New York Times: “The Commission of Fine Arts, which is filled with Mr. Trump’s appointees, is scheduled on Thursday to consider Mr. Trump’s plan to build a 250-foot arch on the other side of the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial.”
“But Mr. Trump’s push to build the giant arch — more than quadrupling its size from original plans — has alienated early proponents of the project, classical architects and veterans groups who say it will diminish nearby Arlington Cemetery.”
“Banks in the U.S. may not like the idea of being forced to collect citizenship data on customers, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says they better be prepared for the task,” CNBC reports.
Said Bessent: “If Treasury and the banking regulators say it’s their job, it’s their job.”
Peter Hamby: “Even before the misconduct allegations that precipitated his downfall, Eric Swalwell was an attention-seeking social climber whose professed progressivism may have been his greatest lie of all.”
CNN: “A jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster operated as a monopoly in its dominance of the live events and ticketing industry, validating complaints that the industry giant was stifling competition and driving up fees for fans.”
New York Times: “Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest Democratic-led effort to curb President Trump’s authority to wage war on Iran, as a fragile cease-fire frays, dueling blockades choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and failed talks leave the next phase of the conflict uncertain.”
“The move to take up the measure failed on a vote of 52 to 47. It fell largely along party lines, with Republicans and a single Democrat, Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, opposed and Democrats joined by a lone Republican, Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, in favor.”
CBS News: “In 2024, ultra-wealthy donors poured more than $3 billion into elections, led by the world’s richest man — Elon Musk. He spent more than $290 million supporting President Trump and other Republicans, a record sum. And overall, that $3 billion was spent overwhelmingly to benefit the GOP — these donors gave five times as much to Republicans and groups aligned with them as they did to Democrats.”
“That trend appears to be continuing: Republican Party committees, super PACs, MAGA Inc. and other Trump-related groups had over $600 million in cash on hand in early February, while Democratic Party committees and congressional super PACs were short of $200 million.”
“Some House Republicans pushed back on President Donald Trump’s request to supercharge the military’s annual budget at a meeting with Pentagon officials, spelling trouble for a cornerstone of his fiscal policy,” Bloomberg reports.
“Trump’s most recent budget request called for $1.5 trillion in base funding for the Pentagon. The Office of Management and Budget called for most of that funding to be enacted in bipartisan appropriations legislation while moving another $350 billion with just Republican votes through the budget reconciliation process.”
Former Rep. Eric Swalwell’s downfall “was swift,” CNN reports.
“In a remarkable 100 hours, he went from the front-runner in a race to lead the nation’s most populous state to abandoning his House seat in disgrace. His resignation, effective Tuesday, capped a 13-year congressional career, in which he held coveted party positions and was seen by some as part of a new generation of Democratic leadership.”
NPR: “Before allegations against Eric Swalwell surfaced in the media, they gained momentum online after a network of accusers came together to share stories of alleged assault by the California Democrat.”
Coming soon: Your Fellow Americans: Dispatches from Across the Country We Call Home by Peter Santenello.
“What began as curiosity became—one story at a time—an intimate, revealing portrait of America today.”
A new SurveyUSA poll finds Tom Steyer (D) leading the California gubernatorial race with 21% of likely voters and Steve Hilton (R) second at 18% in the jungle primary.
Eric Swalwell (D), who resigned after bombshell sexual assault allegations, polled at third with 9% of voters. Former Rep. Katie Porter (D) is also at 9%.
For members: Who Will Benefit from Eric Swalwell’s Departure?
Associated Press: “Days after Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was ousted by an opposition campaign with an anti-corruption message, Democrats want to try the same playbook against President Donald Trump before the midterm elections.”
“House Democrats launched Wednesday what they call a task force to overhaul ethics rules and protect access to the ballot. They also want to highlight the Trump family’s business dealings and the president’s transformation of the federal government.”
A new State Navigate survey finds Virginia Democrats’ early gerrymandering ballot measure narrowly ahead by 5 percentage points.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds 38% of voters approve of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president, while 55% disapprove.
Key takeaway: A stunning 65% say they blame Trump for higher gas prices, while 34% blame him not much (11%) or not at all (23%).
Few Republican lawmakers said anything publicly about President Trump’s startling social media post last week warning Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” but privately, in a large text chat, a group of them read his threat with alarm, NBC News reports.
“The chat is among members of Congress’ ‘Main Street Caucus,’ a group of almost 100 GOP lawmakers. One Republican lawmaker questioned how the remarks were helpful to those having to defend Trump’s costly war with Iran and complained that the president’s rhetoric isn’t doing the party any favors, according to three House Republicans with direct knowledge of the exchange. Multiple members then chimed in to echo similar concerns.”
Said one House Republican: “People were pissed.”
Said another: “You cannot just threaten to erase an entire civilization.”
“Some in the group debated whether and how to respond but, in the end, most stayed silent for fear of angering Trump or undermining him in wartime.”
Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told NBC News that many Greenlanders “don’t feel safe” amid President Trump’s repeated push to take control of the semi-autonomous Danish territory.
White House budget director Russ Vought told lawmakers Wednesday that the Trump administration hasn’t settled on “a ballpark” range for how much funding it will ask Congress to approve for the Iran conflict, Politico reports.
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.
