“President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that his controversial proposal to send a $5,000 check to every American would not need approval from Congress,” Mediaite reports.
Said Trump: “Well, we think not. I think they will do it if we needed it. But we think not. The country is doing so well, we’ve taken in trillions of dollars in tariffs and other things.”
A new Cygnal poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 51% to 42%.
“More reinforcements that Republicans have eagerly anticipated from President Donald Trump’s war chest arrived Thursday with additional spending in House and Senate races, bringing the total so far to $57 million,” the Washington Post reports.
“‘This place is packed,’ President Trump said, looking out at a red-capped and rhinestoned crowd. ‘Not only is this packed, but you have an equal number of people standing outside,'” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“There were no lines outside of American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas on the sweltering first night of the Republican Party’s midterm convention. The arena’s upper deck was nearly empty. The middle tier, only slightly fuller. A frantic energy circulated in the foyers as staff ushered attendees onto the convention floor before the president took the stage.”
“I don’t believe in the word regret. You can always question yourself a little bit. And a few people have asked me that. If I had it to do again, I’d do exactly as I did.”
— President Trump, quoted by Axios, when asked if he would have started the Iran war again.
“Iran has resumed its production of ballistic missiles using stockpiled components and working in underground facilities, eroding what the U.S. and Israel have touted as a major achievement of the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“A monthslong selloff in government bonds is skidding into dangerous ground, pushing borrowing costs toward levels that some fear will finally damage the stock market and the economy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Yields on U.S. Treasurys, which rise when bond prices fall, surged anew on Thursday, lifted by a new jump in oil prices, a firm wholesale inflation report and President Trump’s promise to send $5,000 checks to Americans if Republicans keep control of Congress—a pledge that would add more than $1 trillion to the federal deficit.”
“A Trump loyalist who had been tapped to oversee a sprawling and controversial DOJ conspiracy investigation targeting political foes of President Donald Trump abruptly resigned Thursday,” ABC News reports.
“Joe diGenova submitted his resignation to Attorney General Todd Blanche amid what sources described as growing frustrations from Trump and senior DOJ officials regarding his work on the so-called ‘grand conspiracy’ investigation based out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida.”
A new Freedom Project USA/Change Research poll in Florida finds Angie Nixon (D) and Ashley Moody (R) tied in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 47%.
A new InsiderAdvantage poll in Texas finds James Talarico (D) leading Ken Paxton (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 46%.
A new InsiderAdvantage poll in South Carolina finds Darline Graham (R) leading Annie Andrews (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 45% to 43%.
A new InsiderAdvantage poll in Ohio finds Sherrod Brown (D) leading Jon Husted (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 47% to 42%.
“Vice President JD Vance took the unusual step over the spring and summer of calling U.S. military commanders in the Middle East, Europe and Asia directly, seeking their unvarnished assessments of the Iran war, according to current and former officials,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Vance came away from some of his conversations with deep concerns about the overall strategy and the prospects for success, according to people who spoke to him. The assessments made clear the extraordinary amount of pain the Iranian government was prepared to endure in its fight for survival, and the limited supply of U.S. defensive weapons available to block Iran’s retaliatory strikes, or to deal with threats elsewhere.”
Rachel Bade: “The tentpole event had promise for the party, even as some moderate Republicans refused to attend. Turn out the base. Rally the troops. Re-build GOP momentum that’s been tripped up by concerns about prices at the pump and sticker-shock at the grocery store.”
“But even some Republicans are conceding that Night One of the GOP convention was marred by a steady stream of missed opportunities. Chances to draw the contrast with socialist-embracing Democrats that fell through the cracks. Openings to tout legislative victories that went unsaid.”
“And Democrats? They’re positively giddy at what they’re seeing.”
“Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) reassured Democrats that he wouldn’t abandon them if they take back the majority in the fall elections, but the controversy over his surprise video appearance at the GOP midterm convention continued to fuel uncertainty about his political allegiances,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The Pennsylvania senator’s moves have been closely watched as Democrats grow more confident about potentially winning back the Senate. Such a scenario would require flipping red seats in states such as North Carolina, Alaska, Ohio and Maine—and keeping an increasingly isolated Fetterman from defecting to the Republicans.”
For members: Fetterman’s Power Play
“Vice President JD Vance urged Republicans from several battleground states Thursday to ‘nationalize’ their midterm elections this fall,” NBC News reports.
Said Vance: “Number one, we have to remind the American people of all the good things that we’re doing and number two, we have to remind the American people of how effing crazy the Democrats have become over the past couple of years.”
He added: “We’ve got to nationalize this election. We’ve got to talk about all the crazy things the Democrats are doing.”
A new ECU Poll poll in North Carolina finds Roy Cooper (D) leading Michael Whatley (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 52% to 44%.
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.
