Despite all the current polling and the constant comments of the professional analyst class, the Democrats have the biggest problems going into the 2026 election.

People know they have unpopular values. Their big government socialist models of taxing, spending and bureaucracy don’t work. The Democrats’ key institutions have long histories of performance failure. And the dominance of the hard left in the Democratic Party forces Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries into painfully tone-deaf positions. It all represents a huge burden, weakening the likelihood of a major Democratic victory this fall.

Consider some of the burdens the Democrats will be carrying as they campaign this summer and fall.

As America’s New Majority Project polling showed, Americans are deeply opposed to tax increases (77% oppose tax increases for the middle class specifically). Yet every single Democrat in the House and Senate voted against tax cuts (and in favor of the largest tax increase in history). This simple, verifiable fact will loom large in September and October.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks during the House and Senate Democrats’ joint news conference on DHS funding negotiations in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. Schumer is flanked from left by Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)  (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Americans are deeply opposed to letting males in girls’ locker rooms — or crowding out women in sports (66%). Americans are overwhelmingly opposed to government taking control of children without involving the parents (73%). For some reason, transgenderism is a major value in the Democratic Party, and Democrats are overwhelmingly tied to policies and values that Americans reject by about 4:1.

Democrats feel ideologically and psychologically compelled to favor protecting illegal immigrants over controlling the border. They favor criminals over strengthening the police. And they support more open borders over the unique success the Trump administration has had in controlling the borders.

As Americans celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, at least 40% of Democrats report that they are ashamed of America. They regard the Founding Fathers as bad people who owned slaves, discriminated against women and stole the country from Native Americans.

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This lack of patriotic solidarity shows itself in votes involving Venezuela, Iran, and even the sinking of boats carrying drugs into America. With the exception of Pennsylvania Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, elected Democrats are virtually unanimous in putting partisanship above patriotism and seeking to undermine President Donald Trump overseas rather than help America’s position.

The Democrats are also weakened by personality and corruption.

In personality contests, you could hardly help the Republicans more than by matching Schumer up against Senate Leader John Thune. Schumer comes across as old, tired and out-of-touch. He has spent so many years in Washington, he speaks in an insider language that simply does not reach most Americans.

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The current fight over funding the Department of Homeland Security is a case study in Democrats’ tone deafness about the concerns of the American people. To some Democratic leftwing strategist isolated in Washington or New York, it may seem clever and courageous to cut off funding for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to put pressure on Trump.

However, the 13-year veteran of “the Apprentice” in the White House sees chaos and long lines at airports as a threat to Democrats — not Republicans.

Democrats feel ideologically and psychologically compelled to favor protecting illegal immigrants over controlling the border. 

Millions of traveling Americans are finding their lives made more difficult by Senate Democrats. That the Democrats don’t understand this suggests they are so disconnected that they could become a long-term minority party for a generation or more (the Republican fate in failing to understand how big a change President Franklin D. Roosevelt represented in 1932).

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Separately, for 94 years the Democrats have been the party of big government, bureaucracy and interest groups who get their money from government. As government has grown larger, the opportunities for fraud and theft have grown greater. Minnesota represents this kind of performance failure that will weaken the Democrats.

One estimate suggests that $400 billion a year is stolen from the federal government, adding up to more than $4 trillion over the next decade.

Numbers this size numb most of us because they are too big to comprehend.

The Minnesota scandal certainly qualifies ($9 billion to $16 billion) but the mechanics of theft were simple enough that most Americans understand it. The more investigators dig into Democrat Gov. Tim Walz’s administration and its refusal to listen to whistleblowers — and the more government appears complicit with the corruption — the greater the vulnerabilities for Democrats. The fact that Walz was the Democrats’ vice-presidential nominee just adds to the Democrats’ vulnerability as the party of favoritism and corruption.

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The combination of these facts could implode the Democratic Party — if the Republicans can run a smart, aggressive, campaign of contrast and choice in 2026.

The current fight over funding the Department of Homeland Security is a case study in Democrats’ tone deafness about the concerns of the American people.

In campaign planning, you must distinguish between what people say pre-campaign (when the liberal media has spent months communicating its version of reality) and how they vote after they have been communicated with during a campaign.

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Campaigns matter — and people do change their minds and attitudes.

I suspect 2026 is going to be this kind of year.

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Scientists say they have discovered a new condition behind one of the most common genetic causes of severe epilepsy in children.

The condition – named recessive RNU2-2-related neurodevelopmental disorder – leads to seizures and severe developmental delays before children are a year old.

Experts estimate millions of people could be carriers of the faulty gene behind the disorder.

Children with the condition suffer seizures that can cause them to jerk, stiffen, shake and lose consciousness.

