Political Wire

U.S. and Israel Plan Renewed Strikes On Iran

· Leave a Comment

“The U.S. and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran after the American midterm elections,” the New York Times reports.

“As planning for a short but intensive operation progresses, the U.S. and Israeli militaries have stepped up exercises, flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss new strikes.”

“The targets would likely include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal. Some officials say one more big round of attacks could push Iran’s economy over the brink and force the country to make diplomatic concessions after nearly eight months of conflict.”

Vance Channels Trump in Ramaswamy Ad Fight

· Leave a Comment

“Vice President Vance’s call for fellow Republicans to ‘stop whining’ about Vivek Ramaswamy’s controversial attack ad in Ohio’s race for governor showed a key part of his political mindset ahead of his expected run for president in 2028: Never back down,” Axios reports.

“Channeling President Trump, Vance has shown contempt for what he sees as the old-guard GOP’s reflex to cave under pressure from Democrats and the media.”

”He thinks too many Republicans sacrifice allies to make controversies go away, and that giving critics a political scalp only encourages them to demand another.”

Marshall Says Senate Majority Runs ‘Through Kansas’

· Leave a Comment

“Sen. Roger Marshall acknowledged in a debate Wednesday that his Kansas seat, typically a lock for Republicans, could end up swinging control of the Senate,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Marshall is in a surprisingly tough reelection campaign against Democrat Adam Hamilton, with polls indicating a tight race. The state voted for Trump in 2024 by 16 percentage points and hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, yet Republicans — including President Donald Trump, who traveled to the state on Monday — have launched an all-out rescue mission for Marshall.”

Said Marshall: “Control of the Senate comes through Kansas.”

Russia Pounds Kyiv Hours After Agreeing to Peace Talks

· Leave a Comment

“Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital with ballistic missiles and drones overnight into Thursday killed one person and wounded 22, Ukrainian authorities said. The strikes in Kyiv came hours after the Kremlin agreed to restart U.S.-brokered talks aimed at ending the war,” MS NOW reports.

Peter Thiel Breaks with Trump Over Iran War

· Leave a Comment

“Billionaire technology investor Peter Thiel said he’s skeptical of the U.S. war with Iran and does not believe the United States should have launched it, putting the major Republican donor at odds with President Donald Trump over one of the administration’s defining foreign policy decisions,” Politico reports.

Said Thiel: “I’m skeptical of the war, I think we should not have done it. There were a lot of mistakes that were made.”

Iran’s Fleet of Shadow Tankers Has Run Out of Oil

· Leave a Comment

“For most of the war, Iran had an invaluable cushion: dozens of oil tankers holding millions of barrels of crude sitting safely in waters in Asia. Tehran steadily sold the oil to China, bringing in billions of much-needed cash,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Now, that floating storage is gone. By mid-October, the reserves were fully depleted, according to analysts at Kpler, as a U.S. naval blockade prevented Iran from replacing the crude it normally sells to Chinese refineries.”

“The drop in oil revenue is a further blow to Iran’s struggling economy, already facing runaway inflation and widespread shortages.”

Millions of Amazon Settlement Checks Credit Trump

· Leave a Comment

“Millions of Americans are expected to receive a settlement check from Amazon credited to ‘President Trump’s Federal Trade Commission’ in an unprecedented move coming weeks before the midterm elections,” Politico reports.

“The checks, part of a $2.5 billion settlement Amazon agreed to in 2025 for allegedly deceiving customers into signing up for Prime subscriptions, mark the first time an FTC refund has attributed the payments to a specific president.”

James Talarico Fires Back at Elon Musk in Texas Feud

· Leave a Comment

“James Talarico, the Democratic nominee seeking a Senate seat from Texas, fired back Wednesday night at Elon Musk for an X post in which the world’s richest man hours earlier had said, ‘There is something deeply wrong with Talarico,'” CNBC reports.

Said Talarico: “There is something deeply wrong with a political system that allows one trillionaire to buy his own personal U.S. Senator.”

