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Trump Pulls Ed Martin’s Nomination to Be U.S. Attorney

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“President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will replace interim U.S. attorney Ed Martin, his embattled nominee to serve as the top prosecutor for D.C., after 15 tumultuous weeks in office marked by his threats to investigate Trump’s perceived political adversaries and firings and demotions of career prosecutors who investigated the president and the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack,” the Washington Post reports.

Said Trump: “I just want to say Ed is unbelievable. And hopefully we can bring him in too, whether it’s DOJ or whatever, in some capacity. We have somebody else that we’ll be announcing over the next two days who’s going to be great.”

Texas Republicans May Give Democrats an Opening

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Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), who tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election and survived an impeachment trial over corruption charges, is now mounting a serious primary challenge against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).

And early polling suggests he’s off to a fast start.

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Melania Trump Has All But Vanished

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One of the most unusual — and least discussed — breaks from presidential tradition during Donald Trump’s return to the White House is the near-total absence of First Lady Melania Trump.

The New York Times reports that Melania is making a rare appearance this week to unveil a postage stamp honoring former First Lady Barbara Bush and to attend an event recognizing military mothers.

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John Roberts Says He Won’t Retire

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“Chief Justice John Roberts said Wednesday he doesn’t think about retiring, but he once asked two longtime friends to intervene if his health is ever in decline,” The Hill reports.

Said Roberts: “I’ve sat down with them and said, ‘I want at the appropriate time’ — because you don’t always notice that you’re slipping — ‘I want the two of you to tell me if it’s time to go.’ It was a long pause, and at once, the two of them said, ‘It’s time to go.’ So I said, ‘Alright, never mind.'”

He added: “I’m going out feet first.”

Hakeem Jeffries Raises His Profile

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“House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) isn’t quite a household name. He’s trying to change that,” the Washington Post reports.

“If Democrats win the House in 2026 and his colleagues elect him as speaker, the typically buttoned-up, on-message Jeffries could become the only member of his leaderless party with real power in President Donald Trump’s Washington.”

“Allies have urged him to start putting himself out there now, seeing the 54-year-old as a fresher alternative to Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY).”

Fetterman Finds Himself Increasingly Alone

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“John Fetterman has long been on a political island — and now his tendency to rebuff professional relationships is coming back to bite him,” Politico reports.

“Few fellow Democrats have rushed to Fetterman’s defense after an explosive article in New York magazine reported that current and former staffers are seriously concerned about his mental and physical health. The Pennsylvania senator, who has strongly denied claims that he is unfit to serve, is not doing traditional damage control, and most top Democrats aren’t going out of their way to do it for him.”

“Instead, private chatter about primary challenges to Fetterman has ramped up. And in recent days, some Pennsylvania Democrats have begun to quietly review the rules about what would happen if he stepped down and whispered about potential replacements. Fetterman has vowed to serve his full term, which ends in 2029.”

Chip Roy Pledges to Block Megabill Without More Cuts

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Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) told the PBS Newshour he is demanding more spending cuts before he’ll back the Republican megabill winding its way through the House.

Said Roy: “The fact of the matter is, they need to come to the table and show us the math. How are they going to balance the tax cuts that they so often want to dole out, but not do the spending reform we need to do when we’re $37 trillion in debt…”

He added: “So I would say to my Republican colleagues, my moderate friends, you have a hard wall you have got to get through.”

How Long Before Trump Dumps Mike Waltz?

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Trying to save face from a brewing national security scandal, Donald Trump “promoted” National Security Adviser Mike Waltz to be the next U.N. ambassador.

But far from quieting the controversy, the gambit promises to only make things worse.

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Ed Martin’s Past Feeds Doubts

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“President Donald Trump’s pick for top federal prosecutor in D.C., Ed Martin, has a history of picking fights in public life, attacking political enemies and allies he disagreed with, judges he secretly opposed and subordinates he wrongly fired,” the Washington Post reports.

“Martin’s nomination is now faltering in the Senate. But the same headlong style that fed controversies over his 15 weeks as interim U.S. attorney has over the years both fueled his rise through conservative politics and burned him repeatedly, costing him jobs, tens of thousands of dollars in fines and court contempt citations.”

Bill Gates Accuses Elon Musk of ‘Killing’ Children

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Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates ratcheted up his feud with Elon Musk, accusing the world’s richest man of “killing the world’s poorest children” through what he said were misguided cuts to U.S. development assistance, the Financial Times reports.

Said Gates: “The picture of the world’s richest man killing the world’s poorest children is not a pretty one.”

The U.S. Already Has a Trade Surplus with the U.K.

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Axios: “The U.S. had a trade surplus with the U.K. of nearly $12 billion in 2024. It’s of the few major countries with which the U.S. doesn’t run a deficit.”

Paul Krugman: “But back to that UK ‘deal.’ Nobody knows what will eventually come out of it, but we can be sure of one thing: It won’t lead to any significant opening of the British market to U.S. goods. Why? Because that market was already wide open before Trump stomped in.”

Bernie Sanders Partners with ‘Run for Something’

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“Bernie Sanders, who has been calling for progressives to run for office on his ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ tour, is putting more organizational muscle behind his appeal,” Politico reports.

“The Vermont senator is teaming up with the liberal group Run for Something and other outside organizations to provide support to potential candidates… The effort, if successful, could help push the party at least incrementally in Sanders’ direction. And it is almost certain to draw the ire of some Democrats, as Sanders and some of his allies help both Democrats and independents run for office.”

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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