George Packer: “Like clockwork over the course of half a century, a Woodward book has appeared and Washington has descended into a temporary frenzy, which sometimes even resulted in political change, not least the end of a presidency. If his many best sellers endure beyond their historical moment, their relevance will be as an epic court chronicle, a contemporaneous record of an age of almost unbridled presidential power. But as his work nears an end, his kind of journalism is seeing its influence disappear. The taboos that once shamed his subjects have fallen.”
Archives for 2026
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“We’re committed to accountability and to holding the crooks accountable if you’ve been stealing from the American people, screwing over the American people or shortchanging the American people.”
— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), quoted by CBS News.
Trump Questions Midterm Election Results
“President Donald Trump on Monday questioned the legitimacy of the midterm election results, resurrecting his pattern of raising doubts about electoral losses for himself and other Republicans,” CNBC reports.
“Trump’s social media post raising questions about the election came six days after his fellow Republicans suffered historic defeats at the polls nationwide, including in several GOP strongholds like Texas and South Carolina.”
Said Trump: “Does anybody really believe that this ‘Election’ was honest. How could the Polls be so wrong??? Some early voting ‘dumps’ were so large that it was impossible to win, no matter how many people went to vote. It’s all about the machines, which are far more important than the voter!”
Rolling Stone: Trump finally gets around to claiming the midterms were rigged.
White House Network Possibly Exposed to Hackers
“White House staffers might be using a Windows app that can also secretly give cybercriminals a way to route traffic through West Wing internet addresses,” PC Magazine reports.
“Two cybersecurity providers have uncovered evidence that numerous residential proxy services have access to the White House’s network. That’s concerning because proxy services sell access to IP addresses in different parts of the world.”
“It’s also alarming because cybercriminals regularly use proxy services to stage and hide their hacking activities by exploiting IP addresses that may be associated with a legitimate user’s residence, office, or even a government agency.”
Split Senate Delegations Make a Comeback
CNN: “Heading into Election Day, there were only four split Senate delegations — meaning states represented by senators from more than one party. That was the fewest since the nationwide election of senators began with the 1914 election after the ratification of the 17th amendment, according to a 2021 analysis by Pew.”
“In January, there will be at least 10 such delegations; there could be up to 12 if Democratic candidates win unresolved races in Mississippi and Alaska. It’s a return to the historical norm.”
Will Congress Finally Rein in the Presidency?
New York Times: “The Constitution tells us what that accountability could look like. The framers gave Congress the authority to exercise oversight, including by investigating government corruption or failure in the executive branch.”
“When the members of the next House and Senate take their seats in January, President Trump will still have his veto pen, which limits the laws they can pass. By contrast, their power to scrutinize his administration’s actions will be broad and independent.”
“Lawmakers can investigate any problems they think they could address through legislation. Their power of inquiry is an ‘essential and appropriate auxiliary to the legislative function,’ the Supreme Court said in 1927, a principle it has since consistently upheld.”
The Bulwark: To rein in Trump, pass a “No Kings Act.”
Trump Gives $1 Million to Afrikaner Advocacy Group
“After slashing funding for programs that documented atrocities and protected human rights abroad, President Donald Trump’s State Department is now granting one of its first new human rights awards to a controversial South African organization that promotes the disputed notion that white farmers are a violently targeted, persecuted group,” ProPublica reports.
Democrats Face Limits On Fixing the Economy
Wall Street Journal: “Many demands are beyond the reach of lawmakers to fix. The main tools of Congress, taxes and spending, are limited and slow-moving—and lawmakers still face Trump’s veto.”
“The new majority may struggle to stop the war in Iran, which has driven up energy prices in the months since President Trump’s decision to attack. Gasoline prices, largely set by global energy markets, could remain high even if the war ends. “
“In the Senate, Democrats are teeing up votes to repeal Trump’s tariffs on Canada, part of his global trade war that has contributed to rising prices. Yet they acknowledge that stricter limits to presidential tariff authority—which Trump has taken to its limits worldwide—could be vetoed and would likely have to wait for another administration.”
ICE After the Blowout
Nick Miroff: “The midterms were a backlash to Trump’s immigration policies. But ICE has billions more to spend.”
