“U.S. intelligence officers have expressed concerns in internal reports about possible Chinese espionage related to a pending sale of dozens of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia valued at $24 billion,” the New York Times reports.
“Intelligence analysts have raised the possibility that China could acquire F-35 jet technology through spying in Saudi Arabia or through its military and security partnership with the kingdom.”
“Social Democrat Leader Magdalena Andersson is on course to become Sweden’s next prime minister as her left-wing bloc holds an unassailable lead over the right and far right with 99.9% of results declared,” Politico reports.
“Debris discovered in Yemen indicates that Saudi Arabia has fired a Chinese-made ballistic missile in combat for the first time, Yemeni officials and weapons experts said, in a move likely aimed at signaling to the kingdom’s Houthi rivals that it has other weapons in its arsenal,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“This is fucking war! This is war!”
— House Freedom Caucus chair Andy Harris (R-MD), quoted by the Washington Sun, in a meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that went off the rails.
“Rep. Ashley Hinson, Iowa’s Republican Senate candidate, will not attend a campaign rally headlined by Vice President JD Vance in Iowa on Friday, a Hinson campaign spokesperson said Wednesday,” the Washington Post reports.
“The spokesperson cited previously scheduled events but declined to say which events are preventing the congresswoman from campaigning alongside the Republican leader.”
“Former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign with Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan next week as part of a midterms circuit tour to help Democrats win competitive seats in Congress,” the Washington Sun reports.
“A top Democrat said he would oppose President Trump’s planned $2.8 billion military aid package for Israel, saying it raises ‘grave, unresolved concerns’ about how the heavy bombs would be used in densely packed areas in Gaza and Lebanon,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The objection by Rep. Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is unlikely to stop the deal outright because the administration has options to bypass the objection.”
“But Meeks’ refusal to greenlight the transfer highlights a sensitive issue—military support for Israel—that has divided lawmakers ahead of the midterm elections.”
“States haven’t yet been able to obtain Covid-19 shots from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, delaying their distribution to millions of children through federal programs,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“With just a few weeks left before the midterm elections, Republicans are scrambling to find a compelling argument to win over voters disillusioned with their performance over the last two years. The option vice president — and future presidential hopeful — JD Vance seems to have landed on is outright begging voters not to call it quits on the GOP,” Rolling Stone reports.
Said Vance: “Give us another chance. Give us another couple years to continue to work on the amazing things that we’ve been doing for the past two years. Even if you don’t agree with us on every issue, the other party is consumed by craziness.”
“Federal officials acknowledge that President Donald Trump’s planned triumphal arch will unavoidably harm historic sites if built as planned, but they say the project must move forward,” the Washington Post reports.
“American diplomats met over the weekend with Houthi representatives at the U.S. embassy in Oman and discussed tensions in the Red Sea, a regional source familiar with the issue confirmed,” Axios reports.
“The meeting in Muscat, which was organized with the help of the Omani government, focused on maintaining a ceasefire between the U.S. and Houthis and guaranteeing that the Bab al-Mandeb Strait stays open, the source said.”
“Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said he won’t endorse Congresswoman Julia Letlow in her Senate campaign, but predicted that she will easily win the Nov. 3 election to replace him,” the Shreveport Times reports.
Said Cassidy: “She hasn’t asked me for my endorsement. She doesn’t need my endorsement. She has President Trump’s endorsement, and that what matters in our state.”
“Senate Republicans managed to advance a farm bill with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) returning to break the deadlock on the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee,” the Washington Post reports.
“The panel voted 12-11 along party lines to send the bill, which sets national policy for agriculture and nutrition, to the full Senate.”
“The bill still faces significant hurdles as Democrats remain opposed, particularly because they say it does not adequately address changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program that would make states take on more of the costs.”
Washington Sun: “Propelled by a surge in competitive elections and an engaged base, Senate Democratic primaries across the country saw huge spikes in voters this year.”
“Turnout in these contests rose in 26 of the 30 states that held a Democratic primary this year and were included in the study, compared to their most recent previous race in 2022 or 2024. Five states saw their turnout more than double, while another nine states saw increases of more than 50%.”
“The head of the U.S. Postal Service has told confidants that he is deeply discouraged by his job and wants to resign, as the agency comes under scrutiny over financial losses and President Donald Trump’s effort to tighten rules on mail-in voting,” Reuters reports.
“Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) wants his constituents to know: He doesn’t approve of lawmakers trading individual stocks,” the Washington Sun reports.
“In taxpayer-funded mailers sent this month to residents of New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District, his office makes clear: ‘Kean backed legislation to prohibit members of Congress from trading individual stocks.'”
“Unmentioned in the ‘public trust’-themed mailer is the fact that Kean ranks among Congress’ most prolific stock traders.”
“Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) is tapping his formidable fundraising operation to transfer more than $3.6 million into the Democratic Party of Georgia’s coordinated campaign, an investment aimed not just at securing his own reelection but boosting Democrats up and down the ballot,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“The spending, some of which the campaign disclosed for the first time Wednesday, was made over the past two years and offers some of the clearest evidence yet of how deeply Ossoff has invested in a state party operation that he helped overhaul ahead of the 2026 midterms.”
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.