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Trump Deploys Troops to Portland

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“President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he will send troops to Portland, Oregon, and to immigration detention facilities around the country, authorizing ‘Full Force, if necessary’ and escalating a campaign to use the U.S. military against Americans that has little modern precedent,” the Washington Post reports.

“Portland has been a target of right-wing politicians for the way it has handled racial-justice protests as well as its homeless population, tolerating encampments in the central part of the city. But Trump will again encounter the dynamic he did when he deployed the National Guard in Los Angeles — a military deployment in a state run by a Democratic governor who objects to the decision and will have grounds to fight it in court.”

Trump Demands Microsoft Fire Ex-Biden Appointee

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“President Donald Trump is demanding that Microsoft fire former Biden Justice Department official Lisa Monaco, who Trump has previously blamed for federal investigations into his mishandling of classified documents and alleged election interference, furthering his retribution campaign against his former antagonists,” Politico reports.

“Trump urged the software giant to remove Monaco, who it recently appointed as its president of global affairs, and argued her tenure as former deputy Attorney General and connections to investigations he views as illegitimate discredit her.”


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Justice Department Seeks Information on Fani Willis

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“The Department of Justice has issued a subpoena for records related to the travel history of Fani Willis, the Georgia district attorney who charged President Trump in a sweeping election interference case,” the New York Times reports.

“The scope of the investigation is not yet clear. Also unclear is whether Ms. Willis is the target of the inquiry and whether she will ultimately face charges. Grand jury proceedings are secretive by law.”

Trump’s Role in Comey Case May Be Key to His Defense

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“President Donald Trump’s push for federal charges against James Comey could become a centerpiece of the former FBI director’s defense, legal experts said Friday, noting that the president’s intervention in the criminal case and public criticisms of Comey could lead a judge or jury to reject the charges as improperly motivated,” the Washington Post reports.

Politico: Why the case against James Comey may end in humiliation for Trump’s DOJ.

New York Times: The testimony at the heart of the Comey indictment, examined.

Congressional Trips Canceled Ahead of Possible Shutdown

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“Several official congressional trips that were scheduled for next week have been canceled due to the possibility of a government shutdown,” Axios reports.

“It’s one of the starkest indicators yet that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hunkering down for a shutdown as Republican and Democratic leadership appear far from a deal.”

Federal Workers Brace for Shutdown

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Federal employees from agencies across the US government say they’re “terrified,” “disoriented” and filled with anxiety as they brace for a possible shutdown that the Trump White House has threatened will pave the way for new rounds of fast-tracked mass layoffs, CNN reports.

Vance Says He Gets ‘Dumber’ Listening to Kamala Harris

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Vice President JD Vance had some choice words for Kamala Harris saying she had no “substance” and that each time he listened to her he felt “dumber in the process,” The Wrap reports.

Said Vance: “The problem is not that Kamala’s campaign was too short. It was too long. When people actually listened to what she had to say, per polling, it went down and down and down. A 150-day campaign, three additional senators, and Donald Trump would have won by an even bigger landslide.”

GOP Lawmaker Tries to Fend Off Restraining Order

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“Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) tried to convince a Florida judge Friday that he never planned to circulate ‘salacious’ videos of his ex-girlfriend or harm any of her future lovers, suggesting at one point he knew it would be politically damaging to take any such action,” Politico reports.

“Mills spoke in court as he tried to fend off a request for a restraining order from Lindsay Langston, the 2024 Miss United States and a Republican state committee woman, who is accusing Mills of causing her extreme emotional distress.”

Justices Allow Trump to Freeze Foreign Aid

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“The Supreme Court on Friday cleared the way for the Trump administration to freeze more than $4 billion in foreign aid for now, a victory for the president’s push to exert greater control over federal spending,” the Washington Post reports.

“The justices lifted a preliminary injunction from a federal judge who found the president had usurped Congress’s power of the purse by refusing to spend billions it had budgeted for food, medicine and development around the world.”

New York Times: “In its brief order, the court’s conservative majority said the president’s ability to conduct foreign affairs appeared ‘to outweigh the potential harm’ faced by foreign aid recipients.”

Nextar Brings Back Jimmy Kimmel

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“Nexstar Media Group joined Sinclair Broadcast Group in bringing Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show back to its local TV stations on Friday night, ending a dayslong TV blackout for dozens of cities across the U.S.,” the AP reports.

“The move means ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ will return to local TV on Nexstar’s ABC affiliates in 28 cities, along with the 38 stations where Sinclair agreed to restore the show.”

Schumer’s Shutdown War Room

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“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and his staff are closely coordinating their government shutdown strategy with outside liberal groups,” Axios reports.

“The same groups slammed Schumer earlier this year for caving on government funding. This time, the Democratic leader is playing to his base.”

Trump Expands Tariffs Beyond Supreme Court’s Reach

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“The fate of many of President Trump’s tariffs hangs in the balance at the Supreme Court, but he is rapidly building out a backup plan,” the New York Times reports.

“The Supreme Court is set to begin considering whether the tariffs that Mr. Trump has placed on countries including Switzerland and India earlier this year are unconstitutional. But the Trump administration has been erecting another system of tariffs that is impervious to the legal challenge.”

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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