There is an old joke that scientists switched from lab rats to lawyers because you do not get as attached to lawyers. President Donald Trump has shown the same tendency to avoid becoming attached to either private or government counsel. Attorney General Pam Bondi is only the latest in a long line of lawyers let go by a president who was made famous with the tagline “You’re fired.”

There is no evidence of bad blood between President Trump and Bondi. The attorney general has been attacked over her loyalty to the president and has been by his side in some of the most precarious moments, from impeachment to criminal defense. As his “apprentices” learned, this is not personal. It’s business.

Jeff Sessions. Rex Tillerson. Bill Barr. Mark Esper. Kristi Noem. Trump’s Cabinet picks are known more for shelving than storage.

Indeed, being a cabinet member in a Trump administration is about as secure as being a quarterback for the Cleveland Browns.

BONDI OUSTER IGNITES BIPARTISAN UPROAR: ‘PARTISAN, PETULANT, POLITICAL HACK’

Trump has always viewed terminations as a way to spur higher performance levels.

There is a reason why Trump may have wanted to move now in swapping out attorneys general. There are growing predictions that the Democrats will lose the House and could now lose the Senate.

Democrats are running on pledges to unleash a new spasm of investigations and impeachments, targeting not just President Trump but anyone who supports him.

BONDI HEARING DEVOLVES INTO CHAOS OF SHOUTS AS AG ACCUSES TOP DEMOCRATS OF ‘THEATRICS’

Figures like Susan Rice, top policy adviser to both Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden, have promised “revenge” against all those who pushed Democrats out of power and warned that “it’s not going to end well for them.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., pledged that, as soon as they regain power, they will start throwing Trump people in jail when they retake Congress.

Democratic strategist James Carville previously threatened that “collaborators” may be treated in the same way as they were after World War II.

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Trump’s ability to secure confirmation of a successor will become far more challenging as he approaches the midterm elections.

Trump has to decide who will be the best hand on the wheel in those choppy waters ahead.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has the street cred that Trump values. An accomplished litigator and former prosecutor, Blanche is neither flashy nor gregarious. He is a lethal litigator who can gut you like a trout without breaking a sweat. He has been at the president’s side in and out of court. While he will be a lightning rod for Democrats who have attacked him for his role in the release of the Epstein files, his firmness in dealing with a hostile media likely appealed to the president.

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Blanche offers a seamless transition for the department. He literally only has to walk down the hallway to take the reins from Bondi.

Another name reportedly under consideration is EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who would likely be the easiest to confirm and the most popular with members of Congress. Zeldin transformed the EPA in short order, including clearing away barriers to increasing energy production. Almost elected governor of New York, Zeldin has cross-over appeal in Washington as someone who cut his teeth in this town.

Other candidates include state attorneys general, as well as wild cards like U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a former judge with a tough-as-nails reputation in Washington, D.C. It is a deep bench.

There will be no shortage of applicants for the job. The office of the attorney general in the Trump administration has everything that one could want in Washington. Everything, that is, except job security.

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1. What B-52 bombers bring to the Iran fight 

2. Acting AG addresses reports Pam Bondi ousted over botched Epstein files

3. Iran gives chilling retaliation warning after US airstrikes collapse key bridge

UNDER OATH — Nancy Guthrie sheriff to get dragged to hot seat as stalled case stirs up past scandals. Continue reading …

DANGER ALERT — Americans warned of potential attacks in vacation spot as border crossing fee doubles. Continue reading …

‘SIT THIS ONE OUT’ — Kamala Harris’ latest attempt to criticize President Trump sends internet into a frenzy. Continue reading …

UNSUNG HERO — 911 audio reveals surprising twist in moments following Tiger Woods’ crash. Continue reading …

COURTROOM DRAMA — Blake Lively suffers major legal blow in sexual harassment case against Justin Baldoni. Continue reading …

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MAD SCIENCE — NIH accused of defying President Trump by funding transgender mice research. Continue reading …

STRATEGIC SHIFT — Hegseth fires Army chief of staff in sweeping military purge operation. Continue reading …

AMERICA FIRST AID — Trump unveils 100% tariff plan on imported drugs unless firms shift production. Continue reading …

LEGAL SHOWDOWN — Top Democrats sue President Trump over executive order targeting mail-in voting. Continue reading …

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FAILING GRADE — American students’ lack of basic civics knowledge alarms education advocates. Continue reading …

