Republicans

The Florida Times-Union reports: Some of Florida’s loudest advocates for public school book removals make up half of a state government-sponsored group to advise school districts on how to select titles and when to pull them off shelves. Moms for Liberty members made up three of six members of a Department of Education workgroup that met Thursday in Tallahassee to …

The Washington Post reports: The Republican Party’s new chairman, Michael Whatley, declared in a Thursday memo that the party would keep open its early-voting program, called Bank Your Vote, and not shutter any of its bricks-and-mortar community centers, contradicting comments by top party officials earlier in the week. The initial reports that community centers would close and Bank Your Vote …

Politico reports: Mike Pence said on Friday that he would not endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024, breaking with the man who tapped him as vice president only to make him the target of an angry mob for his refusal to help with efforts to overturn the 2020 election. “It should come as no surprise that I will not …

PC World reports: In response to Texas’s age-verification law being upheld, the ultra-popular PornHub and numerous other adult sites operated by parent company Aylo went dark in the state. Replacing the NSFW videos you’d normally expect to see, a message decrying government overreach and proposed compromises has been posted. Texas’s actions prompted an increased interest in virtual private networks, or …

NBC News reports: The Supreme Court on Friday rejected a request made by an LGBTQ student group that was hoping to host a “PG-13” drag show on the campus of West Texas A&M University over the objections of administrators. The court decision in a brief unsigned order means the group, Spectrum WT, likely will not be able to hold the …

Politico reports: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) campaigned with a primary challenger to Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) on Thursday, disregarding calls from party leadership for GOP unity. Gaetz was in Texas for an event with Brandon Herrera, a pro-gun social media influencer who forced Gonzales into a primary runoff earlier this month. He did so despite leadership pleas to avoid messy …

The Colorado Sun reports: Rep. Ken Buck vehemently denied Thursday that his decision to resign from Congress before the end of his term was aimed at making it harder for Lauren Boebert to take over his 4th Congressional District seat as she and others have suggested. “It’s ridiculous,” Buck told The Colorado Sun. The Republican congresswoman has also tried to …

Axios reports: The White House sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) early Friday with a clear message: Your impeachment inquiry of President Biden is over. The letter signals the White House’s increasingly aggressive offense on impeachment, as Democrats see the GOP inquiry fizzling out. The letter to Johnson from White House counsel Edward Siskel comes as a …

Boing Boing reports: The South Dakota governor today posted her second infomercial in one week! This time it’s for shoe inserts — I kid you not. “We’re at Fit My Feet in Rapid City,” she says, holding up a shopping bag that advertises the shoe and orthotics operation. “And these guys are amazing. They have totally built me inserts for …

The Texas Tribune reports: The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a Texas law requiring parental consent to obtain contraception for minors. The decision from a three-judge panel of the federal appeals court in New Orleans largely affirms a 2022 ruling from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in Amarillo, that ended one of the only avenues for Texas teens to …

The Houston Chronicle reports: One of the most-visited pornography websites, Pornhub, disabled its site in Texas on Thursday over objections to a state law that requires age verification to prevent access to minors. People who go to the site are now greeted with a long message from the company railing against the legal change as “ineffective, haphazard, and dangerous.” The …

ABC News reports: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz on Thursday was served a subpoena to sit for a deposition in a civil lawsuit that involves allegations he had sex with a 17-year old-girl, sources tell ABC News, as part of a suit brought by a friend of the congressman against the young woman and others. Gaetz was issued the subpoena, which …

The Associated Press reports: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday called on Israel to hold new elections, saying he believes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The speech drew a swift reprisal from Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who said …

The Hill reports: The Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit against Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on Wednesday to get the state to review its voter registration rolls. The committee alleges the state has “failed to live up” to the National Voter Registration Act’s (NVRA) requirement that voter registration rolls must be clean. The RNC’s lawsuit comes just …

Axios reports: House Republicans are panicking about their shrinking majority after Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said he will resign at the end of next week, stunning GOP leadership. That brought the GOP’s majority in the House down to just two seats — and raised speculation that GOP attrition could cost the party its majority before the Nov. 5 election. The …

The Alabama Political Reporter reports: State Rep. Mack Butler, Gadsden, said he has only heard secondhand rumors about the recent uproar over a transgender Space Camp counselor at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. But he’s heard enough that he plans to expand HB130, a bill prohibiting the instruction or discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools, …

Rolling Stone reports: Kristi Noem probably wasn’t smiling after being served a lawsuit on Wednesday. Earlier this week, the South Dakota governor released a highly produced video on multiple social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and Truth Social, touting the dental work she had done at Smile Texas. Travelers United, a nonprofit focused on travel and consumer …

“The uni-party is trying to do everything that they can to stop my candidacy to rig the election in Colorado. And, you know, this is breaking news as of yesterday. Ken Buck’s announcement yesterday was a gift to the uni-party. “The establishment concocted a swampy backroom deal to try to rig an election. An election that I’m winning by 25 …

Mediaite reports: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) slammed right-wing social media influencer Libs of TikTok for “lying” about a Sunshine State law on Wednesday, accusing the account of sacrificing “truth” in order to “generate clicks and engagement farm.” “Apparently FL also gives illegals drivers licenses! Biden’s open borders allows v*olent criminals to terrorize Americans,” concluded Libs of Tiktok, which is …

Raw Story reports: The hearing, slated for March 19 at 2 p.m., will include testimony from David Daleiden and Terrisa Bukovinac, according to the announcement. Daleiden is an anti-abortion activist ordered to pay $2 million in damages to Planned Parenthood over accusations of conspiracy and eavesdropping, according to a Reuters report from October. Bukovinac is an anti-abortion activist who appears …