Cuban, Mark

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    Who Are the Next Leaders of the Democratic Party?

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    Democrats will soon have a leadership vacuum, and there will be no shortage of highly ambitious governors, senators and transportation secretaries looking to fill it.American presidential elections tend to be a zero-sum game for the parties and their voters. Win, and everything is great. Lose, and your party is rudderless, leaderless and powerless.So it goes for the Democrats after Vice President Kamala Harris’s defeat to former President Donald J. Trump. Questions about who will lead the party, and in what direction, will be hotly debated as officials explore what went wrong and forge plans to oppose the next Trump administration.Jockeying has already begun, and not all ambition may be rewarded. Appearing too eager to seize the opportunity presented by Ms. Harris’s defeat could backfire if Democrats are not ready to move forward. But if the period after the 2016 election is any guide, scores of Democratic figures and groups will try to fill the leadership void created as President Biden leaves office.Four years is a very long time in politics. In that time, Barack Obama went from a state senator to a presidential nominee. In even less time than that, Mr. Trump transformed from being a reality show figure pushing a racist lie about Mr. Obama to president himself. It is not out of the question that the Democrats’ next leader is not someone on the nation’s radar today.With those caveats, here’s a look at six groups of people who could determine which direction Democrats take as the second Trump administration unfolds.Kamala Harris and Tim WalzMs. Harris and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota campaigning in August in Philadelphia. In his own concession speech last week, Mr. Walz signaled that he was eager to remain relevant in the party.Erin Schaff/The New York TimesWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      In Pro Sports, as in the U.S., Political Support Is Divided

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      A pro-Harris video from LeBron James. A pro-Trump hat on Nick Bosa. With Election Day near, more have been showing their preference.Over the past eight years, the three top American sports leagues — the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball and the National Football League — have at times dived headlong into political maelstroms.In 2016, the N.B.A. moved its All-Star Game out of North Carolina to protest a state law that eliminated anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Baseball moved its All-Star Game out of Georgia in 2021 in reaction to the enactment of more restrictive voting rules. And in 2020, as President Donald J. Trump reiterated criticism of N.F.L. players who knelt during the national anthem, Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement supporting players’ right to peacefully protest and condemning “the systematic oppression of Black people.”During this presidential cycle, the leagues have stayed neutral, their only message being encouraging people to vote. However, many owners, players and coaches have opened up their wallets or their mouths in support of candidates. In recent days, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James announced his support of Vice President Kamala Harris, and the San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa sported a hat with Mr. Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan on national TV.It was a show of how the professional sports world, just like the country, is divided by presidential politics.Jonathan Isaac, who plays for the Orlando Magic, and Harrison Butker, the kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs, have perhaps been the most vocally conservative active athletes in the three leagues. Mr. Butker was little known outside the N.F.L. until he gave a commencement address in May at Benedictine College, a conservative Roman Catholic school in Kansas, in which he said the women in the audience were probably more excited to get married and have children than they were about their degrees. He subsequently started a political action committee to support Mr. Trump.Mr. Isaac has been well known in conservative circles since he declined to join many other N.B.A. players in kneeling during the national anthem when the league restarted in a Covid “bubble” setting four years ago in Orlando, Fla. We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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      Want to Understand America? Watch ‘Shark Tank.’

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      One day in late June, a panel of investors entertained business ideas from around the country. A kitschy advent calendar. A fancy mini-fridge for drinks. A flashlight that emits beams from multiple angles. A machine that grows mushrooms. Bendable cups. Pet plants (for you, not your cat). This was the Los Angeles set of “Shark […] More

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      Daniel Lubetzky Joins ‘Shark Tank’ as Mark Cuban Departs

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      Daniel Lubetzky, the founder of the Kind snack company, began appearing as a guest on “Shark Tank” five years ago. Soon he’ll have a permanent seat.As Mark Cuban prepares to leave the ABC hit “Shark Tank” after more than a decade, the reality show is giving the guest star Daniel Lubetzky a permanent seat on the five-person panel. The show, which has aired since 2009, introduces well-connected investors, like Lubetzky, to ambitious entrepreneurs who hope to strike a deal.Lubetzky, who founded Kind Snacks, signed a multi-season deal, and his presence will bring a new dynamic when the next season airs on Oct. 18. This is the first time since 2012 that the show has introduced a regular investor — known as a shark — to its rotating panel, which also includes Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O’Leary.“We’re seeing it as an inflection point, as an opportunity to grow,” Clay Newbill, the executive director of “Shark Tank,” said in a video interview.Lubetzky started appearing on the show five years ago, often attracting founders of food companies. During negotiations, Lubetzky often smiles and asks entrepreneurs for their back stories. In the process he shares his own. Before he declines to fund someone’s company, he offers advice and shares stories of his own rejections and business miscalculations. He often invokes his father, a Holocaust survivor, when talking about resiliency.Lubetzky complements the show’s themes around the American dream and enchantment with entrepreneurship. He was born in Mexico, and as a child watched his father run businesses. When he was a teenager, the family moved to the United States, and in 2004, after starting other businesses, he began his Kind brand, which emphasizes that its snacks lack artificial flavors and preservatives. A deal with Starbucks in 2009 helped the brand reach even more customers. In 2020, Mars, the maker of M&M’s and Snickers, acquired Kind and valued the company at about $5 billion.Lubetzky says he sees himself as a team player as he joins the show permanently.“So many kids and families watch this show together,” Lubetzky said in an interview in June on the set of “Shark Tank” in Los Angeles, adding that the show is a way for viewers to learn about entrepreneurship. “It’s just an incredible way to contribute.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More