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Ibn Khaldun warned us about Mayor Zohan Mamdani’s ideas. I first encountered Ibn Khaldun while studying Islamic political thought at the American University in Cairo. His 1377 masterwork, the Muqaddimah (The introduction to his universal history), pioneered systematic approaches to historiography, sociology, economics, demography, and the philosophy of history.

Khaldun’s book features a clear description of what became known six centuries later as the Laffer Curve — the economic theory that, as tax rates rise there will be a peak in revenue, beyond which as rates continue to go up, revenue starts to decline as economic activity collapses.

Per Khaldun, early in a dynasty, low taxes encourage enterprise; revenue rises and civilization flourishes. Later, rulers demand more luxury and larger armies. Taxes climb. Businessmen compare their shrinking profits to the growing burden and lose incentive. Production falls, and with it tax yields. At that point, governments often turn to subsidies and then enter commerce themselves — buying and selling, establishing monopolies, competing directly with private traders. Independent merchants are further discouraged. Many leave or quit. The tax base collapses. The empire weakens and falls.

EXPERTS SCORCH MAMDANI'S GROCERY PLAN AS AN 'ILLUSION' THAT WILL HAVE TAXPAYERS FOOTING THE BILL

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is now testing a modern version of the later stages of that cycle. The mayor is advancing a plan for city-owned grocery stores — one in each borough — with the first expected to open in the Bronx in 2027 and others by the end of his term. The city will own the land, cover construction (tens of millions of dollars already allocated), waive rent and taxes, and subsidize a core basket of staples so they sell roughly 30 percent below typical retail prices. A private operator will handle day-to-day management under city-set rules on pricing and labor.

Supporters frame this as relief for high food costs. History and Khaldun suggest a different trajectory. When government subsidizes and then operates in a competitive sector, private operators face distorted competition. Capital and effort shift away from the independent businesses that generate the tax revenue governments need. Inefficiencies multiply. Shortages and declines in quality follow. The temporary political win of cheaper eggs and bread is purchased with long-term damage to the commercial vitality that sustains cities.

Mamdani’s background makes the irony sharper. As the son of a prominent scholar of postcolonial societies, it is conceivable that he would be familiar with Islamic Golden Age thinkers who analyzed why states thrive and why they decay. Ibn Khaldun stands among the most famous. His warning was empirical, drawn from observing North African and Near Eastern dynasties: When the state moves from light taxation and order to heavy extraction and direct commercial intervention, the productive classes withdraw. Civilization contracts and then collapses.

Quoting Khaldun: "It should be known that the finances of a ruler can be increased, and his financial resources improved, only through the revenue from taxes. (The revenue from taxes) can be improved only through the equitable treatment of people with property and regard for them. … Other (measures) taken by the ruler, such as engaging in commerce or agriculture, soon turn out to be harmful to the subjects, to be ruinous to the revenues, and to decrease cultural activity."

'WASTEFUL DISTRACTION': EXPERTS SLAM MAMDANI'S TAXPAYER-FUNDED GROCERY STORES

Khaldun would have strongly advised against government-run grocery stores.

New York already struggles with high costs of living, regulatory burdens, and businesses that have fled or scaled back. Layering municipal grocery stores on top of that environment does not reverse the incentives Khaldun identified. It accelerates them. Private grocers who cannot match subsidized prices will struggle. The city’s fiscal commitments grow. Taxpayers fund the difference. The cycle continues.

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Khaldun’s remedy was straightforward: Keep taxes low enough that people retain the energy and desire to produce. Lower the burden, and cultural and commercial enterprises expand; revenue follows. Modern supply-side insights rest on the same foundation. Government-run stores move in the opposite direction.

America’s great cities succeeded because independent enterprise created abundance, not because mayors decided to stock the shelves. New York should remember that lesson — and the 14th-century scholar who explained it long before Art Laffer sketched a curve on a napkin. Ignoring it will not make groceries cheaper for long. It risks making the city poorer.

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Shark sightings are on the rise this summer in southern Maine, with local law enforcement urging beachgoers to be cautious in the water as several white sharks have been caught on camera.

Researchers say reported white shark sightings are up this year, though the increase may partly reflect favorable beach weather and more people actively looking for the predators.

