Political Wire

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.'”

Iranians Run Out of Gas as Economic Squeeze Takes Hold

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“Long lines at gas stations. Strikes by truckers. A government struggling to maintain the subsidies that had helped much of the population keep their heads above water,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The economic fallout from the war and the American blockade is adding to the pain facing ordinary Iranians who are already struggling with a plunging currency, worsening joblessness and rising prices for everything from food to trash bags.”

Vance’s Closing Speech Doubles as a Glimpse at 2028

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“Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Republican Midterm Convention on Thursday night offered a glimpse of how he is positioning himself within the Republican Party — as a potential heir to the MAGA movement who can speak its language while attempting to broaden its appeal,” ABC News reports.

“The most striking throughline in his remarks was grievance, particularly around race and identity.”

“Repeatedly, Vance argued that Republicans and their voters have been unfairly labeled as racist for raising concerns about immigration, crime, government fraud and cultural change. Democrats, he claimed, don’t simply disagree with Republicans — he said they dismiss legitimate concerns by attacking the people who raise them.”

Trump’s ‘Convention’ Tried to Reach Die-Hard Republicans

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New York Times: “As in many turbulent TV productions, there were differing impulses behind its creation. It was the pet project of the president, made on the theory that he has a hold on low-propensity voters who will go to the polls only for him. The counterargument is the president’s ratings among other voters, who might go to the polls against candidates who embrace him.”

“Thus we got Schrödinger’s Convention, made in the paradoxical hope that it would be both watched and not watched. It was carried in its entirety on C-SPAN and in considerable part by conservative outlets including Fox News and Newsmax. It was also up against high-profile NFL games each night, which one could see as a challenge or a blessing. Surely at least some Republicans would have been just as happy if no one watched.”

“For better or worse, some of us did. What we saw was the culmination of the decades-long trend that has turned conventions from substantive political events into pure long-form TV ads.”

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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