Republicans

Mediaite reports: Sebastian Gorka stopped a press conference briefly outside Donald Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan to tell a reporter it was “pathetic” to suggest the former president is part of the “ruling class” or “elite.” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick at one point accused the “ruling class” of targeting Trump for political purposes, and the lieutenant governor snapped …

“Donald Trump is being targeted because of who he is. If he was not running for president again, I don’t think you’d see any of this barrage of prosecutions, these local district attorneys and state attorneys who are after him. They have targeted him because he is soon to be officially the nominee of the Republican Party for president, and …

The Reload reports: The National Rifle Association has decided on a new direction. On Monday, the NRA board voted to install reform candidates across three of its top four leadership positions. That includes the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President position filled by Wayne LaPierre until his resignation during the group’s corruption trial. Doug Hamlin, who ran the NRA’s …

“I don’t think it’s an outrageous request at all. People across this country have a lot of questions about what is going on with Joe Biden. Why do you seem to see two very different versions of him in very rapid succession from time to time? “We have a lot of questions that need to be answered, and you think …

The Huffington Post reports: Republican senators criticized Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito over the flying of an upside-down American flag at his house following the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building. “Emotions are apparently high in that neighborhood but no, it’s not good judgment to do that,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary …

The Daily Beast reports: Billionaire mega-donor Timothy Mellon, who has poured millions into a super PAC supporting Donald Trump, gave another $5 million to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in April, according to newly released campaign finance filings. The gift is sure to stoke speculation that Mellon believes Kennedy’s presence as an independent in the race could siphon votes away from …

The New York Post reports: Hundreds of nursing homes in Florida have been forced to shut their doors over the past five years because of the soaring cost of commercial property insurance in the state. In the five-year period ending in 2023, an average of 146 nursing homes or assisted-living facilities in Florida have closed each year, according to the …

The Associated Press reports: Montana’s attorney general told supporters he skirted the state’s campaign finance laws by inviting another Republican to run against him as a token candidate in next month’s primary so he could raise more money for the November general election, according to a recording from a fundraising event. “I do technically have a primary,” Attorney General Austin …

Florida Politics reports: U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott wrote a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell demanding answers on whether FEMA has the resources needed to assist people in Florida and beyond when tropical systems wreak their inevitable havoc. “It is our understanding that your agency expects the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) to run …

Indianapolis’s PBS affiliate reports: Indiana’s education department is telling school districts not to adopt new federal protections for LGBTQ+ students and sex-based discrimination until several lawsuits challenging the regulations, including one by the state’s attorney general, are settled. The new Title IX guidelines, released by the U.S. Department of Education forbids discrimination on the basis of sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, …

Politico reports: House Republicans are already deriding the Senate’s bid for a vote on bipartisan immigration legislation as a political ploy that’s doomed — in the extremely unlikely event it even reaches their chamber. “Leader Schumer is trying give [sic] his vulnerable members cover by bringing a vote on a bill which has already failed once in the Senate because …

The Dakota Scout reports: The publisher of Gov. Kristi Noem’s controversial new book is conceding that it will have to fix another factual error made by the governor, this one about South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds. Hachette Book Group will amend future editions of “No Going Back” to clarify Noem’s allegation that Rounds called on Donald Trump to drop out …

CBS News reports: Republican Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, rumored to be one of former President Donald Trump’s vice-presidential contenders, said Sunday that the U.S “could learn from” some decisions made by authoritarian Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, including controversial policies related to dealing with dissidents at universities. Orbán, who is revered in some hardline conservative circles, seized control of …

“The truth of the matter is you saw the State of the Union and you watched that performance. It was surreal. There was something going on and if we can find the truth of what it was, we are all better off. “Because if it takes artificial stimulation to make the president of the United States perform, how often can …

Politico reports: Rep. Elise Stefanik took exception to being asked about her loyalty to former President Donald Trump by a Fox News host Sunday. The New York Republican got into a heated exchange with “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream over a question about how her support of Trump has changed over time. “It’s a disgrace you would quote the …

The Hill reports: CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Ben Carson on “State of the Union” to describe his conversations with Trump about abortion laws, noting that Carson has expressed support in the past for national legislation on abortion. “President Trump does not like to surround himself with yes people. And he likes to have healthy discussions about things and recognize that …

“You could tell that when Joe Biden comes in, he’s jacked up, and then, as the hour goes by, he slowly winds down. So the American people need to understand if they’re giving him some injection so that he can actually look like he’s coherent and he’s with us, because the other parts of the time he’s not. This is …

NBC News reports: Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, widely seen as a potential vice presidential pick for former President Donald Trump, on Sunday refused to say whether he would accept the results of the 2024 presidential election, instead blaming Democrats for sowing doubts about the election. The senator, appearing on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” said, “I think you’re asking …

“The Secret Service — they use their criteria, they set this plan — and now the director of Secret Services saying, well, they have the authority to set the plan, they don’t have the authority to change it. “They put the protest zone a block away from the actual convention site. Thee initial plan had the entrances on the north …

CNN reports: Alice Stewart, a veteran political adviser and CNN political commentator who worked on several GOP presidential campaigns, has died. She was 58. Law enforcement officials told CNN that Stewart’s body was found outdoors in the Belle View neighborhood in northern Virginia early Saturday morning. No foul play is suspected, and officers believe a medical emergency occurred. Stewart served …