“The fact is that collectively we’re just tired of playing by the rules. This is a ‘fuck you, we’re going to match your scorched earth with our scorched earth.’”
— Democratic pollster John Anzalone, quoted by Politico, on Democrats fighting GOP efforts to redistrict mid-cycle.
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s (D-TX) group, Powered by People, has “has emerged as a top funder covering the costs of Texas lawmakers’ out-of-state decampment,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“O’Rourke’s organization, armed with a $3.5 million war chest, has covered much of the costs so far — including air transport, lodging and logistical support, a person involved with the fundraising said — though other groups have been in the mix.”
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Florida Republican state committeewoman Lindsey Langston — who is also the reigning Miss United States — has filed a restraining order against Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) “after reporting him to local and state law enforcement for harassment, threatening to release sexual videos, and to harm future boyfriends,” Drop Site News reports.
A bizarre detail: “On at least one occasion, Mills sent a woman to a male friend’s home—a male friend this woman had never met—to have sex, according to texts and audio messages obtained by Drop Site. The male friend described his experience as humiliating, likening his role in them to ‘sex slavery.'”
And another: “Langston also raised questions about how Mills receives his income. ‘There were many times where I personally saw people from his company give him sacks of cash.'”
A member of Sean “Diddy” Combs’ all-star legal defense team told CNN that the music mogul’s team has reached out to the Trump administration about a potential pardon following his conviction on two charges of transportation to engage in prostitution last month.
“Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) asked the state’s high court Tuesday to remove a top Democratic lawmaker from office, arguing he had abandoned his job by leading dozens of his colleagues out of state to block a GOP plan to redraw the state’s congressional map ahead of next year’s midterm elections,” the Washington Post reports.
“The move sharply escalated a standoff that has mushroomed into a national political battle over congressional districts, with red and blue states threatening to redraw their maps to benefit their side in elections that will determine control of the U.S. House.”
Texas Tribune: “The Supreme Court of Texas is entirely Republican, and Chief Justice Jimmy Blacklock, appointed in January, was formerly Abbott’s general counsel.”
“Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary and a longtime vaccine critic, announced in a statement Tuesday that $500 million worth of vaccine development projects, all using mRNA technology, will be halted,” the AP reports.
“The projects — 22 of them — are being led by some of the nation’s leading pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer and Moderna to prevent flu, Covid-19 and H5N1 infections.”
Cook Political Report: “If Democrats don’t win Nebraska’s 2nd District next year, it’s almost impossible to see them taking control of the House. The Omaha-based district shot to the top of the party’s target list at the beginning of July, when GOP Rep. Don Bacon announced he wouldn’t run for reelection next year.”
“Given the partisan lean of this district — it has a Cook PVI of D+3 — a generic Democrat should have an edge over a generic Republican.”
“President Trump’s former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta was not one of the former government officials subpoenaed Tuesday by the House Oversight Committee over the Jeffrey Epstein probe,” Axios reports.
“As a federal prosecutor in 2008, Acosta approved a highly controversial non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to serve minimal time in prison and shut down the federal investigation into his alleged sex trafficking ring.”
“The sweetheart plea deal, which Acosta negotiated without consulting Epstein’s victims, also shielded his alleged co-conspirators from future prosecution related to his sex crimes.”
A U.S. official said that the Trump administration will “take over” management of the humanitarian effort in Gaza because Israel isn’t handling it adequately, Axios reports.
“Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is moving forward with a plan to remove quorum-breaking House Democrats from office, asserting that by leaving the state they have abandoned their positions,” Politico reports.
Said Paxton: “Starting Friday, any rogue lawmakers refusing to return to the House will be held accountable for vacating their office. The people of Texas elected lawmakers, not jet-setting runaways looking for headlines. If you don’t show up to work, you get fired.”
CNN: Will Texas Democrats’ walkout work?
“Russia has declared that it no longer considers itself bound by a self-imposed moratorium on the deployment of nuclear-capable intermediate range missiles, a warning that potentially sets the stage for a new arms race as tensions between Moscow and Washington rise again over Ukraine,” the AP reports.
“The Russian Foreign Ministry linked the decision to efforts by the U.S. and its allies to develop intermediate range weapons and preparations for their deployment in Europe and other parts of the world. It specifically cited U.S. plans to deploy Typhoon and Dark Eagle missiles in Germany starting next year.”
“Jeffrey Epstein’s former girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell is opposing the US Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury transcripts in her criminal case, saying she is still fighting her conviction,” Bloomberg reports.
“Not long after it was first reported that Ghislaine Maxwell was moved to one of the cushiest federal detention facilities in the country, a private Facebook group dedicated to current and former federal prison staffers erupted in shock and outrage,” NBC News reports.
“The federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, is one of seven minimum security, dormitory-style federal security facilities that do not typically hold inmates like Maxwell who are convicted of sex crimes and serving lengthy sentences.”
Said one prison employee: “Since when are sex offenders allowed at the camp? I don’t care who she snitched on, she’s a damn human trafficker.”
The Independent: “Maxwell’s new prison mainly houses inmates convicted of ‘white-collar’ crimes and minor offenses, and they are said to be angry about her presence.”
Daily Beast: Trump administration broke rules to move Ghislaine Maxwell to Club Fed camp.
“Gov. Josh Shapiro on Tuesday called for the United States to ‘dramatically increase’ aid to Gaza as he joins a national conversation about the deepening humanitarian crisis there as the death toll of Palestinians waiting for food and other aid grows,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Said Shapiro: “I think it is fair to say that I’m both praying for the return of the hostages and praying to make sure that these kids get fed in Gaza. The fact that kids are starving in Gaza is not OK.”
Washington Post: “Loomer has remained close withTrump despite what she describes as ‘contempt’ for her by a number of White House staff and Trump advisers. While those close to the president caution that her influence with Trump only goes so far — something Loomer acknowledges — they say it’s undeniable that her persistence and loyalty have paid off.”
“In her own telling, corroborated by people around Trump, Loomer’s ability to capture the president’s attention and sometimes influence his actions is hardly mysterious. She uncovers information she believes will be of interest to him, passes it along to Trump officials, then pushes it out publicly in lengthy posts on X, on her website or on her weekly streaming show, ‘Loomer Unleashed.’ She is confident the reports will get to the president, given her reputation as a trusted ally.”
Politico: “A sprawling missile defense conference kicks off Tuesday in Alabama, but no one on stage can mention the Pentagon’s most ambitious missile defense project.”
“Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, according to the event’s organizers, has banned officials at the event from talking about President Donald Trump’s favorite weapon system: the nascent multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile shield.”
“The clampdown follows new Pentagon rules that ban personnel from participating in think tank and research organization events — a major channel for communicating policy and gathering outside input. And it occurs alongside a broader tightening of the department’s public engagement, including reducing press conferences and limiting media access in the building to prevent a stream of embarrassing leaks.”
Rick Hasen: “A sudden war over redistricting has broken out in Texas and looks to spread across the country, with California, New York and elsewhere considering tit-for-tat Democratic partisan gerrymanders to negate the Republican hardball in Texas.”
“Congress, rather than the courts, is in the best position to stop the upcoming race to the bottom. But even though it’s in everyone’s interest that Congress act, don’t hold your breath.”
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.
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