A new Fox News Poll finds 71% of voters think the Trump administration lacks a clear strategy for ending the Iran War, including 95% of Democrats, 83% of independents, and 43% of Republicans.
Sixty percent say U.S. military action against Iran was the wrong decision, while just 37% say it was right.
Businessweek: “Marco Rubio is executing the president’s wishes around the world, even when they contradict his past beliefs. What’s his long game?”
Kansas U.S. Senate candidate Adam Hamilton (D) told CNN that he’s not willing to support Sen. Chuck Schumer for Democratic Leader if he wins his challenge to Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS).
“Senate Democrats closed the door Thursday to any significant data center legislation passing Congress before the midterms,” Punchbowl News reports.
“By blocking Sen. Jon Husted’s (R-OH) unanimous consent request to pass the Ratepayer Protection Act, Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) all but ensured lawmakers will go home without acting on an issue worrying a lot of voters.”
“This was a tricky situation for Democrats. They could risk looking bad for blocking a proposal that nearly every House Democrat voted for Wednesday. Or, they could hand Husted a win on the defining issue of his reelection fight against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH).”
“Democrats chose the former, although they deny it has anything to do with politics.”
Ed Kilgore: “While there are plenty of race ratings and election forecasts weighing the odds of a Democratic takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives in November, the single most reliable indicator historically has been the so-called generic congressional ballot, a poll question asking voters which party they want to control the House.”
“It has probably become a bit more reliable of late given the steady rise of straight-ticket voting. And right now, the generic ballot numbers are spiking for the Democratic Party.”
Check the Polling Dashboard for the latest.
“Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. returned to his roots on Thursday during a keynote address at a conference hosted by the Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine nonprofit he helped start,” Stat reports.
“Kennedy, who previously downplayed his work sowing doubt about vaccine safety, has now made it central to his legacy as health secretary.”
MS NOW: Amid measles outbreaks, RFK Jr. headlines anti-vaccine conference.
“The House’s last in-session week before the midterms was beset by furious private finger-pointing between House Democrats following several high-profile rebellions,” Axios reports.
“This dynamic may only worsen if Democrats retake the House, which is set to see an influx of distinctly rebellious and independent lawmakers, particularly on the left.”
“There is even chatter among members contrasting the ability of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) to control members with that of his top deputy, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), according to two House Democrats.”
“The Pentagon is weighing a drastic plan to pull planes, ships, weapons and tens of thousands of U.S. troops from Europe, despite warnings from NATO allies about the growing threat of Russian aggression,” NBC News reports.
“The reduction could be roughly one-third of all U.S. troops in Europe, or roughly 25,000. One U.S. official and another person with knowledge of the deliberations say it could be even larger — as much as half, or up to 40,000 troops.”
“If carried out, it would be the most significant scaling back of the 80,000-strong U.S. military presence in Europe since the aftermath of the Cold War in the 1990s.”
“Democratic consultants are privately encouraging their battleground candidates to avoid talking about artificial intelligence regulations out of fear that powerful tech groups will unleash a tidal wave of spending against them ahead of November,” Politico reports.
“That guidance came from strategists in three separate top-tier House races… And it follows a surge in AI panic on Capitol Hill as industry leaders warn about existential threats posed by their rapidly developing technology.”
“One of the most important lessons from the war with Iran is one that few saw coming,” the New York Times reports.
“The conflict has made clear that China, which has long been highly vulnerable to oil supply shocks, has managed to transform that weakness into a surprising source of geopolitical power. The country made that big shift by stockpiling huge amounts of oil, building extra oil refining capacity and investing in coal and other alternatives. And in the early months of the war, it flexed that power by cutting off supplies of jet fuel, gasoline and diesel to neighboring countries.”
“That has big implications for the global energy industry, where oil producers like Saudi Arabia and the United States — not importers like China — have traditionally held most of the cards.”
“Already dominant in solar panels, batteries and electric vehicles, China now appears to have an unparalleled position across the energy landscape.”
“Attorneys general and political groups associated with them are raking in record amounts in corporate donations as businesses increasingly turn to them for antitrust matters and the federal government has stepped back from antitrust trials,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Charlie Cook: “Suffice it to say that the president is a major liability for GOP Senate candidates. By my count, nine Senate races are now genuinely competitive: six in GOP hands (Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio, and Texas) and three held by Democrats (Michigan, Minnesota, and New Hampshire).”
“Only four of the nine have incumbents still in the hunt, all Republicans: Sens. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Susan Collins of Maine, and Jon Husted of Ohio. All three Democratic seats on this very competitive list are open. Out of all nine, the one real surprise to me is Kansas; I was dismissive of such talk until the last few weeks.”
“Arithmetically speaking—and I emphasize this is purely theoretical—the range of outcomes could be anywhere from a net loss by Democrats of three seats to a net loss for Republicans of six. The two extreme outcomes are almost impossible, but it does make the point that there are nine very tight races and the range of outcomes is mind-boggling. It should be remembered that in the end, the tightest races rarely split down the middle—half going to one party, the other in the opposite direction. The breaks tend to go overwhelmingly in one direction.”
“President Trump told Axios Thursday that he’s approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war over whether to restart massive attacks in an effort to bring the conflict to a close.”
Said Trump: “I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me.”
“Trump officials must give 30 days’ written notice before making any changes to the Kennedy Center ‘including but not limited to any ‘demolition” of the main building, a federal judge ruled Thursday,” Axios reports.
“The ruling reinforces an earlier injunction blocking the Kennedy Center from closing for its planned renovation, after President Trump and administration officials raised the possibility of demolishing the building.”
New York Times: Photos spur speculation about possible demolition of Kennedy Center.
“President Donald Trump’s promise of a big payout for Americans if Republicans win the midterms is getting a rocky reception on Capitol Hill,” Fox News reports.
“Several Republicans outright oppose the $5,000 check promise… It’s a sign that the GOP will have an uphill fight to get the ‘Trump dividend’ approved by Congress — with the president and lawmakers divided over whether it even needs the legislative branch’s green light.”
“The Trump administration has approved visas for top Iranian officials, including the president and foreign minister, to attend next week’s UN General Assembly high-level meeting in New York even as the two countries are locked in a stalemated war,” the Associated Press reports.
Bloomberg: U.S. says Iranian officials may travel to New York for UN meetings.
“The man who sprayed vinegar at Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar during a Minneapolis town hall was sentenced Thursday to 14 months in prison after reaching a deal with prosecutors,” the Associated Press reports.
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.
