Pressure mounts on Democratic national committee chair over delayed 2024 election autopsy report – US politics live
From 1h agoPressure mounts on Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin
Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee’s party chair, delayed releasing the DNC autopsy report, a 192-page analysis on the party’s 2024 election loss, for months – now that he has released the controversial report, he is facing mounting questions and a lack of confidence in his leadership.
David Hogg, the former DNC vice-chair, called on Martin to resign on Thursday. In a statement, Hogg wrote:
double quotation mark
“This autopsy and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke … Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand.”
Some on Capitol Hill, including Seth Moulton, a representative from Massachusetts, have also called for Martin’s resignation.
“He should resign,” Moulton told Axios, adding that it’s “Utterly nuts it took us this long to release the autopsy.”
Rubio also gets pressed on the US involvement in the Nato Force Model, which is essentially the alliance’s framework for making forces available in case of a crisis.","elementId":"19fc505d-ac12-4111-a48a-2feb55b20272"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
He says “it ties back to the same conversation,” and “I think there’s going to be some announcements on it later today, if it hasn’t come out already.”","elementId":"19e98e7a-7b45-43bf-ab18-35b9240fef9b"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
But he says it’s not really new, and it’s just part of the broader process of the US re-evaluating its commitments around the world and the best structure to respond to that.","elementId":"26d9d5a3-e4c4-483a-860a-431debe9f0b8"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
“I will let the folks in the Department of War and over at Nato make those announcements, but this is not a decision that was made on the back of a napkin,” he says.","elementId":"862d39af-b2fe-4c9f-b013-e37cf84632a2"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
He insists “this is all technical work that’s being done by military people.”","elementId":"0c2f400e-a3bb-4fe5-8b43-36ce79cead2a"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"\n
“These are not political decisions.”\n","elementId":"022e49d3-6d6b-44f5-9072-3ddce0d2b9f5"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779456846000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"15.34 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779457268000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"15.41 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779457161000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"15.39 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"15.39","title":"Rubio hints at changes to US involvement in Nato’s force model","contributors":[{"name":"Jakub Krupa","imageUrl":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2025/01/22/Jakub_Krupa.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=41cc9981ec7b067e2d3b5391c5a68a4f","largeImageUrl":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2025/01/22/Jakub_Krupa.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4a039a2b765744058f3c2c677268513e"}],"primaryDateLine":"Fri 22 May 2026 16.03 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Fri 22 May 2026 13.24 CEST"},{"id":"6a105b268f08c1daf13f31ef","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
Asked about the potental future US adjustments to their military presence in Europe, Rubio says:","elementId":"215110dd-f2bb-42ef-97a8-ab0c976300cc"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"\n
“I think what’s happening now is that any decision that’s announced or made is viewed through the broader context of some of the frictions that we’ve had in recent months, but at the end of the day, I think it’s well understood in the alliance that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted, that that work was already ongoing, and it’s been done in coordination with our allies.\n
I’m not saying they’re going to be thrilled about it, but they certainly are aware of it. You know, we have obligations in the Indo-Pacific, we have obligations in the Middle East, we have obligations in the western Hemisphere, so this has been an ongoing process, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody.”\n","elementId":"5e646dca-c7dd-4b56-b29b-9f3a4f7cdf05"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779456806000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"15.33 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779457288000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"15.41 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779456828000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"15.33 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"15.33","title":"US adjusting presence in Europe ‘shouldn’t be surprise to anybody,’ Rubio says","contributors":[{"name":"Jakub Krupa","imageUrl":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2025/01/22/Jakub_Krupa.jpg?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=41cc9981ec7b067e2d3b5391c5a68a4f","largeImageUrl":"https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2025/01/22/Jakub_Krupa.png?width=300&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=4a039a2b765744058f3c2c677268513e"}],"primaryDateLine":"Fri 22 May 2026 16.03 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Fri 22 May 2026 13.24 CEST"},{"id":"6a104f0d8f089865cf41af29","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee’s party chair, delayed releasing the DNC autopsy report, a 192-page analysis on the party’s 2024 election loss, for months – now that he has released the controversial report, he is facing mounting questions and a lack of confidence in his leadership.","elementId":"006e1ac8-1d2b-48cb-815d-1accc6289a69"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
David Hogg, the former DNC vice-chair, called on Martin to resign on Thursday. In a statement, Hogg wrote:","elementId":"9c4bdc52-33c6-4687-841d-414261fca88c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.BlockquoteBlockElement","html":"\n
“This autopsy and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke … Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand.”\n","elementId":"e065cee3-d122-4a34-b2b2-09eee8cc650c"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
Some on Capitol Hill, including Seth Moulton, a representative from Massachusetts, have also called for Martin’s resignation.","elementId":"2dd7a1eb-56ad-4911-aebb-b919433ed5b4"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
“He should resign,” Moulton told Axios, adding that it’s “Utterly nuts it took us this long to release the autopsy.”","elementId":"b5593ca6-ee66-4522-9a44-47247ce2f638"}],"attributes":{"pinned":true,"keyEvent":true,"summary":false},"blockCreatedOn":1779453709000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"14.41 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779456401000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"15.26 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779454860000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"15.01 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"15.01","title":"Pressure mounts on Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Fri 22 May 2026 16.03 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Fri 22 May 2026 13.24 CEST"},{"id":"6a1035b78f080414a3d98fed","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"\n \n
