Los Angeles Times/UC Berkeley Poll: “Karen Bass, Nithya Raman and Spencer Pratt are locked in a tight battle for Los Angeles mayor, with incumbent Bass holding what pollsters called a statistically insignificant lead ahead of Tuesday’s primary.”
“Bass had 26% support from likely voters, followed by City Councilmember Raman with 25% support… Pratt, the former reality TV personality making his first bid for elected office, had support from 22% of the likely voters surveyed.”
Louis Jacobson: “If you want your money to go as far as possible, Alaska’s Senate race—which is one of several competitive races that could determine control of the Senate—may be your best bet anywhere in the U.S.”
“The state has three media markets, none of them bigger than 146th in the nation.”
An on the House side, the best bet is Nebraska’s 2nd district: “This is one of four House seats on our list that are one-media-market districts, and it ranks first because it has the smallest market of any of them. This seat is one of the Democrats’ biggest flip opportunities; Kamala Harris won the district in 2024 by five points.”
Washington Post: “The Supreme Court on Thursday sided with a Mississippi man who was sent to death row for his role in the murder of shopkeeper, upholding a lower court’s decision to vacate his conviction because of potential racial bias in jury selection.”
Former first lady Jill Biden denied in a CBS News interview that she saw signs her husband Joe Biden was in cognitive decline when he was president.
Said Mrs. Biden: “He was the same, the essence of the same Joe Biden, but yeah, he was slowing down.”
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi will answer questions about the Justice Department’s release of investigative files connected to Jeffrey Epstein in a closed-door, transcribed interview, not a sworn deposition, NewsNation reports.
A former senior Biden campaign advisor told Politico that Jill Biden’s recent comments on her husband’s 2024 debate performance are “revisionist history.”
Said the person: “She and a handful of other close advisors around President Biden kept gaslighting us, telling those of us on the campaign we were the ones who were wrong, and that he just had a ‘bad night.’ I think she saw the reputational harm this caused her and is therefore taking a new position.”
Chris Cillizza: “How Jill Biden acted in the days and weeks following Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance does NOT comport with her statement this week that she was scared for his well being during the debate and thought he might have suffered a stroke.”
“On the other hand, if Jill Biden really did believe that something serious was wrong with her husband and acted the way she did, that’s worse? Right?”
Axios: “U.S. and Iranian negotiators have reached an agreement on a 60-day memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire and launch negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, but President Trump has yet to give his final approval.”
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) told a reporter she will not be a presidential candidate in 2028.
Said Whitmer: “I think there will be a robust group of people running for president. I will not be one of them in 2028.”
The No Kings movement has announced a nationwide event on June 14, “directly counter-programming Donald Trump’s 80th birthday celebrations and a Ultimate Fighting Championship bout on the south lawn of the White House,” The Guardian reports.
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned Iran’s “Persian Gulf Strait Authority,” the agency launched this month as Tehran works to exert control of transit through the Strait of Hormuz, CNBC reports.
“The head of the Iranian parliament’s national security commission laid out Tehran’s “red lines” for any agreement with the US Thursday — and they’re diametrically opposed to those of President Trump,” the New York Post reports.
Said Ebrahim Azizi: “Iran will not be pushed back by Trump’s rhetoric from its red lines: the right to enrich uranium, possession of enriched uranium, authority over the Strait of Hormuz, and the removal of sanctions.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he’s forming a new Commission of Government Efficiency, or COGE, to improve the way City Hall spends public funds, Bloomberg reports.
Said Mamdani: “This commission will find ways for our city to work smarter, faster and more efficiently for working people. New Yorkers deserve a city government as careful with their money as they are.”
CNN: “The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission is asking a judge to vacate the Biden-era penalty that it imposed last year on a cryptocurrency exchange run by Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss — prominent donors to President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.”
Seth Masket: “Trump appears to believe that Republican officeholders will fare better if they are seen as closely aligned with him. Perhaps the best expression of this belief is the Republican Party’s intended midterm convention this September.”
“This is a pretty novel move, driven almost entirely by President Trump. Details on the midterm convention are vague so far, but it looks likely to be held in Dallas or Las Vegas.”
“My guess is that its effect on Republican fortunes in the fall is likely to be zero or negative. But it also nicely highlights Trump’s idea of just what conventions are for (which is not what conventions are for).”
Jonathan Bernstein: “Overall, it does seem to me that the Senate majority next year is as close to a toss-up as possible. Democrats need to gain four seats to reach 51. That’s not just a realistic possibility; it’s as likely as not.”
“And at this point, there are far more known unknowns that could break the Democrats’ way than those that could favor the GOP, which makes up for a playing field (based on which states are holding elections this year) that still slants away from Democrats.”
Bloomberg: “A former hedge fund titan turned leftist firebrand, Steyer is vying to become California’s next governor by running against his own class. His calls to cap oil refinery profits, break up electric utility monopolies and impose a one-time wealth tax on billionaires have infuriated the business community. They’ve also placed him in striking distance of surviving a crowded June 2 primary and reaching the general election in November.”
“With $212.6 million of his own money spent to date, averaging more than $1 million per day, it’s one of the most expensive gubernatorial campaigns in US history.”
Jonathan Lemire and Nancy Youssef: “Trump’s failure to make a deal doesn’t stem from a lack of desire. He has spent weeks casting about for a way out of the conflict. He has tried to force Iran’s surrender with a series of escalating threats and deadlines. But each time, Iran has called his bluff, and Trump has found ways to extend the cease-fire, which was put in place before Vice President Vance visited Islamabad in mid-April in hopes of securing a broader deal but returned empty-handed.”
“Despite his frequent threats, Trump is reluctant to resume hostilities; aides told us he is mindful of depleted U.S. munitions supplies and fears that Iran would retaliate against the energy infrastructure of its Gulf neighbors, worsening the world’s fuel crisis.”
“Aides believe the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, stopping Iranian oil exports, will eventually cause Iran to buckle. But Trump has expressed impatience with the process and has encouraged negotiators to intensify their efforts.”
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.
