“On Thursday Twitter announced that it would begin sharing ad revenue with content creators on its platform for the first time. But the offer won’t apply to all creators,” the Washington Post reports.
“The first beneficiaries appear to be string of high profile far right influencers who tweeted before the announcement how much they’ve earned as part of the program.”
“Federal prosecutors investigating former President Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election have questioned multiple witnesses in recent weeks — including Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner — about whether Mr. Trump had privately acknowledged in the days after the 2020 election that he had lost,” the New York Times reports.
“The line of questioning suggests prosecutors are trying to establish whether Mr. Trump was acting with corrupt intent as he sought to remain in power — essentially that his efforts were knowingly based on a lie — evidence that could substantially bolster any case they might decide to bring against him.”
“Mr. Kushner testified before a grand jury at the federal courthouse in Washington last month, where he is said to have maintained that it was his impression that Mr. Trump truly believed the election was stolen.”
“A super PAC aligned with former President Donald Trump paid Melania Trump $155,000 in late 2021, an unusual payment that was not visible in the group’s initial federal reports and came to light only in a new filing by Mr. Trump on Thursday,” the New York Times reports.
“The money was listed as pay for a ‘speaking engagement’ by Ms. Trump in the new filing.”
“Joe Manchin isn’t even a Senate candidate and he’s still outraising his potential opponents,” Politico reports.
“The West Virginia senator’s campaign raised nearly $1.3 million in the most recent fundraising quarter, besting Republicans Gov. Jim Justice and Rep. Alex Mooney. Manchin’s Country Roads PAC brought in about $400,000.”
“Investigators from the House Ethics Committee have begun reaching out to witnesses as part of a recently revived investigation into Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, focused on allegations that he may have engaged in sexual misconduct, illicit drug use or other misconduct,” CNN reports.
“Florida Republicans have hit dozens of voter registration groups with thousands of dollars of fines, the latest salvo in an alarming crackdown on voting in the state led by Governor Ron DeSantis,” The Guardian reports.
“Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry lashed out at House lawmakers during a committee hearing on Thursday over the criticisms of his use of a private jet that has emitted hundreds of metric tons of carbon, even as he battles climate change,” Fox News reports.
Said Kerry: “We don’t own a private jet. I don’t own a private jet. I personally have never owned a private jet. And obviously it’s pretty stupid to talk about coming in a private jet from the State Department up here. I just honestly, if that’s where you want to go, go.”
“An Iowa state senator who’d previously endorsed Donald Trump is flipping his support to Ron DeSantis just days after the former president attacked Iowa’s popular Republican governor, Kim Reynolds,” Politico reports.
“Jeff Reichman, who is serving his first term in the state Senate, announced on Thursday that he is defecting to the Florida governor’s presidential campaign. In a statement, Reichman singled out praise for Reynolds, who Trump has targeted for her warmness toward DeSantis, his main rival for the GOP nomination.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attempted to set up a call with Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today, but the senator’s office declined, saying he did not have time for a call today or this weekend, CNN reports.
Tuberville has complained that Austin has not tried to reach him about his hold on military nominations in protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
“WhatsApp messages from Boris Johnson’s old mobile phone have still not been handed over to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry because he has reportedly forgotten the passcode,” the Evening Standard reports.
“The former prime minister stopped using the device in May 2021 due to security concerns but it likely contains crucial correspondence about the Government’s early pandemic response.”
Marianne Williamson “privately warned volunteers that her campaign was desperate for cash and that she did not have the personal funds to keep it going at its current state,” Politico reports.
She also claimed Democratic insiders were undermining her campaign: “It is shocking to us too. It really makes you wonder. I’ve never seen anything like this. And it does make you wonder…. politics is dirty.”
NBC News: “A confidential campaign memo lays out what the Florida governor’s presidential campaign sees as its path forward: focusing on the early states, refusing to give up on New Hampshire, not yet investing in “Super Tuesday” battlegrounds, zeroing in on DeSantis’ biography and sowing doubts about his competitors — particularly Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC).”
From the memo: “While Super Tuesday is critically important, we will not dedicate resources to Super Tuesday that slow our momentum in New Hampshire. We expect to revisit this investment in the Fall.”
More: “While Tim Scott has earned a serious look at this stage, his bio is lacking the fight that our electorate is looking for in the next President. We expect Tim Scott to receive appropriate scrutiny in the weeks ahead. We’ve found low to no interest in Vivek, Burgum, and Nikki while far too many voters will not consider Pence and Christie for them to feel remotely viable.”
“President Biden jokingly warned Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin to watch what he eats following a failed coup in Russia last month after Prigozhin briefly led a revolt with his private military,” The Hill reports.
Said Biden: “If I were he, I’d be careful what I ate; I’d keep my eye on my menu.”
A new Gallup poll finds 68% of Americans consider immigration a good thing for the country, while 27% consider it a bad thing.
“While barely a quarter of Americans consider immigration a bad thing for the country, that view is far more prevalent among Republicans (43%) than Democrats (10%), with independents roughly matching the nation as a whole (28%). Still, half of Republicans consider it a good thing, as do 67% of independents and 87% of Democrats.”
Nick Begich (R) announced he’s running again for Alaska’s House seat against Rep. Mary Peltola (D-AK).
“Donald Trump disclosed new details about roughly $1 billion in earnings in a revised financial filing covering much of his post-presidency, including money from foreign ventures, speaking fees and a Florida golf course,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump reported several hundred sources of income in an initial April financial disclosure but provided only broad ranges for the income he received from each source. The revised Trump filing provides new details, such as a dollar amount for nearly a hundred sources of income, including his largest ones, which sum to over $1.2 billion.”
“The polling leader for the Republican nomination in 2024 disclosed more specific earnings from speaking fees than previously known, including at least $2 million for speaking at events hosted by Hak Ja Han Moon and a group she co-founded with her husband Sun Myung Moon, the late leader of the Unification Church, and $2.5 million from a company with the same name as one that organized a boxing match that Trump commentated on.”
Failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R) “says she’s still occupied with her legal challenge to the result of the governor’s election but is thinking of a run for Senate,” KGUN reports.
Said Lake: “So we’ll be making a decision on that in the next couple of months and we’ll see. I’m actually eyeing the Senate race. It’s something I’m considering.”
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.