
Matthew Dowd, former Bush strategist, announces Democratic bid for Texas lieutenant governor
CNN
Matthew Dowd, a former strategist for George W. Bush's presidential reelection campaign, announced Wednesday he would launch a campaign as a Democrat against Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in next year's midterm election.
Although Dowd hasn't identified as a Republican in years, his candidacy is the latest proxy fight in the larger nationwide battle over Republicans who have attached themselves to former President Donald Trump and his brand of politics versus moderate, establishment figures such as Dowd.
In a two-and-a-half minute announcement video, Dowd, who publicly split with Bush and the GOP in 2007, criticized Republican politicians in Texas, singling out Patrick as "cruel and craven."

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth risked compromising sensitive military information that could have endangered US troops through his use of Signal to discuss attack plans, a Pentagon watchdog said in an unclassified report released Thursday. It also details how Hegseth declined to cooperate with the probe.

Two top House lawmakers emerged divided along party lines after a private briefing with the military official who oversaw September’s attack on an alleged drug vessel that included a so-called double-tap strike that killed surviving crew members, with a top Democrat calling video of the incident that was shared as part of the briefing “one of the most troubling things” he has seen as a lawmaker.











