“Russia has devised a plan to intervene in elections in Moldova and disrupt the government’s efforts to keep the country on the path toward European Union membership,” Bloomberg reports.
“The multi-pronged strategy was finalized in spring and coordinated directly by the Kremlin. The goal is to undermine the chances of President Maia Sandu’s Party of Action and Solidarity in the Sept. 28 vote and ultimately see her removed from power.”
Out soon: Injustice: How Politics and Fear Vanquished America’s Justice Department by Carol Leonnig and Aaron Davis.
A shocking investigation of unparalleled depth into the subversion of the Justice Department over the last decade.
“North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un suggested his country can resume dialogue with the U.S. if Washington drops calls for Pyongyang to denuclearize,“ Axios reports.
Said Kim: “If the United States shuts down its hollow denuclearization ideology and wants a true peaceful coexistence with us based on acceptance of reality, then we have no reason not to sit down with the United States.”
He added: “Personally, I still have fond memories of the current President of the United States, Trump.”
“President Trump’s announcement about autism Monday is expected to include a recommendation that pregnant women refrain from using Tylenol, with exceptions, in addition to identifying a therapy for the neurodevelopmental disorder,” NewsNation reports.
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will join Trump in the Oval Office for the afternoon announcement, the details of which have been the subject of speculation since Kennedy earlier this year promised to unravel the mystery of increasing autism diagnoses within the U.S.”
“He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don’t want the best for them.”
— President Trump, at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service.
The Pentagon’s decision to prevent reporters from accessing military or defense information has sparked condemnation across the aisle and backlash from media organizations that argue the move hampers press freedom, the Washington Post reports.
Said Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), on X: “This is so dumb that I have a hard time believing it is true. We don’t want a bunch of Pravda newspapers only touting the Government’s official position. A free press makes our country better. This sounds like more amateur hour.”
Erika Kirk talked to the New York Times about her husband’s murder and revealed that given “numerous death threats over the past year,” she had implored him to wear a bulletproof vest.
“When he demurred, a friend suggested that Mr. Kirk speak behind bulletproof glass. ‘Not yet,’ Mr. Kirk replied. He said he felt confident in his team, and that there would be additional security at the Utah event. But Ms. Kirk, like several of her husband’s subordinates, had occasionally heard him imply that his life could be cut short by violence. She found herself wondering if a part of him had already surrendered to such a prospect.”
Wall Street Journal: “Friends said Charlie Kirk, who was 31 years old when he was killed, had long envisioned a leading role for his wife at the organization if he died—a plan the couple hoped never to have to implement.”
Ben Carson will be honored with a presidential medal of freedom, the AP reports.
“President Trump said in an interview broadcast Sunday that media magnate Rupert Murdoch and his son, Lachlan, are likely part of a group of potential buyers to purchase TikTok,” The Hill reports.
“The federal investigation into the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has yet to find a link between the alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, and left-wing groups on which President Donald Trump and his administration have pledged to crack down after the killing,” NBC News reports.
“There’s no hiding the political retaliation and weaponization. It’s all out in the open.”
— Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), quoted by the Wall Street Journal.
“As President Trump threatens a wide-ranging crackdown on mainstream media institutions and political opponents, his aides and allies have cast the administration’s moves as critical to stanching misinformation and hate speech that could lead to political violence,” the New York Times reports.
“But Mr. Trump himself has repeatedly made clear in recent days that he has a different goal. For him, it’s not about hate speech, but about speech that he hates — namely, speech that is critical of him and his administration.”
“The U.K., Australia and Canada said Sunday they would formally recognize a Palestinian state, a significant shift in longstanding foreign policy among Western governments and a reflection of growing global dissatisfaction with Israel after nearly two years of war in Gaza,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The move by the British government especially is a symbolic win for the Palestinians, given that it is a longstanding ally of Israel and was instrumental in the country’s modern creation.”
“A mix of high borrowing costs, dwindling job openings and growing economic and political uncertainty have left many U.S. households at a standstill, with many Americans saying they feel unable to buy new homes, take new jobs or move to new cities,” the Washington Post reports.
“Congressional Republicans have been some of the loudest cheerleaders of President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. But some lawmakers are now quietly asking the administration for help freeing detained immigrants in their districts,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In recent months, Republicans in the House and Senate have intervened in cases where residents have been held in federal custody, according to the lawmakers as well as lawyers and advocacy groups involved with their release.”
“As many as 100,000 mourners are expected to attend the memorial for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk Sunday in Arizona, including President Trump, cabinet officials and right-wing pundits,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
New York Times: “The memorial to celebrate Mr. Kirk and galvanize a political movement in his name is the culmination of scores of recent public vigils across the country that have drawn thousands of Mr. Kirk’s supporters, as well as scattered protests.”
“But nothing so far has approached the scale of what the police and organizers are expecting in Arizona, where Mr. Kirk lived with his wife and two young children, and where his conservative organizing group, Turning Point USA, is based. The speakers list includes not just the president and vice president but also the highest-profile members of Mr. Trump’s cabinet and White House staff, along with a who’s who of the Make America Great Again pantheon.”
Washington Post: Charlie Kirk memorial to be on par with a state funeral in scale, security.
“President Vladimir Putin has concluded that military escalation is the best way to force Ukraine into talks on his terms and that Donald Trump is unlikely to do much to bolster Kyiv’s defenses,“ Bloomberg reports.
“Russian forces have already stepped up their attacks on military and civilian targets in Ukraine since the two leaders met in Anchorage last month and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy rejected Putin’s demand to give up more territory in eastern Ukraine. Putin intends to continue targeting Kyiv’s energy network and other infrastructure.”
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.