Republicans

Fresh Take Florida reports: Florida’s new Halo Law, the controversial statute intended to protect law enforcement from harassment, went into effect at the start of this year. Now the first people arrested and prosecuted under it say they were left in the dark. At least 11 people so far have been arrested on charges of violating the new law, which …

STAT News reports: Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the Republican chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, rebuked the Trump administration for cutting federal biomedical research funding, cancelling grants, and laying off federal health department employees, and said the changes must be reversed. “Proposed funding cuts, the firing of essential federal scientists, and policy uncertainties threaten to undermine the foundation for our …

“I was excited to hear that President Trump is open to the idea of being the next Pope. This would truly be a dark horse candidate, but I would ask the papal conclave and Catholic faithful to keep an open mind about this possibility! The first Pope-U.S. President combination has many upsides. Watching for white smoke. Trump MMXXVIII!” – Sen. …

“Do not believe the lies the Democrat Party has said. We had their ads taken down. We sent them cease and desist letters.  They were running ads around the country in swing districts trying to convince people Republicans are going to ‘gut Medicaid.’ It’s just simply not true and that’s why their ads and billboards had to come down.” – …

Politico reports: The House Transportation Committee early on Tuesday released draft text of its portion of the GOP’s sprawling domestic policy bill, which it plans to mark up Wednesday. The proposal includes $15 billion for upgrading various parts of the aviation system, as well as new fees on electric vehicles and a first-of-its-kind $20 annual fee on all other passenger …

Via press release: Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) reintroduced the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act, which would ban members of Congress from trading or holding individual stocks. The move comes after President Trump announced he would sign such a bill into law if it crossed his desk. “Members of Congress should be fighting for …

Politico reports: Rep. Don Bacon, a key GOP moderate, is drawing a red line on Medicaid cuts. The Nebraska Republican has privately told the White House he won’t accept more than $500 billion in reductions to the program, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter. That could complicate the GOP’s effort to pass a domestic policy bill …

The Miami Herald reports: Another group critical of President Donald Trump’s mass-deportation campaign and funding cuts to pro-democracy groups in the Americas is launching an ad campaign on Miami’s highways and airwaves to pressure Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Miami’s Republican U.S. representatives to stand up to the president. A spokesman for Keep Them Honest said Sunday that the …

LARRY KUDLOW: “The liberal polls. The nightly news broadcasts are awful. They’re all beating up on Trump. How do you rank his first hundred days, Senator Tuberville? Nice, easy question. Hundred days. What do you think?” TOMMY TUBERVILLE: “A+. What else can he do, Larry? They left it in a total mess. I was up here for four years of …

CNN reports: House Republican leaders are moving to thwart Democratic efforts to probe Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s controversial use of Signal, using their power to stop the minority party from forcing a vote that could embarrass the Trump administration. GOP leaders tucked a provision into a rule that will come to the floor tomorrow that effectively denies Democrats from forcing …

Fox Business reports: Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said he will decide this June whether to run for governor of New York, potentially setting up a competitive Republican primary against his fellow New York Republican, Rep. Elise Stefanik. “I’ll make my decision by June,” Lawler said. “I’ll make my decision solely based on whether or not I believe there’s a pathway …

Roll Call reports: With a vow to be a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker and sports commentator, entered the Republican primary for Arizona’s deep-red 5th District, which Rep. Andy Biggs is vacating to run for governor. “In Congress, I will work tirelessly to codify his America First agenda — securing our border, rebuilding our …

Fox News reports: Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said President Donald Trump has accomplished more in the first 100 days of his tenure than “most politicians or presidents accomplish in their entire lifetimes.” The top House Republican said this first period of a new GOP trifecta in government has been a “flurry of activity” used to set the stage for the …

The Hill reports: House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said Sunday that President Trump “does not want” the “one big, beautiful bill” encompassing his agenda “to be a health care bill.” “He will not be cutting benefits for individuals, will not allow that,” he added. “He does not want this to be a health care bill. This is …

Florida Politics reports: The Senate is again declining to take up two of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Ethics Commission appointees, including Moms for Liberty co-founder Tina Descovich. Katherine Betta, a Senate spokesperson, confirmed to Florida Politics that the chamber will not hold a confirmation vote for either Descovich or Figgers Communications CEO Freddie Figgers. In both cases, this marks the second …

NBC News reports: Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is telling senators that he plans to run for governor of Alabama, according to two sources with knowledge of the situation. One of the sources told NBC News, “He’s been telling anyone and everyone.” Tuberville has long been rumored to be considering a campaign for governor to succeed Gov. Kay Ivey, R-Ala., who …

The North Dakota Monitor reports: North Dakota is poised to be the first state in the nation to implement a law that provides legal protections for pesticide manufacturers — an issue that has been debated in legislatures across the country in the face of large payouts to cancer victims. Gov. Kelly Armstrong on Wednesday signed House Bill 1318 that specifies …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas lawmakers are considering following President Donald Trump’s lead and renaming the body of water that touches 367 miles of the state’s coast to the Gulf of America. If approved, the bill would require the name to be changed in every official reference made by a state agency, resolution, rule or publication. The Sunset Advisory Committee …

Politico reports: “It is a tremendous honor to be selected to lead this bipartisan delegation of United States Senators to Rome to attend the funeral of Pope Francis and pay our respects to his life and legacy,” Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is leading the senators’ delegation, said in a statement Friday. “It is a tremendous honor to be selected …

New York Playbook reports: Disgraced former Rep. George Santos is set to learn today just how many years he’ll spend behind bars for the web of deceit that began revealing itself before he took office in January 2023. He’s resigned to his fate, he told Playbook, but he seeks leniency. He’s remorseful, he said, but he has words for anyone …