Politics

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 …

Florida Politics reports: First Lady Casey DeSantis turned the tables on her critics Thursday night on the Ruthless Podcast. DeSantis, who has been dubbed the “Walmart Melania” by some critics, proved she could tell a joke and diffuse the impact of the nasty nickname. “They refer to me as the Walmart Melania. And so I just had a beer. I …

Semafor reports: Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s ex-attorney-turned-critic who has characterized his former boss as a “conman” and “racist,” is considering a run for Congress. Cohen said he would run as a Democrat, potentially mounting a primary challenge against U.S Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the party’s top member on the House Judiciary Committee. “I am interested and there’s a multitude of …

NBC News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Thursday that he would be open to using drone strikes against Mexican drug cartels if elected president. “We will absolutely reserve the right if they’re invading our country and killing our people,” DeSantis said when asked by a voter if he would be willing to use drones against the cartels. When …

Fox News reports: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has a blunt suggestion for some of his rivals for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination that they likely don’t want to hear. Christie says that for the candidates who “haven’t made the stage” at the upcoming first GOP presidential primary debate, “it’s time to go.” “If you don’t make the debate …

Atlanta’s NBC affiliate reports: Gov. Brian Kemp took aim at former President Donald Trump on Thursday, writing in a post on X that “2024 is too important for political games.” It’s the latest sign of the Georgia governor’s increased willingness to spar politically with the former president, the commanding favorite to win the Republican Party’s nomination for president next year. …

The Washington Post reports: In July, Tuberville sold, for nearly $1.1 million, the last properties that he owned in Alabama, according to real estate records. The properties, known as Tiger Farms LLC, are in Macon and Tallapoosa counties, on the outskirts of Auburn. That same month, he also sold one Florida condo for $850,000 and bought another for $825,000. Tuberville’s …

West Virginia’s Metro News reports: West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin (D) says he is “thinking seriously” about leaving the Democratic Party and declaring himself an Independent before the 2024 election, when he will have to decide whether to run for a fourth Senate term or wage a third-party bid for president. Manchin, who earlier this year described himself as an …

Florida Politics reports: Ron DeSantis is leaning into his autobiography in his latest campaign ad, playing up his military service. But the ad doesn’t tell the whole story. “Service over Self” begins with footage of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America conducted by al-Qaida and aided by Saudi nationals, with a somber-voiced narrator describing how he “fought back” by …

ProPublica reports: During his three decades on the Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas has enjoyed steady access to a lifestyle most Americans can only imagine. A cadre of industry titans and ultrawealthy executives have treated him to far-flung vacations aboard their yachts, ushered him into the premium suites at sporting events and sent their private jets to fetch him — including, …

The Guardian reports: The Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio has been shot dead as he left a campaign event in Quito, days before an election where the central issue is the rise violence and crime. Videos on social media show Villavicencio, a former journalist who had collaborated with the Guardian and was outspoken about alleged links between organised crime and …

Florida Politics reports: On the same day Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Florida’s only Black female State Attorney, his campaign targeted America’s Black female Vice President. The DeSantis campaign stole a page from bygone talk show host David Letterman, with a coffee cup and a T-shirt spotlighting “10 things Kamala Harris should focus her time on.” Nine of those things involve …

From Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose: I’m grateful that nearly 1.3 million Ohioans stood with us in this fight, but this is only one battle in a long war. Unfortunately, we were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant ‘for sale’ sign still hangs on Ohio’s constitution. Ohioans will see the devastating …

The New York Times reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida suspended the top state prosecutor in Orlando on Wednesday, accusing her of incompetence and neglect of duty for what he characterized as lenience against violent criminals. Mr. DeSantis suspended Monique H. Worrell, the elected state attorney of Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, which includes Orange and Osceola counties, and cited her …

The New York Daily News reports: Sen. Dianne Feinstein was hospitalized Tuesday after she suffered a fall at her home in San Francisco, according to a report. It’s not clear how serious the stumble was, only that it was bad enough to warrant a trip to the doctor, TMZ reported. Her exact condition was also unclear Wednesday morning. It is …

NBC News reports: A coalition of reproductive and civil rights groups launched an effort Tuesday to advance an amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the Arizona Constitution, making the swing state the latest battleground in the post-Roe era. The coalition — led by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arizona, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona, NARAL Arizona and several …