Republicans

Raw Story reports: Michigan State Rep. Matt Maddock last night drew derision when he falsely accused the Gonzaga men’s basketball team of being immigrant “invaders.” Writing on Twitter Wednesday night, Maddock posted a photo of a plane landing at the Detroit Metro Airport and then baselessly speculated it was filled with migrants who had been shipped from the southern border …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: A judge ruled Wednesday that the Georgia Republican Party’s first vice chairman, Brian K. Pritchard, violated state election laws when he voted nine times while serving probation for a felony check forgery sentence. Pritchard, a conservative talk show host, must pay a $5,000 fine and receive a public reprimand from the State Election Board, according to …

The Washington Post reports: Richard Grenell, a former diplomat and intelligence official in Donald Trump’s administration, arrived in Guatemala in January, days before the new president was to be sworn in — and threw his support behind a right-wing campaign to undermine the election. Grenell met with a hard-line group that sued to block the inauguration, which thanked him for …

Mediaite reports: Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott accused his critics of not having “the courage to say the N-word” after he was branded the “DEI mayor” following the fatal Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse this week. After Scott was blamed by some social media users for the collapse, with one of Elon Musk’s favorite accounts calling him “Baltimore’s DEI mayor,” MSNBC …

The Hill reports: A growing chorus of Democrats say promising to protect Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) from a budding conservative coup could be their best chance to secure military aid for Kyiv, which has been stalled on Capitol Hill for months. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has already filed a motion to oust the Speaker if he bucks the conservatives’ …

Media Matters reports: Michele Morrow, the Republican nominee to head North Carolina’s schools, has spent years working for a group that’s spread extreme conspiracy theories. Those include claims that the “deep state” is behind school shootings; 9/11 was an inside job; former President Barack Obama has a “Hitler blood line” because “allegedly Hitler is Obama’s grandfather”; elites drink the blood …

Reuters reports: Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, has decided against running as the No Labels candidate for president, delivering the latest blow to the centrist, third party’s bid for the White House. The two-time former presidential contender’s decision leaves the group with few remaining viable options for candidates as it seeks to seize on the unpopularity of …

CNN reports: The Republican operative who accused American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp of sexual assault last year received a significant financial settlement in exchange for dropping his lawsuit against Schlapp, multiple sources familiar with the case told CNN. The $480,000 settlement was paid to Carlton Huffman through an insurance policy, according to a source familiar with the details. Schlapp’s …

Courthouse News reports: Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin broke the record for most vetoes in one term by a Virginia governor, nixing 30 gun control bills Tuesday. “Guns for everybody, no redemption for anyone, suppress the vote and voters and tax cuts for millionaires,” chair of the state Senate Democratic caucus Mamie Locke wrote in a tweet. “Who’s backwards?” Youngkin is …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A Gov. Ron DeSantis-backed board and Disney settled lawsuits Wednesday over who controls the governing district of Disney World’s theme parks and resorts. The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s board voted to accept the deal, which ends much of the litigation between Disney and Florida officials. The agreement says development agreements and covenants approved by a …

“It is a clown show, it is a clown show. And it’s just like, every day the media attacks me. I live in a little town, 2,500 people, and I’m the biggest tourist attraction because of all the reporters and the opposition research. “They stand out like a sore thumb. You can tell when they get out of the car …

CBC News reports: A panel of federal appeals court judges late Tuesday continued to block Texas from arresting and jailing migrants under a contentious state immigration law known as SB4, keeping a hold on the measure while it weighs its legality. In a 2-1 decision, the panel of 5th Circuit Court of Appeals judges denied Texas’ request to suspend the …

Politico Playbook reports: The ramifications of NBC’s decision yesterday to part ways with contributor Ronna McDaniel just two days after her paid network debut on “Meet the Press” are just starting to shake out. But they could be expensive. McDaniel expects to be fully paid out for her contract, two years at $300,000 annually, since she did not breach its …

The Washington Post reports: Those seeking employment at the Republican National Committee after a Trump-backed purge of the committee this month have been asked in job interviews if they believe the 2020 election was stolen, according to people familiar with the interviews, making the false claim a litmus test of sorts for hiring. In recent days, Trump advisers have quizzed …

“From the beginning, we asserted our innocence. Our family was attacked by a left-wing media that is focused on the destruction of conservatives regardless of the truth and the facts. “But we emerge from this ordeal stronger as husband and wife, stronger as parents to our five daughters, stronger as friends to those who stood by us. “Our faith in …

The Arizona Republic reports: Faced with the prospect of turning over information that could be used against her at trial, former gubernatorial and current U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake is seeking to forfeit her ability to defend herself in court in an ongoing defamation case. Lake and her attorneys are requesting default judgment, which means a jury could decide damages …

“This is simple math. The more Republicans like Mike Gallagher that resign and leave early, guess what that means? We have less Republicans in the House. So every time a Mike Gallagher or a Ken Buck leaves early, that brings our numbers down and brings us dangerously closer to being in the minority. “It’s not Marjorie Taylor Greene that is …

USA Today reports: The House Ethics Committee is investigating Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, the committee confirmed in a Tuesday statement. The circumstances and scope of the move are still unclear. USA TODAY has reached out to Nehls’ office for comment. Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Ranking Member Susan Wild, D-Penn., decided to “extend the matter regarding” the Texas …

The New York Post reports: NBC News plans to drop former Republican National Committee boss Ronna McDaniel as a paid contributor after network stars including MSNBC primetime headliner Rachel Maddow and the co-hosts of “Morning Joe” blasted the decision to bring the Trump-backing politico on board. The network has not made an announcement, but one is pending, according to Puck …

The Texas Tribune reports: Prosecutors on Tuesday agreed to drop the securities fraud charges facing Attorney General Ken Paxton if he performs 100 hours of community service and fulfills other conditions of a pretrial agreement, bringing an abrupt end to the nearly nine-year-old felony case that has loomed over the embattled Republican since his early days in office. The deal, …