Politics

Politico reports: Florida will conduct a special election on April 1, 2025, to fill the House seat vacated by Matt Gaetz, kicking off a sprint among Florida Republicans to represent the deep-red district. On Friday morning, Gaetz said he did not plan to return to Congress but hasn’t announced what he’ll do next. It takes several months to fill the …

The Bergen Record reports: Jonathan Gomez-Noriega, a former aide to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop [photo], is suing the gubernatorial hopeful for wrongful termination, retaliation and discrimination, after he said he was fired in August for supporting his sister, a Republican candidate. Gomez-Noriega was fired in August when news broke that he had donated $1,250 to his sister, Valentina Gomez, …

The Daily Beast reports: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a MAGA darling and three letter initialism-haver, is poised to lead a new House Oversight Committee Subcommittee that will work with Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s ‘DOGE’ commission to “eliminate government waste.” Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a progressive darling and fellow three letter initialism-haver, is fine with that. “This is good, …

The New York Times reports: Senator Bob Casey, a three-term Democrat from Pennsylvania long seen as an institution in state politics, was defeated on Thursday by his Republican challenger, the former hedge-fund executive David McCormick, in a stunning upset in one of the nation’s top Senate races. Mr. Casey conceded on Thursday shortly before The New York Times called the …

The New York Times reports: Spain said it could give residency and work permits to about 900,000 undocumented migrants in the country over the next three years to help address a growing need for workers, even as other European countries embrace tougher stances on immigration. The new rules will start in May, with government officials expecting that about 300,000 migrants …

Courthouse News reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to block the implementation of Proposition R, a ballot measure passed by Dallas voters that decriminalizes marijuana possession within the city limits. Also known as the Dallas Freedom Act, the measure passed Nov. 5 with close to 67% of the vote. It amends the Dallas City Charter …

Chicago’s ABC affiliate reports: The Illinois Supreme Court has reversed the conviction of actor Jussie Smollett. The former “Empire” actor took his case to the Illinois Supreme Court in September in a last-ditch effort to have his 2021 conviction overturned. “Specifically, we address whether a dismissal of a case by nolle prosequi allows the State to bring a second prosecution …

Axios reports: Some House Republicans are prepared to block Trump from using a recess appointment on attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz. In the case of recess appointments, the House can use a procedural trick to block a president from bypassing the Senate. Several House Republicans would vote against any motion to go into recess, Axios has learned. For Trump’s plan …

Fox News reports: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer is expected to establish a subcommittee that will work with the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to eliminate government waste, Fox News Digital has learned. A source familiar told Fox News Digital that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., will chair the Delivering …

The Jerusalem Post reports: The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday, the court announced on X/Twitter. The ICC said that there is reasonable grounds to believe that Netanyahu and Gallant committed the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare and the crimes against humanity …

The Associated Press reports: Republican Nick Begich has won Alaska’s U.S. House race, defeating Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola to claim the seat once held by his grandfather. Begich was among the opponents Peltola defeated during her special and regular election wins in 2022, following the death of Republican Rep. Don Young. Wednesday marked the deadline for elections officials to receive …

The Columbus Dispatch reports: The United States’ longest-serving congresswoman is headed back for her 22nd term. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur defeated state Rep. Derek Merrin, R-Monclova, in a close race for Ohio’s 9th Congressional District seat. The Associated Press called the race for Kaptur Wednesday after county boards of elections submitted certified results for the Nov. 5 election. Kaptur won …

Semafor reports: Donald Trump may be interested in using steep new tariffs to pay for tax cuts next year, an idea that would force Congress to vote on his aggressive trade agenda. Republican lawmakers, however, are far from sold. Some are already panning the prospect. “I don’t like tariffs, number one. I think the consumer pays them. So they’re regressive. …

Raleigh’s NBC affiliate reports: The Republican-led North Carolina House advanced a bill Tuesday to earmark an additional $227 million in relief aid for victims of Hurricane Helene — a measure stuffed with unrelated provisions aimed at stripping power from the governor, attorney general and other incoming Democratic leaders. The effort comes on the heels of victories in this month’s elections …

Florida Politics reports: State Rep. Joel Rudman will run for Congress in former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz’s open seat. The Navarre Republican counts himself as a close ally of Gaetz, who has represented Florida’s 1st Congressional District since his election in 2016. Rudman first ran for office when his positions on COVID prompted people to challenge his medical license. In …

From the New York Post editorial board: While most of the cabinet picks have been excellent, and some of them risky but promising, Gaetz and Gabbard are dreadful. We plead that he rethink them. They’re distracting chaos agents who won’t accomplish what Trump wants them to, and will most likely backfire on his agenda. Gabbard backed the Iran deal, and …

NOTUS reports: House Democrats are brushing off Republican attacks on Rep.-elect Sarah McBride after some GOP members made clear they would attempt to keep McBride from using the women’s restrooms in the Capitol. That’s because McBride told them to. By Tuesday morning, Democrats had a clear message: Republican attacks on trans people were a distraction from other issues. Sources told …

Politico Playbook reports: Trump campaign manager and RNC chief of staff Chris LaCivita is going after The Lincoln Project in a new letter, with RNC lawyers accusing the anti-Trump PAC of defamation and demanding they retract a series of social media posts. In a letter to Lincoln Project general counsel Mario Nicolais, LaCivita’s legal team specifically point to several posts …

The Associated Press reports: House Leader Hakeem Jeffries won reelection Tuesday as the Democratic leader, receiving support from his colleagues despite the party’s inability to win back majority control of the chamber in the November election. Jeffries of New York was chosen during an internal party vote of the House Democrats underway at the Capitol. Most of the Democratic leadership …

The Hill reports: Senate Republicans are rejecting a proposal floated by some advisers to President-elect Trump to take the job of conducting background checks for high-level nominees away from the FBI and give it to private investigators. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that the FBI has access to information gathered by law …