Political Wire

Members should sign in for the full experience.

Trump Claims He’s Fixed Social Security

By Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump marked the 90th anniversary of Social Security on Thursday with an Oval Office signing of a proclamation that the safety net was ‘more resilient than ever before,’ thanks to him. He claimed improvements to the program’s customer service. He also misleadingly declared that he had checked off his campaign promise to eliminate taxes on benefits for seniors,” the Washington Post reports.

“But Social Security is barreling toward insolvency faster than before because of Trump’s tax bill and immigration policies.”

GOP Populists Plot Repeatedly to Bypass Mike Johnson

By Leave a Comment

“House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) right flank is trying to bypass him repeatedly next month by forcing votes on releasing the Epstein files and banning congressional stock trading,” Axios reports.

“The tool these lawmakers are planning to use — the discharge petition — has been the source of growing controversy in the House in recent years.”

Senate Contenders in Red States Declare Independence

By Leave a Comment

“Independent Dan Osborn stunned the campaign world last year when he came within 7 points of unseating Republican Sen. Deb Fischer in ruby-red Nebraska. Now Osborn is back for another Senate campaign, joined by a handful of fellow independent Senate hopefuls across the map,” National Journal reports.

“Amid increasing unfavorability ratings for both political parties, four independent candidates are trying a different path. Idaho’s Todd Achilles, Mississippi’s Ty Pinkins, and South Dakota’s Brian Bengs—all three former Democrats—are following in Osborn’s 2024 footsteps as they challenge GOP incumbents in red states. All four are veterans who say they don’t intend to caucus with either Republicans or Democrats if elected.”


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.




A Trump Summit Is a Big Win for Putin

By Leave a Comment

“President Trump has spent the week setting the bar extremely low for his high-stakes U.S.-Russian summit on Friday in Alaska. Hardly anyone expects him to make much progress in halting the fighting between Russia and Ukraine, given how far apart their views of the conflict are,” the New York Times reports.

“But those two warring countries do seem to agree on at least one thing. Merely meeting with Mr. Trump is a big win for President Vladimir Putin, bringing the Russian leader out of a diplomatic deep freeze and giving him a chance to cajole the American president face to face.”

Trump Said to Discuss Taking Stake in Intel

By Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is in talks with Intel Corp. to have the US government potentially take a stake in the beleaguered chipmaker, helping support the company’s effort to expand domestic manufacturing,” Bloomberg reports.

“The deal would help shore up Intel’s planned factory hub in Ohio… The company had once promised to turn that site into the world’s largest chipmaking facility, though it’s been repeatedly delayed. The size of the potential stake isn’t clear.”

Russia Seeks to Add Trade and Arms Control Into Talks

By Leave a Comment

“A day ahead of the meeting between President Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia, the Kremlin on Thursday signaled that apart from Ukraine, it was also interested in discussing other subjects, like economic links and nuclear arms,” the New York Times reports.

“Remarks by Mr. Putin and his foreign policy aide highlighted how, when dealing with Washington, Moscow has tried to dilute discussions about ending the fighting in Ukraine by packaging them together with other bilateral issues. In particular, Russia has focused on the prospect of discussing arms control and restoring economic ties with the United States.”

Texas Democrats Signal They’ll End Walkout

By Leave a Comment

“Texas Democrats gave their clearest signal yet on Thursday that they will soon return to the Lone Star state, after decamping to stop the passage of a redrawn congressional map that adds five new GOP-leaning seats,” Politico reports.

“A statement from the state House Democratic Caucus said that the lawmakers will return on two conditions, both of which are expected this week. First, that the Texas Legislature ends its first special session on Friday, and second that California lawmakers introduce their expected proposal that could offset the GOP gains in Texas.”

Inside Billy Long’s Quick Fall at the IRS

By Leave a Comment

New York Times: “But within days, Mr. Long began to lose his grip on a job that he had held for barely a month. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had already ousted one White House-installed IRS commissioner this year. He would soon orchestrate the removal of another, culminating in the agency having its seventh leader since January.”

“At the center of Mr. Bessent’s concerns was the fact that Mr. Long had been trying to put together an independent plan for the IRS without informing the Treasury Department, according to five people familiar with the matter. But Mr. Long’s vision for the IRS had at least in part been shaped by Mr. Trump.”

GOP Senator Won’t Wear a Seat Belt in D.C.

By Leave a Comment

Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) told Fox News that he doesn’t wear a seat belt when he’s driving in Washington, D.C. so he can act more swiftly if he gets carjacked.

Said Mullin: “I’m not joking when I say this. I drive around in Washington, D.C. in my Jeep and, yes, I do drive myself. And I don’t buckle up. And the reason why I don’t buckle up, and people can say whatever they want to, they can raise their eyebrows at me, again, is because of carjacking.”

Trump’s Golden Dome Still Shrouded in Mystery

By Leave a Comment

“The companies expected to create President Donald Trump’s ‘Golden Dome for America’ know the objective: to protect the US from missiles and airborne threats. They know it means billions of dollars’ worth of contracts,” Bloomberg reports.

“But they don’t know much about what, exactly, they are expected to do — and at an event last week, the government officials who might tell them weren’t even allowed to mention the project by name.”

Trump Told Melania to Sue Hunter Biden

By Leave a Comment

President Trump confirmed Thursday morning that Melania Trump’s attorneys are threatening legal action against Hunter Biden, saying he told her to “go forward,” CNN reports.

Said Trump: “You know, I’ve done pretty well on these lawsuits lately. And I said, go forward. Jeffrey Epstein has nothing to do with Melania and I introducing. But they do that. They make up stories.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

By Leave a Comment

“I think the most important thing is that people see themselves and their struggles in your campaign… And I think the larger struggle for us as Democrats is to ensure that we are practicing a politics that is direct, a politics of no translation, a politics that when you read the policy commitment, you understand it, as how it applies to your life.”

— Zohran Mamdani, in an interview with Time.

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.