“President Donald Trump has focused on remaking Washington in his second term, from blades of grass on the White House lawn to new monuments around the city,” the Washington Post reports.
”He regularly directs the presidential helicopter to fly over his projects, surveying his changes from above.”
”No modern president has done more to personally reshape the nation’s capital. It’s an effort that Trump’s deputies and allies credit as a major achievement. Many others just want him to stop.”
“From the first primaries in March through the final ones in September, Democrats’ turnout outpaced Republican voters in many key states that will decide congressional majorities next year,” the New York Times reports.
“In red states like Texas, battlegrounds like Georgia and bluer ones like New Hampshire, Democrats have raced to the polls to choose their nominees, while Republicans have not kept up.”
“Lawmakers are fuming over President Donald Trump’s latest challenge to Congress’ funding power and already plotting to stop him in the future — a move that would require Republicans to buck their own party’s standard-bearer,” Politico reports.
CBS News: Trump cancels nearly $1 billion in spending, a move some lawmakers called illegal.
“A sweeping bill that aims to remake college sports and impose order on a system transformed by athlete payments, frequent transfers and years of litigation cleared a major hurdle Monday night, passing the Senate with bipartisan support,” the Washington Post reports.
“The Senate approved the Protect College Sports Act by a vote of 77-22. The bill now heads to the House, which is divided over how Congress should intervene in college athletics and is not expected to return to Washington until after the November election.”
New York Times: Senate resoundingly approves sweeping college sports measure.
“Senate Republicans want to spend this week insulating themselves from a deteriorating political environment before getting back on the campaign trail. Instead, they’re fending off some final curveballs from President Donald Trump,” Politico reports.
“White House decisions to use air campaign-style ads with taxpayer funds while separately rescinding about a billion dollars in congressionally approved spending are the latest pre-midterm frustrations for GOP senators — who spent much of Monday fielding off-message questions about the president’s latest actions.”
ABC News: White House airs more taxpayer-funded ads promoting Trump.
“Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to revamp America’s food system have hit their biggest hurdle yet: The White House,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Two years ago, the Trump campaign joined forces with Kennedy, embracing his ambition to wage war on chronic disease. But concerns about whether his ideas on food are even feasible have prompted clashes within the administration, casting uncertainty over a once potent political agenda that drew support from millions of voters.”
“President Trump is willing to give Iran sanctions relief and release Iranian frozen funds in return for concrete Iranian steps regarding the nuclear program,” Axios reports.
“But Trump took to Truth Social Monday evening to say such reports were ‘untrue.'”
Bloomberg: Iran officials pessimistic about U.S. deal before midterms.
“A senior prosecutor working on the so-called grand conspiracy investigation into a wide array of President Trump’s enemies has resigned from the case, adding to the turmoil that has recently plagued the inquiry,” the New York Times reports.
“It’s obviously going to be fucking rough.”
— A Trump adviser, quoted by Mediaite on the midterm elections.
“Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday suspended Georgia’s motor fuel tax for 30 days as the war with Iran sends gas prices soaring and voters press leaders to ease the strain on household budgets ahead of the November elections,” the Atlanta Journal-Consitution reports.
“House Democrats are looking confident,” Semafor reports.
“Their campaign arm is rolling out $11 million in ads across 35 districts, including some redrawn by Republicans in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas.”
“Some of the ads will air in districts President Donald Trump won handily in 2024, like Kentucky’s 6th, North Carolina’s 11th, and Virginia’s 1st.”
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) declared a statewide disaster Monday to address high fuel prices, allowing expanded use of dyed diesel, raising the allowable weight for certain truck loads, and suspending some federal diesel emission rules,” the Washington Post reports.
“Dyed diesel is normally restricted to off-road farm and construction equipment and is exempt from federal and state taxes.”
“The criticism has been that I let a child predator out after one day. Well guess what? They served 60 days.”
— Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), speaking at an event.
A new Freedom Project USA/Change Research poll in Florida finds David Jolly (D) leading Byron Donalds (R) in the governor’s race, 48% to 46%.
The same poll in Florida finds Ashley Moody (R) leading Angie Nixon (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 47%.
It’s always fun to talk politics with the great Julie Mason.
“Senate Republican Leader John Thune said taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for video advertisements lauding President Donald Trump that the administration has called ‘presidential public service announcements,'” Bloomberg reports.
Said Thune: “It’s a great message, I like the message, but it shouldn’t be paid for with taxpayer dollars.”
“Donald Chase is the kind of voter Democrats are fighting over in Georgia,” the Atlanta Journal-Consitution reports.
“The Oglethorpe peanut farmer has voted Republican for nearly his entire adult life. He’s supporting and contributing to GOP candidates elsewhere on the November ballot.”
“But when it comes to the U.S. Senate race, he plans to vote for Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff.”
Said Chase: “We don’t necessarily elect a party. I like to support people that I can get behind and believe in.”
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.
