“Donald Trump threw down the gauntlet in a Sunday evening Truth Social rant, challenging a host of his perceived enemies—including Rupert Murdoch and the ‘heads’ of his Wall Street Journal newspaper—to the same mental acuity test that he supposedly ‘aced’ a few years back,” the Daily Beast reports.
“Trump was apparently angry about a WSJ poll which asked voters about his age and mental fortitude. ‘Where did that come from?’”
As the Supreme Court prepared to decide the Citizens United case that designated money as political speech, Ginni Thomas — wife of Justice Clarence Thomas — along with conservative activists quietly filed to create exactly the type of non-profit group that would benefit from the decision, Politico reports.
Thomas also had a rich backer: Harlan Crow, the billionaire who had helped Thomas and her husband in many ways, from funding luxury vacations to picking up tuition payments for their great-nephew.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said “that he would soon introduce an important person in his life — his girlfriend,” ABC News reports.
“Scott, who has never been married, brushed aside chatter about his personal life as highlighted in a recent article by the website Axios, for example.”
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“X, Elon Musk’s social media platform formerly known as Twitter, appears to be attempting to limit its users’ access to The New York Times,” Semafor reports.
“Since late July, engagement on X posts linking to the New York Times has dropped dramatically. The drop in shares and other engagement on tweets with Times links is abrupt, and is not reflected in links to similar news organizations including CNN, the Washington Post, and the BBC.”
“President Biden has been unable to capitalize on a flurry of positive news — from an improving economy to encouraging developments in Ukraine to his top political rival’s legal troubles,” Axios reports.
“Biden’s inability to use the presidential bully pulpit effectively — a byproduct of his advanced age — has become a serious handicap as he seeks a second term.”
“It’s not the message, but the messenger. Biden, who was never a charismatic speaker in his political prime, is badly struggling to persuade the public of anything at age 80.”
Over three-fourths of Americans think there should be a maximum age limit for elected officials, according to a CBS News/YouGov survey.
Tara Palmeri: “Democratic knife-fighter David Brock is going on the offensive again, disseminating opposition research to various news outlets regarding the family members of various congressional Republicans—and not just the committee members who are investigating the president and his son, Hunter Biden.”
Said Brock: “Gloves are off, families are on. We’ve been looking into how the children of those same members may have benefited from their parents’ position. We’re not shy about going after the members.”
Michael Bloomberg: “Think about it: We have a system that essentially allows an unlimited number of people to cross our borders, forbids them from working, offers them free housing, and grants them seven years of residency before ruling on whether they can legally stay. It would be hard to devise a more backward and self-defeating system.”
“We are a nation of immigrants because we are a land of opportunity. To deny immigrants the opportunity to work — and force them to rely on public handouts — is as anti-American as anything I can think of. It is harmful not only to the refugees, but to our country — especially at a time when so many businesses are facing labor shortages.”
“Critics who have latched onto Mayor Adams’s recent comments that the crisis will ‘destroy’ the city seem more concerned with his words — spoken in understandable frustration with Washington — than with the problem itself. Solving the crisis will not be easy, especially with a divided Congress. But ignoring it will only make it worse, while also elevating the political fortunes of xenophobes and eroding public support for immigration reform.”
“Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said Sunday that a new CNN poll showing her as the only GOP contender with a clear lead over President Joe Biden in a hypothetical general election match-up signals America’s yearning for a new leader,” CNN reports.
“Congress is poised this week to dive into an epic fight over spending, as the Senate for the first time in years puts appropriations bills on the floor for debate and Speaker Kevin McCarthy tries to find his way out of a complex funding tangle that could ultimately threaten his leadership post,” the New York Times reports.
Washington Post: “Beginning with a simple resolution to keep agencies open, a bipartisan collection of senators wants to add its priorities to that bill. The group essentially is daring the divided House Republicans to oppose it and take the blame for shutting down the government if the Sept. 30 deadline has not been met.”
“These senators then expect to use their largely unified position as leverage to get their way in the more detailed agency funding outlines expected in the late fall, while also dominating the split House on negotiations over the annual Pentagon funding policy legislation.”
The Hill: GOP lawmaker urges House to pass spending bills to have “negotiating clout.”
“White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Sunday abruptly ended a news conference with President Joe Biden in Hanoi, Vietnam, at one point taking a microphone and announcing the event had concluded even as the president was still answering questions from reporters in the room,” CNN reports.
“Minutes before Jean-Pierre ended the press conference, Biden had delivered a lengthy answer that involved a rambling explanation of why he uses the phrase ‘lying dog-faced pony soldier’ in an attempt to explain his feelings about politicians who deny the existence of climate change.”
The Kremlin seeks the return of a covert operative serving a life sentence in Germany, possibly in exchange for Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and others held by Russia, the Wall Street Journal reports.
As three high-profile California Democrats vie to replace retiring Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) told NBC News that “he would not appoint any of them to the seat, should it become vacant sooner than expected.”
“That decision could be a blow to Rep. Barbara Lee, since her allies had reason to believe she was Newsom’s first choice to fill a potential vacancy. But that was before she entered the Senate race, where she is currently trailing in polls behind better-known and better-funded fellow Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said he would be open to speaking to No Labels if they approached him about a potential third-party run, The Hill reports.
Said Cassidy: “We could have a the setting in which someone has been convicted and someone else shows signs of mental decline so significant 70 percent of the American people are already thinking he’s too old.”
He added: “If they came — if they came and spoke to me, I would certainly speak to them back.”
Daily Beast: “Suddenly sources close to Masters are doubting whether he will go through with a campaign that would entail a brutal cage fight of a primary match against his former ally.”
“Adding to the confusion, some Republican insiders told The Daily Beast they do believe that Masters will ultimately run. But the consensus within Arizona GOP circles was that Masters is a lot further from jumping in than it may have seemed.”
“Donald Trump likes to put his name on everything — except his taxpayer-funded, post-presidential office here on North Flagler Drive,” NBC News reports.
“Trump’s website doesn’t list the address, which is about a 10-minute drive from his Mar-a-Lago club. The nameplate on the hallway wall is blank. There is no seal, official or unofficial, on the frosted-glass door. And the name Trump — a brand the former president estimates to be worth billions of dollars — is nowhere to be found.”
“It’s so hush-hush that his spokesman, Steven Cheung, claimed no knowledge of its existence.”
“Joe Biden publicly shook hands with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman at the G20 summit Saturday — after the president sustained a backlash last year for fist-bumping the crown prince, who U.S. intelligence believes ordered the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi,” Politico reports.
Politico: “He’s not taking his eye entirely off the primary. In fact, he and his team are heavily engaged behind the scenes. In recent weeks, Trump allies have worked with officials in various states to ensure that rules around the rewarding of delegates benefit them.”
“Trump’s campaign has warned state party officials against dealing with super PACs … Trump has worked donors … He’s had meetings with policy advisers and has churned out policy videos. … A man who once couldn’t resist a camera or crowd is doing a lot of his work outside of public view.”
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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