South Carolina state Rep. RJ May (R), who is in jail awaiting trial on charges he distributed sexual abuse material involving children, has resigned his seat, the Washington Post reports.
The three-term lawmaker is accused of using the screen name “joebidennnn69” to exchange 220 different files of toddlers and young children involved in sex acts.
President Trump on Tuesday threatened to allow a “major lawsuit” against Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to go forward, dramatically escalating his efforts to pressure the central bank leader to immediately lower interest rates, CNBC reports.
Said Trump: “The damage he has done by always being Too Late is incalculable. Fortunately, the economy is sooo good that we’ve blown through Powell and the complacent Board. I am, though, considering allowing a major lawsuit against Powell to proceed because of the horrible, and grossly incompetent, job he has done in managing the construction of the Fed Buildings.”
“House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) on Monday said former President Clinton’s alleged ties to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein should be uncovered during his testimony before members of Congress,” The Hill reports.
Said Comer: “Everybody in America wants to know what went on in Epstein Island and we’ve all heard reports that Bill Clinton was a frequent visitor there, so he’s a prime suspect to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee.”
He added: “So hopefully we’ll win that court battle with that subpoena and see President Clinton in October.”
Elaina Plott Calabro: “The country gave its citizens the right to die. Doctors are struggling to keep up with demand.”
President Trump vowed this week to rid Washington, D.C., of homeless encampments, issuing a warning that the “homeless have to move out, IMMEDIATELY,” ABC News reports.
“Though what those plans will look like, including where people will go, is unclear, sparking concerns among advocacy groups.”
A new Siena poll in New York City finds Zohran Mamdani (D) leading Andrew Cuomo (I) in the mayoral race by 19 percentage points, 44% to 25%, with Curtis Sliwa (R) trailing at 12% and Eric Adams (I) at just 7%.
Interesting takeaway: City voters under 35 are overwhelmingly supporting Mamdani, 54% to 35%, however, voters 55 and older back Cuomo over Mamdani, 38% to 32%.
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“A widely followed measure of inflation accelerated slightly less than expected in July on an annual basis as President Donald Trump’s tariffs showed mostly modest impacts,” CNBC reports.
“The consumer price index increased a seasonally adjusted 0.2% for the month and 2.7% on a 12-month basis, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday. That compared to the respective Dow Jones estimates for 0.2% and 2.8%.”
“Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA) got an earful at an in-person town hall in Chico, California, Monday morning — hearing it from attendees upset about his vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Epstein files and President Donald Trump’s tariffs harming Californian farmers,” ABC News reports.
CNN: “LaMalfa, whose district spans much of the state’s northern interior, is the latest Republican to face harsh in-person criticism, as members of the party attempt to sell Trump’s sweeping agenda back home during Congress’ August break from Washington.”
David Graham: “For years, prominent voices on the right argued that Democrats were enacting a police state. They labeled everything—a report on homegrown extremism, IRS investigations into nonprofits—a sign of impending authoritarianism. Measures taken by state governments to combat the spread of COVID? Tyranny. An FBI search of Mar-a-Lago? The weaponization of law enforcement.”
“Now that a president is actually sending federal troops and officers out into the streets of the nation’s cities, however, the right is in lockstep behind him. This morning, Donald Trump announced that he was declaring a crime emergency, temporarily seizing control of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department and deploying the D.C. National Guard to the nation’s capital.”
“Russian forces are striving to shape the battlefield to their advantage before a high-stakes summit between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin, making a swift advance in eastern Ukraine after months of grinding battle,” the New York Times reports.
“In recent days, Russia’s troops broke through a segment of Ukraine’s defensive line near the city of Pokrovsk, a longtime stronghold. They have advanced several miles into Ukrainian-held territory, threatening to outflank Ukraine’s positions.”
Bloomberg: “Some borrowers say they are prioritizing essentials such as housing or groceries, while others refuse to pay as a form of protest.”
“Senate Republicans are planning to spend tens of millions of dollars over the next few months to rescue Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn, hoping to reintroduce him to Lone Star State conservatives and save his flagging primary prospects,” Punchbowl News reports.
“The Senate Leadership Fund, the top GOP super PAC focused on Senate races, urged donors last week to open their wallets to help Cornyn beat back a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, arguing the race could become a costly disaster without immediate intervention.”
One-third of American adults say their family’s finances have worsened over the last year, according to a new Yahoo Finance/Marist poll.
Key takeaway: 45% of adults describe the cost of living in their area as not very affordable (36%) or not affordable at all (9%).
Associated Press: “The CBO estimates that the 10% of poorest Americans will lose roughly $1,200 a year as they experience restrictions on government programs like Medicaid and food assistance, while the richest 10% of Americans will see their income increase by $13,600 from tax cuts.”
Punchbowl News: “Democrats requested the new data from the non-partisan CBO, and they’ve been quick to seize on it. Democrats have been hammering the GOP over Medicaid cuts and tax cuts for the wealthy, making that contrast the core of their political message on the law.”
“It wasn’t just 2024: the Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien is signaling a more permanent realignment by donating to battleground Republicans in the upcoming midterms,” Politico reports.
“For the second year in a row, the labor union’s political arm donated to the Republicans’ House campaign arm after nearly two decades of mostly backing Democrats.”
Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) will hold a press conference next month with survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, the Washington Times reports.
The press conference is planned for Sept. 3, the day after lawmakers return to Washington from their summer recess.
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.