Just dropped · Trial Balloon · Ep. 187
Bad Instincts
“A Trump administration proposal to exclude some types of immigrants from the 2030 census might not expand the congressional map for Republicans, and could even result in fewer House seats in red states,” the New York Times reports.
“If congressional seats were redistributed based on recent census figures, excluding undocumented immigrants and other noncitizens without green cards could cause Texas to lose a congressional seat it would otherwise have gained.”
“In interviews and speeches, President Donald Trump has maintained that midterm politics don’t affect his decisions on Iran, that the war has been worth the cost, and that he would do it all over again despite Republicans bracing for defeat in November,” the Washington Post reports.
“But in some private conversation with advisers, Trump has signaled that he understands his decisions on the war have contributed to the especially poor political environment his party faces — making the president more intent on helping Republicans mitigate the expected losses.”
“Trump in recent weeks has become sober about the gravity of the political situation, listening intently as he is presented with often discouraging polling.”
CNN: “Across the midterm map, Republicans are finding ways to stand apart from a unpopular president as they scramble to keep their majorities in Congress.”
“The dynamic reflects how treacherous the political terrain has become for Republicans as the Democratic offensive stretches into deeply red states like Kansas, Texas and Florida. But it also represents a reversal from recent years, as Trump – who is famously vindictive against critics in his own party – and his political operation haven’t targeted defectors.”
“Ever since Theodore Roosevelt ventured into the wilderness of California’s Yosemite Valley in 1903 and emerged with a sweeping conservation policy, presidents in both parties have valued the country’s national parks,” the New York Times reports.
“The public has, too. Polling shows that Americans of all stripes and political persuasions overwhelmingly love their parks.”
“But President Trump’s administration has thrown the 433 sites managed by the National Park Service into turmoil, shifting funding and workers to pet projects in Washington, slashing staff across the country and scrubbing exhibits that it says ‘inappropriately disparage Americans.'”
“The Trump administration’s confidential deals with pharmaceutical companies to lower U.S. drug prices include inducements to raise drug prices overseas and promise protection from President Donald Trump’s tariffs,” the Washington Post reports.
“Stephen Miller is leading an unprecedented and intense White House drive across a host of government departments to accelerate the removal of undocumented immigrant children from the U.S. using tactics that critics say are cruel and racist and, in some cases, flout federal law, the Guardian has learned,” The Guardian reports.
“As deputy chief of staff at the White House, focused on immigration policy, Miller is seen as the mastermind and enforcer behind Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigration agenda.”
“The Kennedy Center laid off more than a dozen employees Friday,” the Washington Post reports.
“The layoffs come as the center’s main building remains closed during a widening legal battle over President Donald Trump’s transformation of the national cultural institution.”
“Pete Hegseth has notched a number of firsts since coming to the Pentagon. The former Army National Guard major has rebranded his agency as the Department of War, waged a culture war against past diversity efforts and ousted a growing number of senior military leaders,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“This week, Hegseth narrowly dodged another distinction: he came within a whisker of becoming the first civilian defense chief to face an impeachment vote in the House of Representatives since Secretary of War William Belknap was impeached in 1876.”
“The Trump administration’s policy on deporting immigrants to third countries is unlawful, a federal appeals court ruled Friday, a decision that could halt a program that has already sent thousands of people to countries that are not their own,” the Washington Post reports.
“A large group of demonstrators locked arms to form a human chain around the Kennedy Center on Friday evening to protest President Trump’s efforts to close and remake the center in his image, amid speculation about a possible effort to demolish the building,” the New York Times reports.
“Hundreds of demonstrators, many of them performing artists and workers at the Kennedy Center, sang and played music as they circled the building and the sun set over the embattled cultural institution.”
Reuters: Trump declines to say whether he will tear down Kennedy Center.
“Republican candidates in some of the toughest House and Senate races have begun to break from President Trump on central parts of his agenda, a sign of the weight they believe some of his policy stances have placed on their election prospects,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The pushback by these candidates isn’t a wholesale rupture with the president. But it is a signal that voters in their states are rejecting elements of his policies on tariffs, the Iran war and data centers, among other issues.”
“President Trump said Friday he would demand drug companies split vaccines into five doses given in six-month intervals, claiming it would reduce autism rates,” the Washington Post reports.
“He did not specify which immunizations he was targeting.”
Said Trump: “The vaccine size will be much, much less. I think you’re going to see a massive reduction in autism. And that’s a big deal, a very big deal. We’re going to be recommending that and actually demanding it.”
“Donald Trump announced on Friday that the U.S. had struck an Arctic security pact with the leaders of Denmark and Greenland, after threatening for much of his second term to annex the semi-autonomous Danish territory by force,” The Guardian reports.
“The full scope of the deal Trump described as ‘very important, historic, and special’ was not immediately clear. But soon after his announcement in a post on Truth Social, the leaders of Denmark and Greenland issued statements indicating the deal would be signed by the three governments on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York City next week.”
Washington Post: Trump announces “forever” deal to defend Greenland as Denmark says signing “expected” next week.
NBC News: Trump announces agreement with Denmark to secure “permanent” control over Greenland’s security.
“President Donald Trump on Friday signed the sweeping Russia sanctions bill into law, the White House said in a statement, paving the way for increased economic pressure on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine,” Reuters reports.
“President Donald Trump said he expected to notch many deals with Chinese President Xi Jinping at their White House summit next week,” Bloomberg reports.
Said Trump: “We’re going to have a lot of different deals. We’re not just doing it for our health.”
“President Donald Trump said he disagreed with a Republican from Florida who criticized his immigration policies, defending his stance for helping him and other GOP lawmakers win office,” Bloomberg reports.
“Maria Elvira Salazar, who is fighting to keep her seat in November’s midterm election in a Miami-area district heavily impacted by the administration’s policies, posted an ad this week saying Trump’s approach has gone too far.”
Said Trump: “I disagree with her. She obviously doesn’t have a very strong feeling for the border, but I do, and I understand what she’s saying.”
He added: “I’m very strong on the borders, and she isn’t, and she’s a nice person. I got her elected. Without me, she wouldn’t have gotten elected. She got a little bit soft on the border.”
“President Trump said Friday that his eldest son, Don Jr. had paid back a Russian oligarch who footed the bill for the younger Trump’s wedding festivities earlier this year,” the New York Post reports.
Said Trump: “It’s totally allowed, and a lot of people have parties, but it’s totally allowed. But as I understand it, he paid him back. He didn’t want to have that, so I hear he paid him back.”
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received more than $250,000 worth of free flights to Fiji and Greece as well as use of a vacation home in Washington, D.C,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“All were gifts from Gavin de Becker, a security consultant and supporter.”
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.