Politics

The Daily Beast reports: Republican congressman Byron Donalds appears to have played hooky and skipped out on his legislative duties for an appearance on Real Time With Bill Maher. Jake Sherman, a political analyst with MSNBC and founder of Punchbowl News, posted to X Saturday that Donalds might have went to see Maher at HBO’s studios in California over voting …

Courthouse News reports: Senate Republicans on Friday offered a retort to months of Democrat scrutiny on the Supreme Court, introducing a constitutional amendment that would block lawmakers from adding more justices to the high court’s bench. The proposed amendment is the GOP majority’s first major legislative foray into the yearslong debate over the Supreme Court — and one that proponents …

NBC News reports: Republican donors at a gathering last week in Palm Beach County openly discussed the prospect of Casey DeSantis’ running for governor in 2026, and for the first time, Florida’s first lady is seriously considering the idea. Gov. Ron DeSantis, her husband, faces term limits and cannot seek re-election. There has long been speculation about whether Casey, a …

Politico Europe reports: Russian bots have driven a dramatic surge of disinformation on the social media platform X days before Germany’s election, according to a government report seen by POLITICO. At the center of the effort to influence German voters is Doppelgänger, a Kremlin-backed operation, according to the German Office of Foreign Affairs. The campaign uses fake news sites, sleeper …

The Daily Beast reports: Neo-Nazi influencer Nick Fuentes has co-signed an anti-Semitic social media tirade from the rapper Kanye West. In the middle of an overnight flood of posts calling for disgraced mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs to be freed following his September arrest on charges of sex trafficking, West also ranted against Jews. “F— ALL OF YOUR F— A– UNFAIR …

The Guardian reports: Benjamin Netanyahu gave Donald Trump a “golden pager” during their meeting in Washington DC this week, in an apparent reference to Israel’s deadly attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon last year. In photos circulating online, the golden pager can be seen mounted on a piece of wood, accompanied by a golden plaque that reads in black lettering: “To …

“There’s no doubt that the president appears to have empowered Elon Musk far beyond what I think is appropriate. I think a lot of it is going to end up in court. I am concerned if the Trump administration is clawing back money that has been specifically appropriated for a particular purpose.” – Sen. Susan Collins, who met with Musk …

The Daily Beast reports: Mitch McConnell was escorted out of the Capitol in a wheelchair at the Capitol on Wednesday after the 82-year-old senator fell twice in short succession. One of McConnell’s falls occurred on stairs outside the Senate chamber, causing “panicked looks to flash across his congressional staff and security detail,” reported The Hill. A group, which included his …

Politico Europe reports: Greenland’s Prime Minister Múte Egede called for an early election on March 11, amid geopolitical tensions caused by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to acquire the Arctic island. “It’s time for an election to the Inatsisartut [Greenlandic Parliament]. If the Inatsisartut approves my proposal, this will happen on March 11th,” Egede wrote Tuesday in a post on …

Gothamist reports: A bill Gov. Kathy Hochul signed Monday aims to make it harder for authorities in other states to prosecute New York doctors who prescribe abortion medication online. The new law allows doctors to keep their names off of prescription labels for mifepristone and misoprostol, drugs commonly used to terminate early pregnancies. Instead, they’ll be allowed to list their …

“The Gaza thing has not worked. It’s never worked. And I feel very differently about Gaza than a lot of people. I think they should get a good, fresh, beautiful piece of land and we get some people to put up the money to build it and make it nice and make it habitable and enjoyable. “I think if they …

CBS News reports: The Senate Finance Committee is considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination on Tuesday, with a key vote on whether to advance his confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services after a pair of fiery hearings last week. Kennedy appeared Wednesday before the finance committee for a confirmation hearing, before testifying to the Senate Committee …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) said he would place a “blanket hold” on all of President Trump’s State Department nominees until the administration’s attack on the leading U.S. foreign-assistance agency ends, a move that threatens to stall Trump’s ability to get his foreign-policy team in place. Schatz said he would block any of Trump’s diplomatic …

Politico reports: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries issued a key demand Monday as a March 14 government funding deadline approaches, saying President Donald Trump’s recent federal spending freeze “must be choked off” as part of any bipartisan deal to keep the government open, “if not sooner.” The ultimatum, detailed in a letter to House Democrats, is a signal that Jeffries …

NBC News reports: Ken Martin, the longtime leader of the state Democratic Party organization in Minnesota, will be the new Democratic National Committee chair after winning Saturday’s election, as his party looks to turn the page and recover from a dismal 2024. Martin had been the frontrunner from the beginning of the race, leveraging his relationships with the more than …

NPR reports: The director of the U.S. Census Bureau, Robert Santos, announced Thursday he is resigning, giving President Trump an early opportunity to nominate a new political appointee to lead the agency. The decision by Santos, who started as the bureau’s director in 2022, cuts short a five-year appointment during key preparations for the 2030 census. The next constitutionally required …

Axios reports: Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is “taking a serious look” at running for the Michigan senate seat left open by the surprise retirement of Sen. Gary Peters, Axios has learned. Buttigieg would bring his national fundraising network to what is expected to be one of the most expensive Senate races in the country. “Pete is exploring all of …

The Detroit News reports: Gary Peters, Michigan’s senior senator and a former congressman, said he won’t seek reelection next year and will retire from the U.S. Senate when his second term ends in January 2027. In an exclusive interview, the Bloomfield Township Democrat told The Detroit News that he is ready to leave public office in two years and move …

Nexstar reports: From daylight saving time to diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, there are various aspects of the federal government that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its head, Elon Musk, have targeted in order to cut spending. Now, it seems to have a new prey: the penny. The latest report from the U.S. Mint shows that pennies accounted …

Reuters reports: TikTok users who once saw the app as a haven for free speech say they see signs of censorship after the platform, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, was revived by an executive order from President Donald Trump.  Content creator Pat Loller, 36, said a satirical video he created in response to billionaire Elon Musk’s hand gesture at …