It can also take them longer to learn to walk and talk, and sufferers may have significant learning problems.

Researchers from the University of Manchester and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust analysed changes in several hundred RNU genes in people involved in the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Eighty-four people, including five-year-old Ava Begley from Sydney, Australia, have so far been identified as having the new condition – with many more believed to be undiagnosed around the world.

The Manchester researchers and the Sydney Children’s Hospital Clinical Genetics Team helped link Ava’s condition to the RNU2-2-related disorder.

Ava is non-verbal and has complex neurological symptoms, and suffers frequent seizures due to her severe epilepsy. She used to have 100 to 200 seizures a day, but these are now more controlled thanks to medication.

Her parents said they were relieved to finally have a diagnosis but also sad “in understanding the seriousness of the condition and how rare it is”.

“It gives Ava a name and a place in the medical world, rather than being an unanswered mystery,” they said in a statement.

“It helps us feel that we are getting closer to the starting point of being able to find a cure/treatment, and provides hope that research and awareness may lead to better understanding and support in the future.”

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The findings have been published in the journal Nature Genetics and study lead Adam Jackson said it is believed “as many as one in 100 people could unknowingly be carriers of this condition”.

Dr Jackson, from the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine, said: “If both parents are carriers, there is a one in four chance with every pregnancy that their child could be affected.

“We estimate roughly one in 40,000 people may be living with this condition, making it one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders currently known.”

“Unlike most other genes, RNU2-2 does not even make a protein,” Dr Jackson added.

“We were astonished to discover how changes in this tiny gene can have such profound effects in so many individuals.”

Royal Caribbean ships have found a way to address one of the most common passenger complaints about connecting rooms on cruises.

Two of the company’s vessels, Icon and Star of the Seas, feature exterior doors to connecting cabins — replacing the traditional interior door, as Royal Caribbean Blog reported.

Guests are able to close off the outer hallway doors while leaving their main cabin doors open or unlocked, making it easier to move between rooms without relying on a shared interior door.

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The change is designed to give travelers more flexibility and privacy.

“I’ve stayed in connecting rooms before, but there’s a major difference with them on Star of the Seas. Instead of a connecting door inside the room, [there’s a] feature that I think is pure genius,” said the blog, which is not affiliated with the company itself. 

Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class ships, Icon and Star of the Seas, are eplacing connecting cabin interior doors with two exterior doors. (iStock)

“Royal Caribbean added a pair of outside doors to solve a problem connecting cabins traditionally had — of the interior common door being flimsy and not very soundproof,” the blog went on.

“The idea with these rooms is you can close off the outside doors and then keep your primary cabin door open or unlocked so you can easily go between each.”

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Royal Caribbean’s Icon class is the cruise line’s newest generation of ships, which includes Icon and Star of the Seas. Introduced in 2024 and 2025, the mega-ships combine resort-style amenities and family-focused neighborhoods, the cruise line shared with Fox News Digital. 

The interior common door [had been] flimsy and not very soundproof.”

Connecting cabins have long been a popular option for families and groups who want separate sleeping areas but still need easy access between rooms.

Thin interior doors, however, plus a lack of sound insulation have made them less appealing for some travelers.

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The doors still require a room key or wearable device to access, allowing guests to control when the connection is open or closed, the blog said.

The update aims to offer travelers greater flexibility and enhanced privacy. (iStock)

For travelers, especially families, the update could make connecting rooms a more attractive option without sacrificing privacy or quiet.

‘Constant crying and screaming’

The issue of noise between connecting cabins has been a frequent complaint among cruise passengers.

In a Reddit thread discussing adjoining rooms on cruises, one user described constant disruptions from neighboring guests.

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“I have a balcony room with a connecting door to a family with three kids, and it’s just constant crying and screaming at all hours,” the user wrote. 

“I can’t sleep.”

The change makes connecting rooms more appealing while improving privacy and reducing noise, a common complaint among passengers. (iStock)

Others said the experience has made them avoid booking connecting rooms altogether.

“The connecting room doors suck. I will never book one again,” another commenter wrote.

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Some noted the rooms work well only when traveling with family or friends. 

“They are great when you actually want the connecting pair,” one user wrote. “Terrible if you don’t.”

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Icon of the Seas launched in January 2024 as the first Icon-class ship, featuring eight neighborhoods, seven pools and a suspended infinity pool. 

Based in Miami, it includes more than 40 dining venues.

Star of the Seas debuted in August 2025 from Port Canaveral. 

The vessel features eight neighborhoods, more than 68 dining options and an iconic waterpark. It sails 7-night Caribbean itineraries with stops at Perfect Day at CocoCay.