“Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) is projected to win the South Carolina Republican primary runoff to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on the November ballot,” The Hill reports.
New York Times: Darline Graham, backed by Trump, wins primary for Senate in South Carolina.
“President Trump has submitted a landmark nuclear accord with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review, but hasn’t dropped his last minute condition that the kingdom normalize relations with Israel,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The move is expected to trigger months of intensive debate among lawmakers about how to boost the American nuclear industry while curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.”
“In the obscure yet consequential world of the cost of television ads for political candidates and parties, Democrats scored a legal victory on Tuesday ahead of the midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.
“A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that low-cost ad rates that candidates qualify for do not have to be made available to political parties.”
“The ruling is a win for Democrats, whose candidates tend to raise more money than its committees. The opposite is true for Republicans, whose party committees are more flush with cash than many of its individual candidates.”
“A Massachusetts judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration violated a nationwide injunction by finalizing a rule that would significantly overhaul mail voting if allowed to take effect,” Axios reports.
“Why it matters: The order allows the Trump administration to publish the rule Wednesday, but the U.S. Postal Service remains barred from making the dramatic changes to mail-in ballots.”
There are primary elections today in Georgia Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Here are the poll closing times and links:
Leave your reactions in the comments as results come in.
New York Times: “The age of capitulation that defined Mr. Trump’s return to office may be starting to fade. World leaders and domestic institutions are, in some cases at least, showing less willingness to submit to Mr. Trump’s will. European leaders have refused to join his war with Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel flatly rejected his Gaza plan. Gulf Arab states forced him to abandon plans to charge a shipping toll in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“Universities and law firms are rebuffing his directives rather than signing on the bottom line. Bond markets are rebelling against his fiscal policies. Even the ABC network, whose $16 million payment to settle a Trump lawsuit was seen as an early example of yielding to the president, has discovered that it did not buy peace and is now suing his administration for threatening its broadcast licenses.”
A new Economist/YouGov poll finds 39 percent of respondents said they believe Democrats do “a better job handling the economy,” while 32% said the same of Republicans.
Fifteen said both parties handle the economy “about the same” and another 15 percent were unsure.”
The Economist: “As Donald Trump becoming a lame duck? As his troubles multiply at home and abroad, the prospect of dealing with a hobbled American president is enough to make foes and friends swoon with relief…”
“Alas, anyone hoping to see Mr Trump chastened by failure is misjudging the man. Political wisdom may soon declare Mr Trump the lamest of ducks, as his wishes are challenged by Congress, or as financial markets pass harsh and costly judgments on MAGA-nomics. Mr Trump may not care. Let little people worry about the Republican Party, public policy or America’s budget deficit. As long as Mr Trump is still commander-in-chief, he can secure a place in history by remaking, or breaking, the world.”
“Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), chair of the House Republicans’ campaign arm, is facing an ethics complaint for using footage of official House floor and committee action in campaign materials,” the Washington Post reports.
”Members of Congress are prohibited by House ethics rules from using recordings of official proceedings for campaign purposes, including footage by third-party sources such as news outlets.”
“Billionaire Elon Musk will not face charges for promising Wisconsin voters $1 million checks during last year’s state Supreme Court election,” NOTUS reports.
“China sharply condemned the sweeping new sanctions campaign against Iran and its trading partners announced by the United States,” the Washington Post reports.
“China is Iran’s top trading partner and the newly announced U.S. economic pressure campaign risks a flare-up in relations just as President Donald Trump has sought to ease tensions and secure a broader economic deal with Beijing.”
Bloomberg: Xi signals defiance as U.S. threatens sanctions for Iran support.
I’ve completely rebuilt the Favorites feature on Political Wire — and since many members probably didn’t even know it existed, it’s worth a quick re-introduction.
Favorites are the easiest way to save a Political Wire post you want to come back to later.
You’ll now see a small bookmark icon next to the Comments link beneath each headline. If you’re logged in, just click the icon and that post will automatically be added to your My Favorites page.
That gives you one place to keep stories, analysis or other posts you may want to reference again without having to search for them later.
And when you’re finished with something, you can remove it from your Favorites page with a click.
It’s a simple feature, but one I think makes Political Wire much more useful as an archive — especially if you regularly find yourself thinking, “I’m going to want to find this again.”
Thanks for reading!
“President Donald Trump’s latest trade policies are creating new political headaches for Republicans, threatening their efforts to address voters’ economic concerns less than three months from the midterm elections,” NOTUS reports.
“In the past week, Trump escalated a costly trade war with Canada and allowed cheap beef imports to flood the U.S. market, angering many in his party who believe his policies are harming key industries and making things more expensive for consumers and businesses alike.”
“The GOP opposition was public and swift, and included Republican candidates and party leaders.”
“A federal judge temporarily blocked Ohio from requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices, a setback for conservative efforts to tighten voter registration rules ahead of the November midterms,” the Washington Post reports.
“Ohio’s law requiring proof of citizenship at Bureau of Motor Vehicles’ offices conflicts with the federal National Voter Registration Act, the court said. A preliminary injunction was granted on Tuesday.”
“For much of his second term, President Donald Trump has been trying to dramatically change how people vote. He’s pushed to limit (or ban) mail voting, create strict voter ID laws, require verification of citizenship, and even once said that Republicans should ‘take over the voting’ and nationalize it,” the Washington Post reports.
“His attempts to make sweeping changes to election law have been mostly unsuccessful so far, but they have created a lot of uncertainty about how elections will be run — including this fall. In some states, ballots for November’s election will get mailed next week.”
“Election experts worry some confused voters will opt out of participating altogether.”
“A series of firings and feuds initiated by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has left the Army essentially rudderless as it struggles to deal with the threat posed by cheap, deadly drones and missiles that have pounded U.S. bases in the Middle East,” the New York Times reports.
“The Army has not had a chief of staff, the service’s top officer, since Mr. Hegseth fired Gen. Randy George without explanation in April, and there are no signs that he is close to filling the position.”
“Mr. Hegseth has forced out at least three senior officers who had been viewed as potential successors to General George.”
“Army Secretary Daniel P. Driscoll, the service’s top civilian leader, is also expected to leave the administration in the next few months.”
“Iranian missile and drone attacks have inflicted damage on U.S. intelligence posts and surveillance hardware in the Middle East that is more extensive than any destruction America’s spy agencies have endured and will cost billions of dollars to repair,” NBC News reports.
“The Iranian strikes have forced Congress to find funds to restore the targeted facilities and prompted officials to weigh how to deploy personnel and intelligence resources in a region now facing a heightened threat from Tehran’s drone and missile arsenal.”
“A baseline assumption in asset allocation, regulatory policy and international finance has long been that U.S. Treasury securities are risk-free assets that offer protection against the vagaries of economic fortune. It may no longer be valid,” Axios reports.
“That’s the cold reality that lurks beneath the rise in longer-term bond yields in recent weeks that triggered a Treasury Department intervention.”
“It implies a world where the U.S. government can’t count on favorable borrowing conditions as a matter of course.”
The Guardian: The treasury bond mess: is this the demise of the U.S. as a safe haven?
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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