“President Donald Trump’s endorsement in the messy Republican primary to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik has set up a fresh test of his influence in a deep-red House district, with New York GOP leaders refusing to fall in line,” Politico reports.
“Trump gave his coveted endorsement this week to businessperson Anthony Constantino, the CEO of merchandising company Sticker Mule, who is waging an insurgent bid against Republican Assemblymember Robert Smullen — the establishment favorite.”
Rep. Daniel Goldman (D-NY), “fighting to fend off a primary challenge, said on Thursday that he would begin to use his vast personal fortune in an effort to save his House seat, the New York Times reports..
“Mr. Goldman, a Levi Strauss heir and one of the richest members of Congress, put $1 million into his campaign immediately and pledged to begin matching every donation he receives in the run-up to the June primary — a dollar-for-dollar incentive that could cost him millions more.”
“The congressman framed the decision as a way to show that he was not beholden to special interests. But the cash infusion also underscored just how serious a challenge he faces from Brad Lander, a well-known former city comptroller and mayoral candidate.”
New York Times: “The Iran war has significantly drained much of the U.S. military’s global supply of munitions, and forced the Pentagon to rush bombs, missiles and other hardware to the Middle East from commands in Asia and Europe. The drawdowns have left these regional commands less ready to confront potential adversaries like Russia and China, and it has forced the United States to find ways to scale up production to address the depletions, Trump administration and congressional officials say.”
“The conflict has also underscored the Pentagon’s overreliance on excessively expensive missiles and munitions, especially air-defense interceptors, as well as concerns about whether the defense industry can develop cheaper arms, especially attack drones, far more quickly.”
Wall Street Journal: “Mooresville Mayor Chris Carney was caught with his pants down—and not in a figurative sense—inside town hall, on camera, during the wee hours, in the company of a female journalist.”
“The episode occurred in 2024 but is now bubbling up on multiple fronts. Three former town employees are suing Mooresville officials, alleging retaliation for their efforts to preserve the footage or investigate. Town commissioners passed a no-confidence vote this month urging Carney to quit. And a judge last week ordered the town to release video of the incident, a move the town forestalled by appealing Wednesday.”
“Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps navy laid more mines in the Strait of Hormuz this week,” Axios reports.
“The military standoff in the world’s most important oil chokepoint is escalating, with Iran laying mines and attacking commercial ships on one side and the U.S. tightening its naval blockade on the other.”
Next up on President Trump’s renovation tour of Washington, D.C.: the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, which he called “filthy” and “dirty” and in need of a major upgrade, the New York Times reports.
“President Donald Trump confirmed Thursday that the White House is considering a bailout package for the budget carrier Spirit Airlines that could include a loan of up to $500 million and an equity stake in the company for the U.S. government,” NOTUS reports.
“But as reports of the talks circulated, a number of prominent conservatives joined Democrats in pushing back on the idea and warned that it might prove to be a poor deal for U.S. taxpayers.”
Wall Street Journal: “John Phelan sat in the lobby of the West Wing for more than an hour Wednesday night, waiting to see if his longtime friend and neighbor, President Trump, would save his job. He would leave disappointed.”
“That afternoon, Phelan, the Navy secretary, had received a phone call from his boss, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, asking for his resignation…”
“Phelan made a round of calls, including to the president’s executive assistant, saying he needed to speak with Trump. Phelan then headed to the White House. Once the president had a spare minute Wednesday evening, Phelan asked to keep his job, but the commander in chief backed Hegseth’s decision.”
President Trump said Americans should anticipate paying higher prices at the gas pump “for a little while” as a result of the Iran war, CNBC reports.
Trump also insisted that the U.S. has “total control” in the Strait of Hormuz and that he is the one keeping it closed for now.
“A U.S. Army soldier was arrested on an indictment accusing him of using classified information to make bets that won him $400,000 on the Polymarket prediction market related to the American military mission that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro,” CNBC reports.
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem “has continued using a waterfront house on a military base in Washington, D.C., that she took over as a cabinet member,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Noem moved into the house on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, which is typically designated for the commandant of the Coast Guard, after President Trump last year fired Linda Fagan, the commandant at the time. The Coast Guard generally falls under the purview of the Department of Homeland Security.”
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) told Punchbowl News that he’d absolutely leave the Republican Party and become an Independent if Pennsylvania had an open primary.
Said Fitzpatrick: “100 percent… 100 percent.”
“It’s extraordinary to me that Donald Trump keeps recycling this ‘low IQ’ insult. This from the dumbest president ever to sit at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. And there’s not even a close second.”
— House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), speaking to reporters.
Wall Street Journal: “Billionaire Ken Griffin is appalled that New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani used his 24,000-square-foot Manhattan penthouse last week as the backdrop for a tax-the-rich video, triggering a subtle threat to re-evaluate his firm’s investment in the city.”
“Mamdani was filmed in front of a property Griffin purchased at 220 Central Park South in 2019 for roughly $238 million, a deal that set a record for the highest-priced home ever sold in the U.S.”
“Don’t rush me. So were in Vietnam for 18 years. Iraq, many, many years… I’ve been doing this for… six weeks.”
— President Trump, talking to reporters about the war in Iran.
New York Times: “Vaccine skeptics, ‘organic moms’ and environmental activists came together to elect President Trump. But some voters are disillusioned and might not turn out again.”
Bloomberg: “The prospect of Iran agreeing to more in-person peace talks with the US is being hindered by President Donald Trump’s threats and brash social media posts, according to several officials with knowledge of the diplomatic efforts to end their war.”
“Trump’s Truth Social posts — as well as his decision to continue with a naval blockade of Iranian ports — have been detrimental to ongoing negotiations through mediators such as Pakistan, according to two US officials familiar with the matter.”
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.
