Political Wire

Trump Hints That Press Area May Be Moved

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“President Donald Trump pushed back Saturday morning against reports he was considering replacing the White House press briefing room with an indoor swimming pool but said he was considering moving media ‘to a less obnoxious location,'” NewsNation reports.

Said Trump, on Truth Social: “There is a Fake News report out there that I am going to remove the White House Press Room and bring back the old Swimming Pool, which lies directly underneath. Although I may move the Fake News to a less obnoxious location, the old swimming pool will never be brought back.”

He added: “I NEVER even thought to do such a stupid thing!”

Gen Z Is Broke and Fed Up with Politics

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Politico: “Transunion, a consumer credit reporting agency, found in a 2024 study that 22- to 24-year-olds in Gen Z had higher average credit-card balances, higher average auto-loan balances and higher average personal-loan balances than millennials of the same age a decade earlier, even when adjusted for inflation. Gen Z borrowers also had higher delinquency rates than their millennial counterparts.”

“This gap — between the promise that hard work will bring stability and the costs young adults say they can’t get ahead of — is key to understanding the politics of Gen Z, a voter group that helped President Donald Trump win in 2024, but whose longtime loyalties have yet to be won by either party.”

Another Bonus Quote of the Day

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“Boy, they are scraping the bottom of the barrel. It feels like a real desperation play to me, because it has got zero basis in the law.”

— Republican election law expert Ben Ginsberg, quoted by Politico, on the Trump administration’s effort to invalidate Alaska’s election results.

Mike Collins Joked About Pushing Pelosi From a Plane

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“In last week’s Georgia Senate debate, Democrat Jon Ossoff accused Republican congressman Mike Collins of calling for immigrants to be thrown to their deaths from helicopters, referring to a social media post Collins sent in 2024,” CNN reports.

“Collins didn’t address the accusation directly and instead pivoted to immigration enforcement and criticized Ossoff.”

“But it wasn’t the first time Collins commented on killing people by throwing them out of an aircraft. In an August 2021 tweet, amid the chaos of the Afghanistan withdrawal, Collins suggested American military and political leaders deserved to be hanged from a helicopter. He also joked about pushing then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi out of an airplane.”

Iowa Ad Calling Democrat ‘Dangerous’ Boomerangs

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“A Republican woman in a campaign commercial gave a grave warning about Sarah Trone Garriott, the Democratic candidate in one of Iowa’s most competitive House districts,” the Washington Post reports.

Said city councilwoman Shellie Flockhart: “When it comes to our kids, Sarah is just plain dangerous.”

“Flockhart pleaded guilty to charges related to child endangerment and driving under the influence after authorities said she drove drunk with two of her children in the car in 2017.”

Extra Bonus Quote of the Day

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“I got completely deluded… Like I so overstated my power that it was embarrassing. He didn’t care what I thought at all. And you know, why would he actually?”

— Tucker Carlson, quoted by the Financial Times, on his soured relationship with President Trump.

Ramaswamy Switches to Shorter Version of Attack Ad

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“Vivek Ramaswamy is switching to a 30-second version of the attack ad featuring the estranged mother of Amy Acton, his Democratic opponent in the Ohio race for governor,” NBC News reports.

“The original minute-long version debuted this week and sparked widespread and bipartisan backlash. It’s not uncommon for there to be 60-second and 30-second versions of ads featuring roughly the same content.”

The Wrap: Trump calls NBC News’ Monica Alba a “horrible little reporter” over Ramaswamy ad questions.

Iran in ‘Advanced Stages’ of Planning Attacks

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“The U.S. government has put employees on heightened alert across the Middle East and moved to reduce personnel levels at embassies and consulates because of intelligence showing Iran is in the advanced stages of planning attacks against Americans,” the New York Times reports.

“Intelligence officials raised alarms to Secretary of State Marco Rubio in a memo on Friday that warned about the dangers to State Department employees in the Middle East and other regions.”

Financial Times: Intelligence memo warns Iran plotting to kill Americans in Middle East.

White House Is Weighing Mass Pardons for Junior Staff

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“White House attorneys are evaluating whether to issue mass pardons to junior staffers, as Trump allies press the administration to protect lower-ranked officials from prosecution and other legal challenges, according to two sources familiar with the conversations,” the Washington Sun reports.

“While President Donald Trump has publicly discussed issuing pardons for top aides and issued pardons for billionaires and major donors, questions have mounted about the potential legal jeopardy facing thousands of employees who have implemented the White House’s agenda.”

“A pardon for all junior administration personnel is viewed as unlikely, one source said, but the president could issue blanket pardons for all employees involved in particular policy areas, such as deportations, war or trade.”

Trump AI Data Center Push Faces Voter Backlash

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CNBC: “Nearly 55% of MAGA supporters want companies to keep developing advanced AI while Congress works on regulations, versus 27% who favor a pause. But only 29% would support a data center within 10 miles of their home, while 40% oppose one. Among all Republicans and Republican-leaning voters — not just those who identify themselves with the MAGA movement — those who say they would support a data center near their home falls to 24%.”

“Across the electorate, 63% don’t want a nearby AI data center and just 13% support one. Democrats lead the opposition: 80% oppose nearby facilities while just 4% support them.”