Political Wire

Trump Shows Why AI Regulation Is Dead for Now

By Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “Trump might be putting a damper not just on congressional talks but on his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month. The two global leaders were due to talk about AI, and some AI safety leaders have pinned their hopes on international agreement starting there, not just regulation in one economy.”

“For what it’s worth, Vice President JD Vance said today that regulation should come as a result of ‘a consensus between both Congress and the administration.'”

“If there’s any chance Congress will enact comprehensive AI regulation, it will require presidential leadership. And clearly Trump doesn’t believe there’s any role for lawmakers in the AI department.”

JD Vance to Campaign in Kansas

By Leave a Comment

“Vice President JD Vance is beginning the final stretch of his midterm campaigning with a trip to red America,” the New York Times reports.

“On the heels of his party’s unusual midterm convention, Mr. Vance, who is one of Republicans’ most valuable surrogates, is deploying to the Kansas City area on Monday to campaign alongside Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas, a Republican.”

“Mr. Vance’s visit could suggest that Republicans are worried about yet another state that President Trump won in 2024, as the party steels itself for tougher-than-expected Senate races in places like Texas, Iowa and Ohio.”

23-Year-Old Georgia Mayor Removed From Office

By Leave a Comment

“Lawmakers in an Atlanta suburb removed the city’s young mayor, accusing him of misusing a municipal credit card and engaging in inappropriate, sexually explicit communications with a teenager,” NBC News reports.

“The City Council of Stockbridge, Georgia, voted 3-0 to remove Jayden Williams, 23, from office about 10 months after he was elected.”

Ex-Judge Warns Trump Will Challenge Midterm Results

By Leave a Comment

“Retired federal Judge J. Michael Luttig is sounding the alarm ahead of November’s midterm elections, warning that the country might be ‘sleepwalking’ into another insurrection,” MS NOW reports.

Said Luttig: “That’s exactly what I envision, which is the next Jan. 6, 2021. This time, however, it will be Donald Trump and Mike Johnson refusing to peacefully transfer power to the next Congress of the United States.”

Don Jr.’s Wife Confirms Russian Oligarch Hosted Festivities

By Leave a Comment

“Bettina Anderson, the wife of the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr. took to Instagram Monday to confirm that Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev hosted some of their May post-wedding festivities on a private island in the Bahamas as ‘an extraordinarily generous wedding gift,'” CBS News reports.

“Her post comes after ProPublica published a story Monday morning with the headline, ‘Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas wedding was secretly bankrolled by Russian oligarch close to Putin.'”

“Anderson said the Russian businessman, whom she called ‘our dear friend,’ hosted two nights of celebrations after their wedding. Kremlev is the secretary general of the International Boxing Federation and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

Bloomberg: Trump Jr.’s wife says Russian paid for parties but not wedding.

Roger Marshall Backflips on Trump’s $5,000 Checks

By Leave a Comment

Aaron Blake: “When President Donald Trump said he would give adult U.S. citizens $5,000 each if they reelected Republican majorities in the 2026 midterm elections, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) was one of the first lawmakers to tout the idea.”

Wrote Marshall on X: “Comment how you will spend your $5,000 Trump Dividend when Republicans win in November.”

“By Saturday, though, Marshall sounded a much more skeptical note during a debate at the Kansas State Fair.”

Said Marshall: “I’m going to bring in all the information, and then make a decision. But look, this is not the first time I’ve disagreed with President Trump, and it probably won’t be the last.”

Trump Claims Deal to Stop Energy Attacks

By Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump said Monday that Ukraine and Russia have agreed to stop attacking each other’s energy infrastructure,” CNBC reports.

Said Trump: “Ukraine has agreed not to hit Russian Energy targets. Russia has agreed to do, likewise! The World’s Diesel price rise is mostly caused by the Russia/Ukraine War, not Iran.”

Alligator Alcatraz Report Details Disturbing Conditions

By Leave a Comment

“Nearly 80 immigrant detainees who were held at Florida’s makeshift detention center, known as Alligator Alcatraz, were briefly held in small metal enclosures for ‘periods ranging from several minutes to nearly 2 hours,’ according to a federal watchdog report,” CNN reports.

From the report: “The use of such restrictive spaces is highly unconventional and does not align with standards for humane treatment.”

Trump Calls for Towering George Washington Statue

By Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump is calling on the Smithsonian to replace a decades-old sculpture outside the National Museum of American History with a ‘colossus’ statue honoring George Washington,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Friday night that he is asking the Smithsonian to honor the nation’s first president with a 30-foot statue ahead of Washington’s 300th birthday in 2032. The statue would replace the abstract ‘Infinity’ sculpture, which has welcomed visitors at the museum’s entrance since 1967.”

Fox News: Trump gives Smithsonian days to replace “strange modernist sculpture” with Founding Father.

Trump Rejects Talk of AI Regulation

By Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Mr. Trump inserted himself into the intensifying national debate over how to handle a rapidly evolving technology that researchers and industry leaders say poses major risks like mass unemployment, a new wave of biological weapons and autonomous warfare. The president did not address those risks directly. Instead, he questioned the sincerity of the executives who have been calling to slow the technology’s development.”

Axios: Trump says a strong, smart president is the only “guardrail” AI needs.

France Mocked U.S. Over Human Rights, Then Apologized

By Leave a Comment

“When France compared the United States to North Korea and Russia in July, the Trump administration responded by freezing the approval of a new French ambassador to Washington,” the New York Times reports.

“Now, after seven weeks of American pressure, France has backed down, apologizing on Friday for the social media post that set off the dispute. That will allow France’s nomination of Aurélien Lechevallier as its ambassador to Washington to move forward.”

Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders Unite in AI Safety Call

By Leave a Comment

“Veteran socialist Bernie Sanders and rightwing activist Steve Bannon are joining forces to call for greater guardrails on AI, in a sign of how concerns over the technology are reshaping the U.S. political landscape,” the Financial Times reports.

“At an event billed as a ‘Pro-Human Assembly’ in Washington on Tuesday, the unlikely duo will be joined by speakers from across the political spectrum — including Republican senator Marsha Blackburn, progressive congressman Greg Casar and conservative stalwart Chip Roy — to urge lawmakers to do more to tackle the effects of AI.”

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.

Praise for Political Wire

“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.