Prominent anti-Trump critic George Conway filed paperwork Monday to run as a Democrat for the seat being vacated by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), NewsNation reports.
Washington Post: “Conway is a conservative lawyer and commentator who helped found the anti-Trump Lincoln Project and gained national attention for his criticism of the president. He was once married to Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway.”
Jonathan Chait: “A key goal of Donald Trump’s second term has been to use government power to place important media properties in the hands of loyalists who will bend coverage to the president’s will…”
“Although many of Trump’s goals to reindustrialize the economy or prosecute his enemies have floundered, his plan to corrupt the media is starting to work.”
“During his first term, Trump’s efforts to get the media to do his bidding consisted mostly of endless whining, punctuated by regular threats of nuisance lawsuits and the occasional actual suit. In his second term, he has seized upon a more effective tool. Most large media properties have owners, and those owners have business that relies on the federal government. Trump has made clear that the price of cooperative regulatory policies from his government is giving him friendlier coverage.”
Wall Street Journal: “The State Department in recent days told the ambassadors they need to return to Washington, giving them until mid-January to vacate their posts. Before the directive, the U.S. already had around 80 vacant ambassador spots worldwide, a shortfall that diplomats said leaves a gap in American diplomatic capabilities. ”
“The mass recall a year into the administration, coupled with the numerous top-level overseas posts already sitting empty, is without modern historic precedent.”
A spokesperson for former President Clinton called on the Department of Justice to release any remaining materials involving the former president in files related to Jeffrey Epstein, The Hill reports.
Angel Ureña echoed Democratic lawmakers, saying that what the DOJ “has released so far, and the manner in which it did so, makes one thing clear: someone or something is being protected.”
Said Ureña: “We do not know whom, what or why. But we do know this: We need no such protection.”
For members: The Epstein Cover Up Enters a New Phase
A new CBS News/YouGov poll finds more than 61% of people say President Trump is making prices and inflation sound far more rosy than they actually are, with a further 45% saying they expect his policies to leave them financially worse off in 2026.
Trump’s overall approval on the economy is just 37%.
President Trump will announce Monday that the Navy is to build a new “Trump-class” battleship, which will become the centerpiece of the president’s vision for a new “Golden Fleet,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Trump has for years advocated for revamping America’s fleet of warships, which he has said are ‘terrible-looking’ and covered in rust. In his first term, he called for a return to steam-powered catapults to launch jets from aircraft carriers, in a move that wasn’t successful, and complained about the aesthetics of the Navy’s destroyers. He has been personally involved in crafting plans for the Golden Fleet.”
A Russian general was killed Monday after a bomb exploded under his car in Moscow, NBC News reports.
Robert Reich: “I’m old enough to remember when CBS News would never have surrendered to a demagogic president. But that was when CBS News — the home of Edward R. Murrow (who also revealed to America the danger of Joe McCarthy) and Walter Cronkite — was independent of the rest of CBS. And when the top management of CBS felt they had independent responsibilities to the American public.”
“America can survive without a 60 Minutes it can trust, just as we can survive without trustworthy editorial pages of the Washington Post. But at some point, as Trump continues to repress criticism of him and his regime, American democracy is compromised beyond repair.”
Annie Lowrey: “Three things, I learned by speaking with campaign operatives, pollsters, economists, think-tank types, and a lot of teed-off voters from across the political spectrum. Stop making things worse. Provide immediate relief. Then do the hard work of getting the most important prices down.”
Franklin Foer: “This is one of those moments in Donald Trump’s presidency when an event that would otherwise be recognized as a death knell for democracy somehow fails to elicit the outrage it deserves.”
“Warner Bros. Discovery owns CNN, whose coverage Trump views as hostile to his administration. So he is abusing the government’s merger-approval power in order to insist that the next owner of the venerable outlet mold its journalism to his liking. Such coercion isn’t just the product of Trump’s brazen indifference to procedural restraints; it’s possible because the underlying business of the media has become terrifyingly vulnerable to coercion.”
Politico: “Turning Point USA wants to be Arizona’s political kingmaker. And two upcoming primary elections could show just how far the organization has reshaped the state GOP in its own image.”
“Turning Point USA is campaigning against two Republican candidates for governor, Karrin Taylor Robson and Rep. David Schweikert, in favor of Rep. Andy Biggs. And it’s actively trying to undermine Gina Swoboda — the Arizona GOP chair running to replace Schweikert in the state’s 1st District — even though Trump endorsed her.”
President Trump will announce a new fleet of large warships he is calling “battleships,” marking a step toward achieving the president’s vision for a new “Golden Fleet,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
President Trump’s pollster released a new poll that showed Republicans are heading towards a blowout in the 2026 midterms.
The FabrizioWard poll found “the national general Congressional ballot currently favors Democrats by a seven-point margin.”
“The Trump administration is recalling about 30 ambassadors from around the world to align U.S. representation with the current administration,” Fox News reports.
“FBI Director Kash Patel is being driven around in specially armored BMWs that the FBI bought at his request,” MS NOW reports.
“Patel had pressed the FBI for this high-end vehicle for the purpose of being less conspicuous on his outings… FBI directors, protected by a security detail, have traditionally been driven in a Chevrolet Suburban — whether for meetings, evening events or their daily commute.”
“The Trump administration on Monday said it would pause leases for five wind farms under construction off the East Coast, a major escalation of President Trump’s crusade against offshore wind power,” the New York Times reports.
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.
