Republicans

“Congressman Randy Fine of Florida. And he said this the other day on Fox News last week, quote: ‘In World War II, we did not negotiate a surrender with the Nazis. We did not negotiate a surrender with the Japanese. We nuked the Japanese twice in order to get unconditional surrender. That needs to be the same here in Gaza. …

“The Federalist Society and Leonard Leo were indispensable partners through all four years of the Trump-Pence administration. With @FedSoc support, we confirmed over 220 principled judges, including three Supreme Court Justices, committed to the Rule of Law, Religious Liberty and the Right to Life. Conservative Americans owe a debt of gratitude to the more than 60,000 Lawyers, Law Students & …

Axios reports: Gov. Spencer Cox issued a statement Sunday acknowledging Pride Month — but again eschewed mention of LGBTQ+ communities in favor of a celebration of “building bridges.” Pride Month proclamations have become an annual point of controversy for Cox, drawing complaints from across the political spectrum. Conservatives complain the statements are “woke,” while progressives decry wording that falls short …

Politico reports: Private insurers and state officials are warning of utter chaos in the insurance markets if a last-minute change to the House GOP’s megabill survives in the Senate. The policy could lead to higher premiums for people who shop for plans on the Obamacare exchanges and cause massive turmoil for actuaries, and leave brokers and state officials with little …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis is assigning blame for a terror attack in Colorado on the media. “I do think that there’s a lot that goes on, quite frankly, in some of the lies that get spread in the media that probably get some of these guys wound up,” DeSantis said during a press conference in Sarasota. It is …

The Naples Daily News reports: Home security and safety blog SafeHome.org released their annual report of the best and worst states for LGBTQ+ safety, noting hate crimes have risen for the fourth year in a row and 71% of LGBTQ+ adults have avoided a public space due to fear of discrimination or violence. Experts ranked the 50 states on a …

Axios reports: The Supreme Court said Monday it would take on an Illinois case challenging the validity of mail ballots that arrive past Election Day. Republicans have worked to restrict mail-in voting for years. Rep. Michael Bost (R-Ill.) challenged a state electoral regulation following his reelection. He was joined by two other presidential electors. The current Illinois election law allows …

USA Today reports: When members of Congress return to Washington on June 2 after a weeklong break, the upper chamber will dig into the more than 1,000-page bill that would extend income tax cuts, implement new tax breaks for tipped wages and overtime, overhaul Medicaid and food stamps, and put more money toward Trump’s deportation plan. Some Republican senators, such …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas would further cement its role in enforcing immigration laws under a bill the state Legislature sent to the governor Sunday that would require most sheriffs to cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Gov. Greg Abbott has signaled support for such an idea, and President Donald Trump — whose administration could receive a big personnel …

The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) drew fierce blowback on Sunday over his social media post about 22-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Graham shared a news article about Thunberg’s presence on a flotilla that is headed to Gaza and whose occupants want to deliver humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, amid the monthslong, starvation-inducing Israeli blockade. “Hope …

CBS News reports: Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said Sunday that “the math doesn’t really add up” on the cost of President Trump’s “one big beautiful bill,” while outlining his opposition as the legislation moves to the Senate this week. Paul is among a handful of Senate Republicans who have expressed opposition to the centerpiece legislation of Mr. Trump’s …

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) doubled down on his claim that there won’t be Medicaid cuts in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” despite projections that millions of low-income individuals would lose health insurance as a result of the bill. Johnson, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” pushed back on independent projections that the bill would lead to …

The Texas Tribune reports: Democrats took to the floor of the Texas House on Saturday to label a ban on clubs that support gay teens the work of “monsters” and to say the ban endangers children and strips them of their dignity. The Democratic representatives grew emotional in opposition to a bill that would ban K-12 student clubs focused on …

NPR reports: Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst faced intense questioning from her constituents during a Friday town hall, eliciting shouts and boos from community members. One dismissive comment drew particularly intense ire: In response to constituents’ concerns over Medicaid cuts, Ernst said, “We all are going to die.” The next day, the senator doubled down on her comments in a …

Raw Story reports:  Texas state Rep. Nate Schatzline (R) said he wanted his children’s school to be “celebrated” because it was one of the “least vaccinated” schools in the state. In an Instagram post, Schatzline railed about Star-Telegram reporter Bud Kennedy, who revealed the school’s unvaccinated status. “Look, I am so excited to say that Mercy Culture Prep is celebrating …

404 Media reports: Earlier this month authorities in Texas performed a nationwide search of more than 83,000 automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras while looking for a woman who they said had a self-administered abortion, including cameras in states where abortion is legal such as Washington and Illinois, according to multiple datasets obtained by 404 Media. The news shows in …

The Texas Tribune reports: Legislators on Saturday gave final approval to a bill giving Texas parents and school boards a bigger role over what books students can access in public school libraries and creating new advisory councils to oversee the removal process. Senate Bill 13 would give school boards, not school librarians, the final say over what materials are allowed …

Ars Technica reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has failed to reverse a preliminary injunction currently blocking him from probing Media Matters for America (MMFA) in defense of Elon Musk’s social media platform X. On Friday, a US appeals court upheld the injunction. In his opinion, senior Circuit Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that there was “ample” evidence that Paxton …

Axios reports: The massive Republican budget bill working its way through Congress has mostly drawn attention for its tax cuts and Medicaid changes. But it would also take steps to significantly roll back coverage under the Affordable Care Act, with echoes of the 2017 repeal-replace debate. The bill that passed the House before Memorial Day includes an overhaul of ACA …

The Hill reports: An awkward moment came at a town hall meeting on Friday in Butler, Iowa, when Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) defended the spending reforms in a House-passed budget reconciliation package that are intended to stop people who crossed into the country illegally from receiving federal benefits. Someone in the crowd tried to talk over Ernst, interrupting her …