Politics

Washington City Paper reports: This week, the D.C. government took an alarming turn toward censorship—albeit a brief one. The D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, which funds projects by local artists and arts organizations through grants, sent a notice to recipients who received awards in the most recent round. It was an amendment to the award, a stipulation adding …

The Washington Post reports: The Food and Drug Administration, alarmed by a huge increase in vaping among minors, is expected to impose severe restrictions on the sale of most e-cigarettes products throughout the United States — actions that will likely have a significant impact on an industry that has grown exponentially in recent years with little government oversight. As soon …

The Hill reports: Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) announced Thursday that he will try to force a vote on legislation protecting special counsel Robert Mueller in the wake of President Trump ousting Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Flake said he and Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) will go to the Senate floor next week to try to get a deal on advancing the …

Politico reports: Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell plans to run for president in 2020, according to a person close to the California congressman who is familiar with his plans. “He’s definitely running,” the source said. The 37-year-old Swalwell has been positioning himself for a run over the past year, with several trips to early primary voting states and endorsements of three …

Phoenix’s ABC affiliate reports: Republicans filed a lawsuit Thursday to challenge the way some Arizona counties count mail-in ballots as election officials began to slowly tally more than 600,000 outstanding votes in the narrow U.S. Senate race — a task that could take days. Republican Rep. Martha McSally and Democratic Rep. Kyrstin Sinema were separated by a small fraction of …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: Campaign officials for Democratic gubernatorial Andrew Gillum say they are monitoring what appears to be a closer race against Republican Ron DeSantis than it first appeared. By Thursday, with more votes tallied and while some discrepancies are sorted out, DeSantis’ lead has narrowed dramatically. At noon Thursday, DeSantis led by only about 43,000 votes, which is …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Republican Brian Kemp on Thursday resigned as secretary of state, saying he needs to start the work of transitioning to the state’s top office after earning a “clear and convincing victory” at the ballot box. But Stacey Abrams is not conceding anything yet, hopeful that a trove of provisional ballots could be enough to swing the …

Atlanta’s NBC affiliate reports: Karen Handel has conceded the Georgia’s 6th Congressional District race to Lucy McBath Thursday morning. In a letter to Channel 2 Action News, Handel said, “After carefully reviewing all of the election results data, it is clear that I came up a bit short on Tuesday. Congratulations to Representative-Elect Lucy McBath and send her only good …

The Associated Press reports: A bitter and expensive clash between Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson appears to be heading to a recount, despite Scott’s declaration of victory. Nelson has not conceded. His campaign says it’s preparing for a recount and will have observers in every one of the state’s 67 counties to monitor the process. …

USA Today reports: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the hospital after falling in her office Wednesday night, the Court announced in a statement on Thursday. Ginsburg, 85, went home after the fall but continued to experience “discomfort overnight” and went to George Washington Hospital early Thursday. Tests revealed she fractured three ribs and she “was admitted for …

The Daily Beast reports: Our new acting attorney general was listed on the advisory board of a patent marketing company that federal authorities shut down as a fraudulent scheme that bilked aspiring inventors of millions of dollars and intimated that those who publicly complained might have to deal with a “security team” of Israeli ex-special forces operators schooled in Krav …

Politico reports: Chuck Schumer charged Wednesday that President Donald Trump is “delusional” for claiming victory in the midterm elections, insisting that the Democratic Party is poised to compete for the Senate and presidency in 2020 despite losses in key Senate races. Trump cast the election as vindication for his campaign strategy, emphasizing the GOP’s gains in the Senate and claiming …

Time Magazine reports: Republican Brian Kemp’s campaign declared victory Wednesday in the Georgia governor’s race, though Democrat Stacey Abrams insists that enough ballots remain to leave open the possibility of a runoff. The Associated Press has not called the contest. Ryan Mahoney, a top Kemp campaign adviser, told reporters in a conference call that the numbers show Abrams can’t win …

CNBC reports: Shares of major marijuana companies rallied after Attorney General Jeff Sessions resigned Wednesday after months of public criticism from his boss, President Donald Trump. Canada-based Tilray closed up 30 percent while Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis rose 8.1 percent and 9 percent respectively. Cronos Group added 8.4 percent. “You’re happy if you’re long the cannabis stocks. He was …

The Houston Chronicle reports: Former Congressman Steve Stockman, a Tea Party stalwart who represented East Texas during two non-consecutive terms, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Wednesday for his role in a wide-ranging scheme that included a spy operation aimed a fellow Republican challenger and $1.25 million in campaign funds pilfered from conservative megadonors. Stockman, who was …

Politico reports: Democratic Sen. Jon Tester has won reelection narrowly in Montana, defeating Republican Matt Rosendale after a fiery campaign marked by Tester’s clashes with President Donald Trump. Tester had 49 percent of the vote to 48 percent for Rosendale, the Montana state auditor, when the Associated Press called the race on Wednesday afternoon with 92 percent of precincts reporting. …

Called this morning. Detroit’s ABC affiliate reports: Republican incumbent Mike Bishop has conceded the race for Michigan’s 8th Congressional District to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Slotkin, from Holly, previously worked in both the George W. Bush and Obama presidential administrations and unseated the two-term Republican. Bishop, who is from Rochester, served in both the State House and State Senate before being …

The Hartford Courant reports: Ned Lamont will be the next governor of Connecticut. Republican Bob Stefanowski conceded the race for governor Wednesday morning after late returns from the state’s cities pushed Lamont to victory. In conceding, Stefanowski said “the margin was big enough” to hand victory to Lamont. Problems with same-day voter registration are not significant enough to change the …

Just called. Click On Detroit reports: Democrat Dana Nessel beat Republican Tom Leonard in the race for Michigan Attorney General. Leonard conceded the race to Nessel on Wednesday morning. Dana Nessel is best known for successfully fighting to overturn Michigan’s ban on gay marriage. Nessel, 49, has been a Detroit-area prosecutor and defense attorney but made headlines as co-counsel in …

The Associated Press reports: A Nevada brothel owner and reality TV star who died last month after fashioning himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate has won a heavily GOP state legislative district. Dennis Hof defeated Democratic educator Lesia Romanov on Tuesday in the race for Nevada’s 36th Assembly District, which includes rural communities and large stretches of desert in …