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Israel Split Defines Michigan Senate Primary

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Punchbowl News: “The open Senate seat in Michigan, a state President Donald Trump won in 2024, has triggered an intense battle that’s morphed into a proxy fight over the future of the Democratic Party.”

“Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), seen as the favorite of Democratic leadership, is doubling down on her pro-Israel record. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow and former Michigan health official Abdul El-Sayed — to varying degrees — say Democratic voters want their leaders to reconsider what’s been a reflexively pro-Israel stance by both parties in Washington for decades.”

Trump to Paint Border Wall Black

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The “entire” U.S.-Mexico border wall will be painted black at the request of President Trump to deter illegal immigrant crossings, Axios reports.

Said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem: “That is specifically at the request of the president. When something is painted black, it gets even warmer, making it even harder for people to climb.”


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Adam Schiff Forms Legal Defense Fund

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Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), has formed a legal defense fund amid a Department of Justice probe into his finances, Politico reports.

A frequent foe of President Trump’s, Schiff faces allegations from the president that he “illicitly claimed his primary residence was Maryland for financial benefit.”

Nebraska Announces Plans for ‘Cornhusker Clink’

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“Nebraska announced plans Tuesday for an immigration detention center in the remote southwest corner of the state as President Donald Trump’s administration races to expand the infrastructure necessary for increasing deportations,” the AP reports.

“The facility will be dubbed the ‘Cornhusker Clink,’ a play on Nebraska’s nickname of the Cornhusker State and an old slang term for jail.”

“The alliterative name follows in the vein of the previously announced ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ and ‘Deportation Depot’ detention centers in Florida and the ‘Speedway Slammer’ in Indiana.”

Trump Bypasses Senate to Install U.S. Attorneys

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“In U.S. attorney’s offices in Los Angeles, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and upstate New York, the administration has effectively sidestepped or overridden both the Senate confirmation and judicial appointment processes for selecting U.S. attorneys,” Politico reports.

“Critics worry that the lack of oversight on some of Trump’s picks could create a perception — if not a reality — that those prosecutors are simply doing the White House’s bidding.”

Elon Musk Pulls the Plug on Third Party

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“Elon Musk is quietly pumping the brakes on his plans to start a political party,“ the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Musk has told allies that he wants to focus his attention on his companies and is reluctant to alienate powerful Republicans by starting a third party that could siphon off GOP voters.”

“Musk’s posture marks a shift from early last month, when he said he would form what he called the America Party to represent U.S. voters who are unhappy with the two major political parties.”

Megyn Kelly Embraces Marjorie Taylor Greene

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Oliver Darcy: “Megyn Kelly, who likes to brand herself as a fearless truth teller, instead played hype woman on Tuesday by giving conspiracy-monger Marjorie Taylor Greene a warm and fuzzy platform.”

“Kelly introduced Greene as merely a ‘lightning rod’ with ‘epic fights on Capitol Hill,’ scrubbing away years of unhinged rhetoric. During the lengthy interview, Kelly—a trained lawyer who has demonstrated she can effectively cross-examine guests when she wishes to—lobbed softballs and steered clear of meaningfully challenging Greene on her record of lies and bigotry.”

Moscow Waffles on Putin-Zelensky Summit

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“Don’t free up your calendar just yet,” Politico reports.

“Moscow on Tuesday moved to cool expectations of a long-awaited face-to-face summit between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, despite much excitement following President Donald Trump’s White House meetings with top European leaders on Monday…”

“Russia’s calibrated language follows a familiar pattern: agree in principle, stall in practice.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“Kennedy would be less hazardous if he decided to do cardiac surgery. Then he would kill people only one at a time rather than his current ability to kill by the thousands.”

– Former CDC Director William Foege, quoted by Stat, on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

A Way Too Early Look at 2028

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A new Echelon Insights survey finds JD Vance leading the 2028 presidential field with 43%, followed by Ron DeSantis and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., tied at 9%, Marco Rubio at 6% and Nikki Haley at 4%.

On the Democratic side, it’s a wide-open field: Kamala Harris leads with 26%, followed by Gavin Newsom at 13%, Pete Buttigieg at 11%, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 6%, Cory Booker at 5% and JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro, and Jasmine Crockett at the back of the pack with 3%.

Texas Democrats Will Spend Night in House Chamber

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“A group of Texas Democrats are returning to the state House in Austin where they will spend the night — the latest step in broader protest over Republican plans to redraw congressional districts in the state,” NBC News reports.

“The Democrats will join state Rep. Nicole Collier, their colleague who has remained locked in the state House chamber since Monday afternoon after refusing the condition of a security escort to leave the chamber.”

Quote of the Day

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“You can’t run a country, or any organization, without reliable data, and firing the head of a statistics agency because you don’t like the numbers it produces starts a path the United States does not want to go down. At the other end lies a ruined economy and a damaged democracy.”

– Andreas Georgiou, former head of the Greek national statistical office, quoted by the New York Times.

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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