Bloomberg: “While much is still unknown about the project, its cost alone shows the epic scale engineers are envisioning, with the estimate more than four times larger than the $37 billion that Three Gorges cost upon completion in 2009.”
“That promises an economic jolt for sectors like construction, cement and steel, and a major new source of clean power that could eventually help the country reach its goal of net zero emissions by 2060.”
“Kamala Harris will not run governor of California next year, she announced Wednesday, leaving the door open to another White House bid in 2028 as the former vice president considers her political future following her loss to President Donald Trump last fall,” the Washington Post reports.
“Three weeks ago, White House officials were battling a frenzy from President Donald Trump’s supporters over the Jeffrey Epstein case. But the flurry of criticisms from within the ‘Make America Great Again’ movement have quieted, and Trump officials say they are plotting steps to try to shape the public narrative to their advantage,” the Washington Post reports.
“The president’s advisers are not under any impression that the storm has entirely passed: The most recent polling shows the public largely disapproving of Trump’s handling of the Epstein case.”
Said a senior White House official: “I wouldn’t say it’s blown over. It’s one of those things where, with a certain segment of the base, a very small segment of the base, it’s never going to die down, no matter what.”
Quinta Jurecic: “Emil Bove has demonstrated that total sycophancy to the president can be a fantastic career move.”
“The genius of Trump is that he has internalized social media and how it works. He knows that saying something is no different than doing something, that it’s just one damn thing after another and nothing matters. Trump realized you don’t have to do things. You just need to say things and then it’s all wrapped in one big burrito of dream and fantasy.”
— Israeli writer Etgar Keret, quoted by the New Yorker.
“Fentanyl fueled the worst drug crisis the West has ever seen. Now, an even more dangerous drug is wreaking havoc faster than authorities can keep up,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The looming danger is an emerging wave of highly potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes, which often pack a far stronger punch than fentanyl. Nitazenes have already killed hundreds of people in Europe and left law enforcement and scientists scrambling to detect them in the drug supply and curb their spread.”
“The opioids, most of which originate in China, are so strong that even trace amounts can trigger a fatal overdose. They have been found mixed into heroin and recreational drugs, counterfeit painkillers and antianxiety medication. Their enormous risk is only dawning on authorities.”
“President Donald Trump started his second term with one huge difference compared with his first term: Polls regularly showed majorities of Americans approving of his handling of immigration. In fact, it was his best issue, whereas it had been one of his least popular before,” NBC News reports.
“Six months into his second term, it’s still among his best issues, but it’s no longer as popular. There has been a clear decline in support for Trump’s handling of immigration, with his approval rating dropping across a handful of prominent polls.”
“I am humbled and grateful by the massive statewide support that I have to run for governor, and if I wanted to run we all know I would win. It’s not even debatable.”
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), quoted USA Today, passing on a run for governor.
“President Trump wants to move on from his administration’s fiasco over the Jeffrey Epstein files, but he keeps hampering that effort by opening his mouth,” CNN reports.
“The most recent instance has to do with precisely why the two men had a falling out about two decades ago.”
“Trump acknowledged on Tuesday that the employees who he said Monday that Epstein poached from him, triggering their breakup, were young women who worked in the spa at his Mar-a-Lago club.”
William Kristol: “Some of his staff must be worrying that the president doth talk about Epstein too much. To which all I have to say is this: Mr. President, don’t listen to them. Keep on talking!”
The Free Press offers an index that rates the independence of each of the media giants and analyzes their ability to defend democracy.
Margaret Sullivan: “Thirty five of the largest and most influential media organizations in the United States get a rating for their relative independence or lack thereof. The ratings, which come with explanations, range from a star (signaling independence) up to five chickens (signaling propaganda). As you’ll see, there are enough chickens in these ratings to start a good-sized poultry farm.”
Council on Foreign Relations: “President Donald Trump has torn up the WTO’s rule book and unilaterally raised tariffs on almost everyone.”
“As European Union leaders work through the consequences of their new trading arrangement with the US, they are confronting the bitter reality of just how far they have fallen,” Bloomberg reports.
“Donald Trump held court on Sunday at one of the golf courses he owns on the Scottish coast, touting the new ballroom he’d had built at the clubhouse and delivering a lengthy tirade on the problems with wind turbines. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen had to wait until the US president had finished his round for the day before she got her chance to discuss the transatlantic trade relationship.”
“But the terms of that deal will mean a significant hit to European companies —- the EU accepted a tripling of tariffs to 15% on most exports to the US and will keep its own levies on imports from the world’s biggest economy to 1% or less.”
New York Times: “Faced with threats of 50 percent tariffs and demands to end a criminal case, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he wouldn’t take orders from President Trump.”
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“Texas GOP lawmakers released their first draft of the state’s new congressional map Wednesday, proposing revamped district lines that attempt to flip five Democratic seats in next year’s midterm elections,” the Texas Tribune reports.
“The new map targets Democratic members of Congress in the Austin, Dallas and Houston metro areas and in South Texas.”
“Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley said Wednesday morning he was ‘offended’ by President Donald Trump’s attempts to pressure him to ram through more nominees coming before his panel without deference to lawmakers whose states would be affected,” Politico reports.
Said Grassley: “Last night, I was surprised to see President Trump on Truth Social go after me and Senate Republicans over what we call the ‘blue slip.’ I was offended by what the President said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insult.”
Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) “is expected to announce Thursday he won’t run for reelection in 2026,” Politico reports.
“Davis — at 83, one of the oldest members of Congress — plans a news conference Thursday morning where he is also likely to make an endorsement for what is expected to be a highly competitive race.”
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.