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February 11, 2026 at 5:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard

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Filed Under: Administrative

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

February 11, 2026 at 4:58 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“What does ‘ties’ mean? Can you define that? Can you define ‘ties’?”

— Attorney General Pam Bondi, quoted by Politico, when asked whether prosecutors have talked with Trump administration officials who had “ties” with Jeffrey Epstein.

Filed Under: Scandal

Judges Have Repeatedly Halted Trump’s Spending Cuts

February 11, 2026 at 4:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump’s expansive efforts to use federal funding as a cudgel against political opponents and programs he considers ‘woke’ remain mired in court more a year since his return to the White House,” Bloomberg reports.

“By the start of 2026, U.S. judges had halted his funding cuts and limits, or the government took steps to resolve issues after being sued, in more than half of 167 spending fights reviewed by Bloomberg News as of Jan. 16.”

Filed Under: Budget & Taxes, Judiciary

Trump’s Retribution Campaign Falls Short

February 11, 2026 at 4:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump has increasingly tested how far political retribution can stretch into the justice system, but his efforts to prosecute his perceived political opponents during his second term have repeatedly fallen short,” Axios reports.

Filed Under: White House

Bernie Sanders Endorses a Dozen Progressive Challengers

February 11, 2026 at 4:36 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is feeling emboldened by progressives’ shock victory in a New Jersey special House primary last week — and sizing up his next targets,” Axios reports.

“The senator has endorsed over a dozen progressive House and Senate candidates who are aiming to reshape the Democratic Party.”

Filed Under: 2026 Campaign

Rioter Pardoned by Trump Found Guilty of Child Sex Abuse

February 11, 2026 at 4:34 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A man who took part in the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and later pardoned by Donald Trump was found guilty on Tuesday of multiple child sexual abuse charges in Florida,” The Guardian reports.

Filed Under: Crime and Punishment

Democrats Boost 2028 Profiles on European Tour

February 11, 2026 at 4:28 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Top Democrats eyeing potential 2028 presidential runs hope to use the Munich Security Conference this weekend to burnish their foreign policy credentials, elevate their profiles, and convince an anxious group of European leaders that there is life after President Donald Trump,” the Washington Post reports.

“California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) are among those set to speak at the prestigious security forum in an effort to articulate an alternative foreign policy to Trump’s aggressive interventionism.”

Filed Under: 2028 Campaign

Europe Would Struggle to Defend Against Russia

February 11, 2026 at 4:21 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Europe will struggle to fend off renewed Russian aggression without American help, a high-level war game staffed by experts on the continent and former NATO leaders warned, as President Donald Trump continues to place more onus on Europe’s largest countries to protect Ukraine and fund their own defense,” Politico reports.

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs

White House Expects ‘Substantial’ Defections on Tariff Vote

February 11, 2026 at 3:18 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The White House is anticipating ‘substantial’ Republican defections when the House votes on a resolution overturning President Trump’s Canadian tariffs,” Politico reports.

“Rather than scrambling to head off any GOP breakaways, the administration is focused on ensuring it maintains enough support to prevent a veto override — a striking posture for a president that has long treated party loyalty as nonnegotiable.”

Filed Under: House of Representatives

The Democrats Aren’t Built for This

February 11, 2026 at 3:00 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Mark Leibovich: “Democrats can’t help but keep playing to a stubborn stereotype — a soft and pampered bunch, unwilling to make the gritty sacrifices… necessary to prevail in their ‘existential’ campaign to save democracy.”

“No matter how eager they were to resist Trump, they kept living up to their worst image as an overly sensitive, out-of-touch, and terminally online band of myopic and overindulged factions.”

Filed Under: Democrats

Jason Crow Asks Jeanine Pirro to Preserve Evidence

February 11, 2026 at 2:40 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rep. Jason Crow (D-CO) on Wednesday demanded U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro preserve all evidence related to her unsuccessful effort to bring charges against him and five other Democratic lawmakers,” Politico reports.

Filed Under: House of Representatives

Mike Johnson Urges Republican to Stay in Congress

February 11, 2026 at 2:39 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Speaker Mike Johnson says he has asked retiring Rep. Neal Dunn to serve out his term amid concerns the Florida Republican might resign early,” Politico reports.

“An early exit from Dunn, 72, would deal Johnson another massive blow as he tries to maintain his narrow majority. Currently, Republicans can afford to lose no more than one GOP vote on party-line measures, though they are expected to pick up a vote in a March special election.”

Filed Under: House of Representatives

Second Aircraft Carrier to Deploy to Middle East

February 11, 2026 at 2:37 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Pentagon has told a second aircraft carrier strike group to prepare to deploy to the Middle East as the U.S. military prepares for a potential attack on Iran,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs

GOP Lawmaker Considers Early Retirement

February 11, 2026 at 1:42 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. Neal Dunn (R-FL) is planning to announce an early retirement as soon as next week — an exit that would drag the House Republican majority out the door with him, Florida Politics reports.

Mediaite reports several reporters spoke to Dunn this afternoon and he said he was “not making any comments right now” about the reports of his early retirement — which is notably not a denial.

Filed Under: House of Representatives

Stalemate Over Homeland Security Funding Drags On

February 11, 2026 at 1:27 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“With just two days until funding runs out for the Department of Homeland Security, there are no signs of a breakthrough between Republicans and Democrats,” Punchbowl News reports.

“It now appears likely that Congress will blow past the DHS funding deadline on Friday night without a deal, barring a major breakthrough in talks with the White House.”

Filed Under: Budget & Taxes, Senate

Pam Bondi Hearing Goes Nuclear

February 11, 2026 at 1:09 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Attorney General Pam Bondi and House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) literally screamed at each other during an oversight hearing after Raskin demanded she stop talking over his members,” Mediaite reports.

Punchbowl News: “In one remarkable exchange, Bondi said Democrats only care about the Epstein case now because the Dow and the S&P are at all-time highs. Bondi’s claim elicited laughs from Judiciary Democrats. Bondi replied by saying the Democrats shouldn’t laugh because they’re great stock traders.”

“It’s hard to capture the level of disdain and derision on display throughout this hearing. Almost every time Bondi replied to Democratic questions, Democrats accused Bondi of filibustering and tried to reclaim their time. Bondi would continue speaking, leading to constant cross-talk.”

USA Today: Democrats grill Pam Bondi on Epstein files as she touts stock market in hearing.

Filed Under: House of Representatives

Trump Posts Photos of Himself with Black Celebrities

February 11, 2026 at 1:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

President Trump embarked on a bizarre posting spree touting his friendship with Black celebrities following his racist video of Barack and Michelle Obama, the Daily Beast reports.

Filed Under: Celebrities

Republicans Stand by Trump’s Unlimited Trade Powers

February 11, 2026 at 12:06 pm EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The House handed Speaker Mike Johnson a very public defeat last night.

A rule he championed — designed to block future House votes aimed at ending President Trump’s tariffs — went down narrowly, 214 to 217.

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Filed Under: Foreign Affairs, Members

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan 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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