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Jon Ossoff Calls Out ‘Mar-a-Lago Mafia’

April 18, 2026 at 6:41 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“At a campaign rally in Augusta, Georgia, on Saturday, the Democratic senator Jon Ossoff mocked Donald Trump’s rosy predictions on Iran and tore into what he called the unprecedented corruption of the president’s family,” The Guardian reports.

“While Ossoff is running for re-election in November, he trained most of his fire on the president, and the vice-president, amid mounting speculation that the Democrat could launch a bid for his party’s nomination for the presidency in 2028.”

Earlier for members: Jon Ossoff Emerges as a Democratic Dark Horse

Washington, D.C. Police Were About to Arrest Cory Mills

April 18, 2026 at 4:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Washington, D.C. police “were about to arrest Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) after a woman accused him of assault last year, but a lieutenant ordered them not to when she changed her account after appearing to talk to the congressman,” the Washington Post reports.

“The next day, police reversed course, asking then-interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, an appointee of President Donald Trump, to sign off on a warrant to arrest Mills, a request the prosecutor denied.”

Indiana Primary Tests Trump’s Control Over Republicans

April 18, 2026 at 4:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Associated Press: “Indiana’s primary on May 5 has become an unlikely test of Trump’s grip on the Republican Party. After state senators defied White House pressure by opposing redistricting, Trump has endorsed seven primary challengers in races that rarely attract any attention from Washington.”

“The campaign, backed by national organizations such as Turning Point Action and pro-Trump groups that have spent more than $4.2 million on advertising, has no precedent in recent memory. Gov. Mike Braun and U.S. Sen Jim Banks, both Republicans, are also working against incumbent state senators in a display of deference to Trump.”

Tucker Carlson’s Kid Quits JD Vance’s Staff

April 18, 2026 at 4:11 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Tucker Carlson’s son Buckley Carlson has left his job as deputy press secretary for Vice President JD Vance, Politico reports.

Women in Congress Flex Their Power

April 18, 2026 at 1:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

USA Today: “In a matter of days, rank-and-file female lawmakers banded together across party lines to oust Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales…”

“It was a striking demonstration of bipartisan resolve on Capitol Hill. And on the heels of the overwhelming approval of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, it was just the latest example of women legislators teaming up, at odds with the men in charge of Congress, to force accountability for prominent figures accused of hurting women.”

Americans Don’t Support the Iran War

April 18, 2026 at 1:28 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Politico poll finds support for military action in Iran is weak — just 38 percent of Americans back the strikes — and views remain largely unchanged from the days following the joint U.S.-Israel strikes, even as the administration has now had weeks to make its case.

A majority of respondents say the war is not in the interests of the American people, and a plurality are still not confident that the president has clear objectives — including a notable chunk of his 2024 supporters.”

Voters Say Deportations Are Too Aggressive

April 18, 2026 at 1:24 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Politico poll finds half of Americans — including one quarter of President Trump’s 2024 voters — said Trump’s mass deportations campaign, including his widespread deployment of ICE agents, is too aggressive.

Netanyahu Torched U.S. Support for a Generation

April 18, 2026 at 11:04 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is wreaking havoc on Israel’s standing with Americans as the Iran war supercharges a deterioration in relations with the U.S.,” Axios reports.

“Israel’s polling collapse among younger Americans is hitting Congress, too. Lawmakers who started out staunchly pro-Israel are becoming increasingly vocal critics.”

Supreme Court’s Internal Tensions Spill Into View

April 18, 2026 at 11:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As the Supreme Court barrels toward the final stretch of a politically explosive term, its private tensions are surfacing in public,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“A series of blunt remarks by three justices in recent days has offered a glimpse into strained personal relationships, ideological divides and internal alarm over how the court is making key decisions. Such candid airing of friction is unusual at the court, where personal discord is normally kept behind closed doors and legal disagreements are rendered in the formal language of written dissents.”

U.S. Military Prepares to Board Iran-Linked Ships 

April 18, 2026 at 11:01 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. military is preparing in coming days to board Iran-linked oil tankers and seize commercial ships in international waters, expanding its naval crackdown beyond the Middle East,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Trump Eases Restrictions on Psychedelic Drugs

April 18, 2026 at 10:58 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expedite research and access to psychedelics used outside the US to treat post-traumatic stress disorder,” Bloomberg reports.

Court Again Allows Ballroom Construction to Go On

April 18, 2026 at 10:56 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal appeals court on Friday allowed construction on President Trump’s ballroom project to proceed through early June, pausing, for now, a lower court’s order that construction stop after next week,” the New York Times reports.

“The overnight decision was procedural: An administrative stay gave the court around seven weeks to consider the case more fully. But it was the latest in a series of careful extensions by courts that have each allowed the president to keep building for short stretches as a lawsuit fighting the project proceeds.”

For Your Weekend Listening

April 18, 2026 at 8:00 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The latest episode of Trial Balloon is live.

Is it ever good politics to attack the Pope?

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Iranian Gunboats Fire on Oil Tanker

April 18, 2026 at 7:23 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Iranian Revolutionary Guards gunboats fired on a tanker traveling through the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, CNN reports.

Trump Will Participate in a Marathon Bible Reading

April 18, 2026 at 7:18 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has a complicated relationship with the Bible. He has often called it his favorite book, has posed with it for photographers outside a church and has sold his own edition for $60. But he has also struggled to name a favorite passage or even pick a favorite Testament between the two,” the New York Times reports.

“Now, fresh from a week in which he skirmished with the pope and Christians accused him of blasphemy, Mr. Trump will participate in a marathon reading of the entire Bible in Washington, the event’s organizers announced Friday.”

Politico: Trump to release reading of scripture days after angering many Christians.

Five Days That Remade the Supreme Court

April 18, 2026 at 7:15 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Secret memos obtained by the New York Times illuminate the origins of the court’s now-routine “shadow docket” rulings on presidential power.

“The memos show how the justices stumbled into a new way of conducting their work in major cases on presidential power, short-circuiting longstanding procedures meant to ensure careful consideration and reasoned opinions.”

Iran’s Military Says Strait Is Closed Again

April 18, 2026 at 6:29 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The Iranian military said on Saturday morning that the Strait of Hormuz had “returned to its previous state” and is being “strictly controlled,” adding to confusion over the extent to which the waterway is open to maritime traffic, the Wall Street Journal reports.

CNN: What to know about the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran says it is reimposing restrictions.

Trump Says UFO Files Will Be Released ‘Very Soon’

April 17, 2026 at 10:54 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump said documents related to UFOs and unexplained aerial phenomena, aka UAPs, will be released “very soon,” NewsNation reports.

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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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