Become a member. Already a member? Log in.
“By doubling down on the investigation into Jerome Powell, President Donald Trump is ensuring that the Federal Reserve chair won’t go anywhere soon,” Semafor reports.
“After Powell said he would remain at the central bank until the Justice Department drops its investigation into Fed renovations, Trump on Thursday put his weight behind the probe, telling reporters: ‘There is criminality.’”
“The Cuban government this week refused a request by the U.S. Embassy in Havana to import diesel fuel for its generators, calling the ask ‘shameless,’ given the Trump administration’s fuel blockade on the island,” the Washington Post reports.
“A super PAC supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is buying new ads in the Palm Beach media market, trying again to get President Donald Trump’s attention at Mar-a-Lago while his endorsement in the state’s Senate race remains unsettled,” Semafor reports.
You're reading the free version of Political Wire
Upgrade to a paid membership to unlock full access. The process is quick and easy. You can even use Apple Pay.
“A federal judge on Friday voided various parts of a restrictive press policy rolled out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last year, ruling that they trampled on the constitutional rights of reporters who seek to cover the U.S. military from within its sprawling headquarters,” CNN reports.
“The ruling from senior U.S, District Judge Paul Friedman is a major blow to Hegseth’s effort to exert greater control over press coverage and comes as reporting on the Defense Department has ramped up amid the war in Iran and the US operation earlier this year in Venezuela.”
President Trump said on Truth Social he is considering “winding down” its Middle East military operation, the AP reports.
Trump’s statement seemed at odds with his administration’s move to send more troops and warships to the region and request another $200 billion from Congress to fund the war.
“Americans’ tax refunds are averaging about $350 higher than this time last year but so far running well below the extra $1,000 President Donald Trump promised after passage of his signature economic legislation,” Bloomberg reports.
Former North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R) admitted he lied during the final months of his 2024 gubernatorial campaign about his “obsession” with pornography and sex, CNN reports.
Said Robinson: “More than anything, you know, allegations that I watched pornography and was involved with people that watched pornography, and that that was absolutely true.”
“NATO could help us, but they so far haven’t had the courage to do so. And others could help us, but we don’t use it. At a certain point, it’ll open itself.”
— President Trump, quoted by Bloomberg, on the Strait of Hormuz.
Zeteo: “Trump has talked to longtime advisers about what it would take to officially make his birthday a national, federal holiday.”
“Similarly, he has already repeatedly inquired about getting a Donald Trump-shaped monument built in our nation’s capital, and mentioned that he wants final approval on the size, look, location, content, and design of the statue and memorial.”
President Trump told reporters on Friday he is not interested in a ceasefire with Iran, CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “We could have dialogue, but I don’t want to do a ceasefire. You know you don’t do a ceasefire when you’re literally obliterating the other side.”
Cook Political Report: “It’s an inescapable law of politics: Money can only propel a campaign so far when its candidate’s flaws act as an anchor.”
“Last week, Republican venture capitalist and 2024 presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy took to Ohio’s airwaves with a $10 million ad buy designed to soften his polarizing image. It comes as yet another poll — this time from the GOP-aligned firm Quantus Insights — shows him narrowly trailing Democratic former state Health Director Amy Acton in their expected gubernatorial matchup.”
Bloomberg: “The Iranian regime isn’t close to falling and officials are coalescing around the remaining leaders.”
“Strikes by the US and Israel have killed several top Iranian officials, including Ali Larijani, a veteran Iranian politician who was often used as a negotiator with foreign governments. Many of the surviving officials, including the new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, are hardliners.”
New York Times: “More than any top American military leader in recent history, Mr. Hegseth has framed U.S. military operations in the Middle East, Africa and Latin America as bigger than politics or foreign policy. Often he has imbued these actions with a Christian moral underpinning that suggests they are divinely sanctioned.”
“It is this view of a higher power, married to lethal American firepower, that Mr. Hegseth says gives him confidence that the United States will prevail in Iran.”
CBS News: “Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran.”
“Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for such an option as President Trump weighs moves in the U.S.-Israel-led conflict with Iran.”
“Rising gasoline prices are already starting to bite U.S. household finances and Americans overwhelmingly expect fuel costs will keep climbing as President Donald Trump’s war with Iran crimps global oil supplies,” a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.
“Some 55% of respondents in the Tuesday-through-Thursday poll said their household finances had taken at least ‘somewhat’ of a hit from the increases in gas prices.”
Politico: “Moscow proposed a quid pro quo to the U.S. under which the Kremlin would stop sharing intelligence information with Iran, such as the precise coordinates of U.S. military assets in the Middle East, if Washington ceased supplying Ukraine with intel about Russia.”
“The U.S. rejected the proposal.”
NBC News: “Fears are growing in the country, already devastated by years of conflict, that Israel may be about to launch a broad invasion of Lebanon’s south.”
Bloomberg: “Iranian officials have become reluctant to even discuss reopening the Strait of Hormuz as they focus on surviving the US-Israeli onslaught.”
“Energy infrastructure attacks and strikes on high-profile Iranian officials, including the recent killing of security chief Ali Larijani, mark an escalation that is slowing attempts to get commercial ships moving again.”
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.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.