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Trump Nominates Bowman, Bank Industry Favorite, to be Next Vice Chair for Supervision
President Donald Trump yesterday nominated Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman to be the next vice chair for supervision, the lead role in developing policy recommendations for supervising and regulating the banks in the Federal Reserve System. Critical of the lack of “regulatory tailoring”, Bowman would be likely to pursue policies favored by the banking industry, including rolling back capital requirements and ending the need for banks to consider climate-related financial risk. In February, Michael Barr, the outgoing vice chair for supervision, outlined a set of seven risks of concern, including climate-related financial risk in a speech at Georgetown University Law. In response, Elyse Schupak, policy advocate with Public Citizen’s Climate Program, issued the following statement:
“Bowman’s nomination for vice-chair for supervision is a gift to the banking industry. Under her leadership we can expect loosening capital requirements, lax bank supervision, and neglect of emerging risks to the financial system, including from climate change.
“At a moment when insurance markets are driving instability across the country, the potential for a financial crisis driven by climate change has never been higher. The Federal Reserve needs a vice chair for supervision who is attuned to the risks climate change poses to financial stability and is willing to exercise their authority to mitigate these risks both for the financial institutions under the Federal Reserve’s supervision as well as the broader financial system and economy. During her tenure at the Federal Reserve, Bowman has been unwilling to take the steps needed to stem these risks.”
Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization that champions the public interest in the halls of power. We defend democracy, resist corporate power and work to ensure that government works for the people - not for big corporations. Founded in 1971, we now have 500,000 members and supporters throughout the country.
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'Unspeakable Horror' in Gaza Sends Democratic Voter Support for Israel Plummeting: Survey
Over half of Democratic voters in the US believe Israel is guilty of genocide in Gaza, and nearly 60% feel the American government is "too supportive" of its top ally in the Middle East.
Jul 07, 2026
A survey published Tuesday offered the latest evidence of US public opinion souring on Israel, with more than half of Democratic voters and a nearly third of all American adults saying they believe the 1,000-plus-day assault on Gaza amounts to genocide.
The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, conducted between June 11 and June 17 of this year, found that 52% of Democratic voters "say Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians." Thirty-one percent of all US adults—and 30% of Jewish adults—believe the Israeli military has committed genocide in Gaza, which has been obliterated with the help of American weaponry and diplomatic support from both a Democratic and Republican administration.
Harold Kalmus, a 69-year-old Democratic voter from Arden, Delaware who is Jewish, told The Associated Press that the Israeli military has inflicted "unspeakable horror" on the Gaza Strip, where Israel's massive bombing campaign and ground attacks have killed more than 70,000 people—including tens of thousands of children—since October 7, 2023.
"They’re trying to wipe out a civilization as far as I’m concerned,” said Kalmus.
The new survey found that nearly 60% of Democratic voters—including 51% of Jewish Democrats—now believe the US government is "too supportive" of Israel, up from 45% percent in a January 2024 AP-NORC poll.
AP described Americans' increasingly negative views of Israel as a "dramatic erosion of support for the longtime US ally, with rising opposition from Democrats and signs of division among Republicans."
"Younger Democrats—those 45 and younger—are still more likely than older ones to say that the United States is 'not supportive enough' of the Palestinians, but older Democrats are catching up to their younger counterparts," the outlet noted. "About 57% of older Democrats now say the US should do more for the Palestinians, up from 39% two years ago."
The findings came amid internal Democratic Party turmoil over a House amendment that aims to strike $3.3 billion in US military aid to Israel from annual defense policy legislation. Leading progressive lawmakers, including top members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have spoken out in support of the amendment, with Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) calling it "a no-brainer."
But top Democrats, including the ranking members of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, have expressed opposition to the amendment, which stands little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House.
“I don’t want Israel to be without what they need,” Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said last week.
In the Senate, a small number of leading Democrats—including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)—joined Republicans in April to block resolutions aimed at preventing the Trump administration from transferring more bombs and bulldozers to the Israeli government.
A poll released last month found that 82% of Democratic voters in New York oppose US weapons transfers to Israel, leaving Schumer and Gillibrand far out of step with their constituents.
