New York Times: “Michael Boulos was an aspiring businessman, just a few years out of college, when he knelt in the White House Rose Garden in January 2021 and asked President Trump’s daughter Tiffany Trump to marry him.”
“Almost immediately after she said yes, Mr. Boulos, his family and their associates were benefiting financially from his proximity to his soon-to-be in-laws.”
“Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) announced a run for Texas attorney general Thursday, joining a crowded Republican primary field vying to replace Ken Paxton,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“A conservative but often rebellious member of Congress, Roy served as Paxton’s top deputy for two years before becoming an outspoken critic of his former boss.”
“The United States and European Union have agreed on a ‘joint statement’ providing additional details of the trade deal that they announced last month, but the two sides still face weeks or months of additional negotiations to iron out their remaining issues,” the Washington Post reports.
“The three-and-a-half page statement confirms that the U.S. will impose a 15 percent tariff on most European products. The U.S. now has agreed to lower its 25 percent tariff on imported cars to 15 percent for European vehicles once the E.U. introduces legislation to eliminate its already-low tariffs on American industrial products and to provide greater market access for some American farm goods.”
“Former Michigan GOP Rep. Mike Rogers lost his Senate race last year by just 19,000 votes, even as President Donald Trump captured the Wolverine State,” Punchbowl News reports.
“Rogers is seeking a do-over in 2026 and has some wind in his sails this time. Senate GOP leaders quickly backed Rogers following his April announcement, and he easily cleared the field while securing the crucial Trump endorsement.”
“But Trump won’t be on the ballot to help juice turnout. Yet while even that wasn’t enough to push Rogers across the finish line last November, he still sees a clear path to victory.”
Wall Street Journal: “When Trump announced on Aug. 11 that he would deploy hundreds of National Guard members and federalize the local police to ‘take back’ the capital, he framed the mission as a crackdown on violent crime..”
“In practice, the most visible impact of Trump’s federal takeover has been the immigration-enforcement effort… Authorities have pulled delivery drivers off mopeds, arrested construction workers and demanded proof of legal status from vendors selling mangos and watermelons. Vehicle checkpoints have sprung up nightly, and ICE vans have parked outside daycare centers and churches that tend to employ immigrants.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. promised to identify the causes of autism but has eliminated parts of his agency actively investigating them and has cut millions in funding for autism research, ProPublica reports.
And once an ardent environmentalist who took on big polluters, Kennedy has been silent on Trump’s dismantling of efforts to combat climate change and pollution.
A new Politico-UC Berkeley Citrin Center survey found that 70 percent of Democrats believe gerrymandering is “never acceptable.”
But a strong majority of Democratic voters across the country think California Democrats should “fight back” and create more favorable House districts if Texas Republicans do, embracing the exact idea likely to go before California voters.
Steve Bannon said Republicans have to stop shying away from town halls in order to sell President Trump’s megalaw, Politico reports.
Bannon said Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune “should cancel all overseas junkets for members and force them to have town halls, meet and greets, editorial board meetings — anything to get the word out on the BBB.”
He added: “The 2026 midterms have started, and the Republicans are letting down the president.”
“Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook is the latest target of one of the Trump administration’s new pathways to pursue its perceived enemies: alleged mortgage fraud,” Axios reports.
“Trump has waged a revenge tour from his seat in the White House, with prominent members of his grudge list now facing probes from a MAGA-aligned DOJ.”
“If the accusation against Cook evoked a sense of déjà vu, that’s because the Trump administration is also investigating Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) on similar grounds.”
“Democratic Party officials are quietly battling over which state will be the first to vote in the 2028 presidential primary — a fight that’s set to break into the open next week, when the officials meet in Minneapolis,” Axios reports.
“Nevada, New Hampshire, and Michigan are currently the frontrunners to be ‘the new Iowa,’ and lead off the 2028 Democratic primary season.”
“Israel on Wednesday approved new settlements in the West Bank and announced that it was moving ahead with plans to take over Gaza City, bucking international criticism and defying growing support for the creation of an independent Palestinian state,” the New York Times reports.
“The moves raised questions about whether a new cease-fire proposal — which officials have said is similar to terms that Israel previously endorsed — could move forward.”
“Experts said the two moves suggested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was bending to the ideologies of extremists in his coalition in order to remain in power — even at the cost of isolating Israel internationally.”
“Six months ago, President Trump said the European Union was formed to screw America. On Monday, he lavished praise on European leaders as they gathered around a table at the White House to discuss the war in Ukraine,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“He complimented German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s tan, told EU chief Ursula von der Leyen she was perhaps the most powerful of his guests at the table and described 57-year-old Finnish President Alexander Stubb as young and powerful.”
“The change in tone is the outcome of big, painful concessions Europe has made to Trump on trade and military spending. It is also the result of careful study, European officials say.”
“A close adviser to Mayor Eric Adams was suspended from his re-election campaign on Wednesday after giving a journalist cash tucked inside a potato chip bag,” the New York Times reports.
“The Justice Department is demanding that hospitals turn over a wide range of sensitive information related to medical care for young transgender patients, including billing documents, communication with drug manufacturers and data such as patient dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses,” the Washington Post reports.
“The subpoena, as well as public statements by Bondi’s chief of staff, indicate the federal government is attempting to build cases against medical providers that allege they may have violated civil and criminal statutes while providing care that was legal in their states.”
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones sounded the alarm on President Trump’s health, Mediaite reports.
Said Jones: “His ankles look like they’re about 15 inches around. That’s not a good sign for the heart, and the rest of the body.”
He added: “We have a crisis.”
French president Emanuel Macron said he was compelled to sue Candace Owens over her baseless claims that Brigitte Macron was born a man, the Times of London reports.
Said Macron: “It’s a matter of defending my honour.”
He added: “They advised us not to sue. But it has taken on such magnitude in the United States that we had to act.
“A former top City Hall advisor and current campaign confidante to Mayor Eric Adams attempted to give money to a reporter from The City following a campaign event in Harlem Wednesday,” The City reports.
“The failed payoff — a wad of cash in a red envelope stuffed inside an opened bag of Herr’s Sour Cream & Onion ripple potato chips — was made by Winnie Greco, a longtime Adams ally who resigned last year from her position as the mayor’s liaison to the Asian community after she was targeted in multiple investigations.“
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.