"I would say there’s no question that there’s been a lot more sightings this year. Does that translate into a higher number of sharks is a little bit of a nuanced question. There’s a lot of things to consider in there," said Dr. Walt Golet, assistant professor of marine sciences at the University of Maine. 

MULTIPLE SHARKS SPOTTED AT POPULAR BEACH THAT SAW DEADLY ATTACK 5 YEARS AGO

"While sighting reports are very helpful, the number of sightings reported to us is often influenced by nice weather and the number of people at the beach," said Matt Davis, marine resource scientist at the Maine Department of Marine Resources. "We've had great weather this year for beach tourism, and we also have a number of people with drones actively looking for sharks, so sightings are high."

Daryen Granata, harbor master and marine resource officer for the town of Scarborough, said the police department began receiving numerous shark sighting reports in early July. Several were captured on video.

MULTIPLE VIDEOS REVEAL SHARKS SWIMMING NEAR SHORE AS SIGHTINGS RISE IN MAINE BEACH TOWN

"They were off of Pine Point Beach for a substantial amount of time," said Granata. "They've kind of migrated now. They're more off the Scarborough Beach State Park and Higgins Beach area at this point. We're still seeing them on a daily basis. Still to this day, and it's been, you know, three weeks at this point."

Granata, who has lived in Scarborough for more than 30 years, said shark sightings have become much more common in recent years, especially sightings of juvenile sharks. But whether that means there are actually more sharks in the Gulf of Maine is less clear.

"We have all this drone technology. We have all the cell phone videos. We've got a lot of higher-grade technology than we did, you know, 10 or 15, 20 years ago. So we're seeing them," said Granata.

Granata said the police department captures its own drone footage of sharks, as do independent photographers and beachgoers. Social media has added another stream of reported sightings, all of which can contribute to the perception that there are more sharks in the area.

"Previously, people weren't looking for sharks with the same intensity or aerial equipment," said Davis.

Researchers say white shark populations have been slowly recovering for decades after the federal government put protections in place in the 1990s. Maine's seal population has also grown, providing a key food source for white sharks.

"It's very possible that the number of white sharks we see now is more reflective of their natural population size, or at least the closest it's been to the natural population size in several decades," explained Davis. "Think of this as a population success story in that the ocean is regaining one of its apex predators to help balance the food chain."

"If you protect the food and protect the predator, it makes sense that you see this rebound especially since the generation time for white sharks is about 25 to 30 years," said Golet. "I also think that there’s a lot of bait around along the Maine coast in the form of striped bass and Atlantic menhaden, both of which are eaten by juvenile white sharks, which is what we have in high numbers."

VETERAN LIFEGUARD, 71, DRAGGED UNDERWATER OFF THE COAST OF MAINE BY GREAT WHITE SHARK

Researchers say warming ocean temperatures could eventually lead sharks to remain in the Gulf of Maine for longer periods. That could make frequent shark sightings a more regular occurrence along the coast.

"There are definitely more sharks in Maine than I've ever seen in my entire life," said Kelsey Donohue, who's lived in Scarborough her whole life. "Like growing up here, we used to joke around about sharks, but we would be like, 'oh, we live in Maine, so we never see sharks!'"

"This really is the first time that I've heard for Pine Point that we had a shark sighting," said Betty MacLeod, longtime Scarborough resident.

The Scarborough Police Department is urging people to stay vigilant while in the water.

Officials recommend that people swimming in areas where sharks have been spotted avoid dawn and dusk, when sharks can be more active, and never swim alone. They also recommend avoiding murky water and remaining in waist-deep water or shallower.

Beachgoers with open wounds should stay out of the water. Officials also advise swimmers to remove jewelry before entering the water.

"Just be cognizant of what you're doing and where you are," said Granata. "Just have good situational awareness, that's all."

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Americans' sensitive information could increasingly be processed overseas if restrictions on artificial intelligence data centers slow construction in the U.S., a data privacy advocate and industry executive warned.

The warning comes as states and local governments weigh new restrictions on the rapidly expanding data center industry amid concerns over electricity costs, grid reliability and other impacts on surrounding communities.