House Republicans canceled a scheduled Thursday vote on a war powers resolution aimed at ending the US war with Iran, a measure that likely would have advanced had the vote been held.\n \n
Donald Trump has announced he will deploy an “additional” 5,000 US troops to Poland, just days after the Pentagon controversially halted a long-planned deployment of forces to the country – the largest on Nato’s eastern flank.\n \n
Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte struck somewhat more cautious note, saying the bloc’s trajectory was one that was prioritising a stronger Europe, “less reliant on the US”.\n \n
On Thursday, the US president admitted that he might skip Donald Trump Jr’s wedding, reportedly taking place in the Bahamas over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, citing that he has “this thing called Iran”.\n \n
US arms sales to Taiwan have been “paused” to ensure the US military has enough munitions for its Iran operations, according to Washington’s acting navy secretary.\n \n
The US president, Donald Trump, and the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Thursday again raised the spectre of military intervention in Cuba, a day after the administration announced criminal charges against Raúl Castro, the island’s former leader.\n","elementId":"61bcaf9d-ed4c-44ee-8152-b59c6e663ffa"}],"attributes":{"pinned":false,"keyEvent":false,"summary":true},"blockCreatedOn":1779449091000,"blockCreatedOnDisplay":"13.24 CEST","blockLastUpdated":1779448605000,"blockLastUpdatedDisplay":"13.16 CEST","blockFirstPublished":1779449091000,"blockFirstPublishedDisplay":"13.24 CEST","blockFirstPublishedDisplayNoTimezone":"13.24","title":"Opening summary","contributors":[],"primaryDateLine":"Fri 22 May 2026 16.03 CEST","secondaryDateLine":"First published on Fri 22 May 2026 13.24 CEST"},{"id":"6a102b318f089865cf41acd6","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
The US president Donald Trump postponed signing an executive order on AI because he did not like certain aspects of it and did not want to take any steps that might undermine the US position in its AI competition with China.","elementId":"51543045-868c-49ba-bee3-f55c042acb1a"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
“I think it gets in the way of, you know, we’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.","elementId":"1d18322f-f330-46ea-899f-5f5733955ffa"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
Trump did not specify which parts of the executive order he objected to.","elementId":"7c598c3c-81a4-47c1-ae37-9041642328c2"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
It comes after the Trump became the first US president in nearly a decade to visit China, and described his meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping as “very successful”.","elementId":"81956404-63d3-4aa8-b23f-34b599042f20"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
The administration’s plans were reportedly put on hold after a push from xAI founder Elon Musk and other big tech figures.","elementId":"4cbebaea-5db7-4570-9fa4-5b1c9193f6f5"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":"
Key events
24m ago
Rubio hints at changes to US involvement in Nato’s force model
29m ago
US adjusting presence in Europe ‘shouldn’t be surprise to anybody,’ Rubio says
1h ago
Pressure mounts on Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin
3h ago
Opening summary
3h ago
Trump postpones executive order on AI, citing need to keep 'lead' over China
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Jakub Krupa
On Ukraine, Rubio says the peace talks with Russia and Ukraine were so far “not fruitful, unfortunately”, but the US “stands ready to continue to play that role”.
“If we see an opportunity to pull together talks that are productive, not counterproductive, and that have the chance to be fruitful, we’re prepared to play that role.”
He says the war “will not end with a military victory by one side or the other,” how traditional victories were defined, and he hopes that a solution can be found one day.
Rubio also says there was a separate meeting of the seven Arctic nations on the sidelines of today’s meeting, although it did not cover Greenland.
He says there will be a joint statement coming soon.
Jakub Krupa
“There’s broad recognition there are going to be eventually less US troops in Europe than historically,” Rubio says
Rubio said he didn’t set the timeline for reducing the number of US troops in Europe, but “it has been an ongoing process that started from the first day of this administration.”
He insists “none of this is surprising”, although adds that he “understands why it creates some nervousness”.
“But I think there’s a broad recognition that there are going to be eventually less US troops in Europe than there has historically been for a variety of reasons,” he says.
But he points out that “the Germans did not freak out” after the plans to pull out 5,000 troops were announced, “because they knew it just took us back to the 2022 numbers, and it was … a reduction of less than 11 or 12% of our total presence there.”Rubio hints at changes to US involvement in Nato’s force model
Jakub Krupa
Rubio also gets pressed on the US involvement in the Nato Force Model, which is essentially the alliance’s framework for making forces available in case of a crisis.
He heavily suggests there will be adjustment and changes there, but declines to reveal what they will be.
He says “it ties back to the same conversation,” and “I think there’s going to be some announcements on it later today, if it hasn’t come out already.”
But he says it’s not really new, and it’s just part of the broader process of the US re-evaluating its commitments around the world and the best structure to respond to that.
“I will let the folks in the Department of War and over at Nato make those announcements, but this is not a decision that was made on the back of a napkin,” he says.
He insists “this is all technical work that’s being done by military people.”
“These are not political decisions.” US adjusting presence in Europe ‘shouldn’t be surprise to anybody,’ Rubio says
Jakub Krupa
Asked about the potental future US adjustments to their military presence in Europe, Rubio says:
“I think what’s happening now is that any decision that’s announced or made is viewed through the broader context of some of the frictions that we’ve had in recent months, but at the end of the day, I think it’s well understood in the alliance that the United States troop presence in Europe is going to be adjusted, that that work was already ongoing, and it’s been done in coordination with our allies.
I’m not saying they’re going to be thrilled about it, but they certainly are aware of it. You know, we have obligations in the Indo-Pacific, we have obligations in the Middle East, we have obligations in the western Hemisphere, so this has been an ongoing process, it shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody.”
Jakub Krupa
Trump’s ‘disappointment’ with Nato will be discussed at ‘one of the most important summits in hist
