“John, if there is a decent bone left in your body, just quit. It’s an insult to decent people in our state for you to treat them and the office this way.”
— Former Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), quoted by Punchbowl News, on reports that Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has lost all interest in his job.
“President Donald Trump warned Thursday night that Maria Bartiromo’s fans ‘will not be happy’ after Fox News abruptly parted ways with the longtime anchor,” Mediaite reports.
“Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick disclosed at least $250 million in income last year, mostly from his prior ownership of Cantor Fitzgerald,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Some of the country’s largest employers are pulling back on benefits as they face yet another year of near double-digit health care cost growth,” Axios reports.
“It’s a sign that year-after-year spikes in medical costs have real consequences. And corporations are less willing to eat most of the increases.”
“After winning an upset primary victory over a field of better-funded, establishment-backed rivals, Rep. Analilia Mejia (D-NJ) is launching a super PAC to help other progressive underdogs do the same,” Axios reports.
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) appears to have violated federal ethics law in significant ways when filing recent disclosures of his assets and liabilities, creating confusion about his net worth and holdings,” ProPublica reports.
“Among them: Paxton, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate, reported owning seven homes but said he earned no income from any. Yet all but one was listed for rent during the reporting periods, and some current residents and neighbors at those addresses confirmed that the properties were rented… Receiving income and not reporting it is a violation of federal disclosure law.”
“Maria Bartiromo’s attorney is pushing back on reports surrounding the longtime anchor’s departure from Fox News, saying Friday that claims she was fired or is no longer a Fox employee are ‘absolutely and unequivocally false,'” The Wrap reports.
“Leading AI chatbots provided inaccurate, unclear or outdated replies on 29% of basic questions about elections and voting procedures in tests this year ahead of the midterm elections, according to a new report,” NBC News reports.
“Democrats have an 8 in 10 chance of securing a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives this fall, according to Cornell political scientists whose model has correctly predicted winners of the previous 14 congressional elections,” the Cornell Chronicle reports.
Said professor Peter Enns: “These forecasts aren’t deterministic – there is uncertainty. But given our model’s impressive historical accuracy, if Republicans hold the House, it likely means either everything has gone their way or something unprecedented has happened.”
“Iran has grown more confident in its ability to attack targets in the Middle East and appears determined to continue the conflict for months to frustrate the United States, according to U.S. intelligence reports in recent weeks,” the New York Times reports.
“In many respects, the assessments reflect what has been observable on the ground as fighting erupted again after a period of relative calm. In the past week, Iran targeted ships in the Strait of Hormuz and American troops in the region, and U.S. forces struck inside Iran, killing military personnel and civilians.”
“The new exchanges have been limited so far. But the intelligence reports, according to people who have read them, suggest that Iran’s hard-line government might be contemplating a significant escalation.”
Financial Times: Why the U.S. and Iran keep escalating.
New York Times: “Mr. Mamdani is a master of new media, and his rise to power has been driven largely by his ease in front of a camera and his ability to harness the seeming informality of social media to connect with broad constituencies.”
“But as mayor, he has also been able to use taxpayer funds to create a sprawling network of hundreds of friendly influencers to boost his priorities, provide positive depictions of his administration and enhance his popularity.”
“The administration regularly sends the influencers memos on the mayor’s priorities and encourages them to trumpet his accomplishments, all outside of public scrutiny. The missives are delivered in group chats on Signal, an encrypted messaging app designed to shield posts from public review.”
“Federal regulators are opening an investigation into whether Tesla’s new steering-wheel-free taxis comply with safety rules a day after the company began offering rides in the vehicles,” Associated Press reports.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it was looking into whether Tesla was in full compliance with federal rules in deploying so-called Cybercabs in Austin, Texas, given that the two-seater cars lack steering wheels, mirrors or brake pedals typically required of all vehicles.”
“North Carolina became the first state to start sending out mail-in ballots for November’s U.S. midterm elections on Friday, as Donald Trump’s administration fights to impose sweeping restrictions on the practice before millions of Americans cast their votes,” The Guardian reports.
New York Times: North Carolina set to mail the fall’s first ballots as Trump tries to restrict them.
“The Federal Communications Commission has asked a federal judge to dismiss ABC’s First Amendment lawsuit challenging the agency’s early review of licenses for eight Disney-owned television stations, arguing the court lacks jurisdiction and that the network failed to establish that the scrutiny was retaliation over its programming,” The Wrap reports.
Bloomberg: Trump clash with ABC isn’t about free speech, FCC tells judge.
Lionel Laurent: “The Nov. 19 release date of video-game series Grand Theft Auto’s latest installment must seem like an agonizing wait for fans. But there’s an amuse bouche for those looking for perhaps less bloody but just as dramatic interactive thrills: A new game that puts you in the shoes of a French budget minister trying to bring public finances under control.”
“Created by a former advisor to one-time prime minister and current presidential candidate Gabriel Attal, the ‘Battle of the Budget‘ is educational, entertaining and a little depressing. You start off creating your own minister – battle-hardened politician, ivory-tower academic or charismatic tycoon – and then make a series of choices to craft the next budget, from the pace of deficit reduction to choosing which specific subsidy to withdraw.”
“So far, so predictable. But it’s after those initial choices that the game really cranks up a gear, unfolding episode by episode like a Netflix series.”
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.
