Politics

Florida Politics reports: During a CNBC interview Monday, Ron DeSantis doubled down on a blanket denunciation of big cities that he rolled out on the campaign trail in Iowa. “I mean, we can’t be successful as a country if every urban core in our country is a disaster zone,” DeSantis said. “Look at San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Baltimore, Washington …

“Look, my wife and I, we got married at Walt Disney World. And so it’s not like we’re opposed. We’ve appreciated working with them over the years, but I would just say, go back to what you did. But where we are today, you know, we basically moved on. They’re suing the state of Florida, they’re going to lose that …

ABC News reports: Former second lady Karen Pence said she “never felt afraid” on Jan. 6, 2021, despite being whisked away from the Senate chamber by the Secret Service to hide from a mob that was targeting her husband, former Vice President Mike Pence, amid the attack on the Capitol. Asked whether she ever feared for her life on Jan. …

The Intercept reports: As the Democrats’ critical 51st vote, the West Virginia senator has repeatedly taken to Fox News to warn his Democratic colleagues about the federal deficit and to air his grievances to the network’s conservative viewership. Manchin’s most recent financial disclosures suggest that those appearances are falling on receptive ears. The senator received tens of thousands of dollars …

Axois reports: A group of leading House Democrats on Friday called for the Justice Department to open an investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Calls by Democratic lawmakers for the court to conduct an internal inquiry into Thomas’ lavish donor-funded trips, as well as their efforts to conduct their own probe, have been met with stonewalling. “We write to …

The Hill reports: Republican strategists are worried that if former President Trump doesn’t secure the GOP’s presidential nomination next year, or if he is kept off the ballot because of his mounting legal problems, it could spell a voter turnout disaster for their party in 2024. GOP strategists say there’s growing concern that if Trump is not the nominee, many …

The New York Times reports: A far-right libertarian candidate won Argentina’s open presidential primary election on Sunday, a surprising showing for a politician who wants to adopt the U.S. dollar as Argentina’s official currency and embraces comparisons to Donald Trump. Javier Milei, 52, a congressman, economist and former television pundit, secured 30 percent of the vote with 96 percent of …

NBC News reports: Democratic presidential hopeful and known anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Sunday that he would support a national ban on abortion after the first three months of pregnancy if elected, only to walk back the stance hours later alleging he “misunderstood” repeated questions from NBC News on the topic. “Mr. Kennedy misunderstood a question posed to him …

Politico reports: Gavin Newsom and Ron DeSantis have reached an impasse in their Fox News debate planned for November, a person with knowledge of the stalemate said Sunday. DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, is pushing for the faceoff to occur in front of a live audience, which Newsom prohibited in his proposal to Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “This is …

NBC News reports: “Donald Trump had said this week that he never asked you to disregard the Constitution and that he never said that you were too honest. Either of those things true?” NBC News host Chuck Todd asked during a Meet the Press interview on Sunday. “Well, look, you could check his tweets,” Pence replied. “I mean, the president …

“I’m tired of responding to all the Trump drama. I’ve said that Jan. 6 was a terrible day, but he said the election was stolen. We have freedom of speech in this country. I don’t think anyone can go to jail for saying an election was stolen. I’m not diving into every one of these indictments. I don’t obsess over …

The Hill reports: Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said he expects former President Trump to sign the RNC pledge to get on the debate stage on Aug. 23, despite the former president vowing not to. Christie told Jonathan Karl on ABC’s “This Week” that Trump did the same thing during the 2016 primary in refusing to to sign the RNC …

The Washington Post reports: The crowd that had craned to watch Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) flip pork chops with Iowa’s governor suddenly looked toward the sky: Donald Trump’s plane was arriving. They clapped and cheered. “We love Trump!” some of them had chanted earlier. When Trump got to the pork tent midday — with DeSantis’s camp far away and …

The Washington Examiner reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence warned his opponents on Friday that he would debate the Republican Party’s presidential front-runners on the topic of abortion, which he believes should be banned nationally after 15 weeks. Pence, who has called himself “unapologetically pro-life,” said he would call out Trump and DeSantis on their stances toward abortion during the …

Mediaite reports: Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy broke into a live rendition of the Eminem hit “Lose Yourself” at the Iowa State Fair to motionless appreciation from the crowd. Ramaswamy interacted with voters from the stage, and as Eminem blared over the PA system, could not resist rapping along — as he has become known for doing. Ramaswamy is punching …

The Kansas Reflector reports: In an unprecedented raid Friday, local law enforcement seized computers, cellphones and reporting materials from the Marion County Record office, the newspaper’s reporters, and the publisher’s home. Eric Meyer, owner and publisher of the newspaper, said police were motivated by a confidential source who leaked sensitive documents to the newspaper, and the message was clear: “Mind …

Politico reports: It was an inauspicious start for Ron DeSantis in Iowa on Friday. Chanting “Ron DeFascist” and “pudding fingers” on a megaphone while ringing cowbells, two protesters effectively cut short the Florida governor’s first campaign stop of the day. At the DeSantis event, Kara Ryan of Des Moines said she and her aunt, Heather Ryan, were there on behalf …

The New York Times reports: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on Friday named a special counsel to take over the Justice Department’s investigation into President Biden’s son Hunter, elevating the long-running and politically fraught inquiry. Mr. Garland, who made the announcement at the Justice Department’s headquarters in Washington, named David C. Weiss, the U.S. attorney in Delaware, who has handled …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis would allow offshore drilling and fracking in the U.S. as president, as long as it’s not in Florida. The position is part of DeSantis’ plan to “unleash American energy independence,” while maintaining Florida as the only Gulf state without rigs, refineries and pipelines dotting its coast. “We have a constitutional amendment that …

Media Matters has the transcript: JESSE WATTERS (HOST): Thanks to the 26th amendment, it means that you got the right to vote. But Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy isn’t so sure 18-year-olds are ready for that kind of responsibility. He’s proposing a constitutional amendment that would make 18 to 24-year-olds pass a civics test before they have the right to …