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New York Times: “President Trump has defined his career in politics with displays of dominance and control. But in the Middle East, he faces a rolling crisis that keeps thwarting those impulses.”
“One hundred days after starting the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, Mr. Trump is grappling with his own version of the sort of Middle East military quagmire that beset his predecessors — and that he promised to avoid.”
Wall Street Journal: “The government of Lebanon is barely able to manage the basic requirements of statehood. It can provide electricity for only a few hours a day, and people avoid its flattened currency in favor of dollars. Its military is only the second-most-powerful force in the country after Hezbollah—or the third counting Israel, which has been expanding its monthslong occupation.”
“But it is now being pressed by the U.S., Israel and many of its own people toward a confrontation with Hezbollah that risks tilting the country into a new civil war.”
“If you were making a list of 1,000 adjectives to describe this guy, ‘masculine’ would not be one of them. I mean, if a stiff breeze came by it would blow him over like a feather.”
— Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), on Fox News, talking about U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D).
NOTUS: “Democrat Al Franken is sitting on a small political fortune — and he’s preparing to use it.”
“Franken, who federal records indicate has more than $1.4 million in leftover cash sitting in his old U.S. Senate campaign account, is ‘likely to convert’ that committee into a political action committee ‘in the near future,’ Al Franken for Senate Treasurer Thomas Borman wrote in a letter to federal regulators this week.”
Bloomberg: “President Donald Trump renewed his claims of momentum toward ending the conflict with Iran, after brokering a halt to hostilities between Israel and the Islamic Republic and easing tensions that had threatened to derail broader peace efforts.”
Said Trump: “We’re in the final throes of what will be a very, very good deal. We could have at least an idea one or two days from now.”
“A report on alcohol’s health effects, commissioned by the federal government but unreleased under President Trump, came out Tuesday — in a scientific journal,” Stat reports.
“The study finds even low levels of drinking may increase the risk of various diseases or even death.”
“The Alcohol Intake and Health Study began in 2023 and was run by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as part of an update to the United States’ dietary guidelines. However, the panel’s work was quickly embroiled in controversy, with some members of Congress and alcohol industry trade groups alleging scientists on the project held an anti-alcohol bent.”
Axios: “Democrats are taking the fight over future House maps down ballot, with the super PAC Forward Majority planning to spend $30 million on two dozen state legislative races this year.”
“They’re betting that as few as eight statehouse races could help determine who controls redistricting for six U.S. House seats ahead of 2028.”
New York Times: “A U.S. Army Apache helicopter gunship went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and the two crew members were safely rescued.”
“It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure or encountered some other problem”
“A lawyer who represented Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for nearly a decade over accusations of corruption and securities fraud is supporting Democrat James Talarico — and not his former client — in one of the biggest U.S. Senate races,” the Associated Press reports.
“Vice President JD Vance, who leads the White House anti-fraud task force, has referred allegations of complicity surrounding fraud in Minnesota, including against Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation,” CNN reports.
Rolling Stone: “New York was having a little too much fun celebrating the Knicks’ first NBA Finals appearance since 1999 — so Donald Trump had to crash the party.”
“The president threw Midtown Manhattan and Madison Square Garden into logistical chaos on Monday after announcing last week that he would be attending Game 3 of the Finals in person. During the singing of the National Anthem, Trump was loudly booed out by the fans in attendance.”
New York Times: “San Francisco voters appear to have rejected a significant tax increase on highly paid corporate executives that had been opposed by some of the most powerful people in the tech industry.”
Wall Street Journal: “President Trump and his associates are escalating allegations of election fraud in California, turning to a playbook they have used previously to sow doubt about election results.”
“Even before former reality television star Spencer Pratt missed the cut for the November runoff against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, he was losing ground in postelection Day vote tallies to Los Angeles City Council member and Democratic socialist Nithya Raman, prompting Trump and others to allege that the state’s vote counting wasn’t just slow, but ‘rigged.'”
“The Trump administration and congressional Democrats are locked in a high-stakes stalemate that’s dramatically increasing the likelihood that a major government surveillance program will expire,” Politico reports.
“Democrats have coalesced behind an ultimatum: They won’t support a reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act as long as Bill Pulte, an ally of President Donald Trump with no national security experience, remains acting director of national intelligence.”
“The White House is standing by Pulte, at least publicly, while accusing Democrats of holding the spy power ‘hostage’ and putting the country’s ‘national security at risk.'”
ABC News: Democratic revolt over Trump’s DNI pick Pulte derails FISA momentum ahead of deadline.
Bloomberg: “The race for California governor is on track for a two-person runoff in November between veteran Democratic politician Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton, a British-born television personality endorsed by President Donald Trump.”
“Becerra, who served as US health secretary in the Biden administration, took first place in the primary with more than 27% of the vote, while Hilton was in second at 25%, according to a tally by Decision Desk HQ, which projected the pair would be the top two finishers.”
“Republicans are in a place where they prefer to see Democrats: caught in a bind on US-Israel relations,” Semafor reports.
“Many GOP lawmakers don’t like the tense dynamic between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Iran war, particularly the rift between them that reopened over the weekend. Trump publicly told Netanyahu not to retaliate against Iran only to watch Netanyahu briefly forge ahead anyway.”
Washington Post: Trump’s grip on the GOP leaves Netanyahu with few places to turn.
New York Post: Trump scolds Netanyahu in testy phone call.
Bloomberg: “President Donald Trump nominated Acting US Attorney General Todd Blanche to fill the position on a permanent basis, rewarding a loyal ally whose controversial actions ensure an uphill Senate confirmation fight.”
“The White House announced Monday it had sent Blanche’s nomination to the Senate, a move Trump telegraphed last week during remarks at a private event in the Rose Garden. Blanche formerly served as one of Trump’s personal lawyers before the president picked him for the No. 2 position at the Justice Department.”
Bloomberg: “Donald Trump called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to fire the Senate’s top rules keeper after one of her decisions thwarted the president’s efforts to attach voter identification legislation to a budget package.”
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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