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Democrats’ Nebraska Senate Nominee Wants Off the Ballot

July 17, 2026 at 5:51 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Nebraska Senate candidate Cindy Burbank secured the Democratic nomination in May. On Friday, she submitted a request to the office of Nebraska’s secretary of state to be taken off the ballot — but a legal challenge could ensue,” NOTUS reports.

“Burbank’s campaign website says she ran to ensure that Sen. Pete Ricketts, the incumbent Republican, could not prop up a ‘stooge’ Democratic candidate in William Forbes, an anti-abortion pastor who voted for President Donald Trump. By announcing plans to drop out, Burbank hoped to clear a path for independent candidate Dan Osborn, who received the state Democratic party’s endorsement and has the best chance to beat Ricketts in November.”

Trump Threatens Canada Tariffs Over Wildfire Smoke

July 17, 2026 at 5:48 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump threatened to impose new tariffs on Canada Friday after the northern neighbor’s raging wildfires caused hazardous air quality from Minnesota to North Carolina,” the New York Post reports.

Said Trump: “We are holding Canada responsible for the fact that they are not properly maintaining their Forests, and Brush therein.”

U.S. Sends Dozens of Refueling Planes to Israel

July 17, 2026 at 5:23 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration notified Israel it is sending dozens more refueling planes to the country ahead of a potential expansion of military operations against Iran, three U.S. and Israeli officials said,” Axios reports.

“Why it matters: After he was presented with several new military plans in a Situation Room meeting Tuesday, President Trump is considering a massive offensive in Iran that would be wider in scope than the current strikes around the Strait of Hormuz.”

Bloomberg: Fears mount of U.S. and Iran escalation after sixth day of clashes.

Trump Failed to Learn the Lessons from Past Wars

July 17, 2026 at 4:47 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “In their early months, both wars were fueled by a novel military strategy that rose to prominence after the 1991 Persian Gulf war. It posited that by simultaneously attacking with precision weapons on multiple fronts, the U.S. military could paralyze its enemy and achieve a swift, low-casualty victory.”

“As the Iraq and Afghanistan wars dragged on, the military’s faith in this new approach began to wane. By 2007, a new theory of warfare — summed up in the Army’s counterinsurgency doctrine — took hold.”

“The strategy preached that too much firepower, poorly applied, would only produce more enemies.”

Pentagon Hires Wall Street Bankers to Deploy $200 Billion

July 17, 2026 at 4:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “The Pentagon has spent the past few months amassing a small army of bankers, consultants and hired specialists. Their stated task: vet contractors’ operations, invest in production lines and more quickly expand the U.S. military arsenal.”

“At the military’s Office of Strategic Capital, officials plan to lend more than $200 billion over the coming years. They are targeting companies in more than 30 sectors, from missile production to telecom networks. Lending targets need not directly serve the military as long as their business is considered important to national security.”

“Deploying that massive sum is a daunting task for the four-year-old office, which lent no funds before 2025. Pentagon officials say that Wall Street specialists will help open the spigot.”

Trump Uses Government to Sow Election Doubts

July 17, 2026 at 4:19 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“When President Trump tried to undermine and overturn the election results in 2020, he ran into stiff pushback — not just in the courts, but from many officials in his own government,” the New York Times reports.

“He made sure there would be little room for such dissent when he returned to the White House. Those seeking to join Mr. Trump’s second administration had to pass a key litmus test: Did they believe the 2020 election was stolen from Mr. Trump?”

“With like-minded allies now positioned in key roles throughout the government, Mr. Trump has trained the full arsenal of the federal government on one of his most persistent obsessions: sowing doubt about the security of the country’s election systems.”

Johnson Moves to Fund Government Past Election

July 17, 2026 at 4:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“House GOP leaders released text Friday for a bill to fund the vast majority of the federal government from the start of the next fiscal year on Oct. 1 until after the midterm elections — bypassing the bipartisan appropriations process and daring Democrats to pick a shutdown fight months before voters head to the polls,” Politico reports.

”Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he plans to put the legislation on the floor next week.”

Axios: Mike Johnson’s government funding gambit.

Homeland Security Chief Threatens Election Officials

July 17, 2026 at 4:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin threatened local election officials on Friday with prison time if they did not comply with the Trump administration’s efforts to change election policies, while reiterating many of President Trump’s unsubstantiated claims about the security of American elections,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Mullin pledged to ‘dig in just a little bit deeper’ than a prime-time speech that Mr. Trump gave on Thursday, when the president claimed without concrete evidence that American elections were rife with ‘hacking, manipulation and corruption.’ The secretary largely stuck to similar talking points, repeating the president’s unverified claim that the government had found hundreds of thousands of noncitizens on voter rolls in at least four states. Neither Mr. Trump nor Mr. Mullin offered any specifics on how they derived those numbers, and officials in at least two of the states said their voter rolls were properly maintained.”

“Mr. Mullin also repeated claims that foreign actors could exploit vulnerabilities identified in election systems to change votes, despite offering no evidence that such a breach has ever occurred.”

The Guardian: DHS secretary doubles down on Trump’s baseless 2020 election claims.

