First Draft: AIPAC’s Most Hated 2028 Democratic Contenders, By the Numbers
We break down which Dems the pro-Israel lobby targets most online, and which it doesn’t. Plus: reporter Cecilia Vega departs CBS with a powerful statement about the partisan damage done by Bari Weiss.
On this day in 2019, former FBI Director Robert Mueller spoke about his investigation of Russian election interference and links between Donald Trump and Moscow. Contrary to Trump’s claims of exoneration, Mueller said: “If we had had confidence that the president did not commit a crime, we would have said so.”
Good morning, friends. Prem here. Wishing you a wonderful Friday wherever you are, and Eid Mubarak to all who celebrate. Can you BELIEVE it’s almost June? How are you enjoying the weather? Let me know in the comments… :)
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In today’s ‘First Draft,’ an analysis of AIPAC’s Twitter account gives a better understanding of which Democrats actually challenge the U.S.-Israel relationship, a top CBS reporter departs with a warning, and Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner lures Susan Collins into offering an open goal.
Let’s dig in!
Itchy Twitter Fingers
You can tell a lot about someone by the enemies they attract. When you look at Democrats floated as possible contenders for the 2028 presidential nomination, very few have attracted the ire of the Israel lobby.
As the public has grown increasingly outraged by the genocide Israel has committed in Gaza with U.S. tax dollars, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, has scrambled to shore up support. It’s an effort that has involved dumping millions into elections across the U.S., using opaque super PACs to disguise such spending, and lobbying to curtail free speech. It has also fueled a very active presence on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Since the start of 2025, AIPAC has fired off hundreds of tweets attacking U.S. politicians. But among the crowded field of Democrats floated as potential presidential picks, only three have been particular targets for AIPAC: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ro Khanna, and Senator Chris Van Hollen.
Since 2025, according to a Zeteo analysis, AIPAC has gone after Khanna by name at least 147 times; Ocasio-Cortez at least 116 times; and Van Hollen at least 105 times.
In a December 2025 post, AIPAC slammed Van Hollen for… holding all actors to equal standards, whether adversary or foe.
In a February 2026 post, AIPAC mocked Ocasio-Cortez on foreign policy, saying: “If @AOC spent less time obsessively lying about Israel, she’d have more time to find Venezuela and learn about Taiwan.”
And in April, when Khanna said “Team America” should cut tax dollars to Israel, keep the Israeli prime minister out of the Situation Room, and move away from obsession over war in the Middle East, the pro-Israel lobby responded that Khanna wasn’t Team America, but rather “Team Ro.”
Of course, those three Democrats are not alone in being AIPAC targets. Attacks often feature names including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee, Delia Ramirez, and Mark Pocan, as well as Senators Bernie Sanders, Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren, Jeff Merkley, and Peter Welch.
As U.S. support for Israel has plummeted, particularly among Democrats and independents, Democratic politicians have changed their rhetoric, distancing themselves from AIPAC specifically or making relatively safe condemnations of the “Netanyahu government.” A sparse few, listed above, have gone further, criticizing the Israeli apartheid regime more broadly, and condemning pro-Israel interests beyond AIPAC.
You can’t necessarily tell who is sincere in such criticisms and who may be doing the bare minimum, perhaps with permission from the pro-Israel lobby, with an understanding that when push comes to shove, they’ll have Israel’s back.
But by looking at who AIPAC is explicitly attacking, you can get a better sense of who, among possible 2028 picks, the pro-Israel lobby is afraid of, and who may pose less of a threat.
In contrast to its attacks on Ocasio-Cortez, Khanna, and Van Hollen, AIPAC has thanked Senators Cory Booker and Mark Kelly once each since 2025, and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro twice (and Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries repeatedly).
Other possible candidates have not attracted attacks. They include former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, former Vice President Kamala Harris, Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, California Governor Gavin Newsom, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer (who said Thursday she would not run).
Of course, this isn’t conclusive. Ultimately, it’s just a survey of a social feed. And some of the politicians listed above have flashed signs that they could meaningfully stand up to the pro-Israel lobby and enforce U.S. and international law.
But that cuts both ways. It’s easy to vote to limit some weapons to Israel (as Ossoff and Gallego have) if you know the measure won’t pass. The pro-Israel lobby may not like it, but ultimately, it can swallow an action if it does not prompt actual change. Votes can be release valves for political pressure. You’re only a risk if you’re leading the charge, pushing the envelope, asking fundamental questions about the U.S.-Israel relationship, and being the reason for so much public momentum against Israel.
Accordingly, AIPAC evidently sees many possible 2028 Democratic contenders as persuadable - or at least possible to discipline.
Two-and-a-half years into Israel’s genocidal campaign against the Palestinians, amid its genocidal campaign in Lebanon, and its horrific joint war on Iran, if you are a Democrat still considered “gettable” by AIPAC… you have work to do with your base.
