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“The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Donald Trump choose to escalate,” the Washington Post reports.
“Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops.”
Wall Street Journal: “It is a remarkable return to the White House’s confidence for a country that Trump in his first term dismissed as a bad-faith actor that had given the U.S. nothing but ‘lies & deceit.’”
“Pakistan’s emergence as a possible peace broker is testament to how its powerful officials have cultivated Trump and entered into deals involving the president’s inner circle, cryptocurrency and critical minerals, propelling Pakistan back into America’s favor.”
“One month into the U.S. war against Iran, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit has arrived in the Middle East, giving President Trump more options in the war,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The war expanded to include Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia. In its first attack in the war, the Houthi militia fired two missiles Saturday at Israel, both of which were intercepted. The Houthis also took responsibility for a second attack against Israel.”
“FBI Director Kash Patel is pressing to release a decade-old investigative file involving Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and a suspected Chinese intelligence operative, recently dispatching agents in the bureau’s San Francisco office to quickly redact the files before they are released publicly despite no evidence of wrongdoing by Swalwell,” the Washington Post reports.
“President Trump’s signature is set to appear on U.S. currency — a first for a sitting president — as Americans use physical cash less than ever,” Axios reports.
“Eight months away from elections that will decide if they keep control of Congress and preserve their governing trifecta, House and Senate Republicans have identified the enemy — and it is one another,” the New York Times reports.
“A meltdown in relations between the two G.O.P.-led chambers caused the embarrassing collapse on Friday of a Senate-passed proposal to reopen the Department of Homeland Security before lawmakers raced out of town on a two-week recess. It left no clear path for resolving the crisis that has led to airport chaos and workers without paychecks.”
“And with President Trump seemingly cheering on the intraparty squabble from the White House, it also highlighted an undercurrent of tension and division coursing through Republican ranks that has burst to the surface at the least politically opportune time.”
“Russia took satellite images of a U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia three times in the days before Iran attacked the site and wounded American troops, according to a summary of Ukrainian intelligence,” NBC News reports.
Politico: “While Trump’s decision to join Israel in attacking Iran has rallied war hawks and his older supporters, it has alienated many of the young men who swung toward the GOP in 2024. That split is resonating among not only the rank-and-file, but also conservative media influencers and some corners of the White House.”
“Make America greater — I’m down. But Make America Great Again and then it becomes a movement of a bunch of fucking dorks? ‘Cause a lot of them are dorks. These really weird, fucking uninteresting, unintelligent people.”
— Joe Rogan, on his podcast.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told CBS News that he’s considering a presidential run in 2028, and believes he might be able to link the libertarian wing with the business wing to counter GOP populists.
Said Paul: “We’re thinking about it. I would say 50-50.”
“I always like to hang around with losers, actually, because it makes me feel better.”
— President Trump, in a speech on Friday.
CNBC: “The clock is ticking on the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran. The emerging view from oil industry executives and analysts is that the economic and market fallout from the war could escalate sharply if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened within roughly the next one to three weeks.”
“Even then, enough damage may have been done already to leave energy and many other prices higher for longer.”
“These risks haven’t been clearly reflected in some widely followed markets, including stocks broadly and the benchmark Brent crude price. Stopgap measures to soften the blow of the oil cutoff have kept crude prices relatively low in the U.S. and European markets. But when those measures lose their effectiveness in early-to-mid April, analysts warn there will be little the U.S. or other governments can do to keep energy prices from rising dramatically.”
New York Times: “Speaker after speaker warned about the fissures that have emerged since Mr. Trump began a war with Iran. The conflict has split his base over the nation’s role in global affairs and how fervently the United States should back Israel in foreign conflicts. It has also opened debates over the resurgence of antisemitism from some on the right.”
New York Times: “On one hand, his approval rating hasn’t gone up: There certainly isn’t the usual ‘rally around the flag’ effect that has benefited other presidents in the opening stages of military conflicts. Instead, Mr. Trump’s approval rating has fallen to 40 percent, according to our average. That’s a weak number under any circumstance, but it’s especially poor during what might ordinarily be a galvanizing moment for the country.”
“On the other hand, his ratings haven’t collapsed. They’ve fallen only by a percentage point or two, and some may be wondering why he hasn’t taken a bigger hit. After all, the military campaign goes against Mr. Trump’s ‘no new wars’ promise, and it has divided some MAGA conservatives. For good measure, the polls show that a majority of the public opposes the war.”
“From that perspective, the war might look like the latest example of Mr. Trump’s political resiliency. He’s largely unscathed — again. But if you think he’s insulated from any political consequence from the war, that would be going too far. There are enormous downside risks to his presidency if the war goes on.”
“President Donald Trump’s conflicting signals over the future of the war in Iran have spurred deepening frustration among GOP lawmakers and allies who fear the administration still lacks a clear endgame after four weeks of fighting,” CNN reports.
“The minute-by-minute vacillations and conflicting signals coming out of the White House have unnerved lawmakers, political allies and even some Trump aides and advisers, who acknowledge they have little idea what will happen next and harbor increasing doubts about the administration’s management of a conflict laden with political and economic peril.”
“The United States may stop promising to defend its NATO allies should they come under attack, President Donald Trump said Friday, escalating his verbal barrage against the alliance as his frustration grows that European leaders have not significantly contributed to his war against Iran,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump: “NATO just wasn’t there.”
He added: “We spend hundreds of billions of dollars a year on NATO, hundreds, protecting them, and we would have always been there for them, but now, based on their actions, I guess we don’t have to be.”
“The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen said it launched an attack against Israel for the first time since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, risking further escalation in the month-long conflict that has engulfed the Middle East,” the Washington Post reports.
“Americans desperately want day-to-day life to be more affordable. Right now, they aren’t getting it,” Axios reports.
“The pinch of high prices for food, energy, housing and more has driven seismic shifts in public opinion over the last four years. Since the onset of the Iran war, the cost of living looks likely to get worse, not better, at least in the near term.”
“Energy prices are surging, interest rates are on the rise, and the stock market is looking wobbly — a triple whammy for U.S. households.”
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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— 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
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— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
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— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.