Politics

Nashville’s NBC affiliate reports: A bill passed in the Tennessee House that would make it illegal to marry your first cousin in the state, but it did not pass without argument from one lawmaker who pushed an amendment to make it legal for cousins to marry each other if they first received genetic counseling. The bill as amended by Rep. …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Four out of 10 Florida voters support a referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the state Constitution, a poll showed Thursday, far short of the 60% majority needed for passage. The Emerson College Polling survey found 42% of voters said they support the amendment. Another 25% said they would vote no. The fate of the …

Axios reports: Samantha Power, the director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), told lawmakers Wednesday that people in parts of northern Gaza have begun facing famine. Power is the first U.S. official to publicly say that famine has started in parts of the enclave, which had been on the verge of famine for months because of humanitarian aid …

Mediaite reports: Former Trump national security adviser John Bolton revealed to CNN host Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday that he voted for former Vice President Dick Cheney in the 2020 presidential election and would write him in again this year. Collins asked, “Who did you write in in 2020? You’ve never revealed that before.” Bolton replied, “Well, I might as well …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: When national Republicans opened a new Asian American outreach center in the Gwinnett County suburbs in 2021, an enormous crowd of local dignitaries and state officials packed the Berkeley Lake shop to celebrate. Then Senate candidate Herschel Walker commemorated its first anniversary a year later, and multiple national news outlets focused on the center for stories …

The Hill reports: Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) said Tuesday that she’s confident voters will have the opportunity to enshrine abortion rights in November and reverse a decision from the state’s Supreme Court that makes virtually all abortions in the state illegal. Hobbs joined CNN’s Anderson Cooper hours after the state’s highest court rejected arguments for a 15-week abortion ban …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: While family and friends distributed posters of a missing Republican Party of Florida executive director last week, he was holed up in a Hampton Inn, where authorities say he trashed his room. George Riley Jr., who was reunited with his family this weekend, was kicked out of a room at the Hampton Inn in Kissimmee …

The New York Times reports: In an unusual move, the five major broadcast and cable news networks have prepared a joint open letter that urges President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump to participate in televised debates ahead of Election Day, according to two people with direct knowledge of their plans. The letter — endorsed by ABC, CBS, CNN, …

From the Justice Department: Michael Soghomonian, 35, previously of Northridge, California was arrested on April 7, 2024, pursuant to a federal criminal complaint charging him with using fire to damage the building at One Church Street in Burlington, Vermont – a building used in interstate commerce and as a place of activity affecting interstate commerce. According to court records, Soghomonian …

Axios reports: Chef José Andrés called the Israeli airstrike that killed seven World Central Kitchen aid workers last week “unforgivable,” per an ABC interview that aired Sunday. “This doesn’t seem a war against terror. This doesn’t seem anymore a war about defending Israel. This really, at this point, seems it’s a war against humanity itself,” Andrés told “This Week” co-anchor …

The Washington Post reports: Many Republican lawmakers have largely accepted that their inability to govern is a predicament of their own making. They acknowledge that overcoming their legislative impasse relies on not just keeping control of the House in November, but growing their ranks significantly to neutralize the handful of hard-liners who wield influence by taking advantage of the narrow …

Florida Politics reports: People arrested by law enforcement are in line to get guns back sooner from police forces after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation to that effect Friday. SB 1286, sponsored by Sen. Jay Collins, holds that “weapons, electric weapons or devices, or arms that are taken from a person … that are not either seized as evidence or …

ABC News reports: There could be potential general election ballot access concerns for President Joe Biden in Ohio, the state’s Secretary of State’s office said in a letter to Ohio Democratic Chair Liz Walters on Friday. In the letter, obtained by ABC News, legal counsel for Secretary of State Frank LaRose sought clarification for “an apparent conflict in Ohio law” …

Axios reports: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signed onto a call by progressive members of Congress for the U.S. to stop transferring weapons to Israel over a strike that killed seven aid workers in Gaza. It’s a significant break with Israel by a long-standing supporter that underscores growing fissures between Democrats and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. The …

The Associated Press reports: Police in Vermont are seeking a suspect who allegedly started a fire Friday outside the office of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. The small blaze caused minor damages but no injuries. Authorities say an unknown male suspect sprayed what they described as a possible accelerant on the office door, set it on fire and fled. They said …

Courthouse News reports: The House Freedom Caucus, the lower chamber’s conservative voting bloc, said Friday that lawmakers should not consider any legislation that would fund the Key Bridge’s rebuild without first consulting other options. Laying out its position in a statement, the caucus argued that government should first seek “maximum liability” from the company that owns the Dali, the Singapore-flagged …

The Hill reports: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote in a letter to his Democratic colleagues that the chamber has a “busy agenda” coming up. But first, the chamber is expected to deal with the articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. “Please be advised that all Senators will be sworn in as jurors in the trial the …

Axios reports: Three hours after a tough call on Thursday between President Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli cabinet approved new steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The U.S. had asked Israel to implement those steps months ago but Netanyahu, who is in a tenuous political position in Israel, has been under pressure …

CNN reports: The Israeli military believed they were targeting Hamas operatives when they attacked and killed seven food aid workers in Gaza on Monday, according to an internal inquest that led to the dismissal of two officers. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Friday that “those who approved the strike were convinced that they were targeting armed Hamas operatives,” calling …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t holding back when it comes to initiatives that would legalize adult-use cannabis and would enshrine reproductive rights. “Once voters figure out how radical both of those are, they’re going to fail. They are very, very extreme,” DeSantis said in Davie. “Look at the weed one. For example, the weed one is not just …