Politics

Jezebel reports: “Today is a good day to remember: Christianity is the faith and America is the place slavery came to die,” the Missouri senator tweeted, managing to fail at both grammar and a basic grasp of history. In reality, as Jeet Heer and many others pointed out in response to Hawley’s inane commentary, the United States lagged decades behind …

Politico Europe reports: Liz Truss isn’t laughing at the lettuce that outlasted her premiership. Asked Monday about the Daily Star’s live stream of a lettuce that eventually outlasted Truss’ chaotic, market-crashing period in Downing Street, the former British prime minister did not see the funny side. “I don’t think it was particularly funny, I think it’s puerile,” Truss told Irish …

The New York Times reports: After years of deriding early and mail-in voting, claiming they lead to fraud and help Democrats to steal elections, top Republicans are changing their position, leading to a split in the party as the 2024 election approaches. The Republican National Committee recently announced that it had created a program to promote early voting, both by …

Mediaite reports: Florida Governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis mocked Bud Light over the Dylan Mulvaney scandal while serving drinks to a group of veterans at VFW post in Sparks, Nevada. DeSantis was one of the leading critics of the company for going “woke” and encouraged right-wingers to drop the beer for good. “Just so you know, I’ll serve …

USA Today reports: South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday pushed back at former President Barack Obama’s criticism of Republican African Americans candidates who don’t give an “honest accounting” of racism in the United States. Scott, the lone Black Republican in the Senate and a GOP presidential hopeful, said Democrats drag out Obama whenever they feel threatened. “There’s no higher …

Florida Politics reports: After appointees of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took over Walt Disney World’s governing district earlier this year, its firefighters were among the few employees who publicly welcomed them with open arms. But that warm relationship is in jeopardy as a new district administrator has reopened negotiations on a contract that was approved last month by the unionized …

“Look, either Donald Trump — if you believe what he said when they left, that means he didn’t pick the very best people and doesn’t know how to pick personnel. If you believe what he said about them in the beginning — the great stuff — then this guy is the worst manager in the history of the American presidency. …

The New York Times reports: In black boots, jeans and an untucked shirt — the fund-raiser dress code specified “ranch casual” — Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Saturday tried to persuade Republican voters in Nevada still loyal to former President Donald J. Trump that the party’s formula for winning elections was beyond its shelf life. “We’ve developed a culture …

The Texas Tribune reports: In a week when parts of the state are getting triple-digit temperatures and weather officials urge Texans to stay cool and hydrated, Gov. Greg Abbott gave final approval to a law that will eliminate local rules mandating water breaks for construction workers. House Bill 2127 was passed by the Texas Legislature during this year’s regular legislative …

NBC News has the transcript: CHUCK TODD: You have been asked a few times whether you would pardon the former president if he’s convicted and if you were to be president. Would you? FMR. VICE PRES. MIKE PENCE: Well, I just think the question is, is premature. I mean, honestly, Chuck, I’ve pardoned people who were found guilty of a …

The Guardian reports: Barack Obama has criticized two Republican presidential hopefuls, the South Carolina senator Tim Scott and the former UN ambassador Nikki Haley, over their stances on race relations in America. In a podcast interview, Obama, who became the first Black US president when he was elected in 2008, said that while presenting a hopeful message on race relations …

The Daytona Beach News reports: A requested $2 million slate of funding for the Brevard Zoo was vetoed this week by Governor Ron DeSantis, likely as a result of a political dispute between the zoo and a Republican legislator. The zoo was hoping to use the funds to help create a new aquarium facility in Port Canaveral. The dispute arose …

The Washington Post reports: Always be polite, the trainees are told by Joe Williams, who runs the sessions for Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting the governor. Body language matters. Passion counts. Never accept water or go inside. Mention DeSantis’s wife, Casey, her cancer diagnosis and his military service. If a journalist answers or the voter targets say they …

Dead Pat Robertson’s CBN reports: Ron DeSantis credits his Catholic faith for keeping him grounded in truth. While he doesn’t publicly tout his faith, he and his wife Casey attend church regularly and make it a family priority. “Our household is a Christ-centered household,” DeSantis told CBN News. “My son, he was four for Christmas this year, he wanted a …

The Messenger reports: Former President Donald Trump continues to maintain a commanding lead in the race for the Republican nomination, despite being the first former president charged twice in criminal cases and facing the prospect of even more legal trouble, according to an exclusive new Messenger/Harris poll conducted by HarrisX. Among Republican primary voters, Trump garners a whopping 53 percent …

Florida Politics reports: With a sweep of the Governor’s veto pen, more than $3 million in funding for water handling in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties went down the drain. The $3.14 million in reductions — all having to do with flood control and drainage — were among the half-billion that Gov. Ron DeSantis excised from the 2023-24 budget …

MSNBC reports: The field now has enough contenders to field a baseball team, along with some relief pitchers, and it might yet get even larger: Among the other Republicans who’ve expressed some public interest in the race are familiar names such as Glenn Youngkin, John Bolton, Rick Perry, Mike Rogers, Kristi Noem, Will Hurd, and maybe even Liz Cheney. In …

The Associated Press reports: Ending a walkout that held up key bills for six weeks, Republicans showed up for work in the Oregon Senate on Thursday. The longest walkout in the Oregon Legislature’s history happened despite voters passing a ballot measure in 2022 that disqualifies lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences from reelection. “A whole bunch of legislators aren’t …

Mediaite reports: The official rapid response account for the Ron DeSantis presidential campaign released a new advertisement on Thursday suggesting that President Joe Biden is creepy with children. The video is a montage of Biden swearing in members of Congress during his years as vice president interacting with the friends and families of newly elected Senators. The DeSantis War Room …

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 …