Political Wire

Record Diesel Prices Stoke Inflation

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“The record price of diesel threatens to stoke inflation at a time when consumers are already price-sensitive and businesses are reeling from higher costs due to trade tensions,” Axios reports.

“Diesel is a key cost throughout the supply chain, meaning soaring prices could eventually show up in what consumers pay for everything from groceries to household goods.”

”The national average price of a gallon of diesel topped $6 for the first time ever… That’s up 60% from a year earlier.”

Financial Times: U.S. diesel hits record $6 a gallon on Iran supply shock.

Attack On Saudi Pipeline Threatens Key Mideast Oil Routes

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“A key Saudi Arabian pipeline to the Red Sea was shut down after it was hit with ‘several drones’ launched Thursday from Iraq, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement early Saturday, as Iranian-backed Houthi fighters claimed major victories in Yemen, expelling Saudi forces from the country’s Red Sea coast,” the Washington Post reports.

“The separate attacks posed new challenges to the region’s ability to export oil amid the ongoing U.S. war with Iran, and further unnerved global oil markets.”

CNN: Saudi Arabian oil pipeline system hit by projectiles triggering fires.

Chinese Satellite Imagery Linked to Iranian Strike

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“Before Iran carried out its attack that killed three U.S. troops in July, Tehran acquired high-resolution satellite images of the base in Jordan from Chinese entities, according to U.S. officials familiar with details of the incident,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“It is the clearest evidence so far that Chinese support for Iran during the war has had lethal consequences for U.S. forces, according to the officials, who say the U.S. has connected the imagery to the attack.”

Populist Republicans and Democratic Socialists Are Merging

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Wall Street Journal: “That a Democratic socialist mayor and a Republican vice president have found common cause disparaging free-market icons heralds the ascendance of what could be called the Horseshoe party.”

“‘Horseshoe theory’ describes the tendency of the political extremes to bend toward each other. Coined decades ago to describe the similarities between communism and fascism, today it captures how Republicans’ populist wing, typified by Vance, and the progressive left, represented by Mamdani, have drawn closer to each and more distant from the center of their own parties.”

“Both extremes disdain free markets and globalization while embracing big, coercive government. They are obsessed with identity; the populist right rails against immigration while the progressive left inveighs against ‘colonialism’ and systemic racism. They are populists who see ordinary people pitted against global elites, including their own party establishments.”

North Carolina GOP Rally Opened by Sex Offender

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“A pastor kicked off a recent campaign stop for Michael Whatley, the Republican nominee for Senate, with a prayer that asked God to bestow ‘integrity and honesty’ upon the event and to right wrongs ‘hammered down on the conservative movement,'” the Associated Press reports.

“The prayer was hardly unusual by North Carolina political standards. What was surprising was the man who delivered it. Pastor Daimon L. King is a registered sex offender, twice sentenced to prison for convictions involving children, according to state and court records.”

Trump Has No Plans to Strike Houthis for Now

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“The Trump administration is offering significant intelligence and targeting assistance to Saudi Arabia but does not currently plan on launching direct military attacks against the Houthis,” ABC News reports.

“Both officials cautioned that the administration’s thinking could change, particularly if the threat to Red Sea shipping lanes escalates significantly.”

Misconduct Inquiry Gives Mikie Sherrill Another Headache

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“New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a rising star in the Democratic Party, is facing the second major political headache of her first year in office after opening an investigation examining allegations surrounding her lieutenant governor,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Sherrill has hired an outside law firm to probe allegations that Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell was behaving inappropriately with women. That probe has been under way for months, according to a person interviewed by attorneys with the firm, but wasn’t made public at the time.”

Bush Paints the Moment He Was Told About 9/11

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“Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks that defined his presidency, George W. Bush is revisiting the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, through paintings,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Bush has created a new series commemorating 9/11, depicting scenes and people connected to the attacks and their aftermath. The collection, ‘Remembering 9/11,’ is on display at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas through the end of September.”

Washington Post: For years, Bush was mocked for this 9/11 moment. Now he’s painted it.

Republicans Tout Growth, Grapple with Inflation Concerns

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“The Republican faithful, gathered in arena hallways and hotel ballrooms during this week’s midterm convention, projected confidence they had a good story to tell on the economy,” Bloomberg reports.

“Some pointed to the steady unemployment rate and stock market growth as evidence of a new ‘Golden Age’ driven by a resilient economy and American consumer, while others argued immigration and manufacturing policies were yielding a better life for U.S. citizens.”

“Still, a latent anxiety hung over Dallas. The reality — that polls suggest voters are in fact quite anxious about the state of the economy, and preparing to punish Republicans in November’s midterm elections — has become hard for even President Donald Trump to ignore.”

Contractor Blames Own Work for Reflecting Pool Damage

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“The contractor hired to renovate the Reflecting Pool says its repair work caused the pool’s liner to peel and bubble, according to documents first reviewed by The New York Times,” Axios reports.

“President Trump has repeatedly blamed vandals for the pool’s damage and has pushed to prosecute some of them, even after U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro dropped the cases.”

“The contractor, Atlantic Industrial Coatings, admitted that both the design and execution of the renovation were flawed.”

Susan Collins Criticizes Trump’s Canada Insults

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“Sen. Susan Collins, who faces her toughest re-election campaign to date, is working closely with top Trump administration officials to try to lessen the impact of the U.S.’s escalating trade dispute with Canada,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“But she says President Trump’s own tone and rhetoric surrounding the tariffs have been inappropriate and unhelpful in her border state, whose culture and economy is intertwined with the U.S.’s northern neighbor.”

Said Collins: “We’re linked in so many ways. It’s economic, it’s emotional, and to hear the president gratuitously calling prime ministers ‘governor’ or suggesting that Canada should be part of the United States or renaming Lake Ontario is painful. It is not conducive to getting back to the table and resolving these issues.”

GOP Candidate Backs Away From ‘Stolen Election’ Claims

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“Republican congressional hopeful Ryan Elijah, who defeated embattled Rep. Cory Mills in a bitter primary contest last month, backtracked this week on a series of previous claims he made about the 2020 election being stolen from President Donald Trump,” the Washington Sun reports.

“But when asked by local Florida TV station WKMG News 6 Wednesday if he thought the election was stolen, Elijah said, ‘No.'”

About Political Wire

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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