“Iran launched missiles at U.S. bases in Qatar, officials said, as videos filmed by residents in Qatar showed flashes and explosions,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“That came about an hour after the country said it had closed its airspace ahead of an anticipated Iranian strike. A U.S. and an Israeli official said Iran had fired missiles toward Qatar.”
“Earlier, U.S. officials said Iran had begun moving missile launchers into place for a potential attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East.”
“Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Tehran on Monday that it said targeted a paramilitary headquarters and a notorious prison, pressing on with its bombing campaign a day after the United States attacked three Iranian nuclear sites,” the New York Times reports.
“The new Israeli barrage, which a military spokesman said also included access routes to the Fordo nuclear enrichment site that the U.S. military bombarded on Sunday, came as Iran fired salvos of missiles that sent Israelis to huddle in shelters.”
“Senate Republicans are unlikely to release full revised text of their sweeping domestic-policy bill Monday as they had hoped, reflecting a behind-the-scenes scramble to finalize the legislation for passage this coming week,” Politico reports.
“The timeline slip comes after GOP leaders saw setbacks over the weekend when Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that key pieces of their bill didn’t comply with the strict rules governing what can be included in a bill they are hoping to pass along strict party lines, skirting a 60-vote filibuster threshold.”
Politico: All eyes on the parliamentarian.
“New nonpublic data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement indicate that the government is primarily detaining individuals with no criminal convictions of any kind,” the Cato Institute reports.
“Also, among those with criminal convictions, they are overwhelmingly not the violent offenses that ICE continuously uses to justify its deportation agenda.”
Iranian officials are considering removing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the Supreme Leader of Iran after the country endured airstrikes by Israel and the United States, The Atlantic reports.
The plot to replace the supreme leader is being planned by a group of businessmen, military and political figures, and relatives and high-ranking clerics.
“New York intends to build a large nuclear-power facility, the first major new U.S. plant undertaken in more than 15 years and a big test of President Trump’s promise to expedite permitting for such projects,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Coming this fall: When You Come at the King by Elie Honig.
“You might unearth information that will be politically, professionally, and personally devastating to your subject, and you alone hold the power to indict and potentially imprison him. At the same time, the boss can fire you and end the case—and might even turn the tables and launch an inquiry aimed at you.”
“As the lone-wolf assassin Omar put it in The Wire: ‘You come at the king, you best not miss.'”
“The U.S. Embassy in Qatar told Americans in the country to shelter in place until further notice, without providing a reason, as the region anticipates possible Iranian attacks on American interests in retaliation for U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
New York Times: “Since Iran first embarked on an ambitious civilian nuclear program in 1974 under the shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s leaders have viewed it as a proud symbol of the country’s leadership in the Muslim world, a reflection of its commitment to scientific research, and an insurance policy in its dangerous neighborhood.”
“What was true under the shah has been true under the theocratic rulers of post-revolution Iran. And it would be true, several experts on Iran said, of any potential future Iranian government, even if the current supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, does not survive an escalating conflict with Israel and the United States.”
“The Senate parliamentarian has rejected several more provisions in the Republican megabill to enact President Trump’s agenda, including language authorizing states to conduct border security and immigration enforcement, which traditionally have been duties of the federal government,” The Hill reports.
“Israeli warplanes kept up their attacks on Iranian missiles systems, airfields and the Fordow nuclear site following U.S. strikes at the weekend, as debate raged in the country over how long the campaign should continue,” Bloomberg reports.
Rudy Giuliani said that Democrats calling for President Trump to be impeached over the U.S.’s military strikes on Iran — like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) — should be “tried for treason,” Newsweek reports.
Vladimir Putin has called the U.S. strikes on Iran an “unprovoked aggression” in his first comments on President Trump’s military action, Newsweek reports.
He added that Russia was “making efforts to provide assistance to the Iranian people” after the “unjustified” action.
The final Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill survey of the New York City Democratic mayoral primary finds Andrew Cuomo leading with 35% support, followed closely by Zohran Mamdani at 32%, and Comptroller Brad Lander at 13%.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams follows with 8%, Scott Stringer with 3%, and 4% of voters remain undecided ahead of Tuesday’s election.
The survey allowed voters to rank up to five candidates in order of preference. The ranked-choice voting simulation over eight rounds ends with Mamdani at 52% and Cuomo at 48%.
Rahm Emanuel admits the potential of taking on JB Pritzker in a 2028 presidential run is “going to be awkward,” NBC News reports.
Asked to expound on what would make it awkward, the famously unguarded Emanuel said: “It’s so fucking — it’s self-evident, Jesus Christ.”
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.
