Politics

Haley “Doesn’t Know” If Trump Would Obey Constitution

NBC News reports: Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Friday that she doesn’t know whether Donald Trump would follow the Constitution if elected president again. “I don’t know. I mean, you always want to think someone will, but I don’t know,” Haley said. Citing Trump’s remarks over the course of his campaign about using …

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Missouri AG Sues Planned Parenthood For “Trafficking”

Courthouse News reports: Planned Parenthood traffics minors across states lines to obtain secret abortions, Missouri’s attorney general claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday. Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, filed the suit in Boone County circuit court seeking an order stopping the actions. Bailey claims in the complaint to have video of Planned Parenthood staff members acknowledging they take minors …

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Texas State Bar Suspends License Of County Prosecutor Who Pursued Murder Charge Over Woman’s Abortion

The Texas Tribune reports: A Texas prosecutor has been disciplined for allowing a murder charge to be filed against a woman who self-induced an abortion in 2022. Starr County District Attorney Gocha Ramirez reached a settlement with the State Bar of Texas following an investigation. Ramirez agreed to pay a $1,250 fine, and his license will be held in a …

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Menendez Co-Defendant Pleads Guilty To Bribery

The Hill reports: A New Jersey businessman charged alongside Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) in a far-reaching corruption case has pleaded guilty. Jose Uribe entered a guilty plea Friday in federal court in New York to charges that include conspiracy to commit bribery, obstruction of justice and tax evasion, court filings show. The terms of any agreement Uribe may have struck …

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FL House Passes Bill Requiring Permit To Sleep In Public

Florida Politics reports: It could be significantly harder for unhoused people to sleep in public spaces soon, as the House has passed legislation cracking down on the practice and compelling counties to set up homeless camps. The Republican Rep. Sam Garrison bill has been called a “carrot and stick” approach to managing the homeless problem in the state. “The status …

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Haley: Trump’s Trials Should Happen Before Election

NBC News reports: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley said that all of former President Donald Trump’s legal cases should be “dealt with” before the presidential election. “I think all of the cases should be dealt with before November,” she said Thursday in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in Falls Church, Virginia, where voters will …

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Thousands Line Up For Funeral Of Alexei Navalny

Reuters reports: Russians chanted opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s name on Friday as his coffin was carried into a Moscow church surrounded by police for a funeral that only a few people were allowed to attend. Navalny’s allies said they believed the service had got underway soon afterwards but could not be sure because the authorities were blocking mobile phone signals …

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Senate Votes To Fund Government Through March 8

The Guardian reports: The Senate has passed a short-term funding bill following a House vote on Thursday evening, narrowly averting a partial government shutdown that was due to occur this weekend. Ahead of the Senate vote, the majority leader, Chuck Schumer, addressed the chamber floor, saying that he saw “no reason this should take a very long time”. The temporary …

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Florida Senate Approves Ban On “Cultivated Meat”

Florida Politics reports: Senators voted to make Florida the first state to ban the sale of lab-grown meat. But a majority rejected a proposal to put a five-year sunset on that restriction. As lawmakers debated an agriculture package (SB 1084) on the floor, Republican Sen. Jay Collins said he doesn’t think cultured meat products will be ready for consumption anytime …

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Sen. John Cornyn Launches Bid For Senate GOP Leader

Politico reports: Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said in a statement Thursday he will run to succeed Mitch McConnell as Republican leader, becoming the first to officially announce his candidacy for the job. “I am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell,” he said. “I believe the Senate is broken — that is not news …

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FBI Raids Home Of Another Top Aide To NYC Mayor

Gothamist reports: FBI investigators searched the Bronx home of top mayoral adviser Winnie Greco on Thursday, officials confirmed to Gothamist, amid an ongoing probe into Mayor Eric Adams’ campaign fundraising. An FBI spokesperson confirmed that agents entered a home on Gillespie Avenue in the Bronx “to conduct a court-authorized law enforcement activity.” Adams’ 2021 campaign has been under federal public …

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Alabama GOP Lawmakers Move To Protect IVF Clinics

The Birmingham News reports: The Alabama House of Representatives has passed a bill intended to provide legal protections to in vitro fertilization clinics, a move that supporters acknowledged was not a permanent solution to questions about the legal status of embryos created through IVF. The bill passed by a vote of 94-6. It moved to the Senate, which passed a …

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House Approves Stopgap Funding Bill In 320-99 Vote

Bloomberg News reports: The House passed a temporary funding bill to avert a Saturday partial US government shutdown, sending the bill to the Senate for a vote as soon as Thursday night. The bill would extend funds for some departments through March 8 and others through March 22 as lawmakers work out differences on delayed full-year spending packages for the …

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GOP Senator: IVF Leads To “Animal-Human Chimeras”

Mediaite reports: On Wednesday, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) blocked the Senate bill that would have protected IVF treatment on a federal level, claiming it was an issue that should be left up to the states. But she had another reason: IVF could lead to “human-animal chimeras.” While it’s not unpredictable for a Republican to believe that some issues are better …

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Ex-Rep. Justin Amash Launches Senate Bid In Michigan

NBC News reports: Former Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican-turned-independent who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in 2019, jumped into Michigan’s crowded GOP Senate primary Thursday. Amash announced last month that he had formed an exploratory committee to consider a run for the seat that is opening with the retirement of Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Amash, who has long adhered …

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Next Senate GOP Leader Will Likely Be Named “John”

The Texas Tribune reports: This could be John Cornyn’s moment. After years serving among the top of Senate Republican leadership, Texas’ senior senator has a chance at the job he has long wanted: Senate Republican leader. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his plans to retire from the post Wednesday. Two other senators have emerged as potential contenders for the job. …

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Texas Executes Man Despite Doubts About His Guilt

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas executed Ivan Cantu Wednesday for the murder of his cousin and his cousin’s fiancée, James Mosqueda and Amy Kitchen. Prior to the state’s first execution of the year, post-trial evidence raising questions about Cantu’s guilt had persuaded jurors from his original trial to ask Texas courts to reconsider his case. A public campaign pushing to …

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Romney On Voting For Trump “Absolutely Not”

“No, no, no, absolutely not. I mean, for me, there are two factors deciding who I want to have as the leader of my country and the person who is the example of the president for my kids, my grandkids. “One is their position and policies. And on foreign policy, I’m not aligned with Donald Trump, at least as I …

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GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith Blocks IVF Protection Act

Politico reports: Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) blocked passage Wednesday of a bill to protect access to in-vitro fertilization nationwide — the first federal clash in the roiling debate over fertility care that an Alabama court sparked earlier this month by granting legal personhood to frozen embryos. “The bill before us today is a vast overreach that is full of poison …

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NY Lawmakers Approve Dem-Drawn US House Map

The Associated Press reports: The New York state Legislature on Wednesday approved a Democrat-drawn congressional map that gives the party a modest boost in a few battleground districts, helping their candidates in a heavily contested election year when House races in the state could determine control of Congress. Lawmakers in the Democrat-dominated statehouse approved the mapping bill in both the …

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