Republicans

Ars Technica reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has failed to reverse a preliminary injunction currently blocking him from probing Media Matters for America (MMFA) in defense of Elon Musk’s social media platform X. On Friday, a US appeals court upheld the injunction. In his opinion, senior Circuit Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that there was “ample” evidence that Paxton …

Axios reports: The massive Republican budget bill working its way through Congress has mostly drawn attention for its tax cuts and Medicaid changes. But it would also take steps to significantly roll back coverage under the Affordable Care Act, with echoes of the 2017 repeal-replace debate. The bill that passed the House before Memorial Day includes an overhaul of ACA …

The Hill reports: An awkward moment came at a town hall meeting on Friday in Butler, Iowa, when Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) defended the spending reforms in a House-passed budget reconciliation package that are intended to stop people who crossed into the country illegally from receiving federal benefits. Someone in the crowd tried to talk over Ernst, interrupting her …

Florida Politics reports: Following through on his mid-May vow to do so, Gov. Ron DeSantis has blocked bipartisan legislation that would have repealed a decades-old Florida law that critics derisively dubbed “free kill.” DeSantis confirmed he vetoed the measure, maintaining the state’s existing prohibition on lawsuits by unmarried adults over 25 and their parents from suing for pain and suffering …

Axios reports: Elon Musk claims that his DOGE team saved $175 billion in taxpayer spending, though an outside analysis estimates the verified savings are closer to $16 billion. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which passed the House last week, is projected to add $3 trillion to 5 trillion to budget deficits over the next 10 years. Even using Musk’s most …

Politico reports: A federal judge seemed wary of arguments during a Thursday court hearing that state Attorney General James Uthmeier, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis, hadn’t tried to undermine her court order blocking a Florida immigration law. Yet U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said she would take the defense of Uthmeier’s attorney, Jesse Panuccio, into consideration and review a …

Just in via press release: Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the Make Autorail Great Again Act to block all federal funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) until it officially changes its name to the “Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access” (WMAGA) and renames the Metrorail the “Trump Train.” “WMATA has received billions in federal assistance over …

Florida Politics reports: Rep. Byron Donalds urged the city of Naples to fight a court ruling permitting the show. U.S. District Judge John Steele, an appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton, ruled earlier this month that Naples city officials cannot prohibit a drag performance from being held at an outdoor venue, Cambier Park. He also declined to stay his ruling …

“We are going to protect the innocence of our children. Why would it be problematic to say you can’t do this stuff that’s sexually explicit in front of minors that used to not even be something that would be questioned? “Now, somehow you have folks going into court and they really want to push the envelope on this stuff, and …

Courthouse News reports: The treasurer for former Rep. George Santos’ congressional campaign was sentenced to three years of probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to defraud the US, admitting to filing false campaign finance reports, obstructing the FEC and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the sentence to Nancy Marks about …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Legislature has given oil and gas companies legal cover to sell wastewater to be treated and released into the state’s rivers, lakes and streams. State Rep. Drew Darby’s [photo] House Bill 49 — on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott — marks a step the oil and gas industry has said is a key barrier …

Wired reports: Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican congresswoman, often tells her staff that she’s a self-taught coder—just one aspect of how Mace presents her tech expertise, as befits her role in shaping the GOP’s policies on technology and work as chair of the House subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. “I would say [it was] at least …

Spectrum New York reports: President Donald Trump issued a full pardon on Wednesday to former Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm. The Republican lawmaker, who represented Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn in Congress from 2011 to 2015, pleaded guilty in December 2014 to aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return. He served seven months in prison, one …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas House on Tuesday gave initial approval to a bill that would restrict protesting on college campuses. Republicans who support Senate Bill 2972 say it will prevent disruption and unsafe behavior seen during the pro-Palestinian demonstrations last year. Critics say the measure contradicts previous conservative efforts to protect free speech rights on Texas campuses and …

Florida Politics reports: U.S. Sen. Rick Scott isn’t a fan of the House version of the One Big, Beautiful Bill, in part because it doesn’t go big enough when it comes to budget cuts. “I want the budget balanced over the next three years. So to get that, we need to get the spending for the ’26 budget cycle down to …

The Texas Tribune reports: In the middle of the night, the Texas Senate approved a bill strictly defining man and woman based on reproductive organs on a 20-11 party line vote. The bill has already passed the House and will go now to the governor’s desk. House Bill 229 says a woman is an individual whose biological reproductive system is …

NBC News reports: Rep. Mike Flood, R-Neb., faced intense questioning from people at a town hall Tuesday, at one point conceding that he did not read a provision in the House’s “Big Beautiful Bill” before he voted for it, triggering loud protests from the audience. The town hall was held in a high school in Seward, Nebraska, and livestreamed on …

The Birmingham News reports: State Attorney General Steve Marshall (R) has already expressed some openness publicly to running for the seat if Tuberville ran for governor. Marshall is unable to run for attorney general for a third term and has ruled out a gubernatorial bid, but not another office. Marshall said during an interview on Alabama Public Television’s “Capitol Journal” …

“For those asking… Even though I initially considered the prospect of petitioning the president with a pardon application I have seized that approach as I will not spend the last 61 days I have of life scrambling on how to get past a bunch of guard dogs. The so called ‘friends’ I have that said they’d help legit should have …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Senate gave preliminary approval Monday to a bill that would prevent cities or counties from holding a gun buyback program. The proposal also seeks to stop local governments from sponsoring or organizing such a program. State Sen. Bob Hall, R-Edgewood, told lawmakers Monday it was a “necessary guardrail against misuse of local authority.” Much …