Politics

Politico reports: Nearly two-thirds of Californians believe Sen. Dianne Feinstein is no longer fit to serve in office due to her health condition, a new poll found. The respondents, which ranged across the ideological spectrum, cited the 89-year-old Feinstein’s latest illness as the reason she should resign, according to the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The …

Emerson College Polling reports: Former President Donald Trump holds 62% support in the Republican caucus, followed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis with 20% support. Five percent support former Vice President Mike Pence and former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley respectively, 3% support US Senator Tim Scott (SC). Nearly three in four Iowa voters find it very (40%) …

Axios reports: The super PAC supporting Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign altered footage to include the sound and sight of fighter jets flying over the Florida governor in its video promoting his campaign launch. The video by Never Back Down, called “A President for the People,” includes a scene with DeSantis raising his arm to the sky in front of a …

CNN reports: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy appears set to send members home after votes on Thursday, signaling that debt negotiations with the White House will continue as the risk of a first-ever default grows. While the speaker urged lawmakers to stay close to the nation’s capital over Memorial Day weekend, his top deputy, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, announced that …

ABC News reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is set to forgo a traditional presidential campaign launch and will instead hold his “campaign kickoff” event next week in the key state of Iowa, according to campaign plans exclusively obtained by ABC News. The May 30 kickoff event will begin a four-day swing through 12 cities and towns in the early nominating states …

Fox News reports: Saying that he’s “running for president to lead our great American comeback,” Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida formally launched his White House campaign in a video released by his political team. “Our border is a disaster. Crime infests our cities. The federal government makes it harder for families to make ends meet. And the president flounders,” …

Florida Politics reports: The same day Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his campaign for President, he signed legislation exempting himself from the state’s resign-to-run rule. DeSantis signed an elections package (SB 7050) that includes language allowing Florida elected officials to run for President or Vice President without submitting an irrevocable resignation letter. This isn’t the first time Florida has changed its …

“The vast majority of Americans feel like we’re not heading in the right track. And then you look at this debt ceiling crisis. You look at us about to default, and you see that president took 90 days out from negotiating. “He refused to come to the table with Republicans. Republicans have put a plan on the table and this …

The Hill reports: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) holds a 5-point lead over the Democrat running for his seat, according to a new poll. The University of Texas at Tyler poll found that 42 percent of registered voters would support Cruz in the 2024 Senate race, while 37 percent said they would back Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas). Among Texans surveyed, 41 …

CNN reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose clashes with Disney and aggressive pursuit of conservative victories has made him a leading Republican Party figure, has filed to run for president in 2024. His filing with the Federal Election Commission comes ahead of the announcement he’s set to make Wednesday evening with Twitter owner Elon Musk on the site’s audio platform, …

USA Today reports: Chief Justice John Roberts told an audience he is committed to ensuring the “highest standards of conduct” at the Supreme Court as pressure has mounted from congressional Democrats for changes in the wake of a series of scandals involving Justice Clarence Thomas. Without offering specifics or addressing the recent controversies directly, Roberts framed the ethics debate as …

Some history ahead of DeSantis’s launch later today: No Florida politician has ever been elected president. A half-dozen have run in the last 50 years — essentially the period in which the state evolved from political backwater to electoral powerhouse — but all have ended up in the same place, dead in the water long before the nominating convention. Most …

The Associated Press reports: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday he was sending Republican negotiators to the White House to finish out debt limit talks. But McCarthy, R-Calif., said the two sides are “still far apart.” Time is short to strike a deal. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Wednesday that “it seems almost certain” that the United States would not …

CNN reports: A controversial six-week abortion ban bill is headed to South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s desk to be signed into law after the measure cleared the state Senate Tuesday. The state Senate approved a House-amended version of the bill by a vote of 27-19, after that chamber passed it last week. A bipartisan group of five women lawmakers in …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) tried to calm fears of a possible debt default Tuesday, pleading with everyone to “relax” as talks continue between the White House and House GOP negotiators ahead of the likely June 1 deadline. “I think everybody needs to relax,” McConnell told reporters in his home state, again reiterating that the nation …

NBC News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will announce he is running for president during a discussion with Twitter CEO Elon Musk, three sources familiar with the plans told NBC News. Musk and DeSantis will host an event on Twitter Spaces, the site’s platform for audio chats, on Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET. It will be moderated by David Sacks, …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis named Judge Meredith Sasso of the 6th District Court of Appeal to the Florida Supreme Court, his office announced. Sasso, 40, graduated from the University of Florida in 2005 and earned her law degree there in 2008. After representing clients in the private sector, she served as Deputy General Counsel for DeSantis’ predecessor, Rick …

Bloomberg News reports: Harlan Crow, the Texas billionaire and GOP megadonor with close ties to Clarence Thomas, refused to answer questions from a Senate committee about his years of gifts to the Supreme Court justice. Crow’s lawyers in a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee argued that Congress does not have “the authority to investigate Mr. Crow’s personal friendship” with …

The Washington Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previewed more of his 2024 pitch Monday night with a new emphasis on the next president’s ability to push the Supreme Court further to the right, calling for new justices in the mold of Clarence Thomas and “improvements” to others such as Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., a Republican appointee who …

CNN reports: Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, signed a bill into law on Monday that bans most abortions after 12 weeks with exceptions for sexual assault, incest and medical emergencies. The bill does not define “medical emergency” and the legislation includes a clause that will put the rules into immediate effect the day after it is signed. LB 574, …