Political Wire

Iran Is Preparing for War

February 18, 2026 at 10:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Iran’s leaders want to reach a nuclear deal with the U.S., but they are also rushing to prepare for war in case talks between the countries fail,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Tehran is deploying its forces, dispersing decision-making authority, fortifying its nuclear sites and expanding its crackdown on domestic dissent. The moves reflect its leaders’ belief that the survival of the regime itself is at stake.”

“Domestically, the Islamic Republic is more vulnerable than it has been in decades. Its leaders are facing widespread popular discontent over the worsening economic picture and the mass killing of protesters last month. Meanwhile, the U.S. has deployed two aircraft carriers and a host of other warships and jet fighters to the region in preparation for a possible attack.”

Trump’s Election Bill Tops 50 Votes in Senate

February 18, 2026 at 10:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The SAVE America Act to require proof of citizenship nationwide to register to vote and overhaul voting laws has now topped 50 votes in the Republican-controlled Senate,” NBC News reports.

“The bill is supported by President Donald Trump and passed the House last week, meaning the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule is the only thing standing in the way of it becoming law.”

“The tally guarantees a battle over the bill on the Senate floor as Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has promised a vote. But he warned last week that there are ‘not even close’ to enough votes for getting rid of the filibuster, despite Trump’s calls to do so.”

Macron Blasts Social Media’s Free Speech Defense

February 18, 2026 at 10:24 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“French President Emmanuel Macron said the free speech defense of social media platforms is ‘pure bullshit,’ pushing back against a key foreign policy goal of President Donald Trump,” Bloomberg reports.

“European nations including the UK and Germany are weighing social media bans for minors, with regulators saying the services are harmful and addictive.”

U.S. Insists China Conducted a Secret Nuclear Test

February 18, 2026 at 10:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. presented new seismic data Tuesday to buttress its recent allegation that China has secretly carried out low-yield nuclear tests, challenging Beijing’s insistence that it has scrupulously observed an international accord banning all nuclear detonations,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Opponents of California Wealth Tax Ramp Up Campaign

February 18, 2026 at 10:00 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Opponents of California’s proposed wealth tax are turning to the same tool as its champion: the ballot initiative,” Politico reports.

“A multi-pronged campaign to undercut the proposed one-time, 5 percent levy took a significant step forward Tuesday, when rival ballot initiatives rolled out veteran staffers and secured support from a ballot committee bankrolled by some of California’s wealthiest residents.”

Germany’s Population In Decline

February 18, 2026 at 9:55 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Germany’s population is projected to shrink by nearly 5 percent within 25 years — a significantly steeper decline than previously forecast,” the Financial Times reports.

Billionaires Gone Wild

February 18, 2026 at 8:56 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Paul Krugman: “For those who need a refresher, Citizens United was a 2010 ruling by a narrow majority on the Supreme Court that effectively removed all restrictions on political spending by wealthy individuals and corporations. Such spending must be undertaken by nominally independent organizations, but in practice so-called Super PACs coordinate closely with candidates and parties. The result of the ruling, which you can see in the chart, was an explosion of political spending by billionaires as well as industry lobbying groups. Citizens United is what enabled both Elon Musk and the crypto industry to play huge roles in the 2024 election.”

“Some of the rise in billionaire spending can be explained by growth in the number of billionaires — but not much. The number of U.S. billionaires rose 85 percent between 2010 and 2023, from 404 to 748. But billionaires’ share of political contributions rose by 1700 percent.”

“In short, we are in the midst of an unprecedented power grab by America’s oligarchs. This power grab is arguably the most important fact about contemporary U.S. politics. In many ways MAGA is just a symptom.”

FDA Will Now Review mRNA Flu Vaccine

February 18, 2026 at 8:50 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reversed course and will review a new mRNA flu vaccine from Moderna, CNN reports.

Talarico Raised $2.5 Million After Spiked Interview

February 18, 2026 at 8:47 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The attention surrounding James Talarico‘s Late Show with Stephen Colbert interview has been very good for the Texas Democrat’s campaign for U.S. Senate,” Deadline reports.

“He raised $2.5 million in the 24 hours after the segment was shifted from CBS broadcast to YouTube, his largest single fundraising period for the campaign.”

Billionaires’ Low Taxes Are a Problem for the Economy

February 18, 2026 at 8:43 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Wall Street Journal: “California’s plan to hit its richest residents with a one-off wealth tax is a long shot, and its design has problems. But a look at who picks up the tab when billionaires scrimp on taxes, and how wealth concentration is affecting the wider economy, shows why the issue isn’t going away.”

