Political Wire

Members should sign in for the full experience.

Newsom Gains a Step in Brawl with Trump

By Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump has catapulted Gavin Newsom to the front of the Democratic resistance,” Politico reports.

“The California governor had faded from national prominence as public attention shifted to Washington and, in his home state, the deliberations over Kamala Harris’ political future. But as Trump and his allies make Newsom their foil in a brawl over immigration unrest in Los Angeles and the president’s unilateral deployment of the National Guard and Marines, they are also elevating his stature on the left.”

Said GOP strategist Mike Madrid, who opposes Trump: “I think this is helping Trump broadly. I also think it’ll help Gavin — especially if he gets arrested.”

Trump’s Authoritarian Push Is Not Inevitable

By Leave a Comment

President Trump’s latest moves to wield military power against American citizens mark a chilling escalation — the kind of authoritarian turn long feared but now unmistakably underway.

Yet it’s crucial to remember: Trump is not a strongman in the traditional sense.

Join now to continue reading.

Members get exclusive analysis, bonus features and no advertising. Learn more.

If you’re already a member, sign in to your account.

You're reading the free version of Political Wire

Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.




Trump Orders Names Restored to Army Bases

By Leave a Comment

“President Trump announced on Tuesday that he will restore the original names of seven military bases honoring Confederate officers,” Axios reports.

“The move reverses a renaming that began under former President Biden, efforts that sought to honor military figures of color and to cease the government’s commemoration of pro-slavery figures.”

Republicans Warn Some Deportations Go Too Far

By Leave a Comment

“Some GOP lawmakers are starting to warn the Trump administration to reconsider its all-in deportation push,” Axios reports.

“Republicans are convinced they have a clear mandate to kick out hardened criminals and gang members. But differences are emerging on how aggressively ICE should deport workers, longtime residents and some people who’ve sought refuge from brutal regimes.”

Democratic Lawmaker Indicted

By Leave a Comment

“Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) was indicted on three counts related to an incident at an ICE detention center in Newark,” the Bergen Record reports.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba said McIver is facing a three-count indictment for allegedly “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers,” and faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted.

Newsom Says Trump Is Destroying American Democracy

By Leave a Comment

“Gov. Gavin Newsom made the case in a televised address Tuesday evening that President Trump’s decisions to send military forces to immigration protests in Los Angeles have put the nation at the precipice of authoritarianism,” the New York Times reports.

Said Newsom: “Democracy is under assault right before our eyes — the moment we’ve feared has arrived.”

Washington Post: “Newsom said the Trump administration is becoming an authoritarian regime and warned that while his state may have been first, ‘other states are next.’”

Appeals Court Keeps Trump’s Sweeping Tariffs in Place 

By Leave a Comment

“A federal appeals court on Tuesday granted the Trump administration’s request to keep the president’s far-reaching tariffs in effect for now but agreed to fast track its consideration of the case this summer,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit extended its earlier temporary pause of a trade court decision that found Trump exceeded his powers in imposing the tariffs.”

U.S. and China Agree on Plan to Ease Export Controls

By Leave a Comment

“The United States and China have agreed on a framework to implement their trade truce, officials on both sides said Wednesday, after concluding two days of talks in London to defuse tensions and ease export restrictions that threaten to disrupt global manufacturing,” CNN reports.

Wall Street Journal: “Representatives from the countries said the framework would essentially restore a pact they agreed to in Switzerland last month, a deal that saw both sides lower tariffs and was premised in part on Beijing’s promise to speed up critical mineral-export licenses while the negotiators kept talking.”

A Warning Sign for What Comes Next

By Leave a Comment

Politico: “Trump’s stated rationale, legal scholars say, appears to be a flimsy and even contrived basis for such a rare and dramatic step. The real purpose, they worry, may be to amass more power over blue states that have resisted Trump’s deportation agenda.”

“And the effect, whether intentional or not, may be to inflame the tension in L.A., potentially leading to a vicious cycle in which Trump calls up even more troops or broadens their mission.”

Stephen Miller Demanded ICE Target Home Depot

By Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “Agents didn’t need to develop target lists of immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally, a longstanding practice, Miller said. Instead, he directed them to target Home Depot, where day laborers typically gather for hire, or 7-Eleven convenience stores.”

“Miller bet that he and a handful of agents could go out on the streets of Washington, D.C., and arrest 30 people right away.”

Scott Bessent Emerges as Contender for Fed Chair

By Leave a Comment

“A growing chorus of advisers inside and outside the Trump administration are pushing another name to serve as the next chair of the Federal Reserve: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent,” Bloomberg reports.

“President Donald Trump said Friday he would name a successor “very soon” to replace Jerome Powell, whose term as Fed chair ends in May 2026. The small list of candidates under consideration has included Kevin Warsh, a former Fed official whom Trump interviewed for the Treasury secretary role in November.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan 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.

Praise for Political Wire

“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”

— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”

“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”

— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report

“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”

— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report

“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”

— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia

“Political Wire is a great, great site.”

— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”

“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”

— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post

“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”

— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit

“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”

— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.