Dan is a managing editor at Raw Story based in Colorado, producing and editing breaking political news.
Dan previously worked as a news associate at The Associated Press in Philadelphia, and later as local editor, breaking news editor and eventually manager at Patch, overseeing the company’s breaking news and Long Island/Hudson Valley teams.
Dan has covered major breaking stories such as mass shootings and wildfires in California, and overseen teams that covered George Santos and the Gilgo Beach serial killings.
A native of Colorado and the Philadelphia area, Dan graduated with a degree in journalism from Temple University.
A Republican strategist on Friday defended former President Donald Trump's attacks on Detroit, saying the MAGA leader "was just being honest" — and sarcastically called the city a "utopia" when fellow CNN panelists pushed back.
Trump's remarks came during an event at the Detroit Economic Club, adding: "We’re a developing nation too. Just take a look at Detroit." He called the city a “developing area … hell of a lot more than most places in China.”
Responding to the attacks, political analyst Gloria Borger called it "remarkable" that the former president told attendees in Detroit "what a lousy city they had."
"I don't think it was very well received and it's a battleground state," she said. "It's an important city in the state and he's going to alienate a lot of voters there."
She noted Trump did the same with Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Scott Jennings, who served as special assistant to President George W. Bush, disagreed with Borger that his remarks could hurt Trump's chances to win the state — and took multiple swipes at the city as well.
"If you guys want to argue, that the Democrats want to argue this is the model of excellence of local governance, go ahead, but I don't think a lot of people will agree with you," he said with a laugh.
Jennings pointed to the city's crime, schools and population decline as evidence the city has struggled under Democratic leadership.
"This has not been the greatest-run city," he said.
Jennings later added: "What everybody is calling an insult, I think he was just being honest and saying, 'There may be a better path here.' And that's part of his blunt appeal."
