，如果无法达成新的停火协议，美国将恢复对伊朗的军事打击。

特朗普也说，美军目前弹药库存充足，有大量不同类型的弹药。

伊朗外交部发言人巴加埃周一说，伊朗目前没有和美国进行任何谈判，双方继续通过调解人员传达信息。他也说，伊朗和阿曼就海峡管理进行的磋商，与美国无关。

另外，获得国际社会承认的也门政府周一说，在胡塞武装组织对沙特发动袭击，并宣布对沙特实施海上封锁后，他们已做好应对任何局势升级的准备。

也门候任外长祖巴在沙特首都利雅得的也门大使馆对媒体说，也门政府越来越担心，胡塞武装正仿效伊朗在霍尔木兹海峡的做法，企图控制曼德海峡（Bab al-Mandeb Strait）这条连接红海的重要航道，而国际社会反应不足，更让胡塞武装有恃无恐。

DNC Chair Ken Martin’s supporters dismiss concerns about the party’s debt and his leadership

2026-07-28T15:06:27.116Z / CNN

A growing number of Democrats are calling for Ken Martin to step down as head of the Democratic National Committee, arguing that the party’s debt and the bungled release of the party’s 2024 election autopsy make him unfit to lead the committee ahead of a crucial midterm.

But within the committee, Martin’s core base of supporters — state party leaders and rank-and-file members — appears to be sticking beside him.

In interviews, Martin’s supporters said they agreed with his approach to spend more money early to invest in organizing, new technology and building up state parties, even if it means the party is trailing Republicans and has more debts than cash on hand.

Supporters have pointed to the party’s wins in 2025 elections and dozens of special elections as evidence his strategy is working. And they’ve welcomed the changes he’s made to the party internally.

“Chair Ken Martin has my full support, 100%,” Jeanna Repass, chair of the Kansas Democratic Party, told CNN. “I believe that there’s so many metrics to a successful leader beyond just fundraising.”

His allies see complaints about his leadership as an effort to undermine him less than 100 days before the midterm elections.

“It would be a media circus and a massive distraction for every DNC member — most of whom have prominent places in trying to win these midterms — to deal with a resignation less than 100 days before the midterms,” said David Atkins, a DNC member from California. “No one who has the best interests of the Democratic Party above factional interests would want to see that happen.”

The New York Times reported on Sunday that Martin has become increasingly paranoid about losing his job and confronted the party’s finance director, Chris Korge, over a meeting he believed to be an effort to unseat him. The Times reported that Martin had thrown a phone at the desk of a junior aide, an incident that led to a meeting with human resources, and that the committee has asked vendors to send invoices after the election.

A DNC official declined to comment on the phone incident and the conflict with Korge. Korge told the Times the disagreement with Martin was “a family fight” that had been resolved.

At the center of the alarm over Martin’s tenure is the party’s financial situation. Though the DNC has raised $207 million since last January — compared to $279 million raised by the Republican National Committee — Democrats ended June with $2 million in debt while the RNC had $129 million in cash. That gap is even more relevant after a recent Supreme Court ruling that will allow parties and candidates to coordinate.

Critics have raised concerns about the party’s ability to raise enough money to fulfill its commitments and questioned whether the DNC will be able to help financially in the final months leading up to the midterm election.

“At this point, I think there is no saving Martin’s chairmanship. He is a good man with good intentions but simply not meeting this critical moment,” Rufus Gifford, who served as finance chair for Democrats’ 2024 presidential campaign, which ended with millions in debt, wrote in a recent Substack post. “As Democrats, the only solution is to acknowledge the problem and fix it. Now.”

Asked for comment, a DNC official noted that they’ve raised more money to date than the party did over a similar period during President Donald Trump’s first term in office and have more donors who’ve given more than $100,000.

The difference is that the party has been willing to spend the money as fast — if not faster — than it is raising it.

