“You can focus on the ‘chief,’ or you can focus on the ‘of staff.’ Those who have focused on the ‘of staff’ have done pretty well.”
— Former White House chief of staff James Baker, quoted by the New York Times.


“You can focus on the ‘chief,’ or you can focus on the ‘of staff.’ Those who have focused on the ‘of staff’ have done pretty well.”
— Former White House chief of staff James Baker, quoted by the New York Times.
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“Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill broadly agree that lawmakers deserve a raise, and they have a chance to do so soon through the appropriations process. But there is almost…
President Trump applauded West Point Academy’s decision to cancel an award ceremony for actor and veterans advocate Tom Hanks, accusing the celebrity of being “woke,” Politico reports. Save to Favorites
Annie Lowrey: “Young people are using ChatGPT to write their applications; HR is using AI to read them; no one is getting hired.” Save to Favorites
Seth Masket: “Presidential approval just doesn’t move around like it used to. The chart below shows Gallup’s data for presidential approval going back to Harry Truman. And one thing that…
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) formally launched his reelection bid Tuesday, casting himself as “a person of action” and promising to serve a full four-year term and not launch a…
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass endorsed former Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in the 2026 California governor’s race, the Los Angeles Times reports. Save to Favorites
“Few on Wall Street are willing to publicly lob any criticism at President Trump. Hedge-fund manager Ken Griffin is an exception,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “The founder and chief…
Axios: “Trump has spent his first eight months smashing norms — and crossing legal lines — in his dizzying pursuit of mass deportations, crime crackdowns, government purges and more.” “But…
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett was interviewed on Fox News by Brett Baier: BAIER: The 22nd Amendment says you can only run for office for two terms. BARRETT: True….
“Scores for 12th-graders in math and reading continued their years-long slide, reaching new lows on national tests,” the Washington Post reports. “The declines were underway before the onset of the…
The Wall Street Journal has more pages from the infamous Jeffrey Epstein birthday book, including a letter from Bill Clinton. Save to Favorites
Bloomberg: “A third of high-level roles at the agency that produces marquee numbers on US jobs and inflation are vacant, according to the BLS website.” “While the commissioner role has…
“The Missouri House is expected to approve a new congressional map Tuesday that would eliminate a Democratic-controlled US House seat, as Republicans around the country scramble to boost their chances…
“The Trump administration is quietly dismantling efforts by the Internal Revenue Service to shut down a slew of aggressive tax shelters used by America’s biggest multinational companies and wealthiest people,”…
Nate Cohn says if the Supreme Court slashes the Voting Rights Act further in a case they’ll hear next month, Republicans could gerrymander eight more safe seats in the South….
Paul Krugman: “Roughly speaking, the American public doesn’t support anything Trump is doing. Yet he has been governing as if he has an overwhelming mandate to do whatever he wants,…
“Rep. Thomas Massie’s (R-KY) discharge petition on releasing the Epstein files is all but certain to force a House vote by the end of this month — even if no…
Playbook: “How much trouble is the president in? Under normal laws of politics, the answer should be — an awful lot, given the whole world has now seen the suggestive…
Zohran Mamdani has opened a commanding lead in the race for mayor of New York City, buoyed by support for his affordability platform and by the splintered opposition, according to…
“Senate Republicans are teeing up four dozen sub-Cabinet nominees for confirmation next week as they move toward invoking the so-called ‘nuclear option’ to change the chamber’s rules,” Punchbowl News reports….
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.
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