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'Overturn This': Trump Mocked Worldwide After Belgium Embarrasses US in 4-1 World Cup Rout
"I can think of only one thing more satiric than the only country on Earth that still routinely makes fun of soccer fixing the world’s biggest soccer tournament in their own favor. That would be fixing it and losing anyway," said one observer.
Jul 07, 2026
President Donald Trump's meddling in the 2026 FIFA World Cup came back to haunt him on Monday after Belgium demolished the US Men's National Team in a 4-1 rout.
On Sunday, multiple reports revealed that FIFA had overturned its one-game ban of top US player Folarin Balogun after Trump placed a phone call to FIFA President Gianni Infantino urging him to review referees’ decision to give Balogun a red card.
Trump's interference with the World Cup's disciplinary procedures and FIFA's decision to suspend Balogun's red card and allow him to play in the wake of Trump's call both drew sharp condemnation from longtime sports journalists and professional footballers, who said it called the integrity of the entire competition into question.
Concerns about the US winning a tainted victory due to Trump were ultimately banished, however, when Belgium dominated the US and eliminated them from the tournament.
After Belgium scored its fourth goal of the night, its players ridiculed Trump by doing an impersonation of the dance the president often performs at campaign rallies.
La selección de #Belgica se burla de Trump y en su casa. pic.twitter.com/sQEwyKqM3L
— ZuritaCarpio (@ZuritaCarpio) July 7, 2026
The Belgian team's social media accounts also took a shot at the president by posting images of victorious players alongside the caption, "Overturn this."
Overturn this. 🧏♂️ #USABEL pic.twitter.com/KcBAJp3Z7d
— Belgian Red Devils (@BelRedDevils) July 7, 2026
Media outlet MeidasTouch observed after the US loss that there have now been multiple occasions where the president has injected himself into a major sporting event, only to see his preferred competitor come up short.
"Sports fans are calling it the Trump curse," MeidasTouch wrote in a social media post. "He attended the Super Bowl and predicted a Chiefs win, but the Eagles blew them out... He sat in the owner’s suite when the Knicks snapped their huge playoff streak in NBA Finals Game 3. And he attended the Ryder Cup where Europe topped the US team."
A Tuesday report in USA Today similarly examined the possibility of a "Trump curse" in sporting events, of which the US Men's National Team's "error-plagued, idea-less, and lackluster performance" was only the latest example.
In a Tuesday column in The Financial Times, Edward Luce linked Trump's failed meddling in the World Cup with other disastrous initiatives such as his infamously botched renovation of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
"Call it the anti-Midas touch," Luce quipped. "Donald Trump loves gold. Yet so much of what he handles, from reflecting pools to US alliances, seems to turn into something else."
French newspaper Le Monde also took a dig at the president in its report on the US-Belgium match, writing sarcastically that "we are being told that Donald Trump wants to launch a legal action against Gianni Infantino, accusing the Belgian national team of having played football this Tuesday."
Writing in The Guardian on Tuesday, columnist Marina Hyde noted that Trump had turned global public opinion squarely against the US team in the tournament, and there was "joy" at seeing the president's machinations flop.
"It really brought the world together," Hyde remarked. "The last time this many people cheered on a Belgian resistance, it was 1914 and the Germans had just crossed the Meuse."
In a Monday column published by The Globe and Mail in Canada, Cathal Kelly declared that Trump's failed intervention had turned the US into a "laughingstock."
"I can think of only one thing more satiric than the only country on Earth that still routinely makes fun of soccer fixing the world’s biggest soccer tournament in their own favor," wrote Kelly. "That would be fixing it and losing anyway."
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Following Platner Allegations, Progressives Warn Democratic Establishment: 'This Is Not Your Opening'
The campaign, said one organizer, "was never really about one candidate. It was about what Mainers ultimately wanted and deserved: a Senate seat that answers to them."
Jul 07, 2026
As calls mounted on Monday evening for US Senate candidate Graham Platner to drop out of the race in Maine following sexual assault allegations, progressive organizers emphasized that primary voters in the state have made clear their demand for a candidate who prioritizes the needs of working people.
