CNN: “Students attempting to access grades, study materials and quizzes were met instead with a message from a hacking group on Thursday.”
“Universities and school systems across the country, from local school districts to Georgetown University to the University of Oklahoma, reported a ransom note on the homepage of their schools’ Canvas sites. Canvas is a popular, cloud-based digital hub for classrooms.”
“The U.S. military said Iran launched missiles, drones and small-boat attacks at U.S. warships near the Strait of Hormuz, and that the U.S. responded by intercepting the threats and striking Iranian military sites responsible for the attacks,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“President Trump said the cease-fire with Iran is still in effect, calling the latest U.S. strikes against the country a ‘love tap.'”
Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) writes in the Washington Post that while he was “at odds” with Democrats on foreign affairs and immigration, he had “no plans to leave” the party.
Said Fetterman: “My values have not changed, and I have always turned to those kinds of ideals that defined being a Democrat. I remain strongly pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor and even pro-rib-eye over bio slop. I refuse to cave on my conscience because Pennsylvania deserves someone who is honest and can work across the aisle.”
Associated Press: “The U.S. State Department will begin revoking the U.S. passports of thousands of parents who owe a significant amount of unpaid child support.”
A federal trade court ruled on Thursday that President Trump’s nearly-universal 10 percent tariff is illegal, the New York Times reports.
The loss marked a new legal setback for the White House, which imposed the duties earlier this year as a temporary replacement to the initial slate of punishing duties struck down by the Supreme Court.
Rachel Bade: “Yes, Jeffries is on Trump’s mind — and it’s no wonder. If Democrats flip the House, Jeffries — poised to become the first Black speaker — instantly becomes Trump’s top rival. He’d have the final say over whether impeachment moves forward, set the cadence of subpoenas flying down Pennsylvania Avenue, and lead the messaging war against the White House in a gridlocked Washington full of finger-pointing.”
“But Trump’s allies also sees opportunity. They argue Jeffries is no Nancy Pelosi — that, unlike her iron grip on the caucus, he’s weak and getting yanked around by the left. They also note that Jeffries doesn’t yet have a strong nationwide name ID — and they’re eager to define him in a negative light before he can define himself.”
Reuters: “A series of well-timed market bets on falling oil prices totaling as much as $7 billion during March and April spread across multiple exchanges and types of fuel and derivatives just before major Iranian policy announcements by President Donald Trump.”
Axios: “Even if the Strait of Hormuz opened right away, pump prices will likely remain higher — maybe a lot higher — than pre-war levels at least through the midterm elections.”
“U.S. retail prices are tethered to global oil markets that will be in turmoil for a while.”
New York Times: “The Trump administration has approved sales of thousands of air defense interceptor missiles and related services valued at $17 billion to Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, according to State Department and congressional officials.”
“The exports were approved despite alarm among some Pentagon officials over the dwindling U.S. stockpiles of such missiles, which have been expended in large numbers during the war against Iran.”
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CNBC: “Iran is ‘currently reviewing’ messages from the U.S. that it received via Pakistani mediators, but it has yet to reach a conclusion or deliver a reply, an Iranian official said Thursday.”
Washington Post: “A panel tasked with shaping the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency voted Thursday to approve a report recommending that the Trump administration gradually cut FEMA by 50 percent, among other significant overhauls meant to streamline the beleaguered agency.”
“The report also recommends that FEMA shift leadership of emergency response and recovery to the state level, make changes to some of its most relied-on programs, and do away with reviews that members said can often slow disaster response and recovery.”
Charlie Cook: “Few would seriously argue that this won’t be a bad year for Republicans. The question is, how bad will it be? My theory is that very few Republicans running in blue, Democratic-tilting states and districts are likely to win. In purple, swing states and districts, where Trump is extremely unpopular, the electoral mortality rate for GOP candidates will be extremely high, with few survivors.”
“But in most red, Republican-tilting states and districts, the loss rate for GOP candidates might be pretty low. Sure, a very low Republican turnout, which I think is likely, will cost some Republican candidates elections in very light red states, but past a certain point, it will take Republicans actually defecting and voting Democratic, which as we’ve already determined, does not happen much anymore.”
Washington Post: “Republicans in the Tennessee House adopted a plan Thursday aimed at giving them an additional congressional seat as GOP lawmakers around the country scramble to improve their fortunes this fall.”
Punchbowl News: “A mysterious new super PAC is roiling Democratic contests in crucial battleground seats in Nebraska and Pennsylvania just days before the states hold their primaries.”
“This is a complicated but fascinating development. Plenty of Democrats involved in these races suspect the group is backed by Republicans trying to tip the scales toward their preferred general-election opponent. We can’t prove that yet. But the group, Lead Left PAC, has WinRed, the GOP fundraising platform, in the metadata of its website.“
Jonathan Last: “Platner is new. He’s a post-Trump figure. He does not carry scars from a decade of Trump wars. Which means that he never had to make opposition to Trump and Trumpism central to his political identity. He can start from scratch in establishing who he is and what he represents.”
“It also means that he can plausibly position himself as concerned with only the future and not the past.”
“One of my theories about 2028 is that Democrats will succeed not by doing what I want them to do—reform government to make it harder for an authoritarian takeover—but by pushing all of the pro-democracy stuff I hold dear to the side and focusing on economic populism.”
“Platner, never having had to be part of the pro-democracy movement, can do that. He never carried the burden of opposing Trump when it mattered most—which will be a huge advantage.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Graham Platner (D) “released dueling ads on Thursday in what amounted to a kickoff of the general election,” the New York Times reports.
“The ads are strikingly different, with Mr. Platner in full-throated attack mode and Ms. Collins pointing to what she has done for Maine — underscoring what are likely to be some of their central arguments.”
“The spots represent the start of a flood of political spending in Maine, with the race already on track to be one of the most expensive in state history.”
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.
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