“Protesters nationwide are gathering at more that 2,500 locations today to rally against President Donald Trump in what organizers predict will be the largest one-day protest in modern American history,” USA Today reports.
For members: GOP Panic Reveals Fear of Mass Resistance
“The Department of Homeland Security has purchased two Gulfstream private jets for Kristi Noem, the secretary, and other top department officials at a cost of $172 million,” the New York Times reports.
“The jets, which a department official said were needed for safety, are the latest expenditures on behalf of Ms. Noem to draw scrutiny from Democrats and other critics who have noted her lavish spending on living and other expenses during her time in public life.”
“Donald Trump may not be on the ballot in the fall’s biggest political races, but both sides are counting on him to help them win,” CNN reports.
“A year after winning back the White House, Republicans are racing to motivate voters who love the president and Democrats are rallying those who don’t, as the races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia play out as an early referendum on Trump’s second term.”
“Trump administration officials have privately discussed setting up a meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un when Trump visits Asia next month, though many are skeptical that it will ultimately happen,” CNN reports.
“President Trump has repurposed money to fund military salaries during the government shutdown. He has pledged to find ways to make sure many in law enforcement get paid. He has used the fiscal impasse to halt funding to Democratic jurisdictions, and is trying to lay off thousands of federal workers,” the New York Times reports.
“Government shutdowns are usually resolved only after the pain they inflict on everyday Americans forces elected officials in Washington to come to an agreement. But as the shutdown nears a fourth week, Mr. Trump’s actions have instead reduced the pressure for an immediate resolution and pushed his political opponents to further dig in.”
“The Trump administration is quietly watering down some of the tariffs that underpin the president’s signature economic policy,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“President Trump in recent weeks has exempted dozens of products from his so-called reciprocal tariffs and offered to carve out hundreds more goods from farm products to airplane parts when countries strike trade deals with the U.S.”
“The offer to exempt more products from tariffs reflects a growing sentiment among administration officials that the U.S. should lower levies on goods that it doesn’t domestically produce.”
“A federal prosecutor who resisted President Trump’s demands to bring charges against Letitia James, the New York state attorney general, was fired along with her deputy on Friday evening,“ the New York Times reports.
“The dismissal of the prosecutor, Elizabeth Yusi, was the latest fallout from attempts by career Justice Department officials to pump the brakes on Mr. Trump’s wide-ranging efforts to seek retribution against his perceived political opponents.”
“A former Trump campaign lawyer who worked on the effort to overturn the 2020 election results has joined the administration to investigate that year’s election and voting-related issues,“ the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Kurt Olsen, a lawyer who unsuccessfully pushed claims of voter fraud, has joined the administration as a ‘special government employee’… The appointment gives Olsen 130 days to work from within the White House without giving up any private business interests. He is talking directly with President Trump.”
President Trump said he had commuted the sentence of former Rep. George Santos, who is serving more than seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to fraud and identity theft charges, the AP reports.
Trump said Santos would be released “immediately.”
“The political director for Graham Platner’s U.S. Senate campaign resigned Friday after Platner’s past online posts featuring numerous controversial remarks resurfaced this week,” the Bangor Daily News reports.
White House budget director Russell Vought said that the Trump administration will freeze another $11 billion worth of infrastructure projects in Democratic-leaning cities due to the ongoing government shutdown.
So far, just 15% of today’s weekly news quiz takers have gotten every question right. Can you do better?
“The Trump administration on Friday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to pause a lower-court ruling and allow President Donald Trump to deploy troops in Illinois, ramping up federal efforts to send the National Guard into the Chicago area,” the Washington Post reports.
“Trump’s administration has placed or attempted to place troops in several cities, including Chicago, Portland, D.C. and Los Angeles, prompting legal challenges from local and state officials. This case marks the first time Trump’s administration has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on the issue.”
“The Supreme Court is about to run out of money, with federal courts across the country expected to run out by early next week because of the government shutdown,” The Hill reports.
President Trump responded to reports Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro offered preferential access to the nation’s natural resources in exchange for lowering the temperature with the U.S., telling reporters Maduro “doesn’t want to fuck around with the United States,” CNN reports.
Washington Post: “One of Trump’s most notable quirks is his willingness to comment publicly on people’s physical appearance — women or men, heads of state or military commanders, White House reporters or his own staffers.”
“At a time when other public figures often minimize such comments to avoid appearing sexist or superficial, Trump seems to revel in such judgments.”
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.
