Political Wire

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Most Foreign Lobbying Efforts Came Up Short

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“Countries across the globe have dropped tens of millions this year on lobbyists with ties to President Donald Trump as they rushed to stave off tariffs that could cripple their economies,” Politico reports.

“In most cases, the spending has gotten them nowhere.”

“As Trump has taken a scattershot approach to setting tariff rates — crafting trade agreements that set a 15 percent tariff on major trading partners while imposing rates that vary between 10 and 41 percent on the rest of the world — traditional lobbying tactics in Washington appear to have had little influence.”

Trump Expands Use of Tariffs for National Security

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“President Donald Trump’s freewheeling use of tariffs as a tool of American power may have been more extensive than was publicly known, encompassing an array of national security goals as well as the interests of individual companies,” the Washington Post reports.

“This month, State Department officials considered demanding that U.S. trading partners vote against an international effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the oceangoing container ships that are the backbone of global trade.”

Zelensky Rejects Trump’s Proposal

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“President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine on Saturday flatly rejected President Trump’s proposal that a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia could include ‘some swapping of territories’ — a plan that would in effect mean ceding land to Moscow,” the New York Times reports.

Said Zelensky: “Ukrainians will not give their land to the occupier.”

He added: “Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work.”


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Gerrymandering Is Deepening America’s Divide

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“America’s identity as a unified nation is eroding, with Republican- and Democratic-led states dividing into separate spheres, each with its own policies governing the economic, social and political rules of life,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The bitter fight over redrawing U.S. House maps, triggered by President Trump’s effort to protect his party’s majority in the 2026 midterm elections, is the latest example of how the dominant party in many states is making extraordinary efforts to impose its will.”

Trump Says He Will Meet With Putin in Alaska

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“President Trump said he would meet with President Vladimir Putin of Russia next Friday in Alaska, as he tries to secure a deal to end the war between Russia and Ukraine,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Trump announced the meeting Friday shortly after he suggested that a peace deal between the two countries could include ‘some swapping of territories,’ signaling that the United States may join Russia in trying to compel Ukraine to permanently cede some of its land.”

Janet Mills Won’t Rule Out Senate Bid in Maine

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“There has been widespread speculation that Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, could challenge Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in a run for U.S. Senate when Collins’ term ends in 2026,” WMTW reports.

Said Mills: “That’s the rumor. I don’t know. I would think seriously about it, but I’m not ready to make any decisions along those lines.”

Trump Is Replacing Billy Long as IRS Commissioner

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“President Trump is removing Billy Long from his job leading the Internal Revenue Service just two months after he was confirmed as commissioner,” the New York Times reports.

“Mr. Long, a former Republican congressman and staunch ally of Mr. Trump, is expected to be nominated to an ambassadorship, the people said. It is unclear who will next lead the IRS, which has had six different people in charge this year.”

The Senate spent weeks confirming Long, who had no qualifications for the job. And he was pushed out almost immediately.

An Easier Way to Navigate the News

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Political Wire members now have a new way to catch up on what they missed. In the right-hand column (on a big screen), you’ll find a daily calendar that lets you jump straight to the political news from any date.

Been away on vacation? Just click the days you missed and get up to speed fast.

Let me know what you think.

And if you’re not a member yet, join today and get instant access.

Kash Patel Advances Trump’s Vision for the FBI

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“FBI Director Kash Patel is stepping up his campaign to take on some of President Trump’s top partisan priorities,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“In the last few days, Patel has forced out another round of agents who worked on investigations that upset the president and his supporters, and enlisted the FBI to help track down Texas Democratic lawmakers who fled the state to block Republicans from taking up redistricting legislation. The firings are the latest in a series of changes as Patel tries to reshape the nation’s premier law enforcement agency in Trump’s image.”

Pentagon Could Divert Ukraine Weapons Back to U.S.

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CNN: “A memo written by the Pentagon’s policy chief last month gives the Defense Department the option to divert certain weapons and equipment intended for Ukraine back into US stockpiles… a dramatic shift that could see billions of dollars previously earmarked for the war-torn country go toward replenishing dwindling American supplies.”

Obamacare Sticker Shock Could Jolt Republicans

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“Pressure on Congress to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies is likely to ramp up this fall as notices of 2026 premium increases go out and consumers get their first warnings that huge rate hikes could be coming,” Axios reports.

“Backers of renewing the enhanced tax credits, which expire at the end of this year, hope the sticker shock could motivate Republicans to get behind a short-term reauthorization to avoid an uproar over premium increases in an election year.”

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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