Politics

Axios reports: The former chief of staff to Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) on Friday filed to run as a Republican primary challenger against his onetime boss. Daniel Hanlon filed to challenge Mace in the state’s June congressional primary on Friday, according to a Federal Election Commission filing. Hanlon worked as a senior staffer for Mace from when she first entered …

The Messenger reports: Republican South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem on Thursday said she will deliver razor wire to Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott if federal agents interfere with his plans for the U.S.-Mexico border as a conflict between the Lone Star state and the federal government over the handling of immigration has heated up. “I’ll drive in more razor wire …

NBC News reports: Tempers flared Thursday as Republicans battled among themselves over whether to accept or reject a deal for tougher immigration laws, with some pushing back on colleagues who want to bow to former President Donald Trump’s wishes and kill it. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., urged his colleagues not to make it all about politics at the behest of …

Via email from the Nikki Haley campaign: The Nikki Haley for President campaign announced a $2.6 million fundraising haul since New Hampshire polls closed on Tuesday, January 23. That includes $1.2 million raised from small-dollar and digital donations after Trump’s unhinged pledge to “permanently bar” any individual who contributed to Haley’s campaign. “Donald Trump’s threats highlight the stark choice in …

Politico Europe reports: There’s a Hungarian saying for when things are not going well: “It is under the frog’s ass.” And things sure won’t go well for Hungary if it attempts to thwart European leaders when they meet next week to approve a vital €50 billion lifeline to Ukraine as it enters a third year of war with Russia. After …

NBC News reports: The International Court of Justice has declined Israel’s request to throw out the genocide case brought against it by South Africa, saying that the allegations “appear to be capable of falling within the provisions of the” Genocide Convention of 1948. President Joan E. Donoghue noted that at this stage in the case, the ICJ does not have …

Axios reports: U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert defended her mountains-to-plains shift in congressional districts, even as Republican rivals used the contest’s first debate Thursday night to suggest she is a carpetbagger and hypocrite. She addressed it at the start, announcing she just moved to the area and signed a lease for a home in nearby Windsor. “I am here to earn …

The Daily Beast reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has been adamant that his move to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was rooted in policy disagreements and wasn’t a personal vendetta related to the congressional ethics investigation against him. In private, he told a different story. According to private correspondence reviewed by The Daily Beast, Gaetz indicated to a friend …

The Birmingham News reports: Alabama Death Row inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith on Thursday night became the first prisoner to die using a new untested method of execution in the United States—suffocation by nitrogen gas. The 58-year-old was executed at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore. In announcing the execution had been carried out, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey stated: “I …

“Who cares what the RNC says? We’ll let millions of Republican voters across the country decide who should be our party’s nominee, not a bunch of Washington insiders. If Ronna McDaniel wants to be helpful she can organize a debate in South Carolina, unless she’s also worried that Trump can’t handle being on the stage for 90 minutes with Nikki …

Bloomberg News reports: Texas Governor Greg Abbott vowed to add more razor wire along the border with Mexico to crack down on illegal immigration, saying the state has the constitutional right to defend itself and accusing President Joe Biden of not doing enough to enforce the law. “We are adding more razor wire as we speak right now to make …

NBC News reports: An Alabama Republican congressman said on Wednesday that “everyone has some racist in them,” pushing back on GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s assertion that the United States has never been a racist country. Rep. Jerry Carl made the remarks during a GOP primary debate against fellow Rep. Barry Moore. The two congressmen are squaring off against each …

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: The recently unsealed records pertaining to the divorce of Fulton County Special Prosecutor Nathan Wade do not provide any new evidence of an “improper, clandestine” relationship with his superior, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Wade was appointed by Willis to lead the investigation into the Georgia election interference case, resulting in the indictment of former …

The Messenger reports: The Florida House of Representatives has passed two bills banning social media for minors under age 16 and requiring age verification for pornographic sites, just two weeks into their 2024 legislative session. With House approval, the bills will now head to the state Senate before making its way to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s desk. If the governor …

Florida Politics reports: The House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee is advancing a bill that would give some groups certain rights in K-12 schools. Rep. Wyman Duggan’s bill (HB 1317) would allow representatives of so-called “patriotic organizations” time to meet with students and distribute recruitment materials, with schools providing designated time for these groups to pitch their attendees. The bill also …

CNN reports: Former President Donald Trump’s push to kill a bipartisan immigration deal may now derail a major national security package, forcing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to suggest a new course of action and endangering aid to Ukraine and Israel in the process. According to a GOP source familiar with the matter, McConnell told Republicans at a private Wednesday …

The Associated Press reports: Two Democratic-aligned groups this week filed campaign finance complaints, hoping to crimp No Labels’ pipeline of campaign cash and force the group to follow the same rules as formal political parties. The complaints, filed by the groups End Citizens United and Accountable.US, are part of a broader Democratic effort to ramp up legal scrutiny. No Labels …

The Hill reports: Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee and a key figure in getting bills passed through Congress, says she will not endorse former President Trump, even if he becomes the Republican Party’s nominee for president. Asked if she could see herself endorsing Trump if he wins the nomination, Collins replied: “I do …

Courthouse News reports: The Supreme Court refused to pause an experimental execution in Alabama on Wednesday, allowing the state to move forward with the U.S.’s first oxygen deprivation execution. Kenneth Eugene Smith asked the Supreme Court to block Alabama’s second shot at carrying out his death sentence. In 2022, Alabama spent nearly two hours poking and prodding Smith while he …

Via press release from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott: The federal government has broken the compact between the United States and the States. The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now. President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. …