Political Wire

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Prime Loyalty

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While Elon Musk has taken center stage in the billionaire scramble to ingratiate themselves with Donald Trump, Jeff Bezos is playing the game just as aggressively—if not more insidiously.

Bezos has effectively found a way to pay off the former president in broad daylight, all without breaking a single law.

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2026 House Overview

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Just for members: The latest edition of Inside Elections.

This issue includes the first House Overview of the 2026 election, with initial analysis on more than 90 of the country’s most important House races and the first race ratings of the midterm cycle.

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Are We Already Sliding Into a Recession?

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The Atlanta Fed’s closely watched GDPNow model is flashing bright red, with the latest estimate showing the economy contracting at an alarming -2.8% annualized rate for the current quarter.

Just last week, the model projected growth of +2.3%. A month ago, it was an even rosier +4.0%.

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The Voice of Trump

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The Voice of America has launched a formal review of its chief national correspondent’s social media activity for potential bias against the Trump administration.

The review is part of a broader pattern under the U.S. Agency for Global Media, VOA’s parent organization, which has opened investigations into journalists over their reporting on criticism of President Trump.

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An Alternate Theory for What Happened in the Oval Office

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The extraordinary scene at the White House yesterday—where President Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on live television—was nothing short of remarkable. It looked like an ambush set up by the White House.

But while it initially seemed like Zelensky was the big loser, perhaps it was exactly what he wanted.

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Trump Gets His Revenge on Zelensky

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In a stunning moment, President Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a tense and chaotic Oval Office meeting that underscored Trump’s relentless drive for retribution now that he’s back in power.

Remember that Trump’s first impeachment centered on his attempt to strong-arm Zelensky into announcing an investigation into Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

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Spanberger Gets a Big Boost in Virginia

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Democrats just got some great news this week in Virginia. A new poll shows Abigail Spanberger (D) surging to a double-digit lead over Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R).

And then came even better news.

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Transparency Doublespeak

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This post for members was written by Leonard Steinhorn, Professor of Communication and History at American University and a former political speechwriter. 

“There are three kinds of lies,” according to a quote often attributed to the Nineteenth Century British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, “lies, damned lies, and statistics.”

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Trump Takes a Lesson from Putin

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The White House stripped the news media of its longstanding role in managing the presidential press pool.

It’s a move that gives the Trump administration direct control over which journalists get access to the president.

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It’s Happening Again – Part II

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House Republicans are barreling ahead with a budget resolution, insisting that it says nothing about cutting Medicaid.

Said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA): “There is no Medicaid in this bill. There are no Medicaid cuts in this bill.”

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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.

Praise for Political Wire

“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.