Brittany Kaiser, CEO of Alpha Compute, said state moratoriums and restrictions on new data centers could push American companies to seek computing capacity in other countries as demand from AI continues to surge.

"One of my top concerns as a top data protection and privacy advocate is that with data center moratoriums being passed in the United States that it will force Americans and American companies to send our data to be processed abroad in other countries," Kaiser told Fox News Digital.

"American companies are going to still run their AI," she added. "They're still going to be purchasing data center space in other countries, and it means our sensitive information will be sent abroad and shared with companies and organizations that might not have America's best interests at heart."

FROM NETFLIX TO GPS: 10 WAYS THIS HIDDEN TECH INFRASTRUCTURE QUIETLY POWERS MODERN LIFE

Data centers are large facilities filled with servers and computing equipment that process, store and transmit information behind many everyday technologies. They support everything from email, social media and internet searches to online banking, streaming services and AI platforms. As demand for AI grows, companies are building increasingly powerful data centers that require vast amounts of electricity, advanced chips and high-speed network connections.

Kaiser said the facilities have become critical infrastructure for the digital economy, making decisions about where they are built and who controls the data they handle a matter of growing economic and national security concern.

Artificial intelligence, however, requires significantly more computing power, fueling a rapid expansion of data center construction across the country.

That growth has sparked pushback in some communities over concerns about electricity costs, water consumption, noise and environmental impacts. Kaiser acknowledged those concerns and said companies should be subject to "common sense regulation" designed to protect communities.

"Not all companies are doing it [building data centers] in the same way," she said. "Some are more responsible than others."

Kaiser said responsible developments can use closed-loop water cooling systems and generate power independently rather than increasing demand on the existing electrical grid.

Alpha Compute, she said, is pursuing projects designed to operate "off-grid, behind the meter," meaning the facilities would generate their own power rather than relying on electricity supplied through the local grid. Kaiser said that approach is intended to prevent the massive energy demands of data centers from straining existing infrastructure or contributing to higher electricity costs for nearby residents.

ONE MONTHLY BILL AMERICANS CAN’T AVOID IS QUIETLY SURGING THANKS TO EMERGING INDUSTRY

The company is developing a project in Pennsylvania, where Gov. Josh Shapiro recently imposed new requirements on large data center developments. Kaiser said Alpha Compute plans to comply with the regulations and welcomed provisions promoting cleaner energy.

Pennsylvania is among a growing number of states confronting the rapid expansion of data centers. In Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott has pushed data centers to provide more of their own power and shoulder infrastructure costs as development accelerates across the state.

Other governors have gone further. Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul imposed a one-year moratorium on new hyperscale data centers as states grapple with concerns over electricity costs, grid reliability and the pace of development.

ONE OF AMERICA'S OLDEST MANUFACTURERS SAYS AI IS CREATING JOBS — NOT REPLACING THEM

But she cautioned that policies that significantly restrict domestic development could have broader consequences for America's position in the global AI race.

"Compute power has now become nearly a utility," Kaiser said, comparing the need for domestic computing infrastructure to energy independence.

"We want to have the right to compute," she said. "We want to be able to process data within our own borders as a national security priority, but also for our own intellectual property to make sure we're not sending our data abroad."

Kaiser has launched a campaign called "Right to Compute," advocating for domestic data center development alongside sustainability standards and regulation.

"We should have the right to both energy independence as well as compute power," she said, "so that Americans and American companies can process all of our sensitive data within our own borders."

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The socialist Democrat primed to represent much of America’s birthplace in Congress profanely erupted Thursday at Democrats distancing themselves from far-left streamer Hasan Piker, who once suggested the U.S. deserved the September 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb, D-Northwest Philadelphia, is one of several democratic socialists running in November as some prominent Democrats condemn or distance themselves from Piker over his radical left-wing positions and controversial comments.

"This is what the institutionalists are focusing their efforts on now: Disavowing Hasan Piker," Rabb tweeted Friday.

WHO IS HASAN PIKER? MEET THE FAR-LEFT STREAMER WHO IS STIRRING UP CONTROVERSY AND DIVIDING DEMOCRATS

"Not White Christian nationalists? Not the broligarchs? Not the AI overlords? Nope, the guy encouraging young people to use their collective political power for good," Rabb wrote.