Trump Urges Darline Graham to Run in Special Election

July 17, 2026 at 4:09 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump said he’s urged Sen. Darline Graham, the younger sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, to run in South Carolina’s upcoming special primary and pledged his ‘complete and total endorsement’ if she enters the race to take her brother’s spot on the ballot,” CNN reports.

CBS News: Darline Graham in serious discussions about running for Lindsey Graham’s seat.

Dershowitz Bails On Epstein Interview

July 17, 2026 at 4:00 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Alan Dershowitz, a professor emeritus at Harvard Law School who worked to craft the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s 2008 plea deal, will not appear before the House Oversight Committee for his scheduled transcribed interview Monday,” Politico reports.

Iran Conflict Escalates Across Persian Gulf

July 17, 2026 at 3:44 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has expanded, with the American military striking a broader range of targets and moving jet fighters into the Middle East while Tehran launches attacks across the Persian Gulf,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The fighting is focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz but this round raises the risk of a return to a larger war. The U.S. is hitting bridges and other targets in Iran’s interior to increase pressure across Iran to force an end to attacks on Gulf shipping, after a deal to open the waterway collapsed last week. Iran has responded with broader and deadlier attacks.”

“A return to a wider conflict would put upward pressure on oil prices—which have already risen more than 10% this week—and weigh on the global economy, risks President Trump has made clear concern him. Iran also faces a massive rebuilding challenge and a population deeply unhappy with the government.”

Quote of the Day

July 17, 2026 at 3:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“But down the road, there’s no chance that Senator Fetterman could win a Democratic primary — you just understand that. And Democrats need to understand: if the Senate comes back 50-50 after the election, and there is a reasonable chance that could happen, I don’t think there’s any doubt that Fetterman switches. Because if he wants to return to the Senate, he’d have a chance to win a Republican primary in Pennsylvania.”

— James Carville, in an interview on CNN, saying it’s inevitable that Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) switches parties.

Josh Shapiro Goes Big for Downballot Dems

July 17, 2026 at 3:06 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Josh Shapiro is making his biggest midterm play yet — with a likely eye on 2028,” Politico reports.

“The Pennsylvania governor is pouring $3.3 million into a coordinated campaign launching this weekend to help Democrats in the nation’s biggest swing state flip four congressional seats and secure a governing trifecta in Harrisburg for the first time in three decades.”

Americans Are Angry About Data Centers

July 17, 2026 at 2:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Reuters: “In this deeply polarized country, opposition to data centers is among the few issues that unite voters across ideological lines. Just a third of Americans approve of the pace of data-center construction, according to a June Reuters/Ipsos poll. Only 14% of respondents would support a data center being built in their community.”

“That tension is increasingly pronounced in Michigan, where at least 13 data centers are in various stages of planning — and communities in Saline and beyond are fighting back.”

Democrats Rake in Cash in Battleground Races

July 17, 2026 at 1:05 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “House Democrats are rolling in cash with just 109 days until the midterms.”

“A new trove of campaign-finance reports released this week showed a concerning reality for the GOP: Democratic candidates raked in gargantuan amounts of money last quarter in key battleground districts.”

“In fact, at least 25 GOP incumbents — and Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-CA) — were outraised by a Democratic challenger during that critical period, per a Punchbowl News analysis of FEC data. The majority of that GOP group hold competitive districts. And 11 of the Republicans had less cash on hand than their Democratic challenger.”

“This is a real danger sign for the GOP. Some of these House Democratic challengers raised more money last quarter than Senate candidates. And lackluster fundraising by Republican candidates is stretching the House map in Democrats’ favor.”

New York Times: Democratic Senate candidates trounce Republicans in fund-raising.

Kyiv Reels After Zelensky Ousts Defense Minister

July 17, 2026 at 12:32 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“There couldn’t be a worse moment for an internal brawl in Ukraine,” Politico reports.

“Instead of discussing how to maintain the wartime initiative it has enjoyed over Russia this year, Kyiv is fuming over President Volodymyr Zelensky’s decision to oust 35-year-old tech prodigy and reformer Mykhailo Fedorov, who is admired by Ukraine’s partners and people, as defense minister.”

“The reason: Fedorov’s acrimonious relationship with Ukraine’s Army Commander Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, which spilled into public view during a series of briefings Thursday that highlighted tensions in Zelenskyy’s top team.”

Inside New UK Prime Minister’s Rapid Rise

July 17, 2026 at 12:02 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Andy Burnham will be the U.K.’s new prime minister after becoming Labour’s leader Friday,” Axios reports.

“Burnham vaulted from regional politics to the cusp of Downing Street within weeks — an unusually rapid ascent that leaves him little time to prepare for mounting economic and political challenges.”

“He spent seven years as the mayor of Greater Manchester before he was reelected to Parliament in June. He is due to officially become PM on Monday.”

Iran Threatens Infrastructure Across Region

July 17, 2026 at 11:30 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Iran said Thursday it would destroy ‘all’ regional infrastructure if President Donald Trump followed through on his threats to attack Iranian power plants and bridges, as U.S. military forces expanded their range of strikes within Iran,” the Washington Post reports.

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About Political Wire

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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