Politics

The Jerusalem Post reports: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government for the third time in two years, as his mandate from President Reuven Rivlin ended on Tuesday night. Netanyahu had until midnight to ask Rivlin for an extension. Instead he released a statement three minutes before the deadline blaming Yamina leader Naftali Bennett. “Due to Bennett’s refusal …

Sacramento’s Fox News affiliate reports: In a release sent out Monday, John Cox’s campaign announced its Meet the Beast Bus Tour will launch Tuesday morning in Sacramento. Along with Cox in Miller Regional Park will be what his campaign says is a “special guest” — a 1,000-pound bear. The live animal will match Cox’s new logo, which features a roaring …

Tampa’s NBC News affiliate reports: Democratic congressman and former Florida governor Charlie Crist is jumping into the race for governor in 2022. Crist announced his campaign for governor in a video posted to Twitter. “Florida should be a place where hard work is rewarded, justice is equal, and opportunity is right in front of you. That’s a Florida for all …

The Texas Tribune reports: A plan to help finance what will likely become mandatory power plant upgrades to withstand more extreme weather in the wake of the February power crisis received preliminary approval in the Texas House on Monday. The failure of power plants to produce power during very cold temperatures was a major cause of the February power outages …

The Washington Post reports: A U.S. bankruptcy administrator asked a federal judge Monday to dismiss the National Rifle Association’s efforts to declare bankruptcy or appoint a trustee or examiner to oversee the gun rights organization — a setback for the group at the close of a federal court hearing to consider its petition. The recommendation bolstered the arguments of New …

The Washington Post reports: Virtually every narrow Republican victor of the past generation — and there have been many, including two of the state’s current top officeholders, Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott — owes their victory, at least in part, to mail voting. Now, some Florida Republicans are reacting with alarm after the GOP-dominated state legislature, with DeSantis’s …

The Daily Beast reports: ABC News anchor Martha Raddatz immediately corrected Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) on Sunday when he tossed out a falsehood on the Biden administration’s infrastructure proposal. In recent weeks, Republicans have repeatedly claimed that only six percent of the $2 trillion spending plan is devoted to “traditional” infrastructure, something that fact-checkers have found to be untrue. The …

Mediaite reports: Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) rebuked the jeering that her colleague Mitt Romney received when he appeared before the Utah Republican Party at their convention over the weekend. “I was appalled,” Collins said. “Mitt Romney is an outstanding senator who serves his state and our country well. We Republicans need to remember that we are united by fundamental principles… …

The Associated Press reports: Republican Susan Wright of Texas, the widow of the first member of Congress to die after contracting COVID-19, advanced to a U.S. House runoff for her late husband’s seat Saturday night. But who she will face remained too early to call.  With nearly all votes counted, Republican Jake Ellzey led Democrat Jana Lynne Sanchez by 354 …

The Des Moines Register reports: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has signed a law ensuring landlords can turn away renters who receive assistance through the federal housing choice voucher program. The new law will remove cities’ and counties’ ability to prevent landlords from taking such action. Reynolds’ signature, which her office announced Friday without comment, comes after new U.S. Secretary of …

Axios reports: Top Republicans are turning on Rep. Liz Cheney, the party’s highest-ranking woman in Congress, with one conservative leader suggesting she could be ousted from her GOP post within a month. The comments by Reps. Steve Scalise, the minority whip, and Jim Banks, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, carry weight because of their close relationship with House Minority …

The DCist reports: Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-West Virginia) said Friday that he opposes the current bill to make D.C. the 51st state, adding that he’d prefer to see the issue taken up through a constitutional amendment. “If Congress wants to make D.C. a state, it should propose a constitutional amendment. It should propose a constitutional amendment, and let the …

Politico reports: Texas Republican congressional candidate Susan Wright is seeking help from federal law enforcement the day before her special election, after supporters reported receiving robocalls that accused her of being responsible for the death of her late husband. Wright’s campaign reached out to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Justice on Friday after discovering robocalls baselessly …

The Washington Post reports: A bipartisan pair of senators on Friday introduced a resolution that would allow their chamber to do the House has been doing for months now: vote remotely during a national crisis, such as a pandemic. Under the change proposed by Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), remote voting could take …

Richmond’s ABC News affiliate reports: A Republican state delegate running to be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor is accusing another GOP candidate in the race of homophobia after a mailer showing him attending a PrideFest event with a rainbow-striped shirt on was sent out to convention delegates with a message claiming he was not a true Republican. The issue came to …

NBC News reports: Florida’s Legislature passed an election bill Thursday that includes restrictions on drop boxes and voting by mail over the concerns of Democrats and voting rights activists that the restrictions would amount to voter suppression. Both the House and the Senate passed the bill Thursday after weeks of negotiations between Republicans in both bodies. The bill is poised …

The Tennessean reports: Last-minute budget negotiations in Tennessee have led to the resurrection of a bill that would offer drivers immunity in some circumstances for running over protesters. “We’ll see if there can be agreeable language,” House Speaker Cameron Sexton, R-Crossville, said Wednesday about the reemergence of the bill, referring to apparent concerns with legislation expressed by members of the …

The Hill reports: Former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission to seek a new term in Congress, six years after leaving office to join the Trump administration. Zinke, 59, a Republican, won two elections to represent Montana’s lone congressional district, in 2014 and 2016. Zinke’s filing indicates he plans to run for Montana’s 2nd …

The Associated Press reports: Just about all eyes were on the president who addressed a variety of topics, including the American Rescue Plan, stimulus checks, and more. And while Biden’s speech was interrupted by standing ovations and loud applause throughout the entirety of the address, Sen. Ted Cruz was a little less enthusiastic. Cruz was caught sleeping during Biden’s address. …

CNN reports: Federal agencies are investigating at least two possible incidents on US soil, including one near the White House in November of last year, that appear similar to mysterious, invisible attacks that have led to debilitating symptoms for dozens of US personnel abroad. Multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN that while the Pentagon and other agencies probing …