FAKE NEWS FURY — White House press secretary blasts Politico report previewing Trump address on Iran. Continue reading …

‘ON OUR SIDE’ — Chuck Schumer defends DHS shutdown strategy, claiming critics are ‘not fair.’ Continue reading …

SILICON SQUEEZE — Tech companies put on notice as Meta caves to Florida’s under-14 social media ban. Continue reading …

BRETT VELICOVICH — ‘Mystery’ drones are no mystery, they are a dangerous threat to national security. Continue reading … 

DOUG SCHOEN — Democratic battle pits moderates vs. progressives for soul of the party. Continue reading …

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PERFECT TIMING — Alamo cannonball unearthed just one day before 190th anniversary of historic battle. Continue reading …

CRUSHED DREAMS — Tiger Woods was ‘hoping to’ play in Masters before shocking DUI arrest, bodycam footage shows. Continue reading …

DIGITAL’S NEWS QUIZ — What happened to Tiger Woods and who faced an investigation over military helicopters? Take the quiz here …

BALANCED BUZZ — United Airlines checked bag fees climbs $10-50 as fuel prices nearly double since Iran war. Continue reading …

NEW TARGET — RFK Jr. releases national microplastics mission. See video …

TOM HOMAN — Airports are critical infrastructure — it’s necessary for ICE to step in. See video …

GREG BOVINO — The asylum policy under Biden was a scam. See video …

Tune in as we explore Good Friday traditions and the surprising rise in religious interest among younger Americans. Check it out …

What’s it looking like in your neighborhood? Continue reading…

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Democrats are undoubtedly favored to retake the House in November’s midterms, and their odds of taking the Senate have jumped in recent weeks.

Political betting site Polymarket gives Democrats an 86% chance to take the House, and now they even have a slight lead in the Senate.

That said, the prospects for Democrats’ short-term success may be overshadowing what could be a defining moment in American politics.

Specifically, Democrats’ intra-party dispute over which wing of the party will control their direction, messaging, ideas and principles: the seemingly moderate establishment or anti-establishment progressives?

WASHINGTON POST COLUMNIST ADMITS ‘WOKE’ POLITICS HURT DEMOCRATS

This fight will also determine who will be the party’s standard bearer for the 2028 presidential election.

It is not a new conflict, although with midterms approaching – not to mention the 2028 campaign beginning to take shape – it has taken on renewed importance.

The end of April’s “No Kings” rally, initiated by the far-left wing, was embraced by both wings of the party, underscoring the growing influence of the extreme wing of the party over tactics, strategy, and messaging.

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Moreover, reports emerged stating that progressive Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Tina Smith, D-Minn., met to gauge support for removing Sen. Chuck Schumer as Senate minority leader.

Schumer appears to be the latest casualty in this battle, one which has metastasized to pull in all Democrats, as the entire party has moved further to the left.

Unfortunately for those of us who believe that the health of American democracy is tied to having two viable parties, as the far-left forces the party further from the center, national Democrats may be setting themselves up for electoral suicide.

DAVID MARCUS: THE 3 ISSUES DRIVING FAR-LEFT’S SPLIT WITH DEMS

Put another way, in order to be competitive, establishment Democrats must assert themselves with a more moderate agenda, rejecting progressive ideas on hot-button issues like transgender policies, ICE and immigration, and diversity, equity, inclusion.

To be sure, today’s establishment Democrats are a far cry from what would be considered moderate not long ago.

When I worked for former President Bill Clinton, Democrats understood that to win, policies like balancing the budget, securing the border, tightening welfare requirements and being tough on crime were essential.

SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH

In a sign of how far left the Democratic Party has moved, former President Barack Obama – lionized by many liberals today – was initially publicly opposed to gay marriage and race-based identity politics.

Obama’s initial opposition to those policies would put him starkly at odds with where progressives have steered the Democratic Party today.

Even former President Joe Biden ran as a moderate in 2020.

NY DEMOCRAT WARNS EXTREMISM ON LEFT, RIGHT IS ‘ROAD TO RUIN’

Then, he governed as a progressive, tarnishing his administration to the point his vice president lost the popular vote, something no Democrat had done in 20 years.

In other words, despite Democrats’ drastic shift left, today’s so-called moderates must act as a bulwark against a slide into national irrelevancy. Failure to do so would be a level of irresponsibility the country can ill-afford.

