Republicans

The Independent reports: Disgraced ex-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani’s bid to reverse a massive defamation verdict was rejected, leaving him owing $146 million to two Georgia election workers that he defamed and possibly complicating his arguments in bankruptcy court. US district court Judge Beryl Howell ruled on 15 April that the verdict, in which Mr Giuliani owes the titanic …

Reuters reports: The state of California sued the city of Huntington Beach over its voter identification law on Monday, saying the measure violates state law and that state election integrity is already protected by robust voter ID requirements. Voters in Huntington Beach on March 5 approved an amendment to the city charter that could require voter identification among other steps. …

Bloomberg News reports: Speaker Mike Johnson plans separate House votes this week on new aid to Israel and Ukraine following Iran’s missile and drone attack over the weekend, a lawmaker said. The maneuver taps urgency among many US lawmakers to show solidarity with Israel in the wake of the attack while testing the determination of ultraconservatives to block Ukraine aid. …

Florida Politics reports: Sen. Rick Scott’s position on abortion continues to get scrutiny as he runs for a second term, with the former Governor distancing himself on the record from a law Gov. Ron DeSantis signed in 2023. “If I was writing a bill, I think 15 weeks is where the state is,” Scott said in an interview that ran …

The Washington Examiner reports: The Supreme Court declined to take up a lawsuit filed by a group of House Republicans challenging the establishment of metal detectors in the House of Representatives following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. The rejection comes after three House Republicans, Reps. Andrew Clyde (R-GA) and Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) and former Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), appealed to …

Playbook reports:  Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Rob Schneider delivered a comedy set so off-color and off-putting to a group of prominent Republicans late last year that the host cut the performance short and later apologized to attendees. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) walked out during Schneider’s performance, which occurred at the holiday gala hosted at the Waldorf Astoria by …

Fox News reports: Nikki Haley, who was the final rival to former President Trump in the Republican nomination race before ending her White House bid last month, is joining a leading conservative think tank known for focusing on international affairs and national security. Haley is joining the Washington, D.C.-based Hudson Institute. “Nikki is a proven, effective leader on both foreign …

“As I see it now, I’m not sure there’s a difference between Mike Johnson being in charge and the Democrats being in charge. He supported it [FISA] with a minority of Republicans, with a majority of Democrats. This is not using the power of the purse. This is abdicating the power of the purse. “That’s ineffective leadership. And if he …

Axios reports: The House on Sunday teed up more than a dozen new votes for this week on bills sanctioning Iran and its proxies in retaliation for a wide-ranging drone attack on Israel. The switch-up from Republicans’ plan to vote on several appliance-related “messaging” bills comes as lawmakers in both parties are pressing President Biden take a hard line against …

“To our friends in Israel, do what you must to defend yourselves against Iranian aggression. I, along with many others in the United States, will do our best to support you. “My concern is that the Biden Administration’s pathetic weakness throughout the world — not Israel’s strong response to being attacked — is the source of catastrophic conflicts. “Unlike President …

ABC News reports: In an interview on ABC News’ “This Week,” Sununu, a Republican who campaigned against Trump in the GOP primary before becoming a Trump defender, was repeatedly pressed by anchor George Stephanopoulos about his previous views. Sununu said he stood by a 2021 denunciation of Trump over Jan. 6 but said he no longer believes that Trump should …

Fox News reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says former President Donald Trump is “100% with” him as he faces a barrage of attacks from members of his own party, most notably Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion to oust him from his leadership position. “I spent hours with the president on Friday. He and I talked frequently…. He’s 100% …

NPR reports: The House of Representatives is shifting its schedule for the coming week to consider legislation supporting Israel in the aftermath of Iran launching drones toward Israel on Saturday, marking a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict. “In light of Iran’s unjustified attack on Israel, the House will move from its previously announced legislative schedule next week to …

The Washington Post reports: Former President Donald Trump backed former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick on Saturday in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, after excoriating him two years earlier. “I am officially giving my endorsement to David McCormick tonight,” Trump told the crowd. “He wants to run a good ship. He’s a smart guy who was a very successful guy. He’s …

The Associated Press reports: Republican lawmakers in Kentucky on Friday removed the Democratic governor from any role filling future U.S. Senate vacancies — a move supporters said was unrelated to recent scrutiny about the health of the state’s senior senator, Republican leader Mitch McConnell. The GOP supermajority Legislature easily overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the measure. The legislation calls …

The Hill reports: Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) called for retaliatory strikes against Iran after Tehran launched drone and cruise missile attacks against Israel on Saturday. “Iran has begun launching drone strikes on Israel,” Blackburn said Saturday on social media platform X. “@POTUS — we must move quickly and launch aggressive retaliatory strikes on Iran.” Blackburn’s post gives a sense …

“It’s wrong on principle to come out in support of ‘sometimes you have to make the choice to kill your baby.’ It’s actually a reprehensible, disgusting view. And also it is politically suicidal. It is not going to work. “What does Kari Lake achieve with this video? Where she is, again, condemning a state ban on abortion. You cannot hide …

The Texas Tribune reports: Months after a scandal over his ties to white supremacists, far-right political operative and former state lawmaker Jonathan Stickland has created a new group — with help from outgoing Texas GOP Chair Matt Rinaldi. On March 5, Stickland registered “RaTmasTeR Holdings LLC” with the Texas secretary of state, and Rinaldi is listed as the new group’s …

Rolling Stone reports: A judge on Friday moved to halt an investigation by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) into the liberal watchdog journalism organization Media Matters, issuing a preliminary injunction in the case. Calling Media Matters a “radical left-wing” and “anti-free speech organization,” Paxton claimed to be investigating “potential fraudulent activity” by the group under Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices …

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a controversial bill Friday stripping citizen oversight boards of their power to investigate police misconduct. The bill, HB 601, instead allows local chiefs of police agencies to create their own “civilian oversight” boards composed of three to seven members, all appointed by the chief or sheriff. But these boards can only …