The Cloakroom: He’s no lame duck yet.


The Cloakroom: He’s no lame duck yet.
IRS Raises Tax Brackets. Scammers Raise Their Game.
The IRS just announced new tax brackets for 2026, sparking a rush of Americans updating their financial details online. Scammers are watching too—ready to pounce on exposed personal data.
The truth? They don’t hack the IRS. They just buy your financial info—from data brokers selling names, emails, and income ranges to anyone who pays.
Once your data’s out there, it’s open season for phishing, impersonation, and identity theft. That’s why I recommend Incogni. Their team forces data brokers to delete your data and keeps it off the web automatically. Try Incogni here and get 55% off your subscription with code POLITICALWIRE.
Former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre wrote in her new book that she saw “no such decline” while working for octogenarian President Joe Biden, trashing Jake Tapper book Original…
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) “has officially drawn a Donald Trump-backed challenger,” Politico reports. “Ed Gallrein, who preemptively earned the president’s endorsement last week, launched his campaign Tuesday to oust the…
“The U.S. military has killed at least 32 people in seven strikes off the coast of Venezuela without telling Congress or the American people who was killed, or on what…
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan sent a reporter dozens of text messages to complain about her reporting — and then tried to claim after the…
“Donald Trump reportedly took time out from his 2024 presidential campaign to try to help one of his closest allies get ‘laid’ at his Mar-a-Lago resort,” the Daily Beast reports….
“Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are quietly ramping up talks within their senior ranks and with White House officials over how to structure and advance a potential extension of key…
Edward Luce: “If there were a Nobel Prize for patience, Volodymyr Zelenskyy would run away with it. The Ukrainian leader’s February encounter with the just-inaugurated Donald Trump went down as…
“Former President Nicolas Sarkozy began a five-year prison sentence on Tuesday, marking an unprecedented downfall for a French ex-head of state who rose to power as a political outsider with…
A pardoned Capitol rioter was arrested last weekend for allegedly threatening to kill House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, CBS News reports. Save to Favorites
Graham Platner, the Maine Democratic Senate candidate backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), wrote in 2020 that he had an “antifa supersoldier” label on his “armor,” Axios reports. Save to…
“ABC News’ Jonathan Karl reports in Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America, out next Tuesday, that Hunter Biden was furious with former President Obama for taking President…
“I am not a ‘when they go low, we go high’ person. I’m not that kind of girl. If they go low, I’m going to the gutter.” — Texas state…
“The economic effect of past government shutdowns has been straightforward. The economy loses some activity for a few weeks, then gains it back after the government reopens. The net cost…
Paul Krugman: “Trump’s disconnect from reality is uniquely destructive. No previous president has tried to overturn an election, sought to use the military against U.S. citizens, or sought to use…
“The era of A.I. propaganda is here — and President Trump is an enthusiastic participant,” the New York Times reports. “After nationwide protests this weekend against Mr. Trump’s administration, the…
“With trade hostilities between the world’s two economic superpowers back on, China has sent the unmistakable message that it is ready to fight. A week ago, it invoked its grip…
Graham Platner, the embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate, said he doesn’t expect more damaging stories to come out about his social media history, even as he invited opponents to “go…
A new Alaska Survey Research poll finds Mary Peltola (D) just ahead of Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), 48% to 46%, if she runs against him. Save to Favorites
“A group of dozens of officials from across the federal government, including U.S. intelligence officers, has been helping to steer President Donald Trump’s drive for retribution against his perceived enemies,”…
“A power struggle has emerged over who will run the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, adding fresh uncertainty about the agency’s leadership,” the Wall Street Journal reports. “Transportation Secretary Sean…
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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