Republicans

The Texas Tribune reports: Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday added three new items to his agenda for the ongoing special session, including punishments for lawmakers who leave the state to block passage of future legislation. Abbott announced the new items about an hour after the Texas House passed a new GOP congressional map that prompted House Democrats to flee the …

The Texas Tribune reports: Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, announced a run for Texas attorney general Thursday, joining a crowded Republican primary field vying to replace Ken Paxton. A conservative but often rebellious member of Congress, Roy served as Paxton’s top deputy for two years before becoming an outspoken critic of his former boss. Roy, the policy chair of the far-right …

Florida Politics reports: In a testy exchange with a lawmaker, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins said he believes Gov. Ron DeSantis likely is on the autism spectrum. Florida Politics obtained a screenshot of messages between Collins and Rep. Alex Andrade that included the assessment by the former Senator, who DeSantis tapped last week to be his Lieutenant. “Incredibly successful people have …

Fox News reports: The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is moving to make English the sole language used for all agency business, Secretary Scott Turner said Tuesday. The move is in line with President Donald Trump’s executive order in March to make English the official language of the United States. In a memo sent out Monday, HUD deputy …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Republican-led Texas House on Wednesday gave preliminary approval to a new congressional map crafted to hand five additional U.S. House seats to the GOP over fierce opposition from Democrats, who cast the plan as a racially discriminatory attempt by President Donald Trump to stack the deck in next year’s midterm election. The House tentatively adopted …

The New York Post reports: Elon Musk is reportedly putting the brakes on launching his new political party in order to maintain ties with prominent Republicans — especially Vice President JD Vance, who the billionaire is eyeing to back in 2028. Musk had vowed that his “America Party” would challenge the two-party system, however, he told those close to him …

Roll Call reports: Former Alabama Rep. Jerry Carl is making a comeback bid to reclaim the 1st District seat he held before losing a member-vs.-member primary last year. Carl, who represented a previous version of Alabama’s 1st District for two terms, lost a primary last year after he was drawn into the same district as fellow GOP Rep. Barry Moore. …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis continues to make the case that Florida deserves another congressional seat, but the mechanics of that allocation remain fuzzy. DeSantis told radio host Jenna Ellis that Florida may get another seat if Trump’s administration “reevaluates the census,” claiming without evidence that Biden “admitted we should have had more seats.” DeSantis previously said the White …

NBC News reports: Texas cannot require public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom, a judge said Wednesday in a temporary ruling against the state’s new requirement, making it the third such state law to be blocked by a court. A group of Dallas-area families and faith leaders sought a preliminary injunction against the law, which goes into …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Republican-led Texas House on Wednesday was set to advance a new congressional map crafted to hand five additional U.S. House seats to the GOP over fierce opposition from Democrats, who cast the plan as an attempt by President Donald Trump to stack the deck in next year’s midterm election. Rep. Gene Wu of Houston, chair …

Axios reports: Florida transportation officials are expected to order Miami Beach to remove its LGBTQ Pride crosswalk on Ocean Drive, citing a new ban on street art, city officials tell Axios. City leaders are raising the alarm after Key West and Delray Beach received orders from the Florida DOT last week to paint over their rainbow-colored intersections by Sept. 3. …

The Huffington Post reports: Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier filed a writ of habeas corpus on Tuesday in the district court of Travis County, Texas, claiming the state legislature’s Republican majority has unlawfully detained her in the state Capitol after she refused to consent to 24-hour police surveillance. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows, a Republican, required each Democratic legislator to …

The Freedom From Religion Foundation writes: The Freedom From Religion Foundation is calling on Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to retract a recent unconstitutional threat to eject citizens from the state Senate chamber if they do not stand during official prayers. During the Senate’s Aug. 15 session, Sen. Angela Paxton delivered a Christian invocation “in the name of Jesus, who …

“I think it honestly leads to intimidation, too. You know, if you’re in Las Vegas, everyone knows ballots get mailed out. Do you think the Culinary Union is just going to let you kind of vote your conscience without trying to — no, they’re going to want to see those votes. They’re going to want to bring the votes in. …

Austin’s NPR affiliate reports: A Fort Worth lawmaker said on Monday that she can’t leave the Texas House chambers because she won’t agree to round-the-clock monitoring by state troopers, which the GOP speaker is requiring of Democrats who fled the state. GOP Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows is requiring the Democrats, who broke quorum in an effort to stop a …

The Texas Tribune reports: A Texas House committee again approved a new congressional map Monday, aiming to create five new Republican districts ahead of the 2026 election. The proposed map is substantively similar to the version advanced by the same panel earlier this month, before dozens of House Democrats left the state to stop the bill from being passed by …

The Louisiana Illuminator reports: Gov. Jeff Landry has approved sending 135 members of the Louisiana National Guard to Washington, D.C., in support of President Donald Trump’s takeover of the city’s police department. More than 1,000 National Guard soldiers from multiple states have been directed to the nation’s capital since Trump declared a “crime emergency” there, despite its violent crime rate …

“I’ve got an idea. Offer NATO membership to Russia. Of course, for this carrot, Trump would need to get everything he wants out of Putin regarding the end of hostilities, economic cooperation, and territorial disputes. NATO membership for Russia isn’t coming tomorrow, but to make peace, everyone needs to give up something and get something. Everyone needs to feel safer …

CBS News reports: A dedication ceremony for a longtime public servant in New York’s North Country was interrupted by protesters on Monday. The event to rename the Clinton County Government Center drew a large crowd rallying against a guest at the ceremony. The center is being renamed for John Zurlo, who served in various roles in Clinton County over the …

The Washington Post reports: The Trump administration named Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey as the FBI’s co-deputy director Monday, installing the Republican firebrand as the second-most powerful person at the federal law enforcement agency alongside the former conservative podcast host Dan Bongino. The appointment is the latest unusual personnel move at the FBI as the Trump administration aims to dramatically …