Republicans

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports: Ken Paxton has announced the end of a foster care rule intended to protect children who identify as LGBTQ. On Friday, Texas Attorney General Paxton’s office announced that his office had defeated a rule requiring agencies to ensure foster care families support their child’s identity. “This is a tremendous victory for Texas families, parental rights, and …

Florida Politics reports: The Florida Governor tried on his wrestling promoter hat Friday as he suggested the Sunshine State could host an unlikely faceoff between former Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz and Tennessee politico Glen Jacobs, who worked as a wrestler in Smoky Mountain Wrestling and the WWE as characters that include the Unabombe and Kane (for which he is …

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports: Jonah Bevin, adopted son of former Gov. Matt Bevin, said he was seeking a protective order against his dad because of a pattern of “manipulative” and “intimidating” behavior, which included threatening to euthanize Jonah’s dog. Jonah, 18, appeared alongside Bevin and former Kentucky first lady Glenna Bevin in a Jefferson Family Court in downtown Louisville Friday …

Newsweek reports: Republican lawmakers in Arkansas have introduced a bill that would allow lawsuits against anyone who facilitates a minor’s social transition — including hairdressers and barbers who give gender-nonconforming haircuts, teachers who use a student’s chosen name that is different from their birth name and nonprofit organizations that offer support. House Bill 1668, known as the “Vulnerable Youth Protection …

The Dallas Observer reports: A freshly filed bill brings the topic of furries in Texas schools to the House. The bill, Forbidding Unlawful Representation of Roleplaying in Education Act, pet-named the F.U.R.R.I.E.S Act, would ban students from observing “non-human behaviors,” which include, but are not limited to, meowing, barking and hissing; wearing a tail, collar, or ears; and licking oneself …

The New York Times reports: When a Republican employee of the New York City Board of Elections told a woman that if she paid $150, she could have a job working at the polls during local elections, the woman hesitated but eventually agreed. Unable to afford the fee on her own, she said she went to her husband, who gave …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued leaders of the Coppell Independent School District for allegedly flouting state restrictions on teaching “critical race theory” in public schools, based on an undercover video published by a conservative activist group. The school district has about 13,000 students, according to state data, most of whom are Asian and Hispanic. …

The Hill reports: Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) on Thursday slammed a New York Social Security office closure plan. “The decision to close the only Social Security Hearing Office in the Hudson Valley is a slap in the face to thousands of my constituents who rely on these services,” Lawler said. Social Security Administration offices around the U.S. are expected to …

The Washington Examiner reports: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) has opted not to mount a primary challenge against Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) next year in what is already a crowded Republican field to take down an incumbent who once voted to convict President Donald Trump in an impeachment trial. “Current engagement in the House being incredibly significant, it may be ultimately …

Mediaite reports: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) of “organizing political violence and terrorism” in an X post alerting Attorney General Pam Bondi. Crockett set off a number of MAGA figures after video was shared of her saying her only birthday wish was for Elon Musk to be “taken down.” The congresswoman made clear, however, that …

Courthouse News reports: A bill requiring the Ten Commandments be placed in every public school classroom passed the Texas Senate Wednesday by a 20-11 vote, setting the stage for debates in the state House and the courts over the use of Christian teachings and symbols in public education. With the highly motivated Christian elements of the Republican Party ascendant across …

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports: Republican state Sen. Justin Eichorn resigned Thursday following his arrest earlier this week in an underage prostitution sting. Eichorn submitted his letter of resignation, effective Thursday, less than an hour before the Minnesota Senate was set to take an unprecedented vote to expel him from the chamber. Minnesota Senate Secretary Tom Bottern read Eichorn’s resignation letter …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Senate on Wednesday passed a state ban on all forms of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, advancing a priority of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick to crack down on the state’s booming consumable hemp market six years after lawmakers inadvertently permitted its rise. Senate Bill 3 — which Patrick called among his “top five” bills over his …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s Governor says jobs for immigrants come at the expense of gainful employment for native born youth. “What’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part time now? That’s how it used to be when I was growing up,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a discussion at New College. “Why do we say we need …

“We’re going to have law enforcement patrolling these dealerships. And I’ll tell you if you are a law enforcement officer in Florida and you interfere with somebody and prevent them from hurting a Tesla, come find me and I’m going to try to get you a pay raise and a promotion. These leftist protesters, they seem to be attacking Teslas …

“I don’t have four shots of vodka before every meeting. That’s one way I think that Kamala really tried to bring herself into the role is these word salads. And I think that I would need the help of a lot of alcohol to answer a question the way that Kamala Harris answered questions. “My sense is, and this is …

The Hill reports: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he will introduce legislation to curb what he says is a “dramatic abuse of judicial authority” by courts that have issued injunctions against Trump’s agenda, including the deportation of alleged gang members. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the judge “is essentially …

The Texas Newsroom reports: According to internal agency documents provided to The Texas Newsroom, employees with the Department of Public Safety recorded each time a driver requested to change the sex listed on their license. The employee scanned and saved the driver’s information, the records show, and sent it to an internal email account created for collecting these data. It’s …

The Minnesota Star Tribune reports: Minnesota state Sen. Justin Eichorn allegedly arranged to meet someone he thought was a teenage girl for prostitution and instead was arrested by police in Bloomington, authorities announced Tuesday. After Eichorn’s arrest, the Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement, “We are shocked by these reports, and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation. Justin …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Senate on Tuesday advanced bills that would require public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments and allow districts to provide students with time to pray during school hours. Senators gave final approval to Senate Bill 11, the school prayer bill, on a 23-7 vote. It now heads to the Texas House for consideration. …