Republicans

Mediaite reports: Republicans cannot get their story straight about what Donald Trump told them in a closed-door meeting on Thursday. That includes Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Johnson appeared on Hannity, where the speaker denied Trump disparaged Milwaukee at all even though – and this is crucial – Trump admitted he disparaged Milwaukee. “Can we just settle one thing once and …

The Hill reports: Legislation to establish a national right to in vitro fertilization (IVF) was blocked by Senate Republicans on Thursday, amid a push by Democrats to put the GOP on defense over reproductive rights ahead of the November elections. The bill needed 60 votes in order to move forward, meaning nine Republicans would have needed to break ranks and …

Mediaite reports: House Republican lawmakers from Wisconsin scrambled to help clean up remarks made by former President Donald Trump trashing Milwaukee as a “horrible city.” Trump joined House GOP lawmakers for a closed-door meeting on Thursday morning, where he discussed a variety of conservative policy concerns heading into November’s election, including immigration, trade, and abortion. Following Trump’s remarks three Wisconsin …

The Washington Post reports: Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would end all federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, and end funding for government agencies, contractors, schools and other organizations that have their own DEI programs. The proposed “Dismantle DEI Act” is the latest in a cascade of challenges that have arisen over the past year to programs that …

Law & Crime reports: Citing the First Amendment right to “engage in political speech,” a judge has ruled that Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado cannot dodge a defamation lawsuit filed against her by political activists critical of her during her 2022 reelection run. The 55-page ruling handed down by U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathryn Starnella on June 9 breathed new …

CNN reports: Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, a leading candidate to be Donald Trump’s vice president, liked tweets in 2016 and 2017 that harshly criticized Trump and his policies — including one speculating that Vance could serve in former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s administration. Other tweets liked by Vance said Trump committed “serial sexual assault,” called him “one of …

“One of the companies that does a lot of this stuff is headquartered in Florida. So I was down and I was interested in trying other things, but they had me try this burger that was not made of meat, it was not lab grown, it was like plant based, all this other stuff, which look, if that’s what you …

The Birmingham News reports: Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has some thoughts on voter fraud and election integrity, and, under the right circumstances, he’ll share them. When Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, Marshall sued to overturn the results. Later, he appeared before Congress to testify as an expert witness. But when asked repeatedly whether President Joe Biden had …

The Associated Press reports: The ex-husband of U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment Wednesday after separate altercations with his ex-wife at a local restaurant and their son at home earlier this year, according to online court documents. Jayson Boebert allegedly got into the physical fight with his son, leading to the reckless endangerment charge Jayson Boebert pleaded …

The Arizona Mirror reports: Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Kari Lake has lost yet another appeal in her effort to overturn the 2022 election for Arizona governor. Lake lost that election to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs by more than 17,000 votes, but never conceded, claiming that malfeasance, incompetence or fraud on the part of Maricopa County led to her loss. She’s …

Politico reports: A Florida appeals court on Wednesday refused to go along with Gov. Ron DeSantis’ argument that he can shield public records due to executive privilege — a right that had not been recognized previously under state law that could have drastically expanded the governor’s ability to keep records from the public. The decision by the three-judge panel of …

The Minnesota Reformer reports: On Tuesday evening Royce White, the Minnesota GOP-endorsed candidate to challenge U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, posted a map to Twitter, now X, with the following caption: “Crime in Minneapolis…Out of control. Come on now. Refund the police! #Godspeed” The sentiment was standard fare for a political party that often seeks to make crime a centerpiece of …

The Associated Press reports: The 216-207 vote fell along party lines, with Republicans coalescing behind the contempt effort despite reservations among some of the party’s more centrist members. “We have to defend the Constitution. We have to defend the authority of Congress,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said at a press conference ahead of the vote. “We can’t allow the Department …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is again sounding the alarm about what he sees as potential consequences of a constitutional amendment that could legalize marijuana in Florida, misrepresenting it along the way. “I mean the amendment language says that there can be no penalties for use or possession, civil criminal, anything. I think it’s going to be very difficult …

Fox News reports: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is vowing to force a vote on Attorney General Merrick Garland’s arrest if the Department of Justice (DOJ) fails to act on a criminal contempt resolution backed by House GOP leaders. Luna told Fox News Digital on Tuesday evening that she would plan to force a vote on her “inherent contempt” resolution …

NBC News reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, plans to block an effort by Senate Democrats to unanimously pass a Supreme Court ethics bill Wednesday on the Senate floor. “I will object,” Graham, R-S.C., told NBC News. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said earlier Tuesday that he would make …

The Associated Press reports: Rep. Nancy Mace has won the Republican nomination after a tumultuous second term in South Carolina that saw her go from a critic to an ally of former President Donald Trump. Trump’s endorsement — after he called her crazy and terrible in 2022 — is just one of many ways Mace has attracted a spotlight far …

“While the national Republican Party has largely embraced the LGBTQ agenda because they say they want to create a quote, unquote, ‘big tent,’ there still remains committed conservative Christians who are rejecting Pride Month because, let’s face it, we should as conservatives. “Dave, I have to say I commend you strongly for standing up so firmly for what should be …

The New York Times reports: Jeff Gunter, who is competing in Tuesday’s Nevada Republican primary for the Senate and described himself as “110 percent pro-Trump,” saw Donald J. Trump endorse one of his primary opponents, Sam Brown, over the weekend. He did not take it well. Mr. Trump announced his endorsement of Mr. Brown on Truth Social, his social media …

“It’s gonna be a very, very close race. I think they’re terrible choices that we’re being presented with. And that’s just what the primary voters selected and I regret the fact that that’s where we are. I voted for him in 2016, hoping that there was gonna be a different kind of person in office. “And I do think character …