Should Platner be replaced as the Democratic nominee, said the political action organization Our Revolution, the new candidate must be one "who has actually lived the fight Graham Platner ran on: a record with working people, with unions, against corporate money."
"To the Democratic establishment: This is not your opening," said Joseph Geevarghese, the group's executive director. "Mainers did not vote by an overwhelming margin against Janet Mills and the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee]'s handpicked pick just to be handed another status-quo candidate anyway. They deserve what they voted for... The movement will settle for nothing less, because that is what Mainers deserve."
Platner has not said whether he will end his campaign, during which he has traveled across the state and energized voters from across the political spectrum with his working-class-focused platform—one that calls for Medicare for All, a billionaire's minimum tax, a stop to "billionaires buying elections" through a repeal of Citizens United, and an end to US military aid for Israel.
In a video he posted on social media Monday in response to the allegations, which came from a woman he dated from 2019-21, he denied that he had committed sexual assault but said he was "mindful of the political reality” and that his campaign is "taking the time to reflect on the best path forward" in order to defeat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins. The Maine Senate race is crucial as Democrats aim to win back control of the US Senate.
An aide for Platner told The New York Times Monday evening that if he were to step aside, "it would only be with a guarantee of being replaced by a candidate who he believes is true to the values and vision and policy agenda of the campaign that Maine voted for."
Platner won the Democratic primary in June by nearly 53 points. His opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, was on the ballot despite having suspended her campaign in April, citing a lack of funds. Ahead of the primary, Platner had faced other controversies, including one regarding comments he made on Reddit several years ago; a skull-and-crossbones tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol—a connection he said he was not aware of; and allegations of physical aggression from a GOP-affiliated ex-girlfriend.
Geevarghese said Monday that "everyone deserves a fair and open process, and Graham Platner is entitled to due process like anyone else. But the allegations against him are credible, and at this point they are too serious to treat as a distraction from the campaign or the issues. Sexual violence is a red line. We are withdrawing our endorsement and calling on him to withdraw from this race."
He emphasized that the campaign "engaged thousands of working people in Maine around a simple idea: that Maine's Senate seat should belong to its people, not corporate money."
"That was never really about one candidate," Geevarghese said. "It was about what Mainers ultimately wanted and deserved: a Senate seat that answers to them."
The sentiment was echoed by the Maine Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), which had not previously endorsed Platner.
"The power of the Platner campaign was undeniable, but that power does not come from a candidate; it comes from tens of thousands of Mainers who were inspired by his campaign's platform and urgency," said Maine DSA. "Over the last year, everyday people who had long ago written off electoral politics have shown up and worked to build power on a scale Maine has never seen before."
"Maine Democratic Party leadership has a choice: Nominate an establishment candidate who offers excuses, not answers, and ultimately loses to Susan Collins; or offer a candidate who harnesses the still-growing momentum, follows the platform that is so energizing to voters in Maine and across the country, and takes our state back for the many, not the money," said the group.
The state's Democratic candidate for governor, former state legislator Hannah Pingree, also said that Platner had "tapped into something real—voters hungry for change showed up with real passion and energy."
"That energy doesn't have to go away," said Pingree. "It needs a new candidate to carry it forward."
Under state law, Platner could be replaced on the ballot if he withdraws by July 13. The state Democratic Party would have until July 27 to name a replacement.
According to the Times, party officials in the state "have discussed possible plans to replace Mr. Platner on the ballot, with options including a pop-up convention on the weekend of July 25 to choose a nominee, or holding a statewide caucus to effectively redo the party’s primary election."
They have reportedly "ruled out having the state party’s committee, which includes about 100 members, choose the nominee."
Potential replacements who have been named include former Democratic gubernatorial candidates such as Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former state Senate President Troy Jackson, who campaigned with Platner and was also endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) when he ran for governor.
Jackson told Bangor Daily News reporter Benjamin Kail late Monday that potentially having to replace Platner on the ballot was "something I never considered, but if Graham's stepping away, I am very, very interested and think I'm the best person to replace him."
He said he "received dozens of calls and messages of support" after the news broke Monday.
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