Bloomberg: Elon Musk’s Texas Senate race donations play into James Talarico’s hand.

Trump Cheers Rally Attender Who Punched Protester

· Leave a Comment

“Multiple protesters were removed from Donald Trump’s rally at South Carolina’s Clemson University on Wednesday, including one who was apparently punched by a rally attender – to the U.S. president’s delight,” The Guardian reports.

Said Trump: “That was great, man. Wow. Man, I loved that. I watched that. That was incredible. Wow. That was unbelievable. Is everybody OK?”

New York Times: Clashes darken rally in South Carolina as Trump seeks to boost Darline Graham.

New York Post: Trump South Carolina rally turns into royal rumble with hecklers getting “whacked” by MAGA supporters.

Trump Props Up Darline Graham in Last-Minute Push

· Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump traveled to South Carolina on Wednesday to boost U.S. Sen. Darline Graham, whose stumbles in her first campaign since replacing her late brother have Democratic voters hopeful — but not necessarily optimistic — that their candidate can break Republicans’ grip on the state,” the Washington Sun reports.

“Trump, who was repeatedly interrupted by protesters early in his speech, sought to reassure South Carolinians on Wednesday that the late Sen. Lindsey Graham held his sister in high esteem.”

Said Trump: “Everybody respects her. She’s smart and incredible. She’ll never let you down.”

White House Orders Politico to Retract Stories

· Leave a Comment

“The White House counsel’s office warned Politico in a Monday letter that it had 48 hours to retract or correct recent stories about alleged staff drama, or it would suffer unspecified consequences,” Axios reports.

“That deadline expires Thursday.”

The Wrap: White House Correspondents’ Association accuses Trump admin of “retaliation” after clash with reporter.

Democrats Quietly Boost Spoiler Candidates in Key Races

· Leave a Comment

“House Democrats’ campaign arm is instructing allied super PACs to promote minor candidates in several key House races,” Axios reports.

“This allows Democrats to steer outside groups toward siphoning votes from Republicans without violating laws against direct coordination.”

Sherrod Brown Leads in Ohio Senate Race

· Leave a Comment

A new Fox News Poll poll in Ohio finds Sherrod Brown (D) leading Jon Husted (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 52% to 47%.

Ohio Senate Race
Sherrod Brown (D) 52%
 
Jon Husted (R) 47%
 
Fox News Poll poll · likely voters · ±2%
Ohio Governor’s Race
Amy Acton (D) 50%
 
Vivek Ramaswamy (R) 48%
 
Fox News Poll poll · likely voters · ±2%

Talarico and Paxton Tied in Texas Senate Race

· Leave a Comment

A new Fox News poll in Texas finds James Talarico (D) and Ken Paxton (R) tied in the U.S. Senate race, 49% to 49%.

Texas Senate Race
James Talarico (D) 49%
 
Ken Paxton (R) 49%
 
Fox News poll · likely voters · ±2.5%
Texas Governor’s Race
Greg Abbott (R) 52%
 
Gina Hinojosa (D) 47%
 
Fox News poll · likely voters · ±2.5%

Trump to Campaign in Mississippi for Hyde-Smith

· Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump will visit Mississippi next week to campaign for U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Monday night,” Mississippi Today reports.

Said Hyde-Smith: “We feel very good about this. It’s going to be 13 days, and we’re going to run through the tape so strong. I’m very proud of the record I have to run on. If he would like to, that would be fine.”

Trump Denies Ordering Starlink Slowdown in Ukraine

· Leave a Comment

“President Donald Trump on Wednesday insisted that he had nothing to do with a slowdown of SpaceX’s Starlink in Ukraine, and does not know if Elon Musk was responsible for speed-capping the critical satellite service,” CNBC reports.

Said Trump: “I wasn’t involved.”

Bloomberg: How Musk’s Starlink and U.S. spy satellites support Ukraine’s defense.

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire -- which for more than two decades has been one of the nation's most influential political news sites.

More about Taegan Goddard →