Politics

The Huffington Post reports: Former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones (D) announced his candidacy on Wednesday for New York’s suburban 17th Congressional District, a seat the progressive previously represented but left last cycle amid an intra-party dispute. After a complicated redistricting plan ― and the decision by Sean Patrick Maloney, then the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, to run …

The New York Times reports: A small amount of a white powdery substance was found in the White House on Sunday evening, according to a person familiar with the episode, and an initial test by emergency response workers determined that it was cocaine. President Biden and his family were away at Camp David when a uniformed Secret Service agent found …

Raw Story reports: On Tuesday, the Republican Party’s official Twitter account posted to mark the Fourth of July, writing, “247 years ago, our forefathers told Ol’ King George to get lost! Happy Independence Day from the GOP!” There was just one problem: the flags they used in the graphic were not the American flag. They were the Liberian flag. Liberia …

Politico reports: California Rep. Adam Schiff, the target of conservative scorn and House Republican censure as he campaigns for the U.S. Senate, raised over $8.1 million in the year’s second quarter, a major haul that’s likely to put more distance between his rivals. The record-breaking quarter places the Democratic congressman in his party’s upper echelon of 2024 fundraisers and brings …

Newsweek reports: Donald Trump Jr. was “super comfortable” whilst visiting a gay club, according to Aubrey O’Day, a singer who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump’s then-married eldest son during 2011-12, despite him later “kind of belittling the gay community.” O’Day claimed Trump Jr. was “totally chill and nice with everybody” with the pair later having “sex in …

NBC News reports: In the four years since DeSantis took office, his administration has routinely stonewalled the release of public records, approved a slew of new legal exceptions aimed at keeping more information out of the public eye, and waged legal battles against open government advocates, the press and other watchdogs. DeSantis, a Harvard-educated lawyer and former U.S. attorney, is …

The New York Times reports: A political action committee supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign has raised a total of $10.25 million, one of its leaders said on Monday, a signal that his long-shot challenge to President Biden has gained traction among donors, including many Republicans. The precise level of fund-raising by the super PAC, American Values 2024, will …

CNN reports: A federal judge on Monday blocked a Florida election law that would have set limits on voter registration in the state. Chief US District Judge for the Northern District of Florida Mark E. Walker said while it’s correct for the state to “seek integrity” in its electoral system, “Florida’s solutions for preserving election integrity are too far removed …

The Texas Tribune reports: Houston officials sued the state of Texas on Monday to stop a sweeping law aimed at gutting all kinds of local ordinances and sapping the power of the state’s bluer urban areas. The law — House Bill 2127, dubbed the “Death Star” bill by opponents — was signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott in June, …

Buffalo’s NBC affiliate reports: Chris Collins is planning another run for Congress. The former congressman told 2 On Your Side‘s Scott Levin, via text, that he is assembling a team. Collins told Levin that he would run for the 19 Congressional District in Florida. Collins spoke at the United We Stand Trump Flotilla 2024 event in Florida on Sunday. He …

Politico reports: A top spokesperson for Ron DeSantis’ super PAC is sounding a decidedly dour note on the Florida governor’s presidential prospects, saying his campaign is facing an “uphill battle” and is trailing badly in the key nominating states. “Right now in national polling we are way behind, I’ll be the first to admit that,” Steve Cortes said in a …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s Governor says he is still flummoxed by a long-standing nickname Donald Trump gave him. During an interview conducted by supporter and surrogate Josh Kimbrell of South Carolina, Ron DeSantis said he still didn’t know what Trump means when he refers to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious.” “I still haven’t figured out what it actually means,” DeSantis said …

The Des Moines Register reports: Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis is hitting the Iowa campaign trail next week on behalf of her husband, presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. She’ll launch the “Mamas for DeSantis” grassroots organization alongside Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds July 6 in Johnston. “As the mom and dad of young children, Gov. DeSantis and First Lady …

Variety reports: Authorities in Vietnam have banned commercial screenings of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” The Warner Bros. film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, was set to have been released in the country on July 21. The film contains a scene that depicts a map with the “nine dash line,” a representation …

The New York Times reports: Trump has boasted that he’s so far ahead of his Republican rivals that he might not bother to show up for the first debate in August, hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee. “I think that he’ll show up at the debates because his ego won’t permit him not to,” Christie said. “He can’t have a …

The Miami Herald reports: In his first term as mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez increased his personal net worth five-fold as he used his public office to court technology and real estate companies eyeing business opportunities in the Magic City. Financial disclosures filed annually with the city and state show Suarez’s net worth increased from $245,015 to $1,338,551 between mid-2017 …

Jacksonville’s CBS affiliate reports: The first official class of the newly established Florida State Guard graduated from boot camp at Camp Blanding Friday morning. A total of 120 men and women earned their patches and certificate of completion, joining the ranks of the Florida State Guard in the first graduation ceremony. Among them, guardsman and State Representative Tom Fabricio (R-Miami), …

ABC News reports: On Thursday, the Supreme Court set new limits on affirmative action programs in cases involving whether public and private colleges and universities can continue to use race as one factor among many in student admissions. A little more than half of Americans – 52% — approve of the U.S. Supreme Court decision on restricting the use of …

Politico reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence endorsed the Supreme Court’s decision to gut affirmative action programs at colleges and universities across the country, saying he does not believe there is racial inequality in America’s education system. “I really don’t believe there is,” Pence told CBS’s Margaret Brennan during an interview on “Face the Nation” broadcast Sunday. “I believe there …

CNN reports: A federal judge late on Friday cleared the way for North Carolina’s 12-week ban on most abortions to take effect Saturday. The law provides exceptions in the case of rape or incest through 20 weeks of pregnancy or in the event of a “life-limiting anomaly” through 24 weeks. The law also prohibits health care providers who object to …