Given that the overwhelming opinion among grassroots Democrats is opposition to U.S. aid to Israel’s genocidal regime, Ocasio-Cortez, Khanna, and Van Hollen should all be counted as serious presidential contenders.
We used Ground News to find related stories focusing on AIPAC’s impact in elections. Take this feature on the Kentucky primary race and the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on critical seats.
Ground News is a news app and website that scans 50,000+ articles while offering built-in bias comparisons, fact checks, and funding transparency for every source.
For this story, we see that there is a split in the coverage with 43% left, 19% right, and 38% center. Many of the headlines are the same, but the coverage couldn’t be more different. Ground News makes it easy to see the difference in how both sides are covering the same story.
The built-in factuality and ownership features also highlight the hidden angles behind every article. With Ground News’ Vantage Plan, information becomes your superpower. Learn more at ground.news/zeteox and get 40% off the unlimited Vantage Plan.
(This portion of the post was sponsored content.)
🇮🇷 Iran War Updates
Waiting on Trump: The U.S. and Iran reportedly agreed to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and prepare a path to talks over issues including Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. JD Vance said, “I can’t guarantee that we’re going to get there, but right now I feel pretty good about it.” But his boss hasn’t made up his mind. Axios said Donald Trump “wants a couple days to think about it.”
Markets react: Oil prices fell on news of a possible deal, with Brent below $90 a barrel after passing $109 last week.
New sanctions: Nonetheless, the U.S. Treasury imposed new restrictions on Iran’s military oil trade and on entities trading with Tehran.
Lebanon latest: Lebanese authorities said at least 19 people were killed and 58 injured in continuing Israeli strikes, as Israel confirmed it had hit the capital, Beirut, for the first time in weeks. Continuing to ignore that deal in the south, Israel forced thousands to flee in Tyre and other regions, as it continued to target civilian areas.
Deadly cost: The Lebanese Health Ministry said the death toll from the Israeli onslaught since March 2 had reached at least 3,324, with 10,027 injured.
‘Let’s Call This What It Is: Censorship’
Fired from ‘60 Minutes’ by CBS News editor-in-chief-cum-Trump-shill Bari Weiss, veteran correspondent Cecilia Vega issued a powerful statement about the beloved but besieged news show.
“I very much fear what comes next,” she said.
Weiss jettisoned serious talent on Thursday, also firing correspondent Sharyn Afonsi and executive producer Tanya Simon. Nick Bilton was named as the new EP – a move backed by prominent Trump supporters.
Vega did not hold back about Weiss’s impact on CBS News, since the founder of The Free Press was installed by Trump ally David Ellison, the new owner of parent company Paramount.
“In recent months,” Vega said, “my producing teams and I have experienced efforts to insert political bias into our stories. Reporting teams have held back on submitting story pitches about important news topics out of fear of the internal repercussions.
“Let’s call this what it is: censorship, both imposed and self-driven. It is dangerous for the show and dangerous for democracy.
“I held the line and refused to incorporate suggestions that offend the conscience… I know… that many producing teams and correspondents working on the show today have had to fight to maintain editorial independence with regularity. I am far from the only 60 Minutes correspondent who has asked herself, ‘What is my personal red line? How much can I push back before I pay the price?’”
Noting that “this season alone I was part of teams that won… a George Polk award and a duPont-Columbia award for our coverage of Venezuelan migrants sent by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s Cecot prison,” Vega said she had “an honor no one can take from me: I was the first Latina correspondent to ever be on ‘60 Minutes.’”
Telling former colleagues to “hold the line,” her sign-off was “La lucha sigue.”
In English, it means “the struggle continues.”
🗞️ What You Need to Know
Duly noted: Trump officials have pressed the Treasury for a $250 bill featuring Trump’s portrait, the Washington Post reported. Likenesses of living persons have been legally barred from U.S. banknotes since 1866. A top printing official who resigned over the issue told colleagues on leaving: “The buck stopped here.”
Corruption watch: Staggering stories of Trump corruption kept pouring out. A White House aide hurried through a $620 million deal for a company tied to Donald Trump Jr. Dell signed a $9.7 billion Pentagon deal after Trump Sr. acquired stock and praised the company. It goes on and on and on.
Weaponization watch: The DOJ is probing a nonprofit that helped pay legal bills for E. Jean Carroll, who won millions after Trump was found liable for her sexual abuse and defamation, the Washington Post said. Carroll is also a target.
License to kill: The Trump administration’s murderous Pacific and Caribbean boat strikes face two legal deadlines on Friday, NOTUS said, citing suits brought by advocacy groups and relatives of two Trinidadian men killed in one such strike.
License to chill: Trump’s DOJ is seeking names, addresses, and banking details of Twitter and Reddit users who criticized ICE, Bloomberg reported.
