Trayon WHite

The world judges a country by its capital. Paris, London and Rome are showcases of national ambition and a source of pride. How might one judge the United States after visiting Washington, DC? Corrupt, lawless and increasingly unsafe after dark? In a city meant to project strength and stability, one finds instead great domes and marble colonnades sharing the streets with open-air crime scenes. This July, a 21-year-old congressional intern, Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, was shot to death after being caught in an ongoing dispute between two rival groups. In 2023, Phillip Todd, a staffer for Senator Rand Paul took a knife to the chest.

Cockburn is delighted to announce the special election winner replacing Trayon White (who was unanimously expelled from office in February) in his Ward 8 DC City Council seat: Trayon White.  The Department of Justice charged White for bribery in August 2024, alleging that the councilman “corruptly agreed to accept $156,000 in cash payments in exchange for using his position” to “pressure government employees” in several offices to influence $5.2 million in violence intervention contracts. These impending charges were not enough to deter White from seeking reelection last November, which he walked away from overwhelmingly victorious with 84 percent of the vote.

Pro-Palestinian protesters swarmed Chicago in preparation for the Democratic National Convention this week, setting the stage for a clash between the traditionally pro-Israel Democratic establishment and the progressive activist class. On Sunday night, protesters clashed with police and charged both major political parties with “genocide” for sending aid and weapons to Israel amid its war against Hamas. Thousands showed up at Union Park on Monday afternoon, far short of the 30,000-40,000 expected, but still a significant contingent. Signs held by blue-haired, masked protesters in cargo pants referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as “killer Kamala” and said that the “slaughter” of Palestinians would be President Joe Biden’s legacy.

Political commentators and mainstream journalists are apoplectic over remarks former president Donald Trump made at a rally in Ohio over the weekend. Speaking to supporters on behalf of Ohio Senate candidate Bernie Moreno, Trump warned that if President Joe Biden is reelected in November the auto industry would face a “bloodbath.’”“We’re gonna put a 100 percent tariff on every single car that comes across the line, and you’re not gonna be able to sell those guys, if I get elected! Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s going to be the least of it,” he said. “It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.