"F--- that noise."

SOCIALIST HOUSE NOMINEE'S RADICAL LAW-AND-ORDER VISION: 'WHAT ARE ILLEGALS?'

In a test of Philadelphia’s socialist-progressive versus establishment divide, Rabb won a four-way primary that included state Sen. Sharif Street, D-North Philadelphia, the son of a former mayor who was endorsed by several mainstream Democrats.

Rabb had already embraced his association with Piker during the primary, appearing with the streamer at an event in West Philadelphia in April.

He told Piker at the time that he would be "slammed for even talking to you" and called such criticism a "double standard because as a Black progressive, I can’t do this: I’m part of the problem or whatever," according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Fox News Digital reached out to Rabb and Piker for comment.

Rabb’s defense puts him at odds with a growing list of prominent Democrats who have condemned Piker.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called Piker’s comments about American Jews "dangerous and anti-Semitic."

ANTISEMITIC STREAMER FINALLY MAKES DEM LEADER SNAP WITH RARE REBUKE: ‘MALICIOUS’

When pressed by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who is Jewish, Jeffries said, "I’ve just addressed Hasan Piker’s comments as it relates to the Jewish community as forcefully as I can, and I will continue to do that."

On Tuesday, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., called for a vote on a bipartisan resolution condemning Piker and conservative podcaster Candace Owens.

ELISSA SLOTKIN CALLS OUT HASAN PIKER FOR BLAMING JEWISH AMERICANS TARGETED OVER THEIR ISRAEL VIEWS

"Hatred is hatred, period. I said it months ago with Rep. Lawler, and Piker has proved it again," Gottheimer said in a statement.

"Telling millions of followers that Jewish Americans are bringing violence on themselves is blatantly antisemitic and one of the oldest tropes in the book," Gottheimer added.

EL-SAYED DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM HASAN PIKER AFTER DISTURBING REMARKS ABOUT JEWISH AMERICANS

Gottheimer declared that anyone campaigning with Piker is "complicit" with him.

Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., also accused Piker this week of "victim-blaming" American Jews and reiterated his earlier description of the streamer as an "unapologetic antisemite."

Schneider warned Democrats risk losing credibility when they condemn controversial figures on the right while "platforming those who espouse hate of any kind" on their own side.

Schneider also took a shot at another socialist-aligned candidate running for high office, saying Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed has "refused" to condemn Piker.

El-Sayed appeared to distance himself from Piker, telling the Michigan Advance that "nobody speaks for this campaign besides me and my campaign spokespeople" as he faced criticism over his association with the Twitch streamer.

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Rabb faces only independent Dennis Mahoney in November in Pennsylvania’s heavily Democratic 3rd Congressional District and is strongly favored to succeed retiring Rep. Dwight Evans, D-Pa.

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In "Breaking Bad," the character Walter White explains to a major drug dealer why cheaper knockoffs of his signature Blue Sky methamphetamine are just not enough: "So… it’s grade-school tee-ball vs. the New York Yankees. Yours is just some tepid… off-brand, generic cola. What I’m making is classic Coke."

This week, veteran Democratic political strategist James Carville released his own uncut, undiluted classic product to a nation of rage addicts. Blue Sky rage.

What set off Carville was telling. He and others were outraged that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries met with Trump’s son-in-law and close adviser Jared Kushner to discuss areas of common ground. Such dialogue "with the enemy" is unthinkable in what I consider our "age of rage," particularly for someone like Carville. The political strategist who previously threatened that, once Democrats are back in power, Trump allies and institutions that enabled the president should be treated the same way as Nazi collaborators were after World War II.

Carville went into his signature berserker trance on his podcast, appropriately called the "Politics War Room": "These people are a pack of felons and traitors, and you do not meet with them! You do not meet with them. There’s only one thing you can do with people that you genuinely believe deep inside of every fabric of your body are a pack of thieves and a pack of traitors."

