“I’m looking at kids as I walk through the airports today, as I walk down the street, and I see these kids that are just overburdened with mitochondrial challenges, with inflammation—you can tell from their faces, from their body movements, and from their lack of social connection. And I know that’s not how our children are supposed to look.”
— Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., quoted by Gizmodo.
Australian politician Bob Katter threatened to punch a journalist “in the mouth” after the reporter brought up Katter’s Lebanese lineage during a press conference where Katter announced his support for an upcoming neo-Nazi anti-immigration rally, The Wrap reports.
“U.S. companies have an unwelcome message for inflation-weary consumers: Prices are going up,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Companies including Hormel Foods, J.M. Smucker and Ace Hardware said this week they would raise prices for reasons ranging from higher meat costs to tariffs. Large retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy said some tariff-related price increases are already in place. More are on the way.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) accused President Trump of a “clear violation of the law” in a statement over his attempt to cancel $4.9 billion in congressionally-approved foreign aid funding.
“The Trump administration on Friday asserted vast powers to fire members of the Federal Reserve, as it urged a federal judge to reject a request by Lisa Cook, a Fed governor, to remain at the central bank while she contests the legality of her recent dismissal,” the New York Times reports.
“Lawyers for President Trump pressed their case over a roughly two-hour hearing that concluded with no immediate resolution. But the arguments framed the stakes in the emerging legal battle, which may determine the future of the Fed and its ability to set interest rates free from political meddling.”
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he thinks the House will “probably” vote on “one measure or another” related to releasing more information about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after a battle over the case sent the chamber into an early break last month, The Hill reports.
“The Trump administration is preparing an immigration enforcement blitz in Boston in the coming weeks,” Politico reports.
“The latest plans, which could still change, would involve a surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel and represent the latest Democratic-run city to be targeted by President Donald Trump.”
“The Trump administration has frequently clashed with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and criticized the city’s so-called sanctuary policy — which limits local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal agents looking to arrest and remove undocumented immigrants.”
Melania Trump — who is rarely seen in public — is apparently too busy to sit for a Vanity Fair cover photo shoot, Page Six reports.
Said a source: “She doesn’t have time to be sitting in a photo shoot. Her priorities as First Lady are far more important… These people don’t deserve her anyway.”
French President Emmanuel Macron said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t commit by Monday to meet Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, he would have duped President Trump, Reuters reports.
Said Macron: “If that doesn’t happen by Monday — the deadline set by President Trump — it means that once again President Putin played President Trump.”
“The Trump Administration announced Friday that it won’t issue visas to senior Palestinian officials who wish to travel to New York to attend the UN General Assembly in September, and will revoke visas that were previously granted,” Axios reports.
Portugal President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa said that President Trump is “objectively a Soviet or Russian agent,” Euronews reports.
“A conservative justice on the Wisconsin Supreme Court said Friday that she will not seek reelection, creating an open race for a seat on the court that’s controlled 4-3 by liberals,” the AP reports.
“Justice Rebecca Bradley’s decision not to run for a second full term comes after conservative candidates for the highest court in the battleground state have lost each of the past two elections by double-digit margins.”
“President Trump’s plan to cancel $4.9 billion in congressional-approved foreign aid is aggravating members of both parties, complicating next month’s scramble to avoid a government shutdown,” Axios reports.
“The White House is looking for another fight over spending. Democratic leaders want to show their voters they aren’t afraid to join it.”
Said Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY): “It is clear neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans have any plan to avoid a painful and entirely unnecessary shutdown… if Republicans are insistent on going it alone, Democrats won’t be party to their destruction.”
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday signed off on a new congressional map intended to flip five Democratic seats into Republican hands in next year’s midterm elections,” Axios reports.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is expected to announce next week that she will not seek reelection in 2026, CBS News reports.
NOTUS: “Had she run, she likely would have faced attacks from Democrats over her support for the Republican spending bill. In May, she delivered Democrats a potent talking point when she told voters, ‘We are all going to die,’ in response to a constituent’s question about people dying due to Medicaid cuts in the bill.”
Don Moynihan: “The consolidation of Trump’s power has happened very quickly, more rapidly than we have seen in other examples of competitive authoritarian systems.”
“His success is driven by two factors. First, Trump learned a lot from his first term and had personnel with detailed plans in place for his second term. Second, people in institutions decided to accept the new arrangements.”
Daniel Dale: “Trump’s lying has always been notable for its audacity – his willingness to make obviously untrue claims that can be very quickly debunked. But it has also been distinguished by its repetitiveness – his unwillingness to stop deploying an exaggerated statistic, baseless accusation or fictional tale after months or even years of debunkings.”
“Trump has for years had persistently poor poll results on the question of whether he is honest and trustworthy; part of the reason may well be his unwavering devotion to assertions that many Americans already know aren’t true. But his relentlessness also works for him in a way. Because news outlets are naturally focused on new material, some may fact-check a falsehood the first time Trump says it but not the 10th or 100th time. By shamelessly persevering, Trump can eventually get his greatest hits out there with little pushback.”
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.