All Quiet in Iowa
What You May Have Missed
All quiet on the Midwestern front: Potential challengers to Donald Trump for the GOP presidential nomination remain reticent to take Trump on, and while Iowa was crawling with Democratic hopefuls at this point in the 2020 cycle, they are so far staying away from the leadoff state.
Two new senators who got much-needed late primary boosts from Trump endorsements — Sens. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and J.D. Vance (R-OH) — have all but formally endorsed Trump for 2024. Just two other senators, Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), have indicated support for Trump so far.
Trump is expanding his fundraising operation. Would he run a third-party campaign if denied the GOP nomination? Maybe, if that’s where the money is.
Mitch Daniels is focusing on self-care and will not run for Senate in Indiana. But over in West Virginia, Gov. Jim Justice (R) is “very, very” interested in a race that could be the GOP’s best chance at a pickup.
While coverage of House GOP investigation plans has focused on names like Hunter Biden and Anthony Fauci, the GOP is also taking aim at possible future Democratic presidential contenders like Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), J.D. Pritzker (D-IL), and Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI).
Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is quitting… his committees. But Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) says the move is temporary and linked to GOP efforts to keep Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) off the Foreign Affairs Committee. Several Republicans, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), are unsure about the anti-Omar push.
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Extra Links
Here are some interesting links that didn’t make it into Political Wire today:
Kevin McCarthy stacked the House Ethics Committee with election deniers.
The Sotomayor and Kagan retirement question.
Stormy Daniels returns to the headlines.
Kamala Harris will attend the funeral of Tyre Nichols.
Lula to visit Biden next month.
The campaign treasurer for Rep. George Santos (R-NY) quits.
Ron DeSantis wants an investigation into Newsmax being dropped by DirecTV.
Mass-market military drones have changed the way wars are fought.
Mercedes-Benz is the first to bring Level 3 automated driving to the U.S. — but only in Nevada.
The race of the artificial intelligence labs heats up.
North Korea could get a lifeline from arms sales to Russia.
The rise of shadow work.
Amazing footage shows planets circling a star light-years away.
Trending on the political dictionary: “plausible deniability”
Presented Without Comment
Closing Thoughts
This tweet from Kevin McCarthy is itself a political game.
So you mean someone who is the exact opposite of Donald Trump?
Hooray for Astronomy. As for the GOP infighting well cheers 🍻