Become a member. Already a member? Log in.
Hi – Many of you have noticed a break in the political posts. Thank you for all of the comments.
This is Taegan’s Trial Balloon co-host Chris Riback: Taegan had an unexpected minor surgery and, unfortunately, it likely will keep him off the computer for a few days.
Very sorry for the gap in the posting… we all depend on Taegan’s posts to get us through our days!
Thank you so much for being PW readers… you know Taegan looks forward to getting back to the news soonest.
Best,
Chris
“As the Florida Legislature ramps up efforts to rename the Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump, a recent trademark filing has some state lawmakers wondering if the Trump family is looking to profit,” CNN reports.
“The House bill to rename the south Florida hub the President Donald J. Trump International Airport passed the state’s House of Representatives 81-30 on Tuesday. But some Democrats raised concerns about related trademark applications that were filed last week by the private entity that handles licenses and trademarks for the Trump Organization.”
“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) went public Wednesday with his pressure campaign urging Democratic state legislators to vote on a new congressional map,” Axios reports.
“Jeffries doesn’t usually put himself in such public conflict with fellow Democrats, but he’ll will need every advantage he can get in his quest to become speaker in 2027.”
Get 20% off an Annual, Family or Inner Circle membership using coupon code 0020PD.
“Democrats would be favored to win seven of Colorado’s eight congressional seats in 2028 and 2030 — up from the four seats the party controls now — under a redistricting plan that would plunge the state into the national fight over gerrymandering,” the Colorado Sun reports.
New York Times: “The group, Coloradans for a Level Playing Field, is framing the effort as a response to Republicans’ moves on redistricting that started last year. It argues that the proposal would be only temporary, with the state’s independent commission restored after the 2030 census.”
President Trump is worried the stench from a massive sewage spill in the Potomac River could linger in the nation’s capital this summer during his planned celebrations for the country’s 250th birthday, USA Today reports.
“Of all the ways President Trump has pushed the boundaries of executive power, one stands out to lawyers and watchdogs,” NPR reports.
“The president wants the government he leads to pay him billions of dollars.”
“Trump has filed multiple claims arguing he’s been hurt by Justice Department investigations and the leak of his tax returns years ago. Now it’s up to his own political appointees to determine whether to settle with their boss — and for how much taxpayer money.”
Tucker Carlson told the Daily Mail that he and his staff were “detained” by Israeli officials following his interview with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.
He also claimed airport security confiscated his passport.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll found 69 percent of respondents saying they believe the Epstein files “show that powerful people in the U.S. are rarely held accountable for their actions.”
Pope Leo has declined President Trump’s invitation to participate in the Board of Peace, believing the U.N. should be the one to handle international crises, not the Trump-chaired board, Politico reports.
Washington Post: “Democrats in the state say they have seen an influx of ads focusing on issues ranging from immigration to health care by groups named Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now. None of the ads mention Israel, and none of the groups are publicly affiliated with AIPAC. But the ads benefit candidates favored by AIPAC donors.”
President Trump’s top peace negotiators, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, ended their talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials with little progress toward ending the war after two days of negotiations, Politico reports.
The talks, which were described as intense and messy, “failed to yield any broader breakthrough on halting hostilities, on prisoner of war exchanges or on a truce regarding strikes on energy infrastructure. The negotiations have largely become political theater, with each side trying to convince Trump that the other is to blame for the conflict dragging on.”
Washington Post: “Israel has moved aggressively in recent days to deepen its control over the occupied West Bank, unilaterally adopting policies that analysts say represent a major shift toward annexation and appear to defy President Donald Trump, who has said he opposes annexation but has not publicly pushed back on the Israeli measures.”
“Eric Trump is pouring money into a sector that is a growing focus of the Pentagon his father oversees: drones,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The president’s son is investing in the Israeli drone maker Xtend as part of a $1.5 billion deal to take the company public through a merger with a small Florida construction company.”
Lara Trump suggested that “many” members of the Trump family could eventually run for office, with multiple possible successors to her father-in-law President Donald Trump, Mediaite reports
Said Trump: “I would say that at this point, we’ve all kind of dipped our toe in the water of politics enough to know that it’s something that I think possibly interests many of us in our family, and I know the Democrats would love to hear that, that it may not end just with Donald Trump, but I do think the timing has to be right for all of us.”
Bruce Springsteen announced a “No Kings”-themed arena tour this spring, “in celebration and in defense of America,” Variety reports.
Springsteen’s tour comes in the wake of the release of the ICE protest song “Streets of Minneapolis” last month.
“Democrats knew in real time last year that they had bungled their response to President Trump’s address to a joint session of Congress, making themselves a distraction rather than offering a cohesive message of resistance to his policies,” the New York Times reports.
“They’re trying something different on Tuesday, when Mr. Trump is scheduled to deliver the first State of the Union address of his second term. A substantial number of Democrats are planning to boycott the speech and attend an alternative event, a rally called the ‘People’s State of the Union,’ which will take place on the National Mall near the Capitol.”
“Meta is preparing to spend $65 million this year to boost state politicians who are friendly to the artificial intelligence industry, beginning this week in Texas and Illinois,” the New York Times reports.
“The sum is the biggest election investment by Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The company was previously cautious about campaign engagements, making small donations out of a corporate political action committee and contributing to presidential inaugurations.“
“Now Meta is betting bigger on politics, driven by concerns over the regulatory threat to the artificial intelligence industry as it aims to beat back legislation in states that it fears could inhibit AI development.”
“President Donald Trump has unleashed a bombardment of debunked election conspiracy theories as he pressures Senate Republicans to do whatever it takes to pass new voting restrictions,” the Daily Beast reports.
“The president shared a flurry of posts on his Truth Social platform pushing false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and demanding that Senate Republicans pass new legislation that experts say would disenfranchise millions of Americans.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.