“Commercial satellite images show the Israeli military building up troops and equipment near the border with Gaza that would support a possible new ground invasion of the Palestinian enclave,“ NBC News reports.
“The images show troop movements and formations that the four sources recognized as signs of an imminent major ground operation.”
Politico: “Trump has systematically taken on every institution he’s come across — academia, government, the legal system, and the media — and bent them to his will. Now the Fortune 500 is being put through the wringer.”
A new CNBC poll finds there was a modest rise in the public’s preference for the Democrats to control Congress, rising to a 49% to 44% advantage from 48% to 46% in April.
It was the largest lead for Democrats since 2021.
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“A much-anticipated meeting between Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, Vice President JD Vance and others was moved from Vance’s residence to the White House Wednesday night after intense media coverage,” CNN reports.
“They discussed a number of topics, including the Jeffrey Epstein case and potential next steps.”
“Florida has entered the redistricting chat. And it’s potentially a really big deal,” Punchbowl News reports.
“At the urging of GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida House speaker created a special committee for mid-decade congressional redistricting on Thursday. This is a significant escalation of the nationwide redistricting wars and could prove a major boon for House Republicans — if it happens.”
“Republicans believe they can net between three and five seats in Florida, depending on how aggressive the legislature wants to get. The other big issue is whether Florida GOP leaders can work around a state law prohibiting explicit partisan gerrymandering.”
Huge caveat: “But under a five-district scenario, some of these new seats might be purple instead of red.”
“Millions of Americans saving for retirement through 401(k) accounts could have the option of putting their money in higher-risk private equity and cryptocurrency investments, according to an executive order signed Thursday by President Donald Trump that could give those financial players long-sought access to a pool of funds worth trillions,” the AP reports.
“There is no immediate change in how people invest part of their work earnings. Federal agencies would need to rewrite rules and regulations to allow the expanded choices, and that would take months or more to complete.”
“A federal judge in Miami on Thursday ordered construction to be paused at Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz, the first state-run detention center in the country opened to accommodate the Trump administration’s arrest of immigrants,” the Washington Post reports.
“The ruling by U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams for the two-week halt to new construction at the facility in the Everglades followed a hearing in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups and joined by the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians.”
Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball: “Next year, 26 states will hold elections for secretary of state. Currently, the GOP holds 26 secretary of state offices to 21 for the Democrats. Three states do not have a secretary of state.”
“Our analysis suggests that five secretary of state races this year are currently competitive, including four in the Toss-up category. Democrats will largely be playing defense: All four Toss-up seats are currently held by Democrats.”
USA Today: “New yellow and white-striped umbrellas were recently installed on about a dozen deck-style tables on the stone patio that replaced the Rose Garden’s iconic grass lawn in late July.”
“The umbrellas appear nearly identical to yellow umbrellas on the swimming pool patio at Mar-a-Lago, the president’s private South Florida club and personal residence that served as the inspiration for his controversial overhaul of the Rose Garden that is situated just outside the Oval Office.”
“As the investigation continues into claims that Oklahoma schools chief Ryan Walters (R) had images of nude women on his office television during a meeting, one state lawmaker is offering a possible explanation: It was just an unfortunate mishap,” The 19th reports.
“Explicit content began playing during an executive session of the State Board of Education in Walters’ office on July 24.”
“White House officials are preparing for President Donald Trump to nominate Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran to serve as a Federal Reserve governor,” Bloomberg reports.
“The number of Americans receiving unemployment benefits for at least a week rose to the highest level since November 2021 in the latest sign of widening cracks in the labor market,” the Washington Post reports.
“Continuing claims for unemployment benefits jumped to 1.97 million in late July, according to a Labor Department report, highlighting a weakening labor market.”
Steve Bannon is in the early stages of planning an audacious run for president in 2028, the Daily Mail reports.
“One of the nation’s most popular big-city mayors says he can’t be a Democrat any longer and is instead trying to test Elon Musk’s suggestion that America needs another option to the two major parties,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Mike Duggan, this city’s mayor since 2014, ditched his longtime party in December and is running for Michigan governor as an independent.”
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) “has positioned himself as the only candidate in the New York City mayor’s race who can forcefully go toe-to-toe with President Trump. But in a closed-door meeting on Wednesday with some of the city’s biggest business leaders, Mr. Cuomo suggested he might adopt a more conciliatory strategy,” the New York Times reports.
“As he made a case for his candidacy, Mr. Cuomo said he was not ‘personally’ looking for a fight with the president and compared their yearslong relationship to a ‘dysfunctional marriage.'”
Said Cuomo: “I think he wants to be accepted by New York City, and I think there’s an opportunity there.”
Wired: “Human judgement remains central to the launch of nuclear weapons. But experts say it’s a matter of when, not if, artificial intelligence will get baked into the world’s most dangerous systems.”
“Top staff for Indiana’s lieutenant governor played a video showing a state lawmaker’s wife seemingly topless, apparently using an AI program to alter the woman’s real performance at a state talent show hosted on April 9,” 24sight News reports.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun (R) remained noncommittal about a mid-decade redistricting push following his meeting with Vice President JD Vance in Indiana on Thursday, Politico reports.
Said Braun: “We covered a wide array of topics. We listened.”
Meanwhile, former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) told Politico that “it would be just wrong” to do it.
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.
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