Politics

CBS News reports: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday she does not intend to bring a Democratic-backed bill that would add four seats to the Supreme Court to the House floor, stalling the measure just as lawmakers were poised to formally unveil it. “I don’t know that that’s a good idea or a bad idea. I think that’s an idea …

From Susan Page’s coming book, Madam Speaker: When Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September, Pelosi proposed that the groundbreaking feminist lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda. She would have been the first woman in history to be so honored. McConnell rejected the idea on the grounds that there was no precedent for such treatment of a …

Fox News reports: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson doubled down on his recent comments about running for president, saying he has a “goal” to unite the country. The former professional wrestler recently responded on social media to a poll that claimed he would have massive support from Americans if he actually established and ran a presidential campaign. Speaking on the “Today” …

Politico reports: President Joe Biden is preparing to name Republican Cindy McCain to a coveted ambassador post in Western Europe in what would be his administration’s first Republican appointee to a Senate-confirmed position. McCain is undergoing vetting to be nominated for U.S. ambassador to the U.N. World Food Programme, a mission based in Rome, according to two sources with knowledge …

The Washington Post reports: Maryland enacted historic police accountability measures Saturday, becoming the first state to repeal its powerful Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights and setting new rules for when police may use force and how they are investigated and disciplined. The Democratic-majority legislature dealt Republican Gov. Larry Hogan a sharp rebuke, overriding his vetoes of measures that raise …

The Hill reports: Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) said Saturday he is taking a monthlong leave after having surgery on his eye, saying he’ll be “effectively blind” for a month. Crenshaw, who lost his right eye in 2012 during a bomb attack while he was serving in Afghanistan, said his ophthalmologist discovered that his retina was detaching in his left eye …

The Houston Chronicle reports: The Electric Reliability Council of Texas will argue that it has governmental immunity that protects it from the at least 35 lawsuits that have been filed against the operator after February’s disastrous winter storm which killed dozens of people and created millions of dollars of damages. “ERCOT has and will continue to assert that it is …

CNN reports: Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia cited the deadly attack on January 6 at the US Capitol as an event that changed his perspective on a divided Washington, saying, “You can’t have this many people split to where they want to go to war with each other,” as he calls for Democrats and Republicans to work together …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush said Thursday he is “seriously considering” running for attorney general in 2022 — and detailed how he would challenge the incumbent, embattled fellow Republican Ken Paxton. “There have been some serious allegations levied against the current attorney general,” Bush said in an interview with Dallas radio host Mark Davis. “Personally …

Florida Politics reports: Eric M. Lipman, general counsel for the Florida Elections Commission, was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of child pornography. A news release from the Leon County Sheriff’s Office stated Lipman, 59, was charged with 11 counts of possession of child pornography. The Sheriff’s office reported he was taken to the Leon County Detention Facility, but that …

Via press release from GOP Idaho Gov. Brad Little: Governor Brad Little signed an executive order today banning any State of Idaho governmental entity from requiring so-called “vaccine passports” – or proof of COVID-19 vaccination for citizens to receive public services or access facilities. “Idahoans should be given the choice to receive the vaccine. We should not violate Idahoans’ personal …

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports: Gov. Andy Beshear signed into law Wednesday a significant election reform bill that will make it easier for Kentuckians to vote early, bucking a national trend of more restrictive election laws in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Even with the expansions included in the bill, the state’s voting laws in many ways remain more restrictive …

The Washington Post reports: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro resisted calls for a nationwide lockdown to halt the out-of-control spread of coronavirus cases, even as the nation reached several grim milestones, including a record number of deaths. “We’re not going to accept these policies of ‘stay home, close everything, lock down,’ ” he said on a visit to the southern city …

NBC News reports: Rep. Lee Zeldin announced Thursday that he is running for governor of New York in 2022, becoming the first high-profile Republican to launch a challenge to embattled New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Zeldin, 41, who has represented eastern Long Island since 2015, shared his decision on Fox News and posted it on Twitter, saying that to save …

The Daily Beast reports: Jumping on the bandwagon of conservative outrage over corporate criticism of Georgia’s new voting law, McConnell told reporters on Tuesday that it was “stupid” for businesses to comment on “highly incendiary” issues. A day later, McConnell sought to clarify his stance. “I didn’t say that very artfully yesterday,” he said on Wednesday. “They’re certainly entitled to …

The Atlanta-Journal Constitution reports: Fulton County’s district attorney said Wednesday that she won’t prosecute the Democratic lawmaker who was arrested last month after she knocked repeatedly on the door of Gov. Brian Kemp’s state office as he was on live television touting a sweeping new elections law. District Attorney Fani Willis said she considers the case closed after reviewing the …

Axios reports: Former reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is talking with political consultants as she actively explores a run for governor of California, three sources with direct knowledge of her deliberations tell Axios. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, is facing a recall election. A challenge from Jenner, a high-profile Republican and previous Trump supporter, would draw heightened attention to the …

The Washington Post reports: House Democrats on Tuesday released a list of 22 seats they plan to target in the 2022 midterm elections, largely in the suburbs where the party gained ground during Donald Trump’s presidency. “Every Republican member on this battlefield voted against putting money in people’s pockets and getting shots into people’s arms,” said Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), …

USA Today reports: Major League Baseball is scheduled to announce Tuesday that this year’s All-Star Game will be moved to Coors Field in Denver, home of the Colorado Rockies, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told USA TODAY Sports. The move was first reported by Altitude TV in Denver and ESPN. Government officials in Colorado and Denver immediately …

Politico reports: Justice Democrats, the left-wing group that recruited Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to run for Congress, has its eyes set on ousting another Democratic incumbent. The organization will announce Monday that it is backing Democrat Odessa Kelly in her campaign against Tennessee Rep. Jim Cooper — a Blue Dog Coalition member who has long frustrated liberals. It is the first primary …