David Frum: “Speaking of peaceful transition of power… whatever happens next for Boris Johnson, there is literally zero chance that he will organize a mob to sack Parliament or incite his supporters to try to hang the heir to the throne.”
George Conway: “It’s not like Boris sent a mob to Buckingham Palace to sack the Queen or something.“
“The herd instinct is powerful and when the herd moves, it moves.”
— British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, quoted by NPR, referring to the Conservative members of Parliament who turned against him and forced his resignation.
Washington Post: “In fact, the fees aren’t going to Trump’s political action committee, his $100 million war chest. This event was not a Trump rally, where attendance is free.”
“Instead, it was a for-profit show, more like a rock concert. The proceeds benefit Trump personally as part of a multimillion dollar deal to speak at the events.”
“The Biden administration on Thursday announced nearly $1 billion in spending to improve 85 airports across the country,” the Washington Post reports.
“The allocation taps funding authorized last year in the bipartisan infrastructure law in what administration officials say is a sorely needed infusion to upgrade terminals, baggage screening and air traffic control towers.”
“Democratic leaders are racing to finalize a revised proposal to tackle climate change and jump-start the nation’s transition to clean energy, part of a larger sprint to strike a deal with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on their stalled spending bill this month,” the Washington Post reports.
“The frenzied deliberations reflect weeks of private talks between Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Manchin, a centrist who scuttled negotiations over the party’s last attempt at a broader spending package in December. A climate agreement would help the country meet President Biden’s ambitious clean-energy goals, even as Manchin pursues policies that would still promote fossil fuels.”
“While top Manchin aides say they are far from a deal, some Democrats are still hoping to finalize a retooled climate proposal as soon as next week, when lawmakers are set to return from recess.”
“House Republicans are weighing what kind of national-level abortion ban legislation to pursue if they win the House majority next year, with a 15-week ban or further on the table,” The Hill reports.
William Saletan: “The Court issued its ruling on the morning of June 24. In a CBS News/YouGov survey taken on June 24 and 25, 50 percent of Democrats said the Court’s decision to overturn Roe made them more likely to vote in the midterms. Among Republicans, the number was only 20 percent. A Marist/NPR/PBS poll found almost the same gap: by 24 percentage points, Democrats were more likely than Republicans to say that Court’s ruling increased their inclination to vote.”
“Many Republicans were already eager to vote based on other issues, chiefly inflation. So perhaps their enthusiasm didn’t have much room to grow. Still, they could have indicated that the abortion ruling would add to their motivation. They didn’t. And that makes sense, because voters tend to be mobilized by anger, not satisfaction. The simplest explanation for the partisan gap in polls is that Dobbs has alarmed pro-choice voters, not pro-life voters.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) revealed that he took a recent family vacation to Montana — “one of 22 states where California prohibits state-funded travel,” Politico reports.
“As it nears two months since he suffered a stroke, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee in one of the country’s most important U.S. Senate races, is signaling that a return to the campaign trail may not be too far away,” the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Said a campaign spokesman: “He is about 90% back to full strength and getting better.”
“President Joe Biden accused former President Donald Trump of ‘dismissing and ignoring the forgotten people he promised to help’ in a unusually blunt attack on Wednesday, indicating that the White House may be trying to turn the midterm elections into a referendum on his predecessor,” Bloomberg reports.
“The president has largely avoided addressing his predecessor by name, and in previous speeches had obliquely attacked Republican congressional candidates as ‘ultra MAGA’ — a reference to Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan — without mentioning him directly.”
“But on Wednesday, Biden repeatedly called Trump out by name, even joking as a mobile phone rang that the former president was calling to complain.”
Karl Rove: “It’ll help Democrats if their Republican opponents say intemperate-to-insane things ill-suited for a general election. The other possible aid for Democratic candidates is Mr. Trump. If he announces a 2024 presidential bid before November—as is rumored—it’ll make the midterms a referendum on the former president when they should be a referendum on Mr. Biden’s policy failures and leadership shortcomings.”
