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Republicans Are Divided Over Iran

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“As Israel pummels Iran with waves of airstrikes, President Trump is navigating the divides within the Republican Party over whether the United States should get involved in another foreign conflict,” the New York Times reports.

“On one side are the isolationists who fear that Israel could pull the United States into another Middle East war. And on the other are the Iran hawks and Israel supporters who have been calling for just this sort of military action for years.”

“Mr. Trump appears caught between the two sides, veering back and forth as he tries to distance the United States from Israel’s assault while celebrating the success of the attacks and warning Iran that more is coming.”

Bloomberg Opens His Wallet for Cuomo

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“Billionaire Michael Bloomberg was no fan of Andrew Cuomo when the two served overlapping tenures as mayor and governor. But on Friday all appeared forgiven, with Bloomberg’s $5 million donation to a super PAC boosting Cuomo’s mayoral bid,” Politico reports.

“It’s the largest cash infusion yet to the entity and comes in the final 10 days of the Democratic primary to oust Mayor Eric Adams, once a Bloomberg ally. The former mayor — a party hopscotcher who is now a Democrat — is jumping in as Cuomo faces a threat from democratic socialist challenger Zohran Mamdani, whose views on hiking taxes on the rich and criticisms of Israel are anathema to Bloomberg.”


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Forecasters Warn It May Rain on the Military Parade

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“As Washington, D.C., prepares to host a parade celebrating the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday on Saturday, weather forecasters are warning of the potential for showers and thunderstorms that could disrupt the day’s events, including a scheduled appearance by President Trump, whose 79th birthday coincides with the celebration,” the New York Times reports.

The Most Regressive Legislation in Decades

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New York Times: “The Republican megabill now before the Senate cuts taxes for high earners and reduces benefits for the poor. If it’s enacted, that combination would make it more regressive than any major tax or entitlement law in decades.”

“The bill as passed by the House in May would raise after-tax incomes for the highest-earning 10 percent of American households on average by 2.3 percent a year over the next decade, while lowering incomes for the poorest tenth by 3.9 percent, according to new estimates by the Congressional Budget Office.”

“The shape of that distribution is rare: Tax cut packages have seldom left the poor significantly worse off. And bills that cut the safety net usually haven’t also included benefits for the rich. By inverting those precedents, congressional Republicans have created a bill unlike anything Washington has produced since deficit fears began to loom large in the 1990s.”

Trump Steel Tariffs Expanded to Hit Home Appliances

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“Washing machines, refrigerators and other common household appliances made with steel parts will soon be subject to expanded tariffs,“ the New York Times reports.

“The department said in a notice that levies would take effect on so-called steel derivative products on June 23 and will be set at 50 percent, the current level for all other steel and aluminum imports. The new tariffs will apply to the value of steel content in each import.”

U.S. Diplomacy Served as Cover for Surprise Attack

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Wall Street Journal: “With a sixth round of talks between Trump administration envoy Steve Witkoff and his Iranian counterparts set for Sunday in Oman, Israeli and U.S. officials warned of military action if Iran didn’t agree to end its production of fissile material that can be used in nuclear weapons.”

“Instead, Israel hit first, achieving tactical surprise through a devastating series of blows that killed three top Iranian generals and key nuclear scientists and hit sites linked to the country’s nuclear programs.”

Israeli Operation Won’t Be Over for Many Days

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“Israel’s operation against Iran’s nuclear program, military leadership and arsenal of missiles is nowhere near over, with Israel having planned out 14 days of operations,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The likely duration of the campaign fits with analysts’ expectations that a single wave of strikes wouldn’t be able to do enough damage to Iran’s nuclear program and Israel’s comprehensive approach of attacking Iran’s facilities, leadership and arsenal at the same time to limit the possibility of a retaliatory strike.”

Willkie Farr Partners Depart After Firm’s Trump Deal

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“As many as seven partners are departing Willkie Farr & Gallagher, a prominent law firm that cut a deal with President Trump to head off a potentially crippling executive order, and are joining a firm that has helped successfully challenge one of Mr. Trump’s orders in court,“ the New York Times reports.

“The decision by the partners, who are leaving Willkie Farr to join the law firm Cooley, is the latest of several high profile departures of lawyers from firms that cut deals with the president.”

Schwarzenegger Slams Media Depicting L.A. as ‘War Zone’

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Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger disputed news media rhetoric that “the whole of Los Angeles is a war zone” as Donald Trump deploys troops around the city, Deadline reports.

Said Schwarzenegger: “I totally agree with you, by the way, Jimmy, because they make it out like it is a war zone — the whole Los Angeles — the whole city or the county. And the fact of the matter is it’s maybe like 0.001% of the area of Los Angeles has problems and there’s a protest.”

Trump ‘Doesn’t Speak With Precision’

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“A lawyer for Donald Trump’s Justice Department recently argued in court that sometimes the president just says stuff — and it doesn’t matter if what Trump says is or isn’t accurate, because his comments aren’t necessarily reflective of the government’s position on a given matter,” Rolling Stone reports.

Trump Tells Farmers ‘Changes Are Coming’

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“President Trump acknowledged on Thursday that his immigration policies are hurting the farming and hotel industries, making a rare concession that his crackdown is having ripple effects on the American work force,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Trump, who has made mass deportation a centerpiece of his presidency, said on social media that ‘changes are coming.’ And while there was no sign of any significant modification to his policies, Mr. Trump’s statements suggested the scale of his crackdown may be alienating industries he wants to keep in his corner.”

Washington Post: Despite Trump’s claim, no policy change underway for migrant farmworkers.

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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