Politics

The Messenger reports: Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs endorsed an abortion ballot initiative that could appear on the November 2024 ballot earlier this week. Hobbs signed a petition form for the “Arizona Abortion Access Act,” which would guarantee the right to abortion in the state constitution by making abortion a “fundamental right” until fetal viability. The ballot initiative is being spearheaded …

Florida Politics reports: A new poll of Florida voters shows a proposed abortion rights initiative could pass in 2024 if it makes the ballot and that the measure has picked up support across gender, racial and party lines. The University of North Florida poll found that 62% of all respondents would vote yes on the proposed amendment while 29% oppose …

Politico reports: Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign is launching its first ad of the GOP primary on Friday, highlighting “chaos in our streets” and calling for a president with “moral clarity.” The 30 second spot, shared first with POLITICO, is part of a massive $10 million ad buy in Iowa and New Hampshire. It will run on broadcast and cable TV …

“It’s a sad day for us because he was a leader that led through challenging times, and I hope that everyone’s reaction to his passing is to go learn a little bit more about him that you didn’t know before. Around your dinner table, or when you’re driving in the car with your kids, tell them a few Kissinger quotes …

“Here’s the problem. The problem is that anonymity on the internet allows for the ghettoizing of beliefs that are not approved by the regime. So, a lot of people will say, well, I have to be anonymous on the internet because if my boss finds out that I’ve got these views, they’ll fire me. But you’re only in the position …

Phil Williams reports for Nashville’s NBC affiliate: Where did Congressman Andy Ogles get $320,000 that he claims to have loaned his campaign? As NewsChannel 5 Investigates followed the money involving Middle Tennessee’s newest member of Congress, that investigation turned up even more questions about the Maury County Republican. Now in Congress, NewsChannel 5 Investigates discovered that Ogles has not disclosed …

The New York Times reports: The nation’s first congestion pricing program is taking final shape in New York City, and most drivers appear likely to pay $15 to enter some of the busiest streets in Manhattan as soon as next spring. Transit officials on Wednesday provided the clearest picture yet of the tolls they hope to implement to collect roughly …

Roll Call reports: “It’s a serious decision to make, and I have another week or so to decide because if I decide to run again, I have to know in my heart I’m giving 110-percent. I have to know that I want to do that,” McCarthy said in New York. “I also have to know if I’m going to walk …

The Messenger reports: A top aide to GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is leaving his campaign this week to join Donald Trump’s re-election effort, The Messenger learned Wednesday. Brian Swensen, Ramaswamy’s national political director, confirmed that he will take a new job working closely with Trump campaign senior adviser Susie Wiles in the upper echelon of the Trump campaign. Swensen …

The Hill reports: During the New York Times’s DealBook Summit, Andrew Ross Sorkin asked McCarthy who the “right person” would be for Trump to pick as his vice president among Haley, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and 2024 GOP presidential candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.). “If I was a political person, and I was going to advise …

PolitiFact reports: Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., recently shared footage of himself dressed in formal attire, telling an audience that the United States has never sought land after winning wars. McCarthy said at the Oct. 28 event, “In every single war that America has fought, we have never asked for land afterwards, except for enough to bury the Americans …

Reuters reports: Republican mega-donor Bernie Marcus said on Tuesday he would likely still give money to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential bid if the former president was convicted of a crime – but the billionaire does not plan to be one of his biggest financial backers. Marcus, a co-founder of home improvement retailer the Home Depot announced earlier this month that …

Gainesville’s NPR affiliate reports: Family members of a Republican congressional nominee in South Florida are mourning the death of a man they described as a loving father who wrestled with addiction. Newly released police and autopsy records show he died of a fentanyl and cocaine overdose after relapsing into using drugs. Jason Mariner won the two-person GOP primary in November …

Reuters reports: Destruction across the Amazon rainforest so far this year has slowed dramatically, down 55.8% from the same period a year ago in a major turnaround for the region vital to curbing climate change, according to an analysis provided to Reuters. The analysis by the nonprofit Amazon Conservation’s MAAP forest monitoring program offers a first look at 2023 deforestation …

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott is starting to make good on his threat to politically target fellow Republicans who oppose school vouchers, issuing his first endorsement of a primary challenger to a House member who has helped thwart his top legislative priority of the year. Abbott on Tuesday backed Hillary Hickland, an activist mother who is running against …

The Hill reports: The judge presiding over tech billionaire Elon Musk’s lawsuit against Media Matters for America has recused himself from the case, according to court documents. In a notice filed with the court on Tuesday, Judge Mark Pittman of the U.S. District Court in Northern Texas wrote that he was recusing himself from the case and requested the clerk …

Florida Politics reports: Sen. Blaise Ingoglia wants to end the debate in Florida over whether reparations should be paid to descendants of slaves — by banning it in the state constitution. On Monday, he filed a resolution (SJR 582) that would place a question on the 2024 ballot asking voters to approve a constitutional amendment prohibiting any government in Florida …

Politico reports: Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo’s consulting firm received $21 million in 2022 from a group that is a pillar of Leo’s aligned nonprofit network, according to a new tax filing. That group, The 85 Fund, is part of an umbrella of nonprofits under investigation by the Washington, D.C. attorney general for potentially violating tax laws. The tax filing, …

Reuters reports: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday told United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Israel must be held accountable in international courts for what he called war crimes it committed in Gaza, the Turkish presidency said. Israel has mounted an offensive by air and ground against Hamas militants in Gaza in which more than 15,000 people have been …

Axios reports: An Atlanta memorial service for the late first lady Rosalynn Carter on Tuesday will feature a host of dignitaries, including her 99-year-old husband, former President Carter. The 1pm ET service will be at the Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church at Emory University, where Rosalynn Carter was a fellow in the women’s studies department for decades. President Biden and …