Political Wire

Supreme Court Allows Rapid Third-Country Deportations

September 29, 2026 at 3:26 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration can resume rapidly deporting immigrants to countries other than their own, the Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday,” the New York Times reports.

“The one-page emergency ruling was unsigned and gave no vote count, as is typical in such cases. Although the justices cleared the way, for now, for the swift removals to continue, the court also announced that it would fast-track the case and hear oral arguments about it in December, setting up a final ruling on the issue next year.”

Erika Kirk Doesn’t Really Want to Talk Politics

September 29, 2026 at 3:20 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Vanity Fair: “One year after Charlie Kirk’s murder, the MAGA movement is fracturing and the future of Turning Point USA—the influential and lucrative conservative youth organization he founded at 18—is uncertain. His politically reluctant widow now finds herself both its leader and a victim of the conspiracy mentality Kirk fomented.”

Trump’s Taxpayer-Funded Ads About to Ramp Up

September 29, 2026 at 3:01 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“President Trump is personally selecting which government-funded ads his administration is airing ahead of the midterms — with more to come,” Axios reports.

Said one administration official: “This is just the beginning.”

Five GOP Senate Candidates Won’t Commit to Trump

September 29, 2026 at 2:59 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Among the nine Republicans whose races are expected to be crucial in determining Senate control, four would like Mr. Trump to join them on the trail ahead of the election, or are open to the possibility, according to their campaigns. Three campaigns left their positions unclear, and two said they would not join the president on the trail.”

Trump to Auto-Enroll Every Child in a Trump Account

September 29, 2026 at 2:57 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is preparing to automatically enroll every American child in a Trump Account before the midterm elections, aiming to increase the impact of a program that has struggled with low take-up,” the Washington Sun reports.

“At the direction of the White House, the Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service are preparing to use IRS data to create a Trump Account for all children.”

The Beclowning of Scott Bessent

September 29, 2026 at 2:48 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Paul Krugman: “One iron law of current politics is that nobody who associates themselves with Donald Trump emerges with a shred of credibility. For some, that’s not a big loss — it’s not as if anyone respected Pete Hegseth even before he decided that the key to military success in an age of drones and AI was more testosterone. For others, however, the costs are real. I’m old enough to remember when Marco Rubio was widely considered a reasonable, thoughtful politician.”

“Right now, however, my candidate for the biggest loser is Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury.”

The Hidden Battles Shaping the Ballot

September 29, 2026 at 2:12 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Just for members: The latest issue of Ballot Access News.

The latest issue highlights a series of fights over who gets on the ballot, including an Illinois ruling upholding a steep 5% signature requirement for independent House candidates and the Forward Party’s unsuccessful effort to get its statewide nominees on the New Mexico ballot.

Navarro Tells Canadian Lobbyists to ‘Get the Hell Out’

September 29, 2026 at 2:10 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Peter Navarro, a longtime trade adviser to President Donald Trump, on Tuesday excoriated Canadian lobbyists, telling them during a conference in Washington to leave the U.S,” Bloomberg reports.

Democrats Hold Wide Lead on Generic Ballot

September 29, 2026 at 2:04 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Quinnipiac University poll finds Democrats leading Republicans on the generic congressional ballot, 51% to 39%.

Generic Congressional Ballot

Democrats 51%

Republicans 39%

Quinnipiac University poll · registered voters · ±3.8%

The same poll finds Donald Trump’s approval at 34%, while 61% disapprove.

Trump Approval

Approve 34%

Disapprove 61%

Quinnipiac University poll · registered voters · ±3.8%

A Kansas Democrat’s Red-State Pitch

September 29, 2026 at 2:04 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Adam Hamilton doesn’t plan to stay in Washington long if he gets there, and he doesn’t plan to spend his time investigating President Donald Trump,” MS NOW reports.

“The 62-year-old megachurch pastor, running a surprisingly competitive Senate campaign as a Democrat in Kansas, told MS NOW he would serve no more than two terms in the chamber if elected. He also said he had no interest in the investigations of Trump and his family that Democratic leaders have signaled they would pursue if their party wins control of Congress.”

