Politics

The Washington Post reports: After facing harsh questions about his judicial decisions and accepting lavish gifts from a billionaire, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas forcefully pushed back on his critics Friday — saying he and his wife, Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, have endured “nastiness” and “lies.” “What you are going to find, especially in Washington, is that people are going to …

Axios reports: Nikki Haley is under active consideration by Donald Trump’s campaign to be his running mate, two people familiar with the dynamic told Axios. The GOP rivals’ relationship remains chilly, but Trump could pick Haley if he were convinced she’d help him win the presidency, avoid a potential prison sentence and cover tens of millions in legal bills if …

Pro-DeSantis outlet Florida’s Voice reports: A new poll conducted in Florida found that the abortion ballot initiative voters will decide on this November could have enough support to pass. Released by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, the poll placed the abortion initiative’s support at 61%. It found that 29% oppose, and 10% remain unsure. Amendments need 60% of the vote …

The Washington Post reports: Strategists for both major parties expect Democrats to raise and spend more than Republicans over the coming months, a dynamic that has been magnified by the significant legal costs Trump’s fundraising apparatus has absorbed to defend him in state and federal courts. The situation has alarmed GOP officials in key states like Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, …

Florida Politics reports: Support for legalizing recreation remains high, but is still shy of the threshold needed to amend Florida’s Constitution. That’s according to a poll released by the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which found 58% of Floridians ready to support Amendment 3 on the November ballot. About 37% of those polled oppose the measure and only 5% remain undecided. …

The New York Times reports: Amy Bernstein, a traffic court judge in Brooklyn, was heading home from work one night in late April when, she said, a young man carrying a clipboard approached her on the subway platform, asking if she would sign a petition to help place independents on the ballot in New York. The top of the petition …

CBS News reports: A federal appeals court on Thursday rejected a bid by Hunter Biden to dismiss federal gun charges brought against him by special counsel David Weiss last year. The three-judge panel said in an unsigned opinion that Hunter Biden failed to show that lower court orders denying his requests to toss out the indictment are appealable before final …

Axios reports: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Thursday to President Biden’s threat to suspend military aid if Israel invades Rafah, declaring in a video: “If Israel needs to stand alone, it will stand alone.” Netanyahu’s defiance in the face of Biden’s “red line” will further exacerbate tensions between the Israeli government and the White House. Biden warned in an …

“President Trump and I’ve talked about this at length, but the challenge we’ll have is finding them. Brian, as you know, they’ve been spread out everywhere, the DHS, Department of Homeland Security, and Mayorkas, the reason we impeached him is because he’s an abject failure and they’re not keeping track of where these people are. So we will have the …

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is suggesting he wants to move on from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.)’s effort to oust him from his position. “I don’t hold grudges. I’ve got to work with everybody. I told her last night before she left the floor, let’s move on, Marjorie,” Johnson said Thursday in an interview with “FOX and …

The Orlando Weekly reports: In a case that could have far-reaching implications for the state’s public-records laws, an appeals court heard arguments Tuesday in a challenge to a judge’s ruling that “executive privilege” shields Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration from releasing records. The appeal stems from a public-records request, filed by someone identified in court documents as J. Doe, seeking information …

Axios reports: House Democrats aren’t committing themselves to saving Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) should Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) take another shot at removing him. Greene caught colleagues in both parties by surprise by forcing an ouster vote on Wednesday, leading some lawmakers to fear she’s not above repeated attempts. Democrats told Axios they expect – at minimum – to …

“States are not allowed right now to prove, if somebody claims on that simple form that they’re a citizen, they can vote. We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections, but it’s not been something that is easily provable. We don’t have that number. This legislation will allow us to do exactly that. It …

Politico reports: FreedomWorks, the once-swaggering conservative organization that helped turn tea party protesters into a national political force, is shutting down, according to its president, a casualty of the ideological split in a Republican Party dominated by former President Donald Trump. “We’re dissolved,” said the group’s president, Adam Brandon. “It’s effective immediately.” FreedomWorks’ board of directors voted unanimously on Tuesday …

NBC News reports: NBC News first reported that Kennedy’s campaign hired Zach Henry’s firm, Total Virality, for “influencer engagement” in March. Henry had worked as deputy communications director for Republican Vivek Ramaswamy’s presidential campaign, as well as for Blake Masters during his Senate run in Arizona. Henry, as NBC News reported, had posted that Jan. 6 was “no MAGA insurrection …

The Associated Press reports: Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation Tuesday that makes additional changes to Georgia’s election laws ahead of the 2024 presidential contest in the battleground state, including defining probable causes for removing voters from the rolls when their eligibility is challenged. Republican activists — fueled by debunked theories of a stolen election — have challenged more than 100,000 …

“You’ve got a massive Muslim takeover of the United Kingdom going on right before our eyes. People say, ‘Chip, well what is wrong with that?’ Well, I’ve got some pretty strong concerns about Sharia law and whether that will be forced upon the American people. In this case, the people of the United Kingdom. “I’ve got pretty strong concerns about …

Yahoo Finance reports: Paul Ryan has no interest in giving Donald Trump another chance come November. The former House speaker told Yahoo Finance on Tuesday that he doesn’t plan to vote for the former president, adding he would be writing in a Republican candidate instead. “Character is too important for me,” Ryan told us at the Milken Institute Global Conference. …

The Indianapolis Star reports: U.S. Sen. Mike Braun has won the Indiana Republican gubernatorial primary. And there was little room for suspense: The Associated Press called the race for Braun the minute polls closed in the Indiana’s central-time counties, at which time Braun had a double-digit lead over his five opponents. Braun will face presumptive Democratic nominee Jennifer McCormick, a …

Politico reports: In 2016, Indiana put Donald Trump on the doorstep of the GOP presidential nomination. But eight years later, the state he called “Importantville” delivered his campaign some flashing red warning signs as Nikki Haley cleaned up in the suburbs. By virtue of its late-in-the-nominating-calendar primary, the Hoosier state has always occupied a unique and occasionally powerful perch to …