Recuse me? Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s son works in a political role at the Treasury, NOTUS scooped. The Treasury said Philip Alito “does not counsel on any matters reasonably expected” to be placed before his dad.
Maine claims: Senator Susan Collins attacked Democrat Graham Platner for saying she voted to send him to Iraq, saying, “That was Platner’s decision to serve. He was not drafted.” Platner responded, “There’s nothing more Orwellian than voting to send 18-year-olds to die in a forever war – and then blaming them for it.”
🧠 Pop Quiz!
When Justice Samuel Alito joined the Supreme Court in 2006, which Major League Baseball icon attended his welcome dinner – and what did Alito say he smelled like?
Keep your eyes out for the answer below!
🌏 Anywhere But America
🇵🇸 Don’t forget Gaza: Benjamin Netanyahu directed Israeli forces to occupy 70% of Gaza, having already ignored a US-brokered truce by extending its footprint in the territory and continuing strikes, killing more than 920 Palestinians. Gaza officials said a strike on Wednesday night killed at least 10 people, including five children.
🇮🇱 Early protest: UN ambassador Danny Danon said Israel would cut ties to UN Secretary General António Guterres after the UN “added Israel to the blacklist of sexual violence in conflict zones.” The UN’s annual report on such violence is presented to relevant states before publication.
🇨🇺 Cuba latest: Axios described how the Trump administration is trying to force the Cuban government to collapse, a source saying the U.S. expects summer unrest as its blockade cuts electricity for cooling and food storage.
🇧🇷 Brazil bans: The U.S. labeled two Brazilian criminal groups as foreign terrorist organizations, a move President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said he regards as interference favoring Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, his rival in October’s election.
🇨🇩 Aid arrives: European Union supplies reached Bunia in north-eastern Congo, at the center of the outbreak of a rare form of Ebola. More such aid is expected.
😳 WTF?!
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is threatening to withdraw Customs officers from airports serving “sanctuary cities,” e.g., places that reject Donald Trump’s fascistic deportation policies. Among appalled reactions, Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, said such a move “would cause enormous economic damage and disrupt air travel nationwide.”
“That he’s even contemplating this publicly is a sign of madness.”
🧠 Trivia answer: The Philly Phanatic. Alito said he “smelled like a flower.”
📖 Weekend Reads
From Tom Dispatch, a look at the strange career of the Fox News host who became Donald Trump’s defense secretary, a man way out of his depth but nonetheless profoundly disturbing U.S. military culture. “Hegseth’s fusion of strength, religion, and violence was encapsulated in a poster allegedly displayed at a U.S. military installation in recent days,” Jasper Craven writes. “It featured Jesus Christ firing a mortar round.”
‘Seriously the Best Boss Ever’: Inside the World of Jeffrey Epstein’s Assistant
Jeffrey Epstein called his executive assistants “an extension of my brain” and a “social prosthesis.” Lesley Groff was one of the best. For The Guardian, Sophie Elmhirst provides a hugely detailed read on the world Groff entered, what she did regarding Epstein and his “girls,“ and what it might yet mean for Groff: on June 9, she will be interviewed in Congress.
How Venture Capital Benefits From Zombie Bankruptcies
Laptop nomads in Washington, Chicago, and Texas knew Foxtrot, a chain that offered lattés, wine, and a spot to work. One day in April 2024, it suddenly went bankrupt, costing hundreds of jobs. Now it’s back, propped up by venture capital, private equity, and laws that allow it to skirt huge debts. And as Hannah Harris Green notes at Mother Jones, cautionary tale of modern capitalism or no, the laptop hordes are back.
ICYMI From Zeteo
Zeteo’s Martin Pengelly contributed to this newsletter.
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Earlier this week, the NYT published an op-ed by Senator Van Hollen in which he urged the Democratic Party to end its unconditional support for Israel. In the op-ed, he cited the findings of a number of human rights organizations that concluded Israel has committed genocide. The piece elicited hundreds of comments, not all of them favorable. A lot of posters wrote that neither Gaza, nor the Middle East more generally, were or should be of primary concern to Democratic voters, and focusing on them distracts from issues more important to voters and weakens the party. One poster complained about party members on the left who subject candidates to “purity” tests. This opinion was reflected in other comments without use of the word. On the other hand, a lot of posters generally supported the piece, though not all without caveats, e.g., with expressions of concern for Israel’s safety.
This, and my experience within my own community, which is solidly Democratic, makes me a bit skeptical of the polls. For example, how important is Gaza to voters, even among those who don’t support Israel. At protest marches, I’ve rarely seen antiwar signs and even fewer about Palestine or Gaza. I’ve tentatively concluded that Gaza and the war against Iran are not litmus tests for the majority of Democratic voters, even, or especially, those who are actively participating in protests against Trump. I hope I’m wrong, but those issues still seem to be relatively low on the political radar.
I appreciate your daily reporting. Thank you all at Zeteo.