JAMES CARVILLE GOES NUCLEAR ON JEFFRIES OVER JARED KUSHNER SIT-DOWN AND DEMANDS DEMOCRATS DRAW A LINE

As usual, Carville delivers the line with the intensity of a man seconds away from a self-induced stroke. The message, however, is clear. Anyone seeking a middle ground or compromise is a traitor and will be dealt with the same way as Nazi collaborators once Democrats regain power.

What is really on display is rage politics. When you feed this addiction, you have to keep your product pure to avoid the pain of rage withdrawal. Carville is asking Democrats the same question as Walter White when asking whether they really want some cheap knockoff when they can have the real thing. Go with the classic. Go with the rage.

JEFFRIES' REPORTED MEETING WITH KUSHNER ABOUT POSSIBLE TRUMP COOPERATION DRAWS LEFT-WING BACKLASH

Over in what's become the social media safe space for liberals, BlueSky, Carville is being heralded as a prophet of furor. It was a perfect combination. BlueSky was created for liberals to remove themselves, particularly from X, because of conservatives returning to social media after years of censorship.

Many in the media saw BlueSky as the future, as they predicted the rapid death of X. It did not exactly work out that way.

Some liberal influencers proclaiming their abandonment of X never actually left, and many others have returned. BlueSky is now little more than a progressive boutique in comparison to X. It has an estimated 43 million users, as opposed to up to 600 million for X. (Monthly active users drop to around 27 million versus more than 300 million.)

In practice, BlueSky has developed a reputation for a largely liberal political culture and robust user-controlled moderation tools. It offers a protected zone for liberals to rave among themselves without the distraction of as many opposing views or voices.

JAMES CARVILLE BLASTS FAR-LEFT 'WHITE TURDS' AMONG DEMS WHO HE SAYS VALUE LENIN MORE THAN MLK

It is a social platform that is premised on the same "you do not meet with them" screed offered by Carville.

Recently, the seasoned strategist has lashed out at the far left of his party, such as Democratic Socialists, over their radical agenda. However, he and other establishment figures are primarily objecting to the fact that it appears these radical policies will not succeed in the upcoming midterm elections and return them to power.

Carville appears to have no problem trashing the system to secure and maintain power. He previously called for packing the Supreme Court but notably told Democrats not to actually talk about it: "If the Democrats win the presidency and both houses of Congress, I think on day one, they should expand the Supreme Court to 13. F— it. Eat our dust. Don’t run on it. Don’t talk about it. Just do it."

LEFT-WING PODCASTER BLASTS SCHUMER, JEFFRIES AS 'FASCIST COLLABORATORS'

Other Democratic leaders continue to try to co-opt the mob for their own uses. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer dismissed questions about the DSA platform to eliminate the presidency, the Supreme Court, and the Senate. These are small differences, according to Schumer, compared with the need to win elections: "Not everyone has the same exact view on every single issue."

One of those small disagreements is the very existence of the institution that Schumer so desperately wants to lead.

Carville and Schumer, however, appear to agree on the key element of the political strategy of keeping the rage alive. The greatest threat to that strategy is any dialogue between Democrats and their Republican neighbors. If reason were to break out before the elections, all could be lost.

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The effort reflects the fact that the rage in an age of rage eventually burns off. People look into a mirror on both sides and realize that we have become grotesque by yielding to the anger and hate. Once people start to talk with one another again, it is harder to hate so completely and blindly tap into the rage that hate traffickers need.

So Blue Sky rage is hitting the streets. The Classic Coke of hate is to be injected directly into the veins of a nation of rage addicts.

After all, as Walter White asked his fellow traffickers, "Do you really wanna live in a world without Coca-Cola?"

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A New Hampshire man whose home was going up in flames allegedly stole a rescue truck from responding firefighters, then crashed into a fire engine, drove over active hoses and narrowly missed three firefighters before fleeing the scene, authorities said.

Nestor Roman II, 30, of Dalton, faces multiple charges after authorities said he stole the rescue vehicle and later crashed several miles from his burning home.

According to New Hampshire State Police, troopers were responding around 3:50 a.m. Tuesday to assist Dalton Fire & Rescue with a house fire when they learned that a Whitefield Fire & Rescue vehicle had been stolen.

