Republicans

Bloomberg News reports: The Trump administration is planning to lay off at least 40% of the workers at the federal agency that provides mortgage insurance on loans for people who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for one, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans. The FHA is one of the largest mortgage insurers in the world and has insured more …

“Everybody is going to take a little bit of a kick in the stomach here. Everyone. You want to be statesmen in the spirit of our revolutionary forefathers who gave up everything to fight the world’s greatest empire at the time — the British Empire? “We’re just asking you to sacrifice for a little bit for the long-term prosperity of …

Charleston’s CBS affiliate reports: On Friday, February 14, several members of the West Virginia House of Delegates introduced House Resolution 33, which proposes renaming Spruce Knob to “Trump Mountain” five years after the president’s passing. The resolution states, “Spruce Knob symbolizes strength, endurance, and resilience—qualities that epitomize the leadership and perseverance demonstrated by President Donald J. Trump during his time in …

Sen. Bill Cassidy today links to this Fox News report: An outbreak of measles in the South Plains of Texas is continuing to grow, with the number of cases doubling in less than a week. At least 48 cases were identified with symptom onset within the last three weeks, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. More than …

Florida Politics reports: The Senate Community Affairs Committee is moving forward a bill giving the state preemption powers over local governments regarding a future Donald Trump presidential library. Without discussion, the panel advanced Sen. Jason Brodeur’s legislation (SB 118). The Central Florida Republican said the bill was a way to “roll out the welcome mat” and afford Trump “maximum flexibility.” …

NOTUS reports: Trump’s efforts to dismantle USAID could hurt a surprising group: American farmers. As part of his broad slashing and freezing of federal spending, Trump froze food purchases for foreign aid through USAID last month. Over 40% of the food distributed through USAID programs is purchased from farmers in the U.S., amounting to about $2 billion per year. “President …

Phoenix’s ABC affiliate reports: The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed State Senator Jake Hoffman was pulled over for going 89 MPH in a posted speed limit zone of 65 MPH on January 22, but he was not cited due to what is called “legislative immunity.” “The Trooper recognized and verified that Mr. Hoffman is an Arizona State Senator, and …

The Associated Press reports: Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program. Millions more Americans signed up for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded by …

Mediaite reports: Vice President JD Vance is never beating the allegations that he’s getting sidelined in what critics have been deriding as the “Trump-Musk administration” — posting a tweet Monday that said threatening to jail people for dissenting views was a “threat to free speech” the morning after Elon Musk literally tweeted that sort of threat. Vance spoke out on …

The Hill reports: Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is set to launch his expected 2026 run for Ohio governor next Monday, The Hill has learned. After weeks of hints at the move, Ramaswamy is on track to kick off his campaign in Cincinnati on Feb. 24, a spokesperson told The Hill. He filed campaign paperwork over the weekend. The …

Boise’s ABC affiliate reports: A co-owner of a Boise mental health clinic serving children and teens, who previously ran for the Idaho State Legislature as a Republican, was arrested Wednesday on multiple felony charges involving alleged sexual abuse of minors. Ryan D. Jenks, 45, was charged with three felony counts: lewd conduct with a child under 16 and two counts of …

Newsweek reports: The Trump administration has urged Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, as they await trial on charges including human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and money laundering, according to a report by the Financial Times. The 37-year-old is currently under house arrest in Romania and is awaiting trial on human trafficking …

Oscar winner Julianne Moore writes on Instagram: It is a great shock for me to learn that my first book, Freckleface Strawberry, has been banned by the Trump Administration from schools run by the Department of Defense. Freckleface Strawberry is a semi-autobiographical story about a seven year old girl who dislikes her freckles but eventually learns to live with them …

From the Senate Commerce Committee: In his opening statement at today’s Senate Commerce Committee hearing titled “Nuuk and Cranny: Looking at the Arctic and Greenland’s Geostrategic Importance to U.S. Interests,” Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) argued that acquiring Greenland would serve America’s national security and economic interests well due to the island’s location in the Arctic, access to sea routes, and …

Via press release from GOP Rep. Claudia Tenney: Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today introduced the Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day Holiday Establishment Act to officially designate June 14 as a federal holiday to commemorate President Donald J. Trump’s Birthday and Flag Day. Born on June 14, 1946, President Donald J. Trump’s birthday coincided with Flag Day, which is observed annually …

Utah Public Radio reports: Utah students in as early as kindergarten would be required to learn about firearm safety in the classroom under a bill that passed the state House with overwhelming support Friday. The Republican-controlled chamber approved the measure in a 59-10 vote and sent it to the Senate, despite concerns from some gun violence prevention advocates that it places …

Politico reports: Pennsylvania Rep. Rob Bresnahan is the latest swing-district Republican to issue a warning over deep spending cuts GOP leaders are targeting for key safety net programs in a bill to enact Trump’s massive domestic agenda. “I ran for Congress under a promise of always doing what is best for the people of Northeastern Pennsylvania,” said Bresnahan in a …

Via press release from Sen. Lisa Murkowski: U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced legislation that would officially designate North America’s highest mountain as Denali, the name bestowed by Alaska’s Koyukon Athabascans. The bill would require that any reference in U.S. laws, maps, regulations, or other records refer to the mountain as Denali. “In Alaska, it’s Denali,” Senator Murkowski said. …

The Washington Post reports: Missouri’s attorney general has sued Starbucks, accusing it of engaging in discrimination with its diversity, equity and inclusion policies and alleging that such initiatives have made the coffee giant’s workforce “more female and less white.” The federal lawsuit filed by Andrew Bailey, a Republican, accuses Starbucks of engaging in “systemic racial, sexual, and sexual orientation discrimination” …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the State Bar of Texas’ lawsuit against Attorney General Ken Paxton for his attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, extending a cascade of legal and political wins for the once-embattled Republican leader. The state bar had sought to sanction Paxton, which could have carried a …