Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) predicted a tough battle ahead for President Trump’s megabill, describing the situation as a “shit show,” The Hill reports.
Said Greene: “There’s no way that Speaker Mike Johnson has the votes in the House for this.”
She added: “It is really a dire situation.”
“Republican leaders aren’t only scrambling to find the votes to push their megabill through the House, they’re also dealing with an unexpected procedural issue that could complicate floor consideration of the ‘big, beautiful bill,'” Politico reports.
“Long story short, that means once the House begins debate on the procedural measure, Johnson doesn’t have a ripcord he can pull to delay or reschedule voting. Moreover, Democrats would be free to deploy a variety of delay tactics, including motions to adjourn or table the measure.”
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) said that if Republicans “can’t get a one-paragraph rule right,” they shouldn’t be trusted to pass an 870-page bill.
The House Freedom Caucus is circulating a memo sharply criticizing the Senate-passed GOP megabill as Republican leaders work to secure hard-liners’ votes Wednesday, Politico reports.
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President Trump is ramping up a pressure campaign on House Freedom Caucus members as he tries to get his “Big Beautiful Bill” across the finish line ahead of his July 4 deadline, Politico reports.
Said one White House official: “He’s been working the phones pretty consistently over the last several days, and members have been calling him as well. He’s going to get it over the finish line.”
ProPublica: “Before states banned abortion, one of the gravest outcomes of early miscarriage could easily be avoided: Doctors could offer a dilation and curettage procedure, which quickly empties the uterus and allows it to close, protecting against a life-threatening hemorrhage.”
“But because the procedures, known as D&Cs, are also used to end pregnancies, they have gotten tangled up in state legislation that restricts abortion.”
“Reports now abound of doctors hesitating to provide them and women who are bleeding heavily being discharged from emergency rooms without care, only to return in such dire condition that they need blood transfusions to survive.”
A former FBI agent accused of egging on rioters to attack police during the Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol is now serving in the Justice Department as part of the so-called “Weaponization Working Group,” ABC News reports.
Charlie Sykes: “The word in the Capitol was that Murkowski had planned to vote against the bill if she was not the decisive vote; but would vote yes if she was. As you attempt to parse that political logic, note that a profile in courage it is not.”
“And so ends Murkowski’s brief stint cosplaying as a Woman of Principle. And I would argue that makes her even worse than other collaborators and toadies.”
“She pretended to be better; and might have been. But it was all bullshit.”
“And listen to this quote from Senator Murkowski, who just caved and voted for this. You’re gonna love this. She said, ‘My hope is that the House is gonna look at this and recognize that we’re not there yet.’ I mean, my question to her is, if you really believe that, then why the hell did you vote for this bill? It doesn’t make any sense!”
— Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), quoted by Mediaite.
Bulletin of Atomic Scientists: “Although Iran may well have every reason—both practical and strategic—not to pursue direct weaponization of its remaining 60-percent enriched HEU, this is a different issue from whether it has the technical capability to do so. The prevailing assertion that Iran needs ‘weapons-grade’ uranium enriched to at least 90 percent uranium 235 to build a nuclear explosive device—widely repeated by government officials, the media, and commentators alike—is simply wrong.”
A new JPMorgan Chase analysis finds that a critical group of U.S. employers would face a direct cost of $82.3 billion from President Trump’s current tariff plans, a sum that could be potentially managed through price hikes, layoffs, hiring freezes or lower profit margins, the AP reports.
Wall Street Journal: “The good news has been that layoff activity has remained relatively low, with employers hanging on to workers despite worries about the economy. And wage growth remains decent. But economic uncertainty has slowed the pace of hiring.”
“People who have jobs are keeping them, but those who want jobs are having a tough time finding work. That includes recent high-school and college graduates, people who are back on the job hunt after an absence, and those who have been fired.”
“That has created a stagnant market, where there is little movement even when new jobs are added. It is an environment where a bit more hiring could rekindle job growth, while a slight pickup in layoffs could make the labor market more stuck.”
“With just hours until they want to start voting, House Republican leaders and White House officials have launched an all-hands-on-deck push Wednesday to get the GOP megabill through the House and to President Donald Trump’s desk,” Politico reports.
“Multiple groups of holdouts are expected to visit the White House later Wednesday to meet with Trump, who has demanded the bill get done by July 4.”
“President Trump on Wednesday announced a trade deal has been struck with Vietnam, days before the pause on reciprocal tariffs is set to expire,” The Hill reports.
“He said that, as part of the deal, Vietnam will give the U.S. access to its markets with no tariff rate. The U.S., however, will impose a 40 percent tariffs on goods made in a country with a higher import tax rate, but shipped to the states through Vietnam.”
New York Times: “The decision means that international inspectors will not be able to oversee sites, as experts warn that Tehran could revive plans to build a bomb.”
“Women in Wisconsin will continue to have access to abortion services under a new ruling from the state’s highest court that invalidates a 176-year-old state law that had banned abortions in nearly every situation,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
“The decision ends three years of tumult over the issue following the 2022 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade, which had provided women nationwide with a constitutional right to abortions.”
“Tesla’s global vehicle sales fell 13.5% in the second quarter from a year ago, continuing a steep slide in automotive sales as the company tries to pivot to autonomous vehicles,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“The electric vehicle maker has struggled to reverse months of declining sales, which analysts have in part attributed to consumer backlash against the brand and its Chief Executive Elon Musk, whose role in cutting government spending was polarizing.”
New York Times: “Elon Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, has been seemingly indifferent to slumping vehicle sales, saying that the company’s future lies with technology that will allow Teslas to operate autonomously and function as driverless taxis.”
“Private sector hiring unexpectedly contracted in June, payrolls processing firm ADP said Wednesday, in a possible sign that the economy may not be as sturdy as investors believe as they bid the S&P 500 back up to record territory to end the month,” CNBC reports.
“President Trump began Tuesday by stoking his on-again feud with Elon Musk and joking about alligators chasing immigrant detainees,” Axios reports.
“He later basked in the Senate’s passage of his signature tax and spending bill — and enthusiastically lobbed threats toward an array of perceived enemies, from immigrants to the media to Zohran Mamdani, New York City’s Democratic nominee for mayor.”
“Trump and his team seemed to view it as his best day as president — a day when his brash, norm-crushing style was paying off in a series of ‘wins’ in D.C. and Florida.”
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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