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“It flies further and faster than any Air Force One. You don’t have to stop for fuel every few hours. You maybe will never have to stop a fuel. It’s got, they call it unlimited, well it’s pretty close to unlimited.”
— President Trump, unveiling the new Air Force One.
“President Donald Trump is now throwing his support behind both of the remaining Republicans in the South Carolina governor’s race as he seeks to avoid the possibility of another primary setback this month,” NBC News reports.
“Trump had endorsed Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette in late May, less than two weeks before the initial South Carolina primary. But in a Truth Social post Friday, Trump said he is also backing Attorney General Alan Wilson in Tuesday’s GOP runoff, saying the two rivals are ‘MAGA and America First all the way!'”
Mediaite: Trump pulls the rug from candidate he previously endorsed, now says he’s endorsing her opponent also.
Ed Kilgore: “As the clock ticks down toward the midterm elections, Republicans are desperate for the Trump administration to focus on advancing an affordability agenda that might bring back some of the voters they’ve lost since the 2024 election.”
“Sure, there’s the possibility of a housing bill finally being enacted, not that anyone believes it will have an immediate impact on the cost of shelter. And yes, the president’s Iran peace deal, if it sticks, will relieve upward pressure on energy prices, especially the gasoline prices politicians follow obsessively.”
“But with all the chaos currently afflicting the GOP legislative and messaging machine, it’s likely too late for the party to put together a compelling argument that Trump is keeping the promises he made to bring back pre-pandemic prices and place a steady hand on the national tiller.”
Los Angeles Times: “There’s little sign of national coordination among the candidates, and it’s unclear whether voters are gravitating toward their promises of improved government services, their vows to fight the Trump administration or their critiques of capitalism.”
“But from coast to coast, confrontational progressives are advancing in mayoral races. City leaders can draw outsized attention for their successes and failures, and democratic socialists will be under pressure from residents to deliver on their vows for a new kind of governance. Whether that translates to national politics is a next test for their movement.”
“A federal judge on Friday rejected former President Biden’s attempt to block the Trump administration from releasing to a conservative group the recordings that Biden made with a ghostwriter,” the Los Angeles Times reports.
ABC News: Judge says DOJ can provide Biden conversations with ghostwriter to Heritage Foundation.
“Democratic-led states are racing to safeguard November’s midterm elections against potential interference from the Trump administration and its allies, passing new laws that restrict the presence of law enforcement at polling places or seek to thwart the federal government’s efforts to obtain sensitive election material,” CNN reports.
“Five states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington state — have recently enacted legislation to shield their elections from federal actions.”
Alexander Burns: “A decade ago, Trump waged his first-ever political campaign as a nationalist crusader, demanding harder borders and more muscular American sovereignty. When the United Kingdom held its 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union — the 10-year anniversary is in a few days — Trump cheered it on and crowned himself ‘Mr. Brexit.'”
“In his second term, Trump’s grasp of nationalist politics has slipped. He has underestimated the power of patriotism and national pride in countries other than his own.”
“This serial miscalculation has undermined Trump’s trade wars and military adventures, aggravated the cost-of-living crisis, weakened the Republican Party and battered Trump’s bonds with the global right.”
Washington Post: “Farmers, one of Republicans’ most loyal voting blocs, are increasingly voicing discontent with the party’s policies, which they say are making an already precarious business even harder.”
“Iranian and American negotiators gave themselves a 60-day sprint to go from a loosely defined Memorandum of Understanding signed with a felt-tipped flourish by President Donald Trump on Wednesday to a final, full-fledged peace accord,” the Washington Post reports.
“Make that 59 days. The chaos that has ensued in spite of the ticking clock makes clear how much uncertainty remains before the war is fully resolved along with other complex issues including the future of Iran’s nuclear program.”
The Guardian: Trump’s Iran deal could place his legacy in the hands of Tehran.
“President Trump’s deal with Iran will allow the Islamic Republic to sell its crude and fuels like diesel on the open market for the first time since 2018,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The pact—signed by Trump and by Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian this week—would let Iran immediately begin selling its oil, waiving sanctions and paving the way for services such as banking, transportation and insurance to facilitate transactions.”
“The U.S. is working with Qatar on a plan to make billions of dollars in frozen funds available to Iran for humanitarian spending, another early financial incentive under the recently signed deal to end the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The plan, which isn’t yet completed, is aimed at giving Iran access to the spending power of some of its estimated $100 billion in cash frozen worldwide, beginning with $6 billion held in Qatar.”
“Under the deal, Qatar would allow purchases of food, medicine and other humanitarian goods ordered by Iran’s central bank with money drawn from frozen Iranian assets, mainly cash from oil sales that has been locked up overseas by sanctions.”
“Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued unabated in southern Lebanon, casting fresh uncertainty over planned talks between the US and Iran to permanently end the war in the Middle East and curb Tehran’s nuclear program,” Bloomberg reports.
“Iran postponed negotiations that were meant to begin in Switzerland on Friday because of the ongoing fighting.”
“President Donald Trump on Friday claimed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was intentionally vandalized and said law enforcement is actively investigating, as the administration has scrambled to fix the pool’s recent deterioration just days after Trump’s nearly $15 million renovation,” CNN reports.
“U.S. intelligence agencies have warned the Trump administration that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to take steps that will undermine President Donald Trump’s effort to reach a lasting peace deal with Iran,” the Washington Post reports.
“Israel appears intent on maintaining military operations against Iran’s proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon, an aim that would flout a core element of the fledgling agreement that calls for an end to hostilities in that country, according to intelligence reports, including one circulated this week.”
WSJ Poll: “Those in the wealthiest classes have lost faith that an economy that has benefited them can lift future generations. Some 86% of people who call themselves upper class or upper-middle class say they lack confidence that life for their children will be better than theirs has been.”
“That’s up from 64% in a 2019 survey and shows a level of pessimism that matches the views of less-fortunate groups.”
NewsNation: American dream attainable? Fewer in new poll say anyone can achieve.
“President Trump reinforced his criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, after the pair traded insults following their interaction at the Group of Seven summit in France this past week,” The Hill reports.
Said Trump: “She was a big fan.”
He added: “But I don’t want her as a fan because she was not there — along with the NATO group — having to do with the strait.”
“The friendship between former first lady Michelle Obama and former President George W. Bush was on display again Thursday at the Obama Presidential Center’s opening ceremony in Chicago,” CBS News reports.
“Ahead of the ceremony, Bush gifted Obama a tin of Altoids in a callback to one of their viral moments at the funeral for Sen. John McCain in 2018. The former president was caught sneaking Obama what was later said to be a cough drop during the funeral.”
“When Gavin Newsom made the startling announcement on Monday that he and his wife were under federal investigation, the California governor turned to a well-worn strategy: making political hay out of confrontation with President Trump,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Newsom, a Democrat, said in a social-media video that Trump was behind the Justice Department probe ‘because I am considering running for president.’ Less than three hours later, Newsom’s political-action committee sent out a fundraising plea urging supporters to help him ‘stand up to Trump and fight off this political witch hunt.'”
“Since Trump’s return to the White House, Newsom has used his bully pulpit to position himself as one of the most prominent faces of the Democratic Party’s resistance to the president.”
Mediaite: Gavin Newsom rages at Trump amid DOJ investigation.
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.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
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— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
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— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.