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Pentagon Delays Cleanup of ‘Forever Chemicals’

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“The Department of Defense has quietly delayed its cleanup of harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at nearly 140 military installations across the country,” the New York Times reports.

“The Pentagon has been one of the most intensive users of these chemicals, which are also known as PFAS and are a key ingredient in firefighting foam. For decades, crews at U.S. military bases would train to battle flames by lighting jet-fuel fires, then putting them out with large amounts of foam, which would leach into the soil and groundwater.”

Democrats Hope to Flip a Red Seat in Georgia

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“Democrats are looking Tuesday to add to a streak of successful showings in special elections and other off-year contests during President Donald Trump’s second term, eyeing a ruby red state Senate district in Georgia where their candidate is looking to pull off a major upset,” the Washington Post reports.

“Republicans are hoping to retain the seat they have been favored to keep and counter some troubling indicators for the party in this year’s elections. The race provides a fresh snapshot of voter attitudes eight months into Trump’s new term in office.”

Elon Musk’s Father Accused of Child Sexual Abuse

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“Elon Musk has not been shy about putting much of his life on public display. The tech billionaire posts daily on his social network X, has cooperated with two biographies and often speaks on podcasts and at conferences,” the New York Times reports.

“But there is one part of his life that he has not revealed much about — his longtime estrangement from his father, Errol Musk, who has become increasingly outspoken about his family and business ventures tied to the Musk name.”

“A New York Times investigation found that a significant factor in Elon Musk’s rupture with his father stems from accusations against Errol Musk of child sex abuse.”


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Devices Capable of Crashing Cell Network Found Near UN

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“The Secret Service found and seized an illicit network of sophisticated equipment in the New York region that was capable of shutting down the cellular network as foreign leaders prepared to gather nearby for the annual U.N. General Assembly,” the New York Times reports.

“Officials said the anonymous communications network, which included more than 100,000 SIM cards and 300 servers, could interfere with emergency response services and could be used to conduct encrypted communication.”

Trump Oversteps His Own Advisers’ Guidance on Autism

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Wall Street Journal: “In labeling Tylenol use in pregnant women as a potential cause of autism, Trump threw the full weight of his office behind a theory that he acknowledged has yet to be proven. He defied the careful guidance offered by some in the row of scientific advisers who stood behind him during the Roosevelt Room address.”

“The president noted that he was diverging from the medical leaders he chose to guide him, who offered a more calibrated warning on Tylenol use.”

Said Trump: “Bobby wants to be very careful with what he says. But I’m not so careful with what I say.”

The Most Unprecedented Presidency in 250 years

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“Not since America’s founding 250 years ago has a U.S. president expanded power — and punished critics — in more unprecedented ways than Donald J. Trump,” Axios reports.

“Yes, most presidents stretch the power of the White House and, on rare occasions, blatantly target U.S. critics on U.S. soil. But Trump has veered, often suddenly, proudly and loudly, into unprecedented territory in at least 15 different areas.”

“No president in peacetime has done this much in one year of one term.”

“Trump has done this in eight short months, often with the loyal backing of a compliant Republican-led Congress and validated by the conservative majority of the Supreme Court.”

New York Times: Trump’s remarks at Kirk memorial distill his politics.

Arizona Voters Set to Put Mike Johnson in a Corner

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“Speaker Mike Johnson is about to confront one of his biggest leadership tests yet, courtesy of voters in southwest Arizona,” Politico reports.

“They are highly likely to elect a new Democratic House member in a special election Tuesday. That would-be lawmaker, Adelita Grijalva, told Politico she plans to become the 218th and clinching supporter of a bipartisan effort to force public disclosure of federal investigative files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.”

Graham Platner Draws Big Crowd in Maine

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Playbook: “Aides say more than 800 people turned up for Oyster farmer Graham Platner’s first town hall in Maine last night (here’s a pic). Platner, an Iraq war veteran, is running an insurgent grassroots campaign to take on GOP Sen. Susan Collins, which threatens to disrupt national Democrats’ efforts to recruit and unite around Gov. Janet Mills.”

U.S. Pledges Support for Argentina’s Economy

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“The Trump administration pledged on Monday to do whatever is necessary to support Argentina’s struggling economy, throwing a lifeline to the country’s embattled president, Javier Milei, ahead of legislative elections there next month,” the New York Times reports.

“Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that the United States is prepared to offer loans to Argentina’s central bank, direct currency purchases and purchases of U.S. dollar-denominated Argentine government debt from Treasury’s Exchange Stabilization Fund to keep Argentina’s economy afloat. The value of Argentina’s currency, the peso, has fallen in recent weeks amid concerns about Mr. Milei’s political grip on government.”

Wall Street Journal: Argentina is losing faith in Milei’s free-market revolution.

Trump vs. the World

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“When President Donald Trump addressed the United Nations General Assembly during his first term, he railed against globalism, drawing derisive laughter that momentarily derailed his remarks,” Politico reports.

“No one’s laughing now.”

“Many world leaders have bent over backward to flatter and appease Trump since he returned to office this year. But their outward deference masks a deep and growing concern about Trump 2.0. And for as much as the president has relished the flattery, he remains focused on imposing his will on the world, using leverage and threats to pressure and punish other countries.”

NewsNation: Trump to tout foreign policy, slam “globalist” institutions at UN.

Most CEOs Say Trump Has Harmed Their Businesses

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“In private, the leaders of some of the country’s best-known companies say that a number of White House policies have been bad for their businesses — and possibly illegal, per the results of a survey from Yale School of Management,” Axios reports.

Some results:

  • 71% of the CEOs said tariffs were harmful to their businesses.
  • 74% said that the courts were correct to find that the Trump’s tariffs are illegal as executed.
  • 80% said that the president was not acting in the country’s best interest by pressuring Fed chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates.
  • 76% said that Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. is putting U.S. public health at risk.

Trump Scrambles to Save Kirk’s Young Voter Machine

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“The Trump White House is scrambling to preserve the powerful voter mobilization machine built by Charlie Kirk, whose assassination left a leadership vacuum at one of the right’s most influential political organizations,“ Reuters reports.

“Behind the scenes, the White House has held ‘preliminary discussions’ about Vice President JD Vance engaging directly with young voters.”

Harris Says She Was Reckless Not to Challenge Biden

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“In her first television interview about her new campaign memoir, Kamala Harris was pressed on what she meant when she wrote that it was reckless to let former President Joe Biden seek reelection,” CNN reports.

Said Harris: “I realized that I have – and had – a certain responsibility that I should have followed through on. And so when I talk about the recklessness, as much as anything, I’m talking about myself.”

Murdochs Seek Return to Social With TikTok

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“A Fox Corp. investment in TikTok would give the Murdoch media empire a platform with 170 million US users to promote a broad range of TV programming — from the NFL to The Simpsons — and a chance to redeem the family’s catastrophic purchase of MySpace 20 years ago,” Bloomberg reports.

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan 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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