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Artemis II Gives U.S. Momentum in Renewed Moon Race

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“Floating in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, the four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission had achieved more than just a historic return to human spaceflight around the moon,” the New York Times reports.

“The successful conclusion of Artemis II sets NASA on a path to extend the agency’s achievements in space exploration, and, for now at least, the United States is ahead of China in a 21st century space race.”

Wired: “After traveling a greater distance from Earth than any humans before them, the astronauts of Artemis II have safely returned home.”

Trump Turns to Vance to End the Iran War

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“Six weeks after President Donald Trump started a war in Iran that has proved difficult to end, he has turned to a new approach in negotiations: Putting front and center his vice president, JD Vance, whose reputation happens to be as the administration’s foremost war skeptic,” the Washington Post reports.

Wall Street Journal: “It is the latest test for a politician who many believe hopes to succeed Trump in the White House and presents acute risks. Vance, an anti-interventionist who attempted to distance himself from the war in its early days, is now more closely tied to its outcome.”

Financial Times: Peace talks present big test on global stage for JD Vance.

Trump Suddenly Sounds Like Biden

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“In full damage control mode after receiving the worst inflation report of his second term, President Donald Trump’s White House stressed that critics were looking too hard at the wrong things,” the Washington Post reports.

“Instead, aides on Friday pointed to pockets of improvement — lower prices for some goods, tax cuts and falling drug costs — as evidence the broader picture was being missed.”

“The argument that the administration’s record is stronger than the public recognizes has become a familiar one. Former president Joe Biden made a similar case at the end of his term — a rare point of overlap between two leaders who have spent over a decade attacking each other’s policies and fitness for office.”

Ex-Staffer Says Eric Swalwell Sexually Assaulted Her

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“A woman who worked for nearly two years for Rep. Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate for California governor, said she had sexual encounters with him while he was her boss and alleged he twice sexually assaulted her when she was too intoxicated to consent,” the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

CNN: Former staffer alleges in interview that Swalwell raped her.

Politico: “Swalwell’s campaign for governor was reeling Friday after two news reports detailed accusations of sexual assault and misconduct, with multiple staffers resigning and both prominent allies and rival candidates calling on the California Democrat to exit the race.”

Raskin Wants Trump to Take a Cognitive Test

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Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is requesting the White House physician conduct a “comprehensive cognitive assessment” of President Trump and brief Congress on the results.

Said Raskin: “His apparently deteriorating condition has caused tremendous alarm across the nation (and political spectrum) about the President’s cognitive function and continuing mental fitness for the office of President, and prompted concerns about the President’s wellbeing.”

Trump Says He Wasn’t Surprised by Melania’s Statement

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President Trump told the New York Times that he had known his wife wanted to speak about Jeffrey Epstein at some point, and that he “thought she had a right to talk about it,” even if he had not known what exactly she planned to say.

Said Trump: “It doesn’t bother me.”

He added: “I didn’t know what the statement was, but I knew she was going to make a statement.”

Pope Leo Criticizes Religious Language Used by Trump

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“Pope Leo XIV appeared to take aim at religious language used by U.S. officials to justify the war in Iran, in the latest salvo between the pontiff and the Trump administration over the conflict,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Leo: “God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs.”

House Oversight Will Hold Hearings with Esptein’s Victims

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House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair Rep. James Comer said that the panel would be holding hearings to give victims of Jeffrey Epstein the chance to speak about his crimes against them, CNBC reports.

First lady Melania Trump on Thursday said Congress should give “women who have been victimized by Epstein … a public hearing specifically centered around the survivors.”

Trump Is Losing Leverage Over Iran

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Aaron Blake: “The week began with President Donald Trump saber-rattling like we’ve never seen before. He threatened apparent war crimes and to end a ‘whole civilization’ if Iran didn’t meet his demands.”

“It is ending with Trump looking like he’s losing leverage, out of ideas — and increasingly anxious for an offramp.”

“The economic news Friday was especially grim for Trump’s ability to keep prosecuting this war and drive a hard bargain with Iran in upcoming negotiations.”

Trump Promises Mass Pardons to Staff

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“President Trump has repeatedly promised his top administration officials pardons before he leaves office,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Said Trump, in a recent meeting: “I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval.”

“That radius appears to be expanding as the president repeats the line. Another person who met with Trump earlier this year said the president quipped about pardoning anyone who had come within 10 feet.”

“In one conversation with advisers in the dining room next to the Oval Office last year, Trump said he would host a news conference and announce mass pardons before he left office.”

Every Democrat Is a ‘Fighter’ Now

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“Virtually every Democratic primary candidate this cycle, from the most progressive to the most moderate, wants voters to know one thing: How much of a ‘fighter’ they are,” Axios reports.

“It is the culmination of a year’s worth of liberal grassroots fury over what they see as President Trump’s many transgressions and the Democratic establishment’s lackluster response.”

Trump Looms Large Over Congressional Primaries

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“President Trump will not be on the ballot this year, but you might not know it based on the ads being run by Republicans in competitive congressional primaries,” Axios reports.

“Even as his approval rating droops amid rising gas prices and a sluggish economy, the president is still one of the most potent forces in Republican politics.”

Trump Plans to Request $98 Billion for Iran War

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NOTUS: “President Donald Trump is preparing a $98 billion supplemental spending request tied to U.S. military operations in Iran, a sharply reduced figure from earlier Pentagon proposals.”

“Defense officials initially floated packages approaching $250 billion to cover the cost of deploying troops, ships, aircraft and weapons to the region, and to accelerate munitions production — a key Pentagon priority.”

Trump Aide Would Oversee GOP’s Midterm Election Effort

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White House deputy chief of staff James Blair is considering a temporary leave of absence to run President Trump’s political operation during the midterms, Politico reports.

Blair would oversee the president’s entire political operation from the outside as well as midterm spending — the clearest indication yet that the White House wants a unified approach to strategy and spending in the charge toward November.

Viktor Orbán Could Actually Lose

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Isaac Stanley-Becker: “It may not be obvious why an election in Hungary, a landlocked European country with a population roughly the size of Michigan’s, has commanded so much international attention. It’s not a nuclear power, a global media hub, or a center of innovation. Its language is a beast to learn.”

“But Sunday’s vote may well be one of the most important elections in the history of postcommunist Europe. It will test the longevity of a regime that has deviated from principles of democracy and the rule of law that were vindicated by the peaceful revolutions of 1989 and later secured by the European Union, which incorporated Hungary as part of its eastward expansion in 2004.”

“The bloc doesn’t have a mechanism to expel a wayward member, but Western diplomats told me that brazen electoral theft would inaugurate a perilous new era. Some suggested that the prime minister, who oversees entrenched patronage networks that reach into the minutiae of municipal jobs, has too much at stake to accept defeat.”

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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