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Intelligence Agencies Step Up Spying on Greenland

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“The U.S. is stepping up its intelligence-gathering efforts regarding Greenland, drawing America’s spying apparatus into President Trump’s campaign to take over the island,“ the Wall Street Journal reports.

“Several high-ranking officials under Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a ‘collection emphasis message’ to intelligence-agency heads last week. They were directed to learn more about Greenland’s independence movement and attitudes on American resource extraction on the island.”

Bonus Quote of the Day

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“Everyone says ‘When, when, when are you going to sign deals?’ We don’t have to sign deals. We could sign 25 deals right now if we wanted to. We don’t have to sign deals. They have to sign deals with us. They want our market. We don’t want a piece of their market. We don’t care about their market.”

— President Trump, quoted by the New York Times, on trade deals his administration is supposedly negotiating.


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Fetterman Dismisses Claims of Former Top Staffer

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“Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) on Tuesday dismissed concerns a former top staffer raised about his mental health as he managed depression and recovered from a stroke he suffered during his 2022 Senate campaign,” NBC News reports.

Said Fetterman: “It’s a one-source story, with a couple anonymous sources, hit piece from a very left publication. There’s really nothing more to say about it.”

India Launches Military Operation Against Pakistan

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“India said early Wednesday it had launched a military operation against Pakistan, hitting ‘terrorist infrastructure’ in both Pakistan and Pakistan administered-Kashmir, in a major escalation of tensions between the two neighbors,” CNN reports.

BBC: “Relations between India and Pakistan have declined sharply following a deadly militant attack on tourists in Kashmir last month.”

Trump Urged Ukraine to Take U.S. Deportees

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“The Trump administration earlier this year urged the Ukrainian government to accept an unspecified number of U.S. deportees who are citizens of other countries, an extraordinary request of a nation at war and dependent on American military and financial support for its survival,” the Washington Post reports.

“The documents do not indicate how officials in Kyiv responded to the late-January proposal… that called for sending third-country nationals to Ukraine amid Russia’s deadly, devastating invasion — and despite the absence of a functioning airport there due to continual air attacks.”

Expect Shortages Soon

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CNN: “Ships now pulling into U.S. harbors from China are the first to be subject to the massive tariffs that America is imposing on most Chinese imports. That means, in a matter of weeks, consumers will face higher prices and shortages of certain items…”

“The drop-off in imports from China on the boats now coming into port is more than 50%… Many importers have canceled previous orders because U.S. businesses aren’t interested in paying the steep tariff, which can more than double the price of Chinese goods.”

Tulsi Gabbard Reused the Same Weak Password

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“Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, used the same easily cracked password for different online accounts over a period of years,” Wired reports.

“Following her participation in a Signal group chat in which sensitive details of a military operation were unwittingly shared with a journalist, the revelation raises further questions about the security practices of the U.S. spy chief.”

Chart of the Day

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Nate Silver: “On Feb. 1, essentially the same number of Americans strongly approved and disapproved of Trump. Now, strong disapprovers outnumber strong approvers by about a 3-to-2 ratio. It’s hard not to see this as bearish for Trump: his negatives are more entrenched than his positives.”

Trump Promises Announcement ‘as Big as It Gets’

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President Trump repeatedly talked up a future announcement, “one of the most important announcements that have been made in many years about a certain subject,” the New York Times reports.

He never said what he could be talking about, or what “very important” subject he is referring to, only suggesting it would be made before he leaves for a trip to the Middle East next week.

But even the timing of the big announcement wandered, with Mr. Trump saying it “will be made either Thursday or Friday or Monday.”

Ohio Candidate Turned Down Appointment to Save Face

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“When Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s poll numbers started plummeting in the Ohio governor’s race earlier this year, he started looking for an offramp,” NOTUS reports.

“Yost didn’t just want to drop out; he wanted an appointment in the Trump administration that would allow him to save face as he ended his gubernatorial bid.”

“After months of angling for an appointment, he got one. In April, the Trump administration offered Yost the position of ambassador to Cyprus.”

“But Yost didn’t want it… He rejected the appointment, apparently seeking a more prominent position than an ambassadorship to a small island nation in the Mediterranean.”

Justices Let Trump’s Ban on Transgender Troops Stand

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“The Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the Trump administration may start enforcing a ban on transgender troops serving in the military that had been blocked by lower courts,” the New York Times reports.

“The ruling was brief, unsigned and gave no reasons, which is typical when the justices act on emergency applications. It will remain in place while challenges to the ban move forward.”

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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