NYC 5-ALARM FIRE INJURES AT LEAST 17 FIREFIGHTERS, OTHERS AS BLAZE DAMAGES MULTIPLE APARTMENT BUILDINGS

Dalton Fire & Rescue said crews had been dispatched to a fully involved structure fire near Faraway Road and Mountain Road, with several neighboring departments responding as mutual aid.

As firefighters battled the blaze, Roman allegedly got into Whitefield Fire & Rescue's F550 rescue truck and drove away shortly before 5 a.m., according to the fire department.

NY POLICE CAR CATCHES FIRE, TROOPERS INJURED IN 3-CAR COLLISION

The department said Roman allegedly drove around Whitefield's E3 fire engine, nearly striking two firefighters and narrowly missing a third who could have been pinned between the two large trucks.

Roman then allegedly crashed into the E3 and a small pickup while "forcing their way onto the road ahead," according to the department.

State police said Roman drove over multiple water supply lines while fleeing. Dalton Fire & Rescue said two charged hoses being used to fight the fire were run over but were not damaged.

Roman also allegedly struck a firefighter's personal vehicle farther down the road and damaged neighboring property, according to fire officials. State police said wooden fences at two separate properties were also damaged.

WATCH: MISSOURI SUSPECT DIVES HEADFIRST OFF BRIDGE IN WILD BID TO EVADE DEPUTIES

The escape came to an end several miles away after a Dalton homeowner reported that the stolen rescue vehicle had crashed on their property, according to state police.

The homeowner also reported that Roman was allegedly attempting to take items from the porch.

Troopers arrived moments later and found Roman on the porch. Police said he was uncooperative but was ultimately taken into custody.

Roman was charged with three felony counts of reckless conduct with a deadly weapon, burglary and two counts of theft by unauthorized taking.

He also faces misdemeanor charges of obstructing government administration, four counts of conduct after an accident, resisting arrest and detention, driving after suspension subsequent and two counts of driving over a fire hose without consent, according to state police.

Despite sustaining significant damage, Whitefield's E3 was able to remain in operation, and firefighters ultimately extinguished the flames.

MYSTERY STRANGER VANISHES AFTER FAMILY SAYS FRANTIC WARNING SAVED THEIR LIVES DURING DEVASTATING HOUSE FIRE

Fire officials said the house was a "complete loss."

The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the cause of the fire.

"We are extremely thankful that no firefighters were physically injured despite the close call," Dalton Fire & Rescue said in a statement.

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At least Marx, Lenin and Mao were well read.

Social media influencer Hasan Piker wears his Mao jacket and hoses his Twitch audience down with absurd political takes that do not betray any evidence that Rutgers University obliged him to read even a book or two of serious history before he graduated in 2013. Rutgers is a fine school and anyone can get a great education there, but Piker’s "body of work" shows us that serious study there is quite obviously not obligatory.

Piker uses social media to monetize the worst impulses of the extremes in American politics. In the course of doing so, he has become the face of the Democratic Party in the 2026 midterms, and has personally carried the most radical major-party candidate in memory — Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed — to his party’s nomination for United States Senate.

HASAN PIKER SINGS MOCKING 'WE ARE CHARLIE KIRK' SONG AT LIVE PODCAST SHOW

Piker has now gone so "supernova radical" that some Democratic leaders and elected officials have had to rebuke him without naming him — including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Sen. Elissa Slotkin — and others, like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, have slapped Piker down by name.

This past weekend, Piker exploited the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10 of last year — to the great disgust of the vast majority of Americans who saw the mocking performance as it went viral. The exploitation of the suffering of Charlie’s family, friends and colleagues is despicable, but the need to make himself outrageous and at the center of attention for a deranged circle of followers — and thus contagious online — has overwhelmed any sense of decency in Piker.

EL-SAYED DISAVOWS HASAN PIKER'S 9/11 COMMENTS BUT DECRIES 'CANCEL CULTURE'

Piker is from the extreme left, and the record is full of his inanities and his outrages. He is best and most infamously known for blurting out years ago that "America deserved 9/11," but as recently as last week, his comments about American Jews endangering themselves because of their support of Israel pushed the alarm buttons for Democrats across the spectrum. What seemed to some to be a warning of a looming Kristallnacht may have finally obliged most Democrats to explicitly exile Piker from their tribe. (One exception though is still El-Sayed, who shimmies from ambiguous statement to ambiguous statement about Piker but won’t disown the radical who is now effectively the Michigan Democrat's running mate.)