To that point, despite numerous studies – including from Third Way and Split Ticket – showing that moderate Democrats do better than progressives in competitive races, the Democratic Party continues drifting further from the median voter.

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Consider that in recent weeks, when the Senate took up a proposal to ban transgender women from participating in women’s sports, every Democratic senator who was present voted against.

It seems that these Senators – and the party writ large – learned nothing from the 2024 campaign.

Then-candidate Donald Trump’s “Kamala is for they/them, I am for you” ad was, for lack of a better word, ruining for Vice President Kamala Harris.

DEMOCRATS EYE NARROW PATH TO CAPTURE SENATE MAJORITY, BUT ONE WRONG MOVE COULD SINK THEM

Even when California Gov. Gavin Newsom – nobody’s idea of a moderate yet a Democrat who has reached out to Republicans for his podcast – had the temerity to declare that he disagrees with girls playing against biological males, progressives pilloried him.

The risk of the far-left driving Democrats out of contention for national elections extends beyond transgender issues.

Progressive ideas on the economy, immigration and ICE, Israel and more may work in local elections, but are resounding failures on the national stage and will destroy Democrats’ 2028 chances.

IT’S NOT JUST THE ECONOMY — THIS IS HOW DEMOCRATS BEAT THE GOP ACROSS THE COUNTRY

Ironically, Democratic voters recognize this, even if their elected officials – outside of a handful such as Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer – do not yet.

Polling from Gallup shows that Democrats and Democratic-leaning Independent voters prefer moderates to progressives generically when thinking about their vote.

Likewise, as journalist Matthew Yglesias noted, Democrats’ “brand has become so toxic” that the party may need to “change their brand” by abandoning extreme – and unpopular – progressive positions.

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To be clear, this is not to suggest progressives cannot compete. In solid blue states and districts like New Jersey’s 11th or Illinois and other states, progressives will certainly win.

Rather, this is to make clear – if the 2024 election did not – that on a national level, Democrats need centrist, broad-based coalitions and a matching agenda to win.

And yet, Democrats appear poised to allow the far-left to dictate the party’s direction, leaving a rapidly shrinking minority of moderates.

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In fact, progressives’ obsession with wealth taxes has even made Newsom seem like a so-called moderate by comparison for opposing the levy due to the serious harm it could do to state economies.

Similarly, calls to defund ICE – like “defund the police” before it – have become so popular a catchphrase for the far-left that moderates who simply want reform to address overreach are increasingly silenced.

In no uncertain terms, if progressives succeed in rebranding the Democratic Party as the party of open borders, the Green New Deal, identity politics and abandoning Israel, Republicans will dominate the presidency for the foreseeable future.

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Only a few brave Democrats, Fetterman and Gottheimer amongst them, who have stood up against cutting off all aid – military and economic – to the Jewish state and recognize that, while flawed, Israel is certainly our most capable and vital ally in the Middle East.

To that end, there is a considerable amount of evidence that progressives are rapidly consolidating their power.

Recent Yahoo polling shows Newsom (19%) with a slight lead over Harris (18%).

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Behind the two front-runners are former Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg (13%) and “Squad” member Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (12%) – both progressives.

Ocasio-Cortez probably has the broadest appeal of any non-senator or former presidential candidate.

Her fundraising base is unmatched: last year her $15.4 million war chest was the biggest in the House, having pulled in nearly $10 million in just the first quarter.

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Axios reporting also suggests that she could raise “$100 million online without a single in-person fundraiser” while noting she’d be competitive against any Democrat in either a presidential or senate run.

Critically, both the growing power of progressives and the necessity of establishment Democrats to retake the center are due to the same reasons.

For the last decade, Democrats have been able to paper over their differences with a simple – yet nominally effective – strategy of running against Trump.

However, the ability to solely oppose an unpopular president is not enough to sustain a political party, notwithstanding its potential for short-term success in midterms.

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In order to win national elections going forward, Democrats need to build coalitions and not allow progressives to move the party outside the mainstream with unpopular – and arguably unworkable – policies.

Quite simply, Trump won 86% of the counties in this country, and Republicans control 28 state Houses to Democrats’ 18.

Our country is much closer to the center than progressives believe, as shown by the fact that there are entire states where Democrats, stained by the progressive agenda, cannot meaningfully contest statewide elections.

This fight for control of party leadership and its agenda is a defining division in American politics. How it plays out will be decisive this fall and more importantly, into 2028.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM DOUG SCHOEN