Said Hamilton: “I’m not going to Washington to hold trials. I’m going to Washington to fight for the people of Kansas and make life better for them.”

Darline Graham Rips Jack Smith

September 29, 2026 at 1:51 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Sen. Darline Graham sought to take up her brother’s mantle Tuesday, going after former special counsel Jack Smith for obtaining the late-Sen. Lindsey Graham’s phone data,” Politico reports.

Said Graham: “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Kristi Noem Files for Divorce

September 29, 2026 at 1:49 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Kristi Noem, the former governor of South Dakota and former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has filed for divorce from her husband, Bryon Noem,” NewsNation reports.

“The couple has been married since May 23, 1992… Speculation about the Noem marriage has swirled around the couple for several months.”

Republicans Find a Migrant Caravan Just in Time

September 29, 2026 at 1:02 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“It’s almost the midterm elections, and you know what that means: a caravan of scary migrants is trekking toward the border, prepared to invade the nation with their foreign criminal ways — according to Donald Trump‘s administration and right-wing media, anyway,” Rolling Stone reports.

“With early voting set to begin in some states, and Election Day only a few weeks away, Republicans are using every tool in their arsenal to try to mitigate an electoral backlash to the president’s extremely unpopular first two years back in office. That means fear mongering about migration from South and Central America. But it’s hard not to notice that these supposed migrant caravans seem to only appear shortly before an election, and disappear from the right-wing media cycle immediately after votes are cast.”

“Right-wing accounts on social media began posting unverified videos of an alleged migrant caravan over the weekend.”

Trump Deportation Official Tapped for Ambassadorship

September 29, 2026 at 1:01 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A senior State Department official who helped negotiate the Trump administration’s controversial ‘third country’ deportation deals with African nations has been nominated to be U.S. ambassador to Cameroon,” the Washington Post reports.

“Christian Ehrhardt, 41, has served since last year as deputy assistant secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugee, and Migration. He oversees the Office of Remigration, created by the administration to facilitate the removal of migrants to countries where they are not citizens.”

Judge Blocks Trump From Pulling Counteterrorism Funds

September 29, 2026 at 1:00 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A federal judge on Monday blocked the authority of President Donald Trump’s administration to withhold some federal counterterrorism funding from states that don’t meet its election administration demands,” the Associated Press reports.

“Courts have largely rejected the administration’s previous efforts, which reflect untrue claims about widespread voting fraud and come ahead of November’s midterm elections where Democrats seek to take control of one or both chambers of Congress and check Trump’s power.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

September 29, 2026 at 12:49 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation. If asked whether to prosecute a former president today based on the same facts, I would do so regardless of whether that president was a Republican or a Democrat. The charges against President Trump were the result of the evidence.”

— Former special counsel Jack Smith, quoted by Mediaite. in testimony before the U.S. Senate.

How Ted Cruz Became a Bipartisan Dealmaker

September 29, 2026 at 12:48 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“When Ted Cruz first arrived in the Senate in 2013, he achieved notoriety by reading Dr. Seuss’s ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ during an all-night speech on the chamber’s floor — part of a doomed campaign to defund the Affordable Care Act that angered Democrats and irritated some of his Republican colleagues,” the Washington Post reports.

“On Monday, the Texas Republican again spent hours on the Senate floor. But this time he was trying to pass a major bipartisan bill — and he emerged triumphant.”

Quote of the Day

September 29, 2026 at 12:02 pm ET By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Let’s stop this nonsense that everybody that works in politics is all equal and everyone’s opinion needs to be respected. Oh shit, I listen to all this nonsense online. But do me a favor, if you’re that fucking delicate, if you’re that much of some kind of a honeysuckle or whatever it is, go do something else with your life, alright? Don’t get into a rough and tumble, live or die, win or lose, winner take all business — because you’re too weak. You’re too soft.”

— James Carville, quoted by Mediaite, on reports that staffers to former Rep. Mary Peltola (D) were upset she yelled at them.