House GOP Gears Up for Leadership Reshuffling
“House Republicans will see a post-election reshuffling this week, with every senior rung of their leadership facing competition — and President Donald Trump is staying out of it,” Semafor reports.
“Reps. Jim Jordan of Ohio and current Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana are vying for minority leader. Current Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Rep. August Pfluger of Texas are competing for next Congress’ GOP minority whip spot, while current Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan faces challenges from Reps. Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida.”
“After their massive Election Day losses, some GOP lawmakers are inclined to fully overhaul their leadership.”
Two Bob Woodwards
New York Times: “Reading this memoir, you may notice two seemingly incongruent Bob Woodwards. There is the dogged investigative reporter who, along with Carl Bernstein, brought the Watergate scandal to the front pages of The Washington Post and helped bring down President Richard Nixon. That Woodward is hypervigilant, a self-described ‘catastrophic thinker’ who is always scanning the horizon for the next threat.”
“By comparison, the other Woodward is what Christopher Hitchens called ‘a stenographer to the rich and powerful’: the ‘access’ journalist who grew up in a moderate Republican household in Wheaton, Ill., and came to the job with ‘a drilled-in respect for authority.’ Instead of confrontation, this Woodward seeks cooperation, getting insiders to talk to him on ‘deep background’ so that he can ‘focus on human behavior and decisions,’ recreating what the leadership class did and said (or what it says it did and said). He says he wants ‘to be so far inside a source’s circle of trust that when something important happens, I am on their mind.'”
French Hill Won’t Rule Out Impeaching Pete Hegseth
“A Republican congressman who narrowly won a seventh House term in deep-red Arkansas refused Sunday to rule out voting to impeach War Secretary Pete Hegseth,” the New York Post reports.
Said Rep. French Hill (R-AR): “I want to hear the debate on it to see if it merits impeachment versus some other disciplinary action or action by the president, if he’s not getting the job done in leading the Department of War.”
Texas Democrats Face Test On Border Security
“Republican Gov. Greg Abbott placed Texas at the center of the immigration debate for years, launching aggressive state-led efforts to clamp down on border crossings and antagonizing Democrats by busing thousands of migrants to blue cities across the country,” CNN reports.
“But Democrat Gina Hinojosa’s election as governor has flipped that dynamic on its head, and Texas’ run as a loyal partner in President Donald Trump’s immigration machine is likely over. What replaces it will be a test of how Democrats govern the state that wrote the Republican playbook on border security, according to current and former Homeland Security officials, Democratic lawmakers, and immigrant advocates.”
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Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Anthony Constantino was by far the worst candidate I ever encountered. I ran way ahead of him in his District and if it weren’t for me he wouldn’t have won. See you in two years, pal.”
— Failed New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, on X, on the Republican who won the seat of departing Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).
Vote to Impeach Pete Hegseth Likely on Wednesday
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) plans to file eight articles of impeachment Monday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, teeing up a floor vote no later than Wednesday.
Stephen Miller Shuts Door On Big Business
“The replacement of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with her hardline deputy Stephen Miller shuts the door through which many CEOs softened Trump administration policies or sought favors, and sets the stage for more direct confrontation with business in the second half of Trump’s term,” Semafor reports.
“Even CEOs skeptical of Trump’s chaotic style and his hostility to trade and immigration found that they could, with the help of Wiles and now-former tech czar David Sacks, talk Trump out of his aides’ most aggressive immigration moves, from worksite raids to canceling TSA PreCheck.”
Why Colorado Keeps Winding Up Before the Court
New York Times: “The Supreme Court reviews thousands of petitions each term and agrees to schedule only about 60 for oral argument on its formal merits docket. But again and again, cases from the same Western state, with just over six million residents, have come before the court.”
“The reason, according to local lawyers, academics and former elected officials, says a lot about the shifting politics and demographics of Colorado and a little about how a local legal dispute can evolve into a precedent-setting case heard by the Supreme Court.”
“They also cited Colorado’s complicated history with gay rights and the ease with which citizens can propose ballot measures to amend the state’s Constitution.”
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Taegan Goddard
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.
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