After graduating from Rutgers, Piker learned his trade from his uncle Cenk Uygur, co-founder and host of "The Young Turks," a sprawling digital media operation. Piker learned the ropes of the "attention economy" there, then amplified the schtick right on through the land of the "outrage economy" and into what Mary Katharine Ham of the "Getting Hammered" podcast described to her co-host Vic Matus last week as the "personality disorder attention economy."

ELISSA SLOTKIN CALLS OUT HASAN PIKER FOR BLAMING JEWISH AMERICANS TARGETED OVER THEIR ISRAEL VIEWS

That approach to garnering audience and thus profits was on display this weekend with Piker’s revolting mocking of grief around Kirk’s murder, a video that will injure every Democrat associated with him, most especially Abdul El-Sayed, the Democrats’ candidate for Senate in Michigan, whom Piker got over the top for the nomination with a closing campaign blitz (and pool party).

Other political figures who will be injured by Piker’s increasingly unhinged antics are Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed candidates for United States Senate, like Chris Pappas in New Hampshire. The DSA-adjacent hard-left Senate candidates among the Democrats — like Troy Jackson in Maine, James Talarico in Texas, and Peggy Flanagan in Minnesota — are also getting pulled down by Piker. Piker may never have met or even spoken with or about these candidates, but he has become the new face of the Democratic Party, its new "voice." Piker, like the DSA, is now effectively running with every Democrat in every race.

JONATHAN TURLEY: PIKER'S CHARLIE KIRK ATTACK SHOWS HE IS HATEFUL LEFT'S PIED PIPER

The DSA is said to have about 120,000 dues-paying members. It appears to have nearly as many co-chairs, and not one of them can make a coherent argument about anything but their "we hate the Constitution" takes, while their extreme rhetoric has laid an oily film over every Democratic candidate. Piker then dances about the various stages — online and real — tossing matches. Voters notice.

Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer was pressed by Punchbowl News on the Piker- and DSA-led capture of his party’s leadership and momentum and could only lamely reply that "What people don’t understand is that a big tent is a strength, not a weakness. It’s how you build a majority."

SCHUMER DODGES QUESTION ON WHETHER DSA BELONGS IN DEMOCRATIC PARTY

That’s a lot of copium. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune doesn’t have to play that game. He doesn’t have a problem like Schumer’s Piker problem. Voters awake to the Democrats’ double-time march over the left cliff of American politics and into a Marxist fever swamp won’t be fooled by "Medicare for All" slogans.

Voters in Michigan, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Texas, to name just a few Senate races where radicalism will cripple Democratic candidacies, can’t help but notice and be repelled by Piker. Piker lives everywhere these days, and he’s taken over the emerging wing of the Democratic Party. Voters have noticed. And they will remember through November.

SHOCKING PERCENTAGE OF DEMOCRATS IDENTIFY AS 'DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS' ACCORDING TO NEW POLL: 'TOXIC POLICIES'

There is a quality of frenzy about Piker that repels moderate Americans who love the country and who exist in both parties and as independents. Piker’s Maoist rants and his long list of transgressive assaults on norms are having a cumulative impact on Democrats because Piker, like the DSA as a whole, is understood to be the future of the Democratic Party, not a fringe figure who can’t break onto stages with candidates.

Piker is estimated to have a cumulative audience of three million "Twitch" viewers and another couple million viewers on YouTube. But that’s still an insignificant audience within the American voting public, save for very close races like the Michigan Democratic Senate earlier this month, which Piker delivered for El-Sayed.

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Now Democrats have to ask themselves: "At what cost do we continue to indulge this fanatic with his violent, profane rhetoric and horrible arguments built on slogans and absurd assertions?" 

Most voters want a better life for themselves and their families. They don’t want the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution or Mao’s or Castro’s murderous reigns of terror.

Piker is the brand of Democrats in 2026. 

We will have to watch to see whether candidates for the party’s nomination for president in 2028 work to scrub that brand away in the months ahead.

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