Republicans

The Hill reports: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) took his latest swipe at Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), stating the Florida lawmaker “looks very unhinged” after he taunted the former Speaker on the floor of the Republican National Convention this week. “He looks very unhinged. I mean, a lot of people have concerns about it. And I’m not sure if he …

Miami’s CBS affiliate reports: After Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would severely limit and regulate their industry, hemp executives across the state pledged $5 million in donations to the Republican Party of Florida, according to WhatsApp messages reviewed by CBS News Miami. “We know nothing in life is free and neither was this veto,” explained an introductory post …

Click2Houston reports: “When Biden took 50 acres of Texas border property to illegally process up to 5,000 illegal immigrants a day, I directed the Texas National Guard to take back our land and wire it shut,” Abbott said. He also accused the president of “welcoming into our country rapists, murderers, even terrorists.” Governor Abbott talked about Houston murder victim, Jocelyn …

The Texas Tribune reports: Pennsylvania GOP megadonor Jeff Yass kicked in another $4 million to Gov. Greg Abbott earlier this year to boost the governor’s bid to unseat Texas House Republicans who oppose private school vouchers. The April 3 donation, revealed this week in a campaign finance report filed by Abbott, was Yass’ second major contribution to the GOP governor …

“For eight years, the media has been tearing President Trump apart. A good man who everybody loved before he ran. Imagine having a smear campaign going on about you for eight years. Pretty soon everyone wouldn’t like you. “I’m not going to sit here and go through all of the evidence of what happened. Do you believe Joe Biden won …

The Associated Press reports: JD Vance introduced himself to a national audience Wednesday after being chosen as Donald Trump’s running mate, sharing the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and making the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans. Speaking to a packed arena at the Republican National Convention, the Ohio senator cast himself as fighter for …

The Guardian reports: Walking out to a standing ovation, Peter Navarro, the former Trump official, delivered a speech of personal grievances at the Republican national convention on Wednesday, hours after he was released from federal prison following his conviction on contempt of Congress charges for obstructing the January 6 committee investigation. The former Trump White House adviser tried – as …

NBC News reports: The U.S. Secret Service said Wednesday that it stood by its female agents and was appalled by some of the criticism they’ve received on conservative social media since Saturday’s attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. The Secret Service, in a statement to NBC News, said that the criticism from pundits and influencers was baseless. The agency …

The New York Times reports: Republican senators, including a member of the Senate’s leadership, accosted the director of the Secret Service in a suite at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night, demanding that she resign or provide a full explanation for the security lapses. Senators John Barrasso of Wyoming, the third-ranking Senate Republican, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee aggressively …

The Poke reports: There’s no shortage of conspiracy theories about what actually happened when Trump was left with a bloody ear, one rallygoer dead and two others critically injured. And while we hesitate to highlight any of them, this one is surely deserving of a moment or two of your time because it’s just so extraordinary (and a terrifying indicator …

Denver’s NBC affiliate reports: A Republican state legislator known for his outlandish and offensive statements is claiming that the FBI was behind the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. State Rep. Scott Bottoms (R-Colorado Springs) did not offer any evidence to support the claim, which he made last Sunday from the pulpit of his Church at Briargate, where he …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Florida spent $60,000 on new highway welcome signs that feature a campaign slogan used by Gov. Ron DeSantis in speeches and on merchandise. Signs welcoming visitors to “The Free State of Florida” now stand at 24 locations along highways and at two welcome centers, said Michael Williams, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Transportation, in …

Newsweek reports: Representative Matt Gaetz’s appearance at the Republican National Convention is sparking a flood of jokes and memes. Gaetz spoke at the convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday night, reaffirming his loyalties to GOP nominee and former President Donald Trump and harshly criticizing President Joe Biden. But spectators seemed more focused on how the congressman looked, questioning his unmoving forehead …

Reuters reports: Russia is ready to work with any U.S. leader willing to engage in “equitable, mutually respectful dialogue,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, while welcoming the stance on Ukraine of Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance. Vance, chosen this week by Donald Trump as his running mate, wants to cut American military support for Ukraine in its …

Peter Montgomery reports at Right Wing Watch: After a rough year of scandal, electoral defeats, and effective counter-organizing, the anti-LGBTQ, book-banning Moms for Liberty put on a show of force at the Republican National Convention. A Moms for Liberty town hall Tuesday afternoon drew two governors, three members of Congress, and three state attorneys general. The event started with a …

From the Justice Department: A federal grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a former Las Vegas city councilwoman and current Nye County, Nevada, justice of the peace for her alleged scheme to defraud donors to a charity to memorialize police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. According to the indictment, Michele Fiore, 53, of Pahrump, …

The Hill reports: Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) appeared to call Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) a “little b‑‑‑‑” after an awkward exchange with former Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) at the Republican National Convention. Gaetz taunted McCarthy on the floor of the convention Tuesday night, telling the former Speaker that he would “get booed off the stage” if he were to …

Media Matters reports: New reporting from ProPublica and Documented revealed that Trump’s vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, praised far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones as a truth teller during a closed-door meeting with the Project 2025 partner organization the Teneo Network in 2021. Meanwhile, Jones said today that he was in a meeting with Vance “a month ago.” The …

“Let’s talk about the words of the Democrats and Joe Biden that have also labeled Trump as a fascist, labeled all of us as Nazis and Hitler, completely lied, demonizing him so much so that a young man, a 20 year old, which is hard to imagine, actually climbed onto a roof and tried to murder President Trump. “No, no. …

Politico reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson is joining calls for the Secret Service director to resign. “I think it’s inexcusable. Just beyond the classified parts, the things that we all understand, her explanation to the media that there was a slant on the roof so there were safety concerns — come on. I mean, it doesn’t wash,” Johnson said. “I …