Last fall, the DNC increased the amount it sends state parties. Blue states began receiving an additional $5,000 a month, for a total of $17,500, and red states got a boost of $10,000 a month, for a total of $22,500.

While some state party chairs voted against Martin in last year’s chair race, the investments have garnered him goodwill, particularly among DNC members in less competitive states where parties struggle to fundraise. State party chairs and their vice chairs make up roughly a quarter of the DNC’s membership and would be a key voting bloc in the event of a vote to try and oust Martin. (The chair also selects dozens of at-large DNC members and appoints members to key committees, further complicating a potential effort to oust him.)

Martin has defended his approach, which he argues will help Democrats win now and build sustainable infrastructure for future elections. The party’s low cash on hand is a result of the party investing early in organizing, technology and state parties, he’s said.

“That answer may be unsatisfying to people who believe the purpose of a political party is to accumulate the largest possible bank balance until the final days before an election,” Martin wrote in a recent Substack post. “But a party is not a savings account. Its purpose is to build power.”

Critics agree that funding state parties is a worthwhile goal but say the party must be able to raise enough money to distribute those funds in the long term as well as fulfill its other core duties. Some have balked at where the money is going — all the state parties are receiving additional funding under Martin, including uncompetitive red states and US territories.

“He’s pissing it away,” said Adam Jentleson, the head of the Searchlight Institute, a Democratic think tank. “It’s not just about raising it, it’s how you spend it, and he’s spending it in an incredibly ineffective way.”

Martin’s allies have attributed some of the criticisms of his chairmanship to the ongoing argument over how the party should spend its resources. That debate has pitted state party leaders and grassroots organizers who want to invest in the states against those they label as consultants who want to spend the money on media buys closer to Election Day.

Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Association of State Democratic Committees and a close ally of Martin’s, said state party chairs are frustrated by the focus on the DNC’s cash on hand, which has overshadowed the impact party changes have had on their states.

“All of that is getting lost because of this kind of consulting class that just cannot get over the fact that they did not get their person in the chair seat,” she said. “That’s what it feels like to us.”

Martin won the chairmanship last February after years of building relationships with rank-and-file DNC members and state party leaders through his role as head of the Association of State Democratic Committees. During last year’s campaign, members described a longtime party operative who sent cards congratulating newly elected members and vowed to democratize and reform the DNC.

Both Martin’s supporters and detractors agree that one of the rockiest parts of his tenure was his handling of the release of the DNC’s autopsy report.

“The point where it was clear he could not continue to do this was after the autopsy release mess, when he failed to understand how important it is that people trust the institution,” said Amanda Litman, the founder of the Democratic candidate recruitment group Run for Something.

After spending much of 2025 vowing to release it, Martin said late last year that the document wouldn’t come out, prompting months of complaints from Democrats demanding its publication. An incomplete version of the document was released in May after CNN obtained much of its contents. Martin apologized for “creating an even bigger distraction” by not releasing it.

“It just turned out that not releasing it was bad, releasing it was bad, and he was choosing between bad and worse,” said Repass, the Kansas chair. “But I think the chair himself would tell you he would have done that differently.”

But Martin has won over Repass and other state party leaders — particularly in red states — with his efforts to invest in and empower state parties. Repass said Kansas Democrats would be able to hire a year-round organizer with the additional funds.

But even Martin’s allies are aware that his reform push can read as insular at a time when Democrats are looking for more sweeping changes.

Kleeb said that the party under Martin has been focused on internal reforms that have, for example, changed the way committee assignments are made to make it more egalitarian. While those moves have curried favor with members who now have a greater say in DNC decisions like the recent 2028 presidential primary calendar debate, they don’t resonate as deeply with the broader Democratic Party.

“Maybe that’s a strategic mistake that’s been made,” Kleeb said. “I think because so many of us come from state parties, we are so nuts and bolts focused — that is in our DNA — and that’s a fault of ours.”