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The Running Mate Kamala Harris Didn’t Dare Choose

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Jonathan Lemire reports on a passage from Kamala Harris’s soon-to-be-released book, 107 Days, that as Harris rushed to pick a running mate last year, her “first choice” was her close friend Pete Buttigieg, but she decided that it would be “too big of a risk” for a Black woman to run with a gay man.

She writes that Buttigieg “would have been an ideal partner—if I were a straight white man.”

“But we were already asking a lot of America: to accept a woman, a Black woman, a Black woman married to a Jewish man. Part of me wanted to say, Screw it, let’s just do it. But knowing what was at stake, it was too big of a risk.”

107 Days
107 Days
  • Amazon Kindle Edition
  • Harris, Kamala (Author)
  • English (Publication Language)
  • 320 Pages - 09/23/2025 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster (Publisher)
Check Price on Amazon

Nancy Mace Loses It

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Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) had a meltdown on X after failing to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on the House floor.

Omar responded: “Literally none of this is true and this woman needs to get help. We have to stop allowing members who are experiencing mental breakdown to continue to work without getting them the help they need. This is an emergency, let’s help her before she hurts herself or one of us.”


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Pentagon Lawyers Raise Concerns Over Strikes on Drug Boats

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“Some military lawyers and other Defense Department officials are raising concerns about the legal implications of President Trump’s expanding military campaign against Latin American-based drug cartels,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The concerns are around the justification for the strikes themselves, as well as the legal implications for the U.S. military personnel involved in the operations.”

Trump Celebrates Getting Jimmy Kimmel Kicked Off Air

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President Trump celebrated Jimmy Kimmel’s show being suspended by ABC by suggesting NBC should do the same to Jimmy Fallon and Seth Myers.

Said Trump: “Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent, and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that’s possible. That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”

ABC Pulls Jimmy Kimmel Over Charlie Kirk Remarks

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ABC announced that it was pulling Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show “indefinitely” after criticism of comments he made on Monday about the motives of the man who is accused of fatally shooting the conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week, the New York Times reports.

Wall Street Journal: “Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr criticized Kimmel during an interview with conservative political podcaster Benny Johnson on Wednesday and suggested the regulatory agency could take action against the broadcast licenses of ABC-owned stations.”

“Owners of some ABC TV stations, including large broadcaster Nexstar Media Group told the network they were dropping the show.”

‘It’s Not Incredibly Obvious What to Do’

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Fed chair Jerome Powell readily admitted that this moment for the U.S. economy continues to be weird, Punchbowl News reports.

Said Powell: “It is such an unusual situation. Ordinarily, when the labor market is weak, inflation is low, and when the labor market is really strong, that’s when you’ve got to be careful about inflation. So we have a situation where we have two-sided risk, and that means there’s no risk-free path.”

Later, Powell put it more bluntly: “It’s not incredibly obvious what to do.”

Republicans Eye Major Crime Bill Before Midterms

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“President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are actively discussing a sweeping crime bill that would go far beyond their recent forays into DC’s criminal justice system,” Semafor reports

“The GOP’s plans are early and fluid but serious… Taking up a national crime bill as the midterm campaign heats up would help the party keep momentum on what it sees as a politically advantageous issue as polls show Trump’s handling of the economy losing favor with voters.”

“But steering a sweeping piece of legislation to Trump’s desk during an election year won’t be easy.”

GOP Lawmaker Says Transgender People Are a ‘Virus’

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Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) told Newsmax that transgender people need to be placed in institutions and barred from the internet.

Said Jackson: “We have to do something about this. We have to treat these people. We have to get them off the streets and we have to get them off the internet. We can’t let them communicate with each other.”

He added: “I’m all about free speech, but this is a virus, this is a cancer that’s spreading across this country that’s going to do great damage to normal, hard working, law abiding people.”

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

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“She’s a nasty human being. She hates her country. She hates our country so much she doesn’t have to be here. She’s disgusting, she’s vile. She’s literally accusing me of substance abuse. When have you ever seen me abuse any substance? She’s a liar and she’s a vile human.”

— Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), quoted by the HuffPost, on Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

Fed Cuts Interest Rates by Quarter Point

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“The Federal Reserve on Wednesday approved a widely anticipated rate cut and signaled that two more are on the way before the end of the year as concerns intensified over the U.S. labor market,” CNBC reports.

“Newly installed Governor Stephen Miran was the only one of those voting against the quarter-point move, instead advocating for a half-point cut.”

Wall Street Journal: “A narrow majority of officials penciled in at least two additional cuts this year, implying consecutive moves at the Fed’s two remaining meetings in October and December. The projections hint at a broader shift toward concern about cracks forming in the job market in an environment complicated by major policy shifts that have made the economy harder to read.”

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.

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