“I don’t think it’s going to put it to bed. Because there are people out there who are determined to use this as a way to get Trump. Remember, I said, this is the new Russia collusion hoax. They are going to use this messaging in the 2026 midterms and possibly into the 2028 presidential election.”
— Laura Loomer, quoted by Politico, on today’s release of the Epstein files.
The Economist: “One could argue that Republican state senators in Indiana were just being smart politicians earlier this month when they rejected a bill to redraw their state’s congressional districts to benefit their party. Polls showed more of their constituents opposed the measure than supported it.”
“Yet these state senators set a heartening example of courage in public life for a country in need of one. That they had the people and common sense on their side does not diminish their demonstration of character; instead, it supplies a gauge of just how debased American politics have otherwise become.”
Wall Street Journal: “Trump has moved aggressively this year to try to put his imprint on U.S. culture. He has already hosted an international soccer event at the Kennedy Center this year. He is planning expansive celebrations in 2026 for the U.S.’s 250th birthday, and his aides are looking at the possibility of creating a $1 coin, featuring Trump. He has also attended sporting events and organized a major parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s birthday several months ago in Washington.”
“Trump’s poll numbers are lagging, but few political figures understand U.S. culture and the zeitgeist as well as the president does. He saw the political power of the podcast revolution before many others. The attempted renaming of the Kennedy Center might be just one part of a much bigger strategy that the country has yet to fully see.”
“This time last year, Sen. Jon Ossoff was considered to be the Democratic Party’s likeliest casualty on the 2026 Senate map,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Now, Georgia Democrats increasingly are confident of the first-term lawmaker’s midterm chances, and Republicans are the ones sounding pessimistic.”
Paul Krugman: “To paraphrase Thomas Hobbes, Trump’s speech was nasty, brutish, but, mercifully, short. Apparently it was short because the networks told him that they would only give him 15 minutes (although they didn’t cut away when he went over). It was a blizzard of lies. I can’t find a single factual assertion Trump made that was true.”
“Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, said Thursday the group her husband founded would work to elect JD Vance president in 2028 as infighting over the future of the GOP took center stage,” the Washington Post reports.
“Democratic officials and strategists blasted the Democratic National Committee on Thursday for withholding its autopsy of the party’s loss in the 2024 presidential election, despite repeatedly pledging to release it,” Axios reports.
“Several Democrats — including many advising possible 2028 presidential candidates — said burying the report unfairly helps former Vice President Harris if she runs again, and shields top party consultants by hiding potentially damaging information about their efforts.”
Dan Pfeiffer: The party’s refusal to release its own autopsy of the last election is an alarming sign.
“First there was Truth Social. Then a streaming platform. A suite of financial products came later, as did a multibillion-dollar deal to stockpile cryptocurrency,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Now, a merger with a fusion-energy company aims to capitalize on the latest sizzling—and speculative—market: the AI boom’s insatiable appetite for power. Welcome to the shotgun strategy of Trump Media and Technology Group.”
Said analyst Peter Schiff: “The primary value of Trump Media is that Trump is the president. It’s a company in search of a business.”
Politico: “The rapidly proliferating public conflicts within the MAGA movement present a distinct danger for the man whose political future depends on holding the coalition together. But Vice President JD Vance appears to have settled on a strategy for bridging these divides: Blame immigration.”
Politico: “From a daily drumbeat on health care to the long-running saga over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to a new focus on the rising cost of living, they believe they’re succeeding by making the party in power talk about Democratic priorities, not its own.”
Ankush Khardori: “Whatever emerges is unlikely to put an end to the endless swirl of Epstein-related conspiracy theories.”
“After all, there are still substantial numbers of Americans — 20 percent based on a 2023 poll — who believe that the U.S. government was behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, despite a thorough investigation by one of the most well-regarded government commissions in modern American history. Indeed, it is possible that this release will only perpetuate those conspiracy theories and provide fodder for even more of them for years to come.”
Wall Street Journal: A guide to the Epstein files and other materials released so far.
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and his wife, Angela, have agreed to unseal their divorce case after a group of media organizations requested the records be made public,” the Texas Newsroom reports.
President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is leaving the possibility of a war with Venezuela on the table, NBC News reports.
Said Trump: “I don’t rule it out, no.”
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) told Axios that he is “actively considering” forcing a vote to expel Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from Congress.
“President Donald Trump announced Thursday the White House will host the ‘Patriot Games,’ a competition with young athletes from across the county, as part of the celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary next year,” CNN reports.
“Democrats have mocked the athletic competition online, comparing it to The Hunger Games, a dystopian young adult novel and popular movie franchise in which children are forced to fight to the death in televised arenas.”
“Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of a felony count of obstructing federal agents seeking to make an immigration arrest outside her courtroom, a precedent-setting case that has been closely watched nationally and drawn passionate protests,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“The case thrust Dugan, a judge for nine years, into the center of the clash between the judiciary and the Trump administration over its crackdown on illegal immigration.”
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.
