“The University of Virginia, facing immense pressure from the White House, struck a deal with the Trump administration on Wednesday that removed, at least temporarily, the threat of a federal investigation,” the New York Times reports.
“The Justice Department announced the deal. It was the first time a public university had cut a far-reaching agreement with the Trump administration, which is carrying out an extraordinary campaign to shift the ideological tilt of the higher education system.”
“Head Start locations across the country are warning that their programs will be imperiled — potentially throwing tens of thousands of preschool children and their families into limbo — if the government shutdown stretches into November,” NBC News reports.
“Former Kentucky state legislator Charles Booker is considering running for the state’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2026,” NBC News reports.
“Booker’s entry would set up a clash in the Democratic primary with Amy McGrath, who recently launched her campaign in the deep-red state for the seat being vacated by retiring Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell.”
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Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) is “strongly” considering running for Senate, she said on Wednesday, raising the prospect of adding yet another marquee name to what is already a crowded Democratic primary, Politico reports.
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune met with a group of GOP senators on Wednesday as Republicans quietly discuss possible paths forward on health care once the government reopens,” Politico reports.
“The group met to talk about ideas including what to do about soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies — the centerpiece of Democrats’ demands amid the three-week shutdown.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration was poised to announce “a substantial pickup in Russia sanctions” amid stalled efforts to end the war in Ukraine, The Hill reports.
“The White House is looking to buy four times its typical quota of Argentine beef in an effort to lower consumer food prices — a move that risks alienating longtime farm-state allies of President Donald Trump,” Politico reports.
“The president seems to be moving forward with a proposed deal with Argentina, which he first suggested Sunday, despite fierce backlash from GOP lawmakers and cattle ranchers who have largely backed Trump’s trade agenda until now.”
“The White House is demolishing the entirety of the East Wing to make way for President Trump’s $200 million ballroom, a construction project that is far more extensive than he initially let on,” the New York Times reports.
“The tear-down should be finished by this weekend.”
For members: Trump’s Wrecking Ball Presidency
Curtis Sliwa said he would rather be fatally tortured than drop out of the New York City mayoral race and work for one of his rivals, Politico reports.
Said Sliwa: “If all of a sudden the executioner would have stopped, and I was on that gurney, and he said, ‘Hey, you can work for Mayor Andrew Cuomo,’ I would say: ‘Finish the job. Impale me.’ That will never happen.”
Vice President Vance urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “give a shot” to the Gaza ceasefire deal and help implement it, Axios reports.
Anne Applebaum: “For those using the oldest tools in the authoritarian playbook, the nature of the smear is unimportant. What matters is the intention behind it: Don’t answer your critics. Don’t argue with them. Don’t let them win over anyone else. Describe them as dangerous radicals even when they wear frog costumes.”
“Imply, without evidence, that they were bribed to speak out, because there can’t possibly be any sincere idealists who criticize the Party and its Leader out of a genuine desire to help other Americans. Dump AI-generated sewage on their heads to discourage anyone else from joining them. And if they keep coming out, make the messages even harsher.”
California state Sen. Scott Wiener (D) told the New York Times that he’s no longer waiting for Nancy Pelosi to announce her intentions for 2026, despite his previous pledges to hold off until the former speaker officially announced her retirement.
Said Wiener: “The world changes. I made a decision that it makes sense for me to get into the race now because I’m passionate about San Francisco having the best possible representation.”
A new Quinnipiac poll finds Democrats leading the generic congressional ballot by nine points, 50% to 41%.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds 45% of registered voters think Republicans in Congress are more responsible for the government shutdown, while 39% think Democrats in Congress are more responsible and 11% volunteered that they think both parties are equally responsible
Jonathan Martin: “It goes something like this: Political outsider or mostly new name mounts statewide campaign with online video that leans heavily on compelling biography or powerful oratory, out-of-state liberal hobbyists quickly fall in love and fork over money, and journalists rush to profile the latest heartthrob before inevitable disappointment when the candidate loses or, well, becomes John Fetterman.”
“Platner is the latest example. A military veteran turned oysterman who looked the hirsute part, the Mainer’s populist candidacy seemed to be an immaculate conception. The contributions piled up, the profiles were published and then suddenly there was a disruption to the formula. Or maybe it was more of an acceleration.”
“Once his Democratic rival, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, entered the race, Platner was hit with a nor’easter of oppo research that had the added value of being his own damning words.”
“North Carolina Republicans passed a new congressional map Wednesday that will likely give the GOP one more red-leaning seat in next year’s midterms, the latest in a string of White House-backed redistricting efforts,” Politico reports.
“The redraw creates the seventh new red-leaning seat nationwide since 2024, following similar efforts in Texas and Missouri.”
Jonathan Last: “After authoritarian regimes are toppled, monuments to the authoritarians are always removed. If you leave monuments to authoritarians standing, then you encourage (a) resistance from the out-of-power revanchists and (b) future strongmen who believe they can permanently mark history.”
“Would Trump supporters be antagonized by demolition of the Trump Presidential Palace Ballroom? I bet they would.”
“But we’ve tried the strategy of non-antagonism, in which Merrick Garland refrained from aggressively pursuing criminal accountability for Trump while Joe Biden shoveled money into red states to create jobs for Trump voters while building rural broadband and better roads to solve their Kitchen Table Issues.”
“Those acts of goodwill increased Trump’s vote share from 2020 to 2024. So maybe the way to persuade Republican voters to abandon their authoritarian project isn’t conciliation but domination.”
“Peace talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have been called off after Russia refused to accept America’s terms for a ceasefire in Ukraine,” the Telegraph reports.
“Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, that Russia would not agree to a ceasefire that froze the front lines in Ukraine.”
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.
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