Politics

The budget passed by lawmakers isn’t even for programing: Gov. Ron DeSantis yet again vetoed a tranche of funding designed to remedy safety issues at Florida’s public broadcasting stations. A total of $6,435,609 made the budget to “correct health and safety issues, correct building deficiencies, and complete renovations at public broadcasting stations.” The Miami station will not get $19,855 to …

The New Republic reports: The Republican Study Committee (of which some three-quarters of House Republicans are members) on Wednesday released its desired 2024 budget, in which the party boldly declares its priority to eliminate the Community Eligibility Provision, or CEP, from the School Lunch Program. Why? Because “CEP allows certain schools to provide free school lunches regardless of the individual …

The Detroit Free Press reports: After three hours of public comment and months of intense debate, the Hamtramck City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to ban LGBTQ+ Pride flags from being displayed on all city properties. Introduced by Mayor Pro Tem Mohammed Hassan, the resolution also prohibited the display and flying of flags with racist and political views. Hassan and …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation (HB 1375) that would classify strangulation as assault that merits felony charges. The Florida law makes even nonfatal strangulation a felony. Rep. Jessica Baker’s legislation makes the penalty for the act a third-degree felony, which could lead to five years in state prison for those convicted, as long as the act …

The New York Times reports: Glenda Jackson, the two-time Oscar winner who renounced a successful film and stage career in her 50s to become a member of the British Parliament, then returned to the stage at 80 as the title character in “King Lear,” died on Thursday at her home in Blackheath, London. She was 87. She won her first …

Florida Politics reports: A super PAC supporting Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s imminent run at the White House is running a new, multistate ad positioning him as a “tough-on-crime” alternative to President Joe Biden. The two-minute video will run in New Hampshire, Iowa and Nevada, according to a press note from SOS America PAC, which will spend “six figures” on ad …

Miami’s NBC affiliate reports: Miami Mayor Francis Suarez filed paperwork Wednesday to launch his bid for the Republican presidential nomination, jumping into the crowded race just a day after GOP front-runner Donald Trump appeared in court on federal charges in Suarez’s city. The 45-year-old mayor, the only Hispanic candidate in the race, declared his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission. …

Philadelphia’s Fox affiliate reports: On Wednesday, Governor Josh Shapiro announced the demolition of the southbound lanes, which were found to be unsafe after the collapse of the northbound lanes, will be completed by Thursday. He says the first step after demolition will be to backfill the area and pave it to allow motorists to return to the roadway with three …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas’ highest criminal court ruled Wednesday that the securities fraud case against now-suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton’s should remain in Houston, settling a key issue in the 8-year-old case as Paxton faces an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate this summer. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, in a 6-3 ruling, overturned lower-court decisions that said …

Politico reports: Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he would not vote for Donald Trump should he end up the Republican nominee and be convicted in a criminal trial. The declaration is one of the strongest rebukes of Trump since he was indicted. It also underscores the difficult position in which the Republican party now finds itself: with the party’s …

Florida Politics reports: If Ron DeSantis wants to wrest front-runner status away from Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential race, he’s going to have to resolve his trouble with female voters. That’s one takeaway from a new poll by The Economist and YouGov, which illustrates that DeSantis is dragging with women voters, and is stronger with men. While DeSantis …

The Associated Press reports: The measure, which won final legislative approval Tuesday, bans state agencies from using “environmental, social and governance” standards to screen potential investments, award contracts or hire and fire employees. It also says the state cannot weigh how a company promotes sustainability, engages with its community or structures its leadership to support those goals. Sen. Dave Craven, …

NBC News reports: Five years after Democrats came close to unseating Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in Texas, a group of strategists has launched the “Lose Cruz” super PAC. Backed by seven-figure funding, the super PAC will try to drive anti-Cruz messaging through rapid response, with ads online and on television. The first ad is expected next week. “Ted Cruz has …

The Independent reports: Ex-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appeared on Fox & Friends and delivered a sobering assessment of the charges against his former boss which dismantled the assertion Mr Trump’s allies have pushed on social media seeking to explain away the boxes of documents and classified materials at Mar-a-Lago as the president’s own property. By all indication, he said, …

The Houston Chronicle reports: In the upcoming impeachment trial of Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has likened the Senate proceedings to a real-world courtroom, with senators serving as jurors and Patrick as the judge. However, this raises concerns over potential conflicts of interest within the trial. Paxton owes Patrick around $125,000 in outstanding campaign loans, while one …

Florida Politics reports: If Ron DeSantis becomes President, the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division would have a new task. The Florida Governor and 2024 Republican candidate told radio host Hugh Hewitt the Justice Department would branch out its understanding of civil rights to “do all discrimination” as part of “taking some of these agencies and making sure they’re actually …

CNBC reports: Americans For Prosperity, the political network financed largely by billionaire Charles Koch, is launching a wave of digital ads targeting former President Donald Trump. The ads argue that if Trump becomes the Republican nominee next year, it will lead to President Joe Biden winning reelection. Koch, who’s worth more than $60 billion, and his network notched several wins …

Roll Call reports: A disagreement between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and House conservatives that jammed up legislative business last week eased Monday evening, but members of the rebel bloc made clear it may not be the end of trouble for their leadership. Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz said McCarthy agreed to renegotiate the “power-sharing agreement” he worked out in January, when …

Florida Politics reports: Ron DeSantis says he can do better than the three jurists former President Donald Trump picked for the U.S. Supreme Court. “Well, actually, I would say we’ll do better than that. I mean, I respect the three appointees he did, but none of those three are at the same level of Justice (Clarence) Thomas and Justice (Samuel) …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: The state GOP convention in Columbus this weekend was both a grassroots business meeting and the start of the 2024 U.S. presidential contest in Georgia. It was also a reminder of the party’s fissures, since Gov. Brian Kemp and other statewide Republicans skipped the scene entirely. The group elected a new chairman in Josh McKoon. But …