Political Wire Members get the complete experience: exclusive analysis, a 24/7 trending news, no advertising, the weekly news quiz and more.
Stay ahead of politics without spending all day following it.
Join today for instant access.
“The count of Americans who believe that corruption is widespread in government is at its highest point in the last 20 years,” Semafor reports.
“Almost nine in 10 Americans say that government corruption is widespread, according to new Gallup polling, an increase of 10 percentage points in the last year.”
“President Donald Trump has said he was puzzled when aides told him he could build a massive new White House ballroom without seeking approval,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump: “Sir, this is the White House, you’re the president of the United States. You can do anything you want.”
”The president has spent his second term in office testing — and often proving — that claim. Within a week of his remarks, Trump had torn down the White House’s East Wing to build his planned ballroom, the most significant change to the White House grounds in generations. He has since directed workers to cut down beloved trees in public parks, ordered up statues at the White House and across the city, and announced plans for new monuments, shaped by his own views for the nation’s capital.”
“The Pentagon has entered a period of profound institutional turmoil, as a crisis of leadership at home converges with a crisis of capacity abroad,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: Six months into the Iran war, Pete Hegseth presides over a Pentagon with fewer senior leaders, fewer critical weapons and less public accountability than at any point in President Trump’s two terms.”
CNN: Army leadership void fuels fears about Hegseth’s culture war fixation.
“Trump administration efforts to force change in the handling of election ballots may be facing a bigger hurdle than the cross-country court challenges and resistance: Election officials insist it is simply too late for them to even try to comply with the proposed rules,” CNN reports.
“In court filings and interviews with CNN, election officials and other mail voting experts said that there is no practical way to comply with the Postal Service’s plans – even if states can find the millions of dollars they expect compliance to cost.”
The Guardian: New system for screening mail-in ballots risks denying entire batches, says whistleblower.
“Republicans have a simple strategy for how to campaign against a slate of independent candidates running for Senate seats in red states: Take every opportunity to tie them to Democrats,” NOTUS reports.
“In Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho and Montana, Republican Senate candidates are running against independents who have held the Democratic Party at arm’s length in order to make competitive runs. These are states where Democratic candidates have flopped in recent years.”
“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his leadership team announced they are eyeing punishment for two House Democrats who bucked their party Tuesday,” Politico reports.
“Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington and Jared Golden of Maine broke with leadership to advance a key procedural vote that revived Republicans’ legislative agenda. The incredibly rare crossing of party lines incensed many House Democrats and top leaders who were then forced to vote on a slate of GOP priorities.”
Axios: Rogue House Democrats face growing push for “consequences.”
“President Donald Trump has a vision for next week’s GOP convention in Dallas: a televised spectacle putting Republican candidates in front of midterm voters and top party donors just two months before the Election Day — with Trump himself headlining the show,” Politico reports.
”But a Politico survey of more than 70 GOP candidates and members revealed that most either do not plan to attend or are still weighing whether to go. Dozens more declined to share their plans.”
“President Donald Trump expressed frustration at the Iranian people on Tuesday night, asking why they are not rebelling against their government,” Mediaite reports.
Said Trump: “I’m not trying to force Iran to the bargaining table, as ABC Fake News reported. I couldn’t care less if they sign a worthless, to them, agreement. I like our position now much better, with almost total control of the Hormuz Strait, and their economy totally collapsing. They are just playing out the inevitable. When are the Iranian people going to rise up and fight?”
“Rep. Stephen Lynch has defeated a younger, more progressive primary challenger, in the highest-profile test remaining for House incumbents after a turbulent primary season,” NBC News reports.
“The 71-year-old incumbent won renomination over Patrick Roath, a 39-year-old former aide to former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. With his win, Lynch staved off an attempt to add him to the list of Democratic officeholders dethroned by rivals pushing for generational change.”
“U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived here to host global economic officials in the Blue Ridge Mountains, fresh off the breakdown of trade talks with Canada, currency and bond-market interventions, and President Trump’s renewed economic threats against Iran,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Two days later, the G-20 finance ministers’ gathering comes to a close amid a global bond-market selloff, spats over tariffs, public insults and fighting over a group photo.”
The Economist: “A year and a half ago, few would have wagered that Pete Hegseth would consolidate power at the Pentagon. Narrowly confirmed by the Senate amid allegations of financial mismanagement in prior jobs and heavy drinking, which Mr Hegseth denied, the former Fox News weekend host and voluble culture warrior appeared badly underqualified and no match for the generals and admirals he would direct.”
“In office, the secretary of war has skirted scandal, be it mishandling classified information or forcing polygraph tests on his underlings. But far from seeing his power wane, Mr Hegseth has firmly taken control of his department and the military’s leadership. A rolling purge of America’s armed forces has cleared out his rivals and those deemed insufficiently loyal.”
“The G20 finance ministers failed to agree on a joint statement after China objected to several provisions, including language addressing huge trade surpluses and countries’ reliance on exports for growth,” Axios reports.
“China was the lone holdout, with the other 19 members backing the language — a sign of widening concern over the pressure that Chinese exports are putting on industries around the world.”
“A super PAC working to reelect Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) is plowing $1.1 million into an ad campaign attacking Democrat Troy Jackson for supporting state legislation that allows transgender women to be housed in women’s prisons,” Axios reports.
“The ad is the latest example of Republicans using visceral attacks on transgender policies to draw sharp contrasts with Democrats on a hot-button cultural issue.”
“Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) is projected to win the often-bitter Democratic Senate primary against Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA),” the Boston Globe reports.
“Joe Biden will attend the New York ceremony on Sept. 11 commemorating the 25th anniversary of the most lethal terrorist attacks in U.S. history, filling out the group of former presidents to attend the event,” the New York Times reports.
“Army Secretary Dan Driscoll’s resignation follows a strained relationship with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and repeated warnings to the White House, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, about what has been described as Hegseth’s widespread and seemingly indiscriminate firing of senior military officers,” ABC News reports.
“Driscoll also warned the White House about unprecedented efforts by Hegseth to block others from advancing into the military’s highest ranks after they had been thoroughly vetted.”
“President Trump said he’s nominating Navy veteran Hung Cao to become the service’s top civilian leader, a job that has been vacant since spring when Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed John Phelan out of the job,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Tuesday’s Democratic primaries in Massachusetts are likely to determine who will represent the state in Washington next year,” the New York Times reports.
“The state is so Democratic that its primaries are usually more consequential than general elections in congressional races. The state’s last Republican House members left office after the 1996 elections. Scott Brown, who won a special election in 2010 after the death of Edward Kennedy, was the only Massachusetts Republican to serve in the Senate since 1979.”
Polls close at 8 p.m. ET.
Leave your reactions in the comments as the results come in.
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”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— 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
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— 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.