“The risk is that the U.S. economy becomes increasingly dependent on a narrow group of very rich households, whose spending is tied to the performance of the stock market. This could mean the entire economy pays a steep price in the next market correction.”

Other Democracies Don’t Redraw Voting Maps Like the U.S.

February 18, 2026 at 8:41 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “Partisan redistricting is hardly new in the United States — the term gerrymandering dates to 1812 — but in modern history, it traditionally has not been done in the middle of a decade, and not to this degree.”

“America often views itself as a model of democracy for the rest of the world. But other democracies have tried to put in more safeguards in place to prevent the kind of redistricting fever taking hold in the United States.”

Ken Paxton Has Survived a $60 Million Onslaught

February 18, 2026 at 7:36 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “Over the last six months, D.C. Republicans unleashed a tidal wave of TV ads boosting Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX). Those ads reminded Lone Star State voters about Paxton’s messy divorce, controversial impeachment proceedings and a slew of corruption scandals involving the longtime pol.”

“But Paxton is entering the final weeks ahead of the March 3 Senate GOP primary just as he began it — the front-runner. And Paxton is convinced that he’s going to end Cornyn’s Senate career soon.”

“Here’s the crazy part: Paxton didn’t air TV ads of his own until mid-February. He held just a few public campaign events and barely responded to the pro-Cornyn onslaught.”

California Race for Governor Still Wide Open

February 18, 2026 at 7:25 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

A new Emerson College survey of the jungle primary for Governor finds Steve Hilton (R) leading the field at 17%, followed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D) at 14%, Chad Bianco (R) at 14%, former Rep. Katie Porter (D) at 10%, and Tom Steyer (D) at 9%.

Twenty-one percent are undecided.

Lawmaker Had Affair with Aide Who Set Herself on Fire

February 18, 2026 at 7:17 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) engaged in a romantic relationship with an aide who died last year by setting herself on fire outside her Uvalde home, according to a text message and people close to the aide and her family,” the San Antonio Express News reports.

“A former staffer in Gonzales’ district office who worked closely with the aide, Regina Ann ‘Regi’ Santos-Aviles, said she told him they had an affair in 2024, and that she spiraled into a depression after her husband discovered the relationship and Gonzales abruptly cut her off. He also shared with the San Antonio Express-News a screenshot of a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she acknowledged having an ‘affair with our boss.’”

Christian Nationalism Has Taken Hold of the GOP

February 18, 2026 at 6:30 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Christian nationalism is now deeply entrenched inside today’s Republican Party, according to a sweeping 50-state survey,” Axios reports.

“The once-fringe ideology holds that the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed according to strict Christian values, even as the country becomes less religious and more racially diverse.”

Key finding: 56% of all Republicans are Christian nationalism “adherents” or “sympathizers.”

A (Lone) Star Is Born

February 18, 2026 at 6:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Playbook: “We’re exactly one day into early voting in the hottest primary contest of 2026, and already temperatures in Texas are sky-high. The decision to pull Dem Senate hopeful James Talarico’s Late Show interview with Stephen Colbert on Monday night put rocket boosters under his campaign at a critical moment.”

“The numbers are still soaring: As of this morning, the canned segment has more than 5 million YouTube views — numbers Colbert can only dream of on his actual TV show. You probably saw the graph yesterday showing Google searches of Talarico’s name spiking dramatically.”

Key takeaway: “In years past, a broadcast network ditching your big interview on the night voting starts would have been a body blow for a state senator still trying to get national recognition. But not in this era. As Donald Trump knows better than anyone, nothing grabs eyeballs and motivates voter bases these days like a sense of grievance, of being under attack from powerful forces, of leaning into the fight.”

Beshear Is Latest 2028 Contender to Write a Book

February 18, 2026 at 6:18 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear plans to publish his first book this fall, joining a slew of potential Democratic presidential candidates releasing memoirs that could set up future national campaigns,” the Washington Post reports.

“The book, set to publish Sept. 22, will focus on Beshear’s Christian faith — a topic he often brings up amid Democrats’ debates about how to broaden their appeal and take back power.”

$56 Trillion National Debt Will Lead to Spiraling Crisis

February 18, 2026 at 6:06 am EST By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The United States is rapidly accelerating toward a definitive tipping point in its financial history, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget wrote in response to the latest 10-year outlook from the Congressional Budget Office,” Fortune reports.

“The nonpartisan budget watchdog issued a stark assessment: The current trajectory of borrowing, which is running at double the 50-year historical average, is simply mathematically unsustainable.”

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