By Molly English, CNN
Washington (CNN) — Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called on her party Monday to “read the room” and begin appealing to a wider swath of the working-class public by keeping a stringent focus on the economy.
“Americans are stretched to the breaking point financially, and they will vote for candidates who name what is wrong and who credibly demonstrate that they will take on a rigged system in order to fix it,” Warren said in a speech outlining her vision of Democrats’ electoral future at the National Press Club in Washington, DC.
She added that a party that “worries more about offending big donors than delivering for working people is a party that is doomed to fail – in 2026, 2028, and beyond.”
The Massachusetts senator and 2020 presidential candidate championed populist policy ideas and increased regulation of big business long before affordability became a political buzzword. Heading into a critical midterm year, Warren is proposing that an “aggressive economic vision” be the central pillar of the Democratic Party’s strategy.
This follows a wider effort by Democrats around the country to focus on the economy after successes in 2025 off-year elections in New Jersey, Virginia and New York City, where candidates overwhelmingly leaned on a message of affordability.
“To win, every Democrat should be proposing concrete plans for lowering costs,” Warren said.
It’s a focus point that continues to be top of mind around the country. A December CNN poll revealed that, if given the chance to tell leaders of the Democratic party one thing that would make life in America better, 22% of Americans said improving the cost of living or the economy.
Warren emphasized that the first step for the party is rebuilding a “long-term, durable trust” to create a “big tent” of voters, so they know Democrats “actually understand what’s broken, and trust that we have the courage to fix it – even when that means taking on the wealthy and well-connected.”
Top Democrats in the Senate are already laying the groundwork for affordability to take center stage on the campaign trail this year. Last week, Warren and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer launched an election-year push zeroing in on housing.
Warren has a history of bringing affordability to the forefront. She proposed the idea for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as a law professor in 2007. The agency, created in 2011, has been a target of conservatives, and President Donald Trump has sought to dismantle it since taking office last year, although he has faced significant challenges in doing so.
In a post-speech question-and-answer session, Warren avoided saying directly whether Democrats should compromise on campaigning on social issues like abortion rights and immigration in favor of the economy, but said it is the “economic message that has to be the tip of the spear for Democrats.”
“It is the thing that American people are telling us they want us to talk about,” Warren said. “I’m trying to lay the foundation for how Democrats run in 2026, and I think we do that on a solid foundation that is based on our economics.”
Por Ana María Cañizares, CNN en Español
La comunidad de Puerto López, en la provincia ecuatoriana de Manabí, vive una fuerte conmoción tras el hallazgo de cinco cabezas humanas en una playa. La localidad ha sido fuertemente golpeada en los últimos meses por la ola de violencia y la operación de grupos criminales vinculados al tráfico de drogas. La Policía Nacional informó a los periodistas que el sistema integrado de seguridad Ecu 911 recibió una alerta este domingo detallando que las cinco cabezas se encontraban colgadas cerca de la orilla con cuerdas y palos.
También se encontró un panfleto junto a los restos que advertía sobre más crímenes. Los familiares de las víctimas, que habían desaparecido en alta mar en días pasados, llegaron al lugar para hacer la identificación de los restos. CNN consultó a la Policía si otras partes corporales fueron encontradas y está a la espera de una respuesta.
El jefe de Policía de la subzona de Manabí, William Borja, dijo a los medios que la desaparición de las víctimas no había sido denunciada formalmente. Mientras, la gobernadora de Manabí, Aurora Valle, señaló que se activó una mesa de seguridad en la provincia junto a representantes de la fuerza pública.
Personal del Departamentos de Criminalística y de la Dirección de investigación de delitos contra la vida y las muertes violentas se trasladó al lugar para iniciar los peritajes forenses y recabar indicios. Mientras, la Fiscalía y las unidades de investigación recogen más información que permita dar con los responsables y el móvil del crimen.
“Se exhorta a la ciudadanía a confiar en la Policía Nacional y en el sistema de justicia, acciones que resultan fundamentales para mantener el orden y la seguridad en el país y provincia de Manabí”, indicó la Policía.
Además, pidieron a quien tenga “información relevante” sobre este crimen que se comunique a los teléfonos 131 y 1800 DELITO para entregar datos “bajo estricta reserva y absoluta confidencialidad”.
Solo durante el fin de semana, en la provincia de Manabí se registraron 18 homicidios en cuatro localidades distintas en menos de 24 horas, reportó Ecuavisa, afiliada de CNN.
The-CNN-Wire
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