“Boris Johnson is to stand down as Conservative leader, but intends to carry on as prime minister until the autumn,” the BBC reports.
“He is expected to make a resignation statement in Downing Street shortly.”
Washington Post: “There was immediate and fierce pushback to that idea from some lawmakers and party grandees who warned that Johnson was soiling the Conservative Party brand and that he was too damaged to stay in office through the summer.”
Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Johnson attempted to cling to power amid frenetic plotting by rebels to unseat him and a push by a group of cabinet members to have him resign. Until recently he had spoken of his intention to stay in office until the 2030s. But as his authority withered, and with the growing threat that the party would change its internal rules to hold a vote to oust him, he agreed to step aside.”
“A staggering 71 million more people around the world are experiencing poverty as a result of soaring food and energy prices that climbed in the weeks following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the AP reports.
A rural Georgia monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic and others dubbed “America’s Stonehenge” was demolished Wednesday after a predawn bombing turned one of its four granite panels into rubble, NPR reports.
“The four leading contenders in Michigan’s GOP primary for governor professed loyalty to former President Donald Trump at a debate Wednesday night while promoting debunked conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen from him,” NBC News reports.
“On Wednesday evening, after some of the last patients to receive a legal abortion in Mississippi had left Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in the state closed its doors,” the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports.
“The next day, abortion would become illegal in Mississippi, with few exceptions.”
Washington Post: “A judge on Tuesday denied an injunction to stop a near-total abortion ban from taking effect Thursday.”
CNN: Where state abortion bans stand amid legal challenges.
“The Federal Reserve, determined to choke off rapid inflation before it becomes a permanent feature of the American economy, is steering toward another three-quarter-point interest rate increase later this month even as the economy shows early signs of slowing and recession fears mount,” the New York Times reports.
Wall Street Journal: “The minutes showed an unusual level of agreement among the 18 officials who participate in the policy-setting meetings: All but one supported the 0.75-point increase.”
Axios: Fed officials worried about inflation becoming “entrenched.”
New York Times: “At a moment of broad political tumult and economic distress, Mr. Biden has appeared far less engaged than many of his supporters had hoped. While many Democrats are pleading for a fighter who gives voice to their anger, Mr. Biden has chosen a more passive path — blaming Congress, urging people to vote and avoiding heated rhetorical battles.”
“The president came into office promising competence and deliberative action after four years in which his predecessor governed by angry Twitter posts and frequent tirades. By contrast, Mr. Biden touted his sober experience as a legislator, saying it would help him bridge ideological divides. And he campaigned on knowing how to wield the authority of the presidency after serving eight years as vice president.”
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.
“There are a lot of blogs and news sites claiming to understand politics, but only a few actually do. Political Wire is one of them.”
— Chuck Todd, host of “Meet the Press”
“Concise. Relevant. To the point. Political Wire is the first site I check when I’m looking for the latest political nugget. That pretty much says it all.”
— Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report
“Political Wire is one of only four or five sites that I check every day and sometimes several times a day, for the latest political news and developments.”
— Charlie Cook, editor of the Cook Political Report
“The big news, delicious tidbits, pearls of wisdom — nicely packaged, constantly updated… What political junkie could ask for more?”
— Larry Sabato, Center for Politics, University of Virginia
“Political Wire is a great, great site.”
— Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
“Taegan Goddard has a knack for digging out political gems that too often get passed over by the mainstream press, and for delivering the latest electoral developments in a sharp, no frills style that makes his Political Wire an addictive blog habit you don’t want to kick.”
— Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post
“Political Wire is one of the absolute must-read sites in the blogosphere.”
— Glenn Reynolds, founder of Instapundit
“I rely on Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire for straight, fair political news, he gets right to the point. It’s an eagerly anticipated part of my news reading.”
— Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.