Republicans

Crooks & Liars reports: It’s no deep dark secret that Rep. Drunken Van Orden doesn’t have very good people skills. He’s sexually harassed two women while he was in the Navy, he screamed at a teen library aide, he screamed at teen Senate pages, and he physically assaulted a young woman with CODEPINK. But DVO has a special hatred for …

The Washington Post reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) asked the state’s high court Friday to remove 13 Democrats from office for leaving the state this week to prevent the GOP from giving themselves five more safe congressional districts. The Republican attorney general’s office said in a news release that he was focused on 13 of the more than …

Raw Story reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson has been accused of using campaign money to pay his rent in what the government watchdog group Campaign Legal Center described as a “clear-cut violation of federal campaign finance laws,” newly filed complaints allege. In two separate complaints filed this week with the Federal Election Commission and the Office of Congressional Conduct, the …

Politico reports: The Texas House gaveled in and out without a quorum again on Friday, as Republicans grew annoyed with Democratic lawmakers who left the state to prevent a vote on a redistricting bill that President Donald Trump urged them to pass. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows announced at Friday’s session that Democrats would be required to collect their monthly …

The Hill reports: Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) introduced a bill to initiate a snap census that counts only American citizens. The brief bill, dubbed the “Correct the Count Act,” directs the secretary of Commerce to immediately conduct a census that will “count in any tabulation of population only individuals who are citizens of the United States.” “The American right to …

Fort Lauderdale’s ABC affiliate reports: The Florida Department of Education has identified more than 50 books it says are no longer permitted in public schools across the state, citing inappropriate and pornographic content. But some parents and advocacy groups are questioning whether the state should have the final say over what books are allowed in schools — including in Broward …

The Dallas Morning News reports: Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows tried to gather a quorum when he convened the House at 1 p.m. Friday – but with more than 50 Democrats nowhere near the Capitol, it didn’t happen. That marks Day 5 of dead air in the chamber, which lacks enough members on the House floor to hold a vote …

The Hill reports: Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is eyeing a bid for Texas attorney general, two sources familiar with the matter told The Hill, as the GOP lawmaker considers jumping from Washington back to the Lone Star State. Reached for comment, Roy told The Hill: “I’m always considering where I can best serve the people I represent to ensure we …

NOTUS reports: First-term Republican Rep. Rob Bresnahan, a multimillionaire who recently sold control of his family’s electrical contracting company and now represents one of Pennsylvania’s poorest congressional districts, appears to have taken steps to hide one whirling aspect of his wealth: his new personal helicopter. The helicopter — a 2024 Robinson R66 that retails between $1 million and $1.5 million …

Florida Politics reports: Republican U.S. Rep. Cory Mills is blaming a prior political opponent for turning his personal relationship problems into a political scandal. A Judge declined to place a restraining order on Mills requested by Columbia County Republican Committeewoman Lindsey Langston. That came a day after news broke that Langston had called police and accused Mills of threatening to …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and House Speaker Dustin Burrows are asking an Illinois court to enforce arrest warrants against Democratic lawmakers who have left the state to delay passage of a GOP-backed congressional map. Burrows issued civil arrest warrants on Monday, ordering the sergeant-at-arms and state troopers to track down and arrest the dozens of …

NBC News reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to call “special session after special session after special session” in response to Democratic lawmakers who have fled the state to block redistricting legislation, saying they’ll have to stay out of Texas for years to prevent it becoming law. “We are in the process as we speak right now of searching for, …

The Hill reports: The Lone Star Liberty PAC, a group supporting Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) Senate run, rolled out an ad touting Paxton’s role in the state’s redistricting battle on Friday. The digital spot, titled “Ken Paxton puts Democrats on notice in Texas redistricting fight,” is a compilation of mainstream media coverage of the state’s redistricting saga and …

NBC News reports: Florida judge ruled to temporarily halt operations at “Alligator Alcatraz,” the controversial migrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades, over a lawsuit alleging the site’s construction skirted environmental laws. U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. Williams made the decision on Thursday after two days of testimony in Miami federal court. Any new construction must be halted for the …

The Associated Press reports: Florida, the third most U.S. populous state, is preparing to join a widening fight among states grappling for political advantage ahead of the 2026 elections, after Florida’s Republican House Speaker Daniel Perez announced Thursday that his chamber will take up congressional redistricting this fall. “As many of you are aware, there are national conversations ongoing in …

Politico reports: Republican Gov. Mike Braun remained noncommittal about a mid-decade redistricting push following his meeting with Vice President JD Vance in Indiana on Thursday. “We covered a wide array of topics. We listened,” Braun told reporters in response to a question about whether an agreement was reached. The meeting — which took place amid sustained booing by protesters gathered …

The Hill reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said on Thursday that the FBI is “tracking down” Democratic state lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State as the GOP looks to return them to the state Capitol. “Texas DPS and the FBI are tracking down the derelict Democrats. They will be taken directly to the Texas Capitol,” Abbott wrote on …

Florida Politics reports: Backing Trump’s denunciation of Intel Thursday morning, Rick Scott said on X, in a post rife with all caps words for emphasis, that the company “owes American taxpayers answers TODAY.”  Trump claims the Intel CEO is “highly CONFLICTED” and “must resign, immediately.” Intel got $7.86 billion during the Joe Biden administration for semiconductor manufacturing and plants in …

The New York Times reports: Senator John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said on Thursday that the F.B.I. had agreed to his request to help track down dozens of Democratic Texas state lawmakers who left the state to prevent a vote on a redistricting plan. The activation of federal agents could create a standoff between the Trump administration and state leaders …

The Hill reports: House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on Wednesday urged former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to comply with a subpoena requesting their testimony detailing their connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “If someone doesn’t comply with a subpoena, we’ve seen it happen in the past, in both my committee, as well …