Mikie Sherrill Keeps Her Lead in New Jersey
Heading into the final weeks of the New Jersey gubernatorial race, a new Quinnipiac poll finds Mikie Sherrill (D) with a slight lead over Jack Ciattarelli (R), 50% to 44%.
Trump Authorizes Covert CIA Action in Venezuela
“The Trump administration has secretly authorized the CIA to conduct covert action in Venezuela, stepping up a campaign against Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian leader,” the New York Times reports.
“For weeks, the U.S. military has been targeting boats off the Venezuelan coast it says are transporting drugs, killing 27 people. American officials have been clear, privately, that the end goal is to drive Mr. Maduro from power.”
Judge Blocks Trump Firings During Shutdown
President Trump’s administration for now must stop firing workers during the government shutdown, a federal judge in San Francisco ordered on Wednesday, the AP reports.
Shutdown Is Costing the Economy $15 Billion a Day
“The two-week-old federal government shutdown is costing the U.S. economy about $15 billion a day in lost output, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Wednesday, putting an estimate on its economic toll and urging Democrats to ‘be heroes’ and side with Republicans to end it,” Reuters reports.
Why Was the FIFA President at the Gaza Summit?
New York Times: “Along the raised dais in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, where world leaders flanked President Trump to mark the cease-fire deal in Gaza, one man stood out who was neither head of government nor Arab royalty.”
“Gianni Infantino, the president of global soccer’s governing body, FIFA, was the only sports official at Monday’s summit and the only dignitary without a political role.”
Scott Bessent May Double Aid to Argentina
“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday said his department is working on a partnership with the private sector and other entities that would provide an additional $20 billion in financing for Argentina,” Politico reports.
Justices Poised to Upend Voting Rights Act
“The Supreme Court appeared poised on Wednesday to upend a key provision of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a move that could gut a pillar of landmark civil rights legislation and prohibit lawmakers from using race as a factor in drawing voting maps,” the New York Times reports.
“If the justices determine that lawmakers may not consider race in voting maps, the repercussions for the country’s political balance could be sweeping, allowing Republican state legislatures to redistrict and eliminate at least a dozen Democratic-held House districts across the South.”
Rick Hasen: “It will be an earthquake in the American political system, and I hope it leads to a new civil rights movement.”
Eric Adams Says He’s Been Offered an ‘Amazing’ Job
New York City Mayor Eric Adams shared with leaders in his administration that he’s received an “amazing” job offer for when he leaves City Hall this year, Bloomberg reports.
He said it was an opportunity “of a lifetime” second only to running the nation’s largest city.
Democrats Aren’t Fighting Trump’s Illegal Workarounds
“Democrats in Congress say President Trump’s methods for paying military service members and funding food stamps for vulnerable communities are clearly illegal. But they’re not keen to fight him on it,” Axios reports.
“It’s a rare instance where Trump is going mostly unchallenged as he ignores Congress’ constitutional role in controlling federal spending.”
‘Clever and Generous’ Bailout of Farmers Is Coming
National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said there is a “clever and generous” bailout coming for farmers as soon as the government shutdown ends, Axios reports.
Scott Bessent Says China ‘Can’t Be Trusted’
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that China’s plans for harsh export controls risk violating a trade pact struck earlier this year, as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned “they can’t be trusted,” Axios reports.
Hamas Gunmen Try to Retake Control
The Economist: “Almost immediately, the ceasefire has brought the first alarming sign of how the broader peace deal might implode. Hamas fighters have emerged, armed and in uniform, to reassert themselves on the streets of Gaza city and Khan Younis.”
“The benign explanation is that, in order to implement the first stage of the ceasefire, Hamas must be in control of parts of the cities so it can carry out the hostage release. But far from signalling magnanimous goodwill, Hamas has started settling scores, with killings and kidnappings of members of local clans which have tried to carve out their own fiefs.”
Few Are Paying Attention to the Government Shutdown
Dan Pfeiffer: “Typically, a government shutdown is the story in American politics. It dominates the conversation, with wall-to-wall coverage of the impacts and political stakes. Past shutdowns have been treated as cataclysmic clashes between the two parties over issues of massive consequence.”
“But with Trump sending troops from red states to occupy blue ones, masked ICE agents shooting civilians in the streets, the political prosecution of opponents, and a major ceasefire deal in the Middle East, this shutdown hasn’t grabbed the nation’s attention in the same way…”
“It’s a statement about life in the Trump era that a government shutdown is the most normal thing happening in politics.”
The Pentagon Goes Dark
Status: “In less than 24 hours, the Pentagon is set to carry out an unprecedented expulsion of the press, stripping virtually all news organizations from their badges that grant them access to the building. The move comes after virtually all news organizations declined to agree to a set of new draconian rules that Pete Hegseth forced upon them as conditions for maintaining a press pass.”
Earlier for members: The Pentagon Locks Out the News Media
Mamdani Has Mastered the ‘Three Threes’
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) told the New York Times that New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is “a once-in-a-generation communicator” who has mastered what he called the “three threes.”
What that means: “A candidate in today’s day and age needs to be able to explain ideas in a 30-second vertical social media video, a three-minute television hit and a three-hour long-form podcast.”
Related for members: The Power of Hope
Mamdani Goes On Fox News
Brian Stelter: “NYC Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is constantly discussed on Fox News, usually in critical ways.”
“Today, he’ll actually be the one doing the talking. Mamdani is booked on ‘The Story with Martha MacCallum’ at 3 p.m. ET.”
Don’t Blame the Democrats for Trump’s Revenge Tour
Jonathan Chait: “When Republicans find themselves unable to defend something Donald Trump has done, they tend to look for a way to turn the blame onto his opponents. So it is with the president’s prosecutorial rampage against his enemies.”
“The anti-anti-Trump right has declared that, although a series of vindictive charges against the likes of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James may be regrettable, Democrats brought it on themselves…”
“This attempt to rationalize Trump’s push to lock up his enemies as payback suffers from two enormous flaws. The first involves the space-time continuum. Trump spent his first term desperately looking for ways to prosecute or otherwise harm his adversaries…”
“The second problem with the karma theory is that it accepts at face value Trump’s claim that he was a victim of lawfare. Trump was no victim of the legal system. If anything, he received preferential treatment.”
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