Politics

“I would say, looking at the facts of the video footage that have come out, that it is shocking, that you still haven’t gotten a clear answer of how many federal agents were in the field that day. “Look at now the video footage of actually throwing explosives and rubber bullets into what was a peaceful crowd, then releasing to …

The Washington Post reports: It took about 15 minutes before former New Jersey governor Chris Christie was able to speak during the fourth Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday — but once he did, he held nothing back. Christie called out the other three candidates onstage for being too hesitant to criticize former president Donald Trump. He slammed Florida Gov. Ron …

“We really do need to ban TikTok once and for all, and let me tell you why. For every 30 minutes that someone watches TikTok every day, they become 17% more anti-Semitic, more pro-Hamas based on doing that. “We now know that 50% of adults 18 to 25 think that Hamas was warranted in what they did with Israel. That’s …

NBC News reports: During the fourth Republican presidential primary debate on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, citing his time serving in the Middle East, referred to the clothing worn by Al Qaeda as “man dresses.” DeSantis was answering a question at the debate, hosted by NewsNation, about his past remarks that he’d authorize shooting drug smugglers coming across the southern …

CNN reports: The Republican-led House Ethics Committee has reached out to at least one witness as part of its investigation into GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz to schedule an interview in the coming weeks, the latest sign that the once dormant probe remains open. One formal request went out last week, the day before the House voted to expel former Rep. …

“You know, it’s funny. Donald Trump says so many absurd things that I don’t even know how you respond to them. So I sort of laugh and think he’s trying to entertain his base. It’s a dangerous course to go down, of course, but that’s what he does on a regular basis. And I sort of laugh at what he’s …

The Texas Tribune reports: The fourth special legislative session ended Tuesday when the House adjourned without taking action on some key bills the Senate had passed, leaving senators with little choice but to adjourn as well. It concluded much like it began, with no deal on school vouchers, other Republican priorities sunk by intra-party fighting and a governor unable to …

TIME Magazine reports: Taylor Swift’s accomplishments as an artist—culturally, critically, and commercially—are so legion that to recount them seems almost beside the point. As a pop star, she sits in rarefied company, alongside Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Madonna; as a songwriter, she has been compared to Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, and Joni Mitchell. As a businesswoman, she has built …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Liz Cheney’s (R-Wyo.) highly anticipated memoir officially launched Tuesday and soared to the top of bestseller lists. By midday Tuesday, Amazon marked it as “temporarily out of stock,” though it was still accepting orders. Cheney has been on a media tour for her new book, “Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning,” which warns …

CNN reports: A classified briefing Tuesday on Ukraine devolved into a shouting match about border security as senators described a tense meeting that did little to break the Senate’s stalemate over whether to include tighter immigration policies in the aid package. Chuck Schumer gave his description of what unfolded and said the fight over the border erupted when Mitch McConnell …

CNBC reports: The special election to fill expelled Rep. George Santos’ House seat will be Feb. 13, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday. Until then, House Republicans will be down a vote, leaving them with an even narrower majority in the chamber than usual. “As Governor, I have the solemn responsibility to call a special election to ensure the …

NPR reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala, says he will drop his holds on most military promotions. He has been blocking military promotions for months over his objections to an unrelated pentagon policy that pays for service members travel to seek abortion care. Tuberville told reporters in the Capitol on Tuesday that he will drop the hold on all promotions except …

Politico reports: Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) won’t be seeking reelection, according to two people familiar with the matter. The departure of the House Financial Services Committee chief, expected to become formal as early as Tuesday, is one of the most high-profile congressional GOP retirements this year. McHenry went from conservative rabble-rouser to a well-liked lieutenant of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy …

Reuters reports: The board appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to oversee Walt Disney’s (DIS.N) theme parks accused the company of giving a previous local board and its employees millions of dollars’ worth of tickets, discounted hotel stays, merchandise and other benefits that were “akin to bribes of public officials.” “For years, the company treated district employees like Disney employees …

The Messenger reports: Joe Lieberman is open to Nikki Haley being a potential candidate for the third party effort No Labels. Lieberman, founding chairman of No Labels and former senator, told Fox News host Neil Cavuto on Monday that he hasn’t had direct conversations with Haley about a third party run, but he wouldn’t be surprised if some No Labels …

The Washington Post reports: Liz Cheney, one of the most vociferous critics of Donald Trump in the Republican Party, says she is weighing whether to mount her own third-party candidacy for the White House, as she vows to do “whatever it takes” to prevent the former president from returning to office. “Several years ago, I would not have contemplated a …

The Associated Press reports: Arkansas election officials on Monday said online news personality Cenk Uygur, who was born in Turkey, can’t appear on the state’s Democratic presidential primary ballot next year. The determination comes weeks after Uygur proclaimed that he had become the first naturalized citizen on a presidential ballot after filing paperwork with the state and the Arkansas Democratic …

Gothamist reports: New Jersey transportation officials have posted quirky, holiday-themed highway safety warnings for drivers, even though the federal government ordered the state to remove similar signs last year. “Only Rudolph should be lit, drive high get DUI,” one of this year’s digital signs reads. “Reckless drivers are worse than fruitcake,” says another. In 2022, the Federal Highway Administration told …

“He’s going to go on trial the day before Super Tuesday. I believe he’s going to be convicted in that January 6th trial in Washington, D.C., predominantly because Mark Meadows, as you know, has signed an agreement — his former chief of staff, one of the founders of the Freedom Caucus — is going to testify against him! He’s going …

Axios reports: A House Republican on Monday introduced legislation barring lawmakers who are expelled from Congress from receiving congressional pensions. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa) announced the Congressional Pension Accountability Act at a press conference on Monday morning. Nunn was among the more than 100 Republicans who voted to expel former Rep. George Santos following the release of a bombshell House …