“Democratic lawmakers and activists criticized Sen. John Fetterman after a Wall Street Journal report found that the senator had shirked many of his duties as a U.S. senator—instead focusing much of his attention on backing Israel and appearing on Fox News,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta (D): “This report is horrifying. 2028 can’t come soon enough.”
“Iran’s renewed attacks against Arab countries are raising the stakes for regional powers, with some saying they are losing hope that there’s any way out of the war — and that things will get worse before the November elections,” Politico reports.
“The fear is that Iran is particularly motivated to increase strikes right now — ahead of the U.S. midterms — making a widening regional conflict more likely.”
“President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order related to beef on Friday, according to two sources familiar with the situation,” Reuters reports.
“One of the sources said the order would pertain to country-of-origin labeling for beef.”
“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.
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.