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“President Donald Trump will be at the center of this week’s GOP midterm convention. Many of his fellow Republicans are hoping he doesn’t make it all about him,” Politico reports.
”The parade of lawmakers, candidates, donors and party officials now headed to Dallas for the two-day spectacle are counting on Trump to make a compelling pitch on the national stage before voters hit the polls.”
NPR: Republicans hope unconventional convention will rally voters ahead of midterms.
“It’s still exceedingly difficult to buy oneself a seat in Congress,” NOTUS reports.
“During the 2026 midterms, a record number of wealthy Americans — 69 — have spent more than $1 million of their own money to support their campaigns for federal office.”
“And with primary season ending in the next several days with contests in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Delaware, about two-thirds of these self-funding candidates have turned out to be losers who couldn’t advance to the November general election.”
New York Times: “The doctor who sued the couple was Roger Marshall, now a senator from Kansas. Mr. Marshall, a Republican who is seeking re-election this fall, filed lawsuits against more than 700 patients with outstanding bills during his decades-long career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, according to a New York Times analysis of Kansas court records.”
“Patients were arrested in 81 of those cases for missing court dates, the record show. In an additional 13 lawsuits, Mr. Marshall’s lawyers sought warrants but it is unclear whether an arrest occurred.”
“They also garnished patients’ paychecks and bank accounts. They routinely charged patients an 18 percent annual interest rate.”
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“Democrats have gained sharply with Latino voters in some of the country’s most competitive House districts since 2024, a new Hart Research/TelevisaUnivision poll shared exclusively with Axios shows,” Axios reports.
“President Trump came close to erasing Democrats’ longtime advantage among Latinos in the last presidential election. Now, with control of Congress at stake and Trump’s approval ratings hitting new lows, that breakthrough appears to have eroded.”
“Campaigning on health care used to mean talking about coverage or costs. Now, in the run-up to the midterms, it’s just as likely to focus on ‘corruption,'” Axios reports.
“Candidates are accusing primary or general election opponents of being in the pockets of drugmakers, insurers and other powerful health interests, to the detriment of voters.”
”It’s a strategy that plays into affordability concerns and voter anger at the health system — but frequently avoids addressing what about the system needs fixing.”
“Veterans and Democrats are escalating efforts to prevent construction on President Donald Trump’s planned arch as the anticipated start of site work approaches, arguing the project is illegal and would diminish the experience of visiting nearby Arlington National Cemetery,” the Washington Post reports.
NPR: Trump’s construction projects are transforming the capital.
“From the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, it was clear this year’s battle for the Senate majority would come down to what happened on Republican turf. Now, there’s an increasing sense in both parties that the Senate is up for grabs this fall, even in red territory,” NBC News reports.
“Republican senators are warning that the Senate’s bipartisan cryptocurrency regulatory bill is likely to fail next week when the chamber returns,” Semafor reports.
“There’s been little movement on the key Democratic demand, an ethics component governing the president and his family.”
“The war in Iran has now cost U.S. consumers $100 billion in higher energy prices, and the bill is rising another $1 million about every two minutes, per a real-time estimate from Brown University as of Monday morning,” Axios reports.
“Energy inflation shows up across the entire economy, and the recent surge in diesel prices in particular threatens to have a dramatic impact on freight and travel in the weeks and months to come.”
“An alleged attack on Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton remained under investigation Monday but the aftermath of the weekend incident made one thing clear: Acton’s closer-than-expected race against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio has become extraordinarily toxic,” the Washington Post reports.
NBC News: Amy Acton reflects on a “rough day” as witnesses recall “frightening” confrontation.
“When Corey Lewandowski was at the Department of Homeland Security, he approached senior Qatari officials with a proposal,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Hire me on the side, the longtime Trump aide who was effectively the shadow secretary at the department last year, told them… He said he could help the tiny, wealthy Gulf state with any issues that fell under the department’s purview, such as visas…”
“The alleged moneymaking efforts, which appeared to be offers by Lewandowski to sell government services for personal gain, came while he had an expansive portfolio at one of the most powerful agencies in the federal government.”
“For decades, Washington has replayed the same fight over taming the soaring national debt: Democrats cite a need for more taxes. Republicans refuse. And anyone who suggests cutting the biggest source of spending — federal retirement benefits — gets attacked,” the Washington Post reports.
“But a coming crisis in Social Security appears to be pushing at least a few Republicans off the GOP’s long-standing pledge never to raise taxes.”
“This summer, Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) joined Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in proposing to raise the payroll tax cap so people with higher incomes pay more into the program. Now the idea is emerging as an acceptable fix among other GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Tom Cole, the influential chair of the House Appropriations Committee.”
“The son of former President Joe Biden is launching a meme coin that takes aim at his family’s nemesis, Donald Trump. And he’s naming it for the most-infamous personal computer in American political history,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Yes, Hunter Biden’s laptop will live on. At least on the blockchain.”
“Biden’s token will trade under the ticker, $LAPTOP, and launch Sept. 9 on Base, a digital ledger built by Coinbase Global, the largest U.S. crypto exchange.”
“President Donald Trump posted an image of dark ‘next generation’ U.S. Space Force uniforms on Sunday that the text claims were ‘inspired by the discipline and functionality of the Starship Trooper uniform’ – a design the director of the 1997 film Starship Troopers said was directly meant to evoke Nazis,” the Tribune News Service reports.
“Greenland is cashing in on President Trump’s threats and talk of dealmaking by using its position as a strategic Arctic linchpin to draw investments from European allies,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Union’s executive arm, visited Greenland on Monday and pledged investments worth 200 million euros, equivalent to about $230 million, in minerals, satellite communications and renewable energy.”
“The move is the latest in an international tug of war for influence over the vast island.”
“Donald Trump has called for a boycott of Bombardier, the Canadian business jet manufacturer, as Ottawa prepares to impose $20 billion in retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods in the intensifying trade war between the countries,” the Financial Times reports.
CNBC: Trump says Bombardier can’t sell in U.S. unless Canada aerospace giant builds there.
“New Hampshire hasn’t elected a Republican Senator in 16 years but Democrats are now at risk of losing a seat to the scion of a political dynasty, jeopardizing their chances of controlling the upper chamber,” Bloomberg reports.
“Voters from both parties will head to the polls on Tuesday to pick their nominees to replace Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who decided not to run again. The leading contender on the Democrat side is U.S. House Representative Chris Pappas. For Republicans, it’s John Sununu, who previously served in the Senate from 2003 to 2009 and whose brother and father were popular New Hampshire governors.”
“An unexpected Democratic loss in the Granite State would wipe out a hard-fought midterm victory elsewhere and complicate the party’s chances of securing the net gain of four seats that they need to win a Senate majority.”
“The Trump administration has removed language criticizing a memorial to the Confederacy formerly located in Arlington National Cemetery, part of its ongoing effort to reshape portrayals of the Civil War,” the Washington Post reports.
“The Confederate Memorial, a 32-foot bronze statue commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy and unveiled in 1914, was removed from the military cemetery in 2023. Its removal followed a congressional mandate to rid U.S. military property of names and symbols honoring the Confederacy and its leaders.”
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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