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“The Justice Department is discussing whether to settle President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service in the coming days,” CNN reports.
“Among the options being discussed internally is whether a settlement would include a provision on the IRS dropping audits of the president and members of his family, as well as audits of the family’s businesses.”
“Vice President JD Vance brushed off questions about a possible 2028 GOP primary matchup between himself and Secretary of State Marco Rubio — joking that President Trump is drawing on his experience as host of The Apprentice while analyzing who should be his successor,” the New York Post reports.
Said Vance: “I just don’t think it sounds like the president of the United States to have a televised competition for who would succeed him as his apprentice. I just think that’s not at all what you would expect the president to do.”
“Sen. Chris Van Hollen issued a public callout to FBI Director Kash Patel on Wednesday, filling his end of a bargain the pair had made during a tense Senate hearing a day prior to both release their results on an alcohol abuse test,” NOTUS reports.
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“Florida may have violated the Constitution when it donated a valuable property in downtown Miami for President Trump to build a presidential library that is likely to include for-profit businesses,” the New York Times reports.
“The suit argues that Mr. Trump, his library foundation, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis and other Florida officials and entities violated the Constitution’s domestic emoluments clause, which prohibits the president from accepting money or gifts from states.”
“The Trump administration will withhold $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid payments from California, Vice President JD Vance announced on Wednesday, saying the state had failed to combat fraud in the public health insurance program,” the New York Times reports.
“House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced a new effort on Wednesday to combat sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill following several high-profile cases,” the Washington Post reports.
“The announcement follows recent resignations by two members accused of misconduct and new information about ongoing investigations into at least two more. The cases have triggered heightened pressure on the House to tighten its rules.”
Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) told a 20-something female staffer it was “disappointing to feel something that used to be easy has gotten complicated” after she did not want to have dinner with him in May 2025, Axios reports.
The female staffer complained about Edwards’ behavior and was worried about retaliation from the congressman.
Rick Hasen: “Over his two decades on the Supreme Court, United States Chief Justice John Roberts had consistently played the long game when it comes to the court’s weakening of voting rights. That was until the past few weeks. With a series of major upheavals in the past month alone, Roberts has signaled that he is shifting to a two-minute offense.”
“This change of velocity, heralded by rulings relating to Louisiana’s and Alabama’s redistricting, threatens to continually upend American elections and create incentives for maximum partisan warfare at exactly the wrong time. The question is why Roberts is suddenly playing like a man running out of time.”
“The Senate narrowly confirmed Kevin Warsh chair of the Federal Reserve, setting up the most controversial leadership transition at the U.S. central bank in decades and a test of its political independence,” Bloomberg reports.
“The 54-45 vote Wednesday was the slimmest confirmation margin ever for a head of the central bank, reflecting polarized politics in Congress and Democratic fears that Warsh will bend to President Donald Trump’s demands to rapidly lower interest rates.”
CNBC: “Trump has made no secret that he expects Warsh to lower rates after having lashed out repeatedly at Powell for monetary policy the president has felt was too restrictive.”
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a “secret visit” to the United Arab Emirates, “underlining the growing ties between the countries since the start of the Iran war,” Bloomberg reports.
“William Paul, the son of Sen. Rand Paul, drunkenly hurled antisemitic insults at Republican Rep. Mike Lawler at a Capitol Hill bar and restaurant on Tuesday evening,” NOTUS reports.
“Senate Republicans aren’t sold on their House counterparts’ dreams of passing yet another party-line bill this summer,” Politico reports.
“GOP senators are still trying to push through a narrowly targeted immigration enforcement bill — their second attempt at using the budget reconciliation process this Congress following last summer’s tax-cuts-focused megabill.”
“With that legislation still in flux, they aren’t showing much enthusiasm for the House GOP’s goal of passing a third reconciliation bill by late July — and several aren’t convinced a third bill happens at all.”
“The Trump administration is leaning on the Internal Revenue Service to upend how undocumented immigrants can file their taxes, as officials discuss changes that could force people to tell the agency about their immigration status or disengage from the tax system entirely,” the New York Times reports.
New York Times: “The United States has gathered intelligence that Chinese companies and Iranian officials have discussed the arms transfers. It is not clear how many, if any, arms have been shipped or to what degree Chinese officials have approved the sales.”
“The new disclosure is likely to intensify pressure on President Trump to raise the issue while he is in Beijing this week. But whether Mr. Trump will remains a question.”
“Florida is pushing back against assertions that the state’s new congressional map was drawn to help Republicans, arguing in a new legal filing that other states such as Virginia and Illinois have engaged in much more blatant partisan gerrymandering,” Politico reports.
New York Times: “When President Trump arrived in Beijing on Wednesday, his delegation included a trio of top cabinet officials, more than a dozen corporate executives — and his middle son, Eric Trump.”
“While he is not a member of his father’s administration — nor the head of a corporate behemoth with business in China — Eric Trump does lead the Trump family business. And the company, known as the Trump Organization, has flirted with Chinese business deals over the years, raising the question of whether his presence could blur the lines between government business and private enterprise.”
Tom Nichols: “Last week, the Trump administration released the official 2026 United States Counterterrorism Strategy. The document is a mess, replete with typos, hyperbolic assertions, and an obsession with former President Joe Biden.”
“The bigger problem, however, is that it’s not an actual strategy. It’s more a long set of notes for a campaign speech, a repackaging of President Trump’s various preoccupations and prejudices that frames everything the administration doesn’t like as ‘terrorism’ and any actions it has already taken as ‘counterterrorism.’”
Dan Pfeiffer: “Nothing sums up Trump’s political problems like a recent TIPP poll: only 38% of voters — and 30% of independents — describe his leadership as strong. A plurality, 45%, now call it weak. Among independents, it’s 48%.”
“The candidate whose brand was strength is now seen as weak.”
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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