Politico Poll: “Overall, 63% of Americans say AI could destroy humanity one day. And nearly half of Americans favor pausing development of more advanced AI models — 48% — compared with 31% who favor continued development.”
“Taken together, the findings signal an emerging tech-skeptical realignment of American politics with consequential midterm and presidential elections looming in the months and years ahead.”
Vanity Fair: “Is JD Vance a craven political opportunist? A true believer in a post-Trump, MAGA agenda? Or is the presumptive 2028 GOP frontrunner waiting for the chance to be his own man? And what does his wife, Usha, think about all of it? The answers may lie in Vance’s pivotal years at Yale Law.”
“The House Oversight Committee voted unanimously 41-0 Tuesday to recommend billionaire investor Leon Black be held in contempt of Congress for not fully cooperating with the panel’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation,” Politico reports.
Punchbowl News: “There are many pivotal moments in an election cycle. Today is one of the most important.”
”The Federal Open Market Committee will announce this afternoon whether it’s raising interest rates for the first time in three years to counter persistently high inflation and calm a bond market that’s punishing U.S. bonds. A hike would raise the cost of living for tens of millions of Americans.”
”President Donald Trump and other top administration officials have insisted the Fed cut rates.”
Bloomberg: Markets brace for first U.S. Fed hike since 2023.
“Crude oil inventories in the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve have fallen to their lowest level in nearly 44 years, raising new questions about the country’s ability to respond to another major disruption in global oil supplies,” Energy Now reports.
“The European Union’s top official said she would work to make Canada the bloc’s first associate member, as traditional U.S. allies forge stronger ties in the face of tensions with the Trump administration,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe needed to tighten its cooperation with like-minded democracies, in particular Canada, to retain the continent’s sovereignty and tackle threats from what she called ‘an openly hostile world.'”
Bloomberg: EU floats Canada becoming the bloc’s first “associate member.”
A new Marquette Law School Poll poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 54% to 41%.
A new Marquette Law School poll finds Donald Trump’s approval at 37%, while 63% disapprove.
“For a third time, the U.S. House has voted to end the war in Iran, approving a war powers resolution that would halt President Donald Trump’s ability to continue military action without congressional approval,” the Associated Press reports.
“The roll call late Tuesday, 220-204, was similar to earlier efforts this summer, with a few more Republicans joining most Democrats voting to bring an end to the conflict. None of the resolutions have made it to the president’s desk, where Trump would almost certainly veto the measure.”
New York Post: 7 Republicans rebel against Trump, vote with Dems to rein in Iran war powers.
“The intelligence services of the Russian Federation are plotting to carry out targeted killings in the U.S. and in European nations supporting Ukraine, federal authorities said Tuesday in announcing they’d thwarted a plot to kill a prominent Russian dissident believed to be living in Washington, D.C,” the Associated Press reports.
“Members of Congress and governors are under increasing pressure to regulate AI, but more than two dozen of them who spoke with Axios said they don’t use the technology or have rarely done so,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: That striking admission — particularly among older, influential lawmakers — comes amid calls for an AI slowdown and warnings within the industry that it could end humanity if left unchecked.”
“Global investors are balking at U.S. bonds. Talk of the dollar’s dwindling power is getting louder. Foreign governments are hauling their gold out of American vaults,” the New York Times reports.
“Almost two years into President Trump’s second term, the world economy is increasingly looking for ways to distance itself from America. Concerns about a $40 trillion debt burden, the excessive use of sanctions to solve foreign policy problems and Mr. Trump’s penchant for pushing the limits of the rule of law are raising questions about the appeal of the United States as a haven for global investment.”
“Despite pledges by foreign companies and nations to invest in the United States — in many cases to curry favor with the White House — capital is starting to seek alternative destinations.”
Nate Cohn: “The A.I. issue is moving fast. Just a few months ago, it barely registered on the political scale. Now A.I. data centers and, more recently, A.I. safety are taking center stage in campaigns and in Washington, with members of both parties debating whether and how the technology should be regulated.”
“But as important as artificial intelligence may soon become, the latest New York Times/Siena poll suggests that A.I. is not poised to be one of the most important issues in this year’s midterm elections. For now, it might best be compared to the many issues that earn the passionate support of small interest groups — like, say, climate change — but that don’t do much to shape national electoral outcomes.”
“U.S. household income hit a record in 2025, but the lowest earners barely shared in the gains, new Census data show,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: On paper, Americans look richer than ever. But broader measures of financial security show millions still getting squeezed by medical costs, uneven income gains and a thinning public safety net.”
“The Supreme Court’s recent patchwork of election-related decisions gives the public scant clues of how the justices would act if faced with a crucial dispute this fall that would definitively settle which party controls Congress or what to expect in 2028,” CNN reports.
“The justices’ unsigned order Monday rejecting President Donald Trump’s plan to let the U.S. Postal Service possibly refuse to deliver ballots was cryptic. And an earlier June decision, similarly rejecting an attempt to foist new rules on mail-in ballots, came down to a single vote.”
“Sen. Jon Husted is drowning in political attacks centered on his past support for data centers. A potential life preserver could end up just out of reach,” Politico reports.
”The House is expected to vote Wednesday on legislation that aims to compel technology companies to cover utility costs associated with data center buildouts. And Husted, who is seeking election in November to complete the final two years of the term he was appointed to, is trying to get his fellow senators to quickly follow suit.”
“But getting the Senate to leap into action this month is far from straightforward. Assuming the House acts on the measure Wednesday as planned, putting it on President Donald Trump’s desk before senators leave town for a final campaign sprint would require Husted to convince all 99 of his colleagues to agree to a quick vote — or even to let it pass without one.”
Aaron Blake: “The 2026 primary season featured the rise of democratic socialist and anti-Israel candidates on the left, a host of incumbents losing primaries, President Donald Trump getting revenge but also seeing his hold on his base waver, and a bare-knuckle redistricting push by Republicans that could reverberate for years to come.”
“All of it set the stage for a midterm election in which Democrats seem to have a chance to flip both the House (which appears likely) and the Senate (which appears possible), thanks to Trump’s historic unpopularity.”
“Senators are expected to quiz Nicole Saphier, President Donald Trump’s pick for surgeon general, and two other high-profile nominees on vaccines, grant cancellations and the nation’s opioid crisis at a hearing Wednesday morning,” the Washington Post 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.
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