Republicans

NBC News reports: Former Rep. George Santos filed a civil lawsuit against Jimmy Kimmel Saturday accusing the late-night television host of using fake names to request Cameo videos from the former lawmaker and then misusing them on his show. Santos sued Kimmel for copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. He is seeking at least $750,000 in damages. …

Arizona Central reports: House Bill 2876 would kill Arizona’s phenomenally popular, three-decade-old early voting program that is used by nearly 90% of voters. Henceforth, only those who are aged, infirm or out of state on Election Day would be able to cast an early ballot. HB 2876, ending early voting and mandating a return to precinct polling, was approved Wednesday …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains on track to be tried for felony fraud this spring after the presiding judge shot down his attempts to have the charges thrown out. During a Friday court hearing in Houston, Harris County District Court Judge Andrea Beall rejected Paxton’s arguments that his right to a speedy trial had been …

“My biggest issue is, I don’t want the RNC to become, you know, his legal defense fund. I don’t want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases. We’ve already seen him spend $50 million worth of campaign contributions towards his personal court cases. “Now, we see him trying to get control of the RNC so …

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: The former chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party in a new interview claims he sent Congress paperwork he signed posing as an elector for Donald Trump following the former president’s 2020 election loss out of fear for his safety from the candidate’s supporters. Andrew Hitt, who was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during …

Salt Lake City’s NBC affiliate reports: After discussion in an hourslong, closed-door session, the Utah State Board of Education voted publicly to strip Natalie Cline of several of her powers as a state board member in response to her post questioning the gender of a student-athlete online. The board also asked her to resign immediately. The formal censure includes stripping …

The Washington Post reports: The Fulton County district attorney’s office opted not to put Fani Willis back on the witness stand Friday, avoiding the spectacle of more deeply personal testimony from the top prosecutor as she fights an effort to derail Donald Trump’s 2020 Georgia election interference case. On Friday, prosecutors sought to bolster Willis’ testimony that Wade was not …

Florida Politics reports: A bill to make it easier for Florida residents to kill bears without fear of punishment is bound for Senate consideration after clearing the Legislature’s lower chamber amid ample opposition. The measure (HB 87), dubbed the “Self Defense Act,” drew sharp criticism as it advanced through the committee process this Session, and it did not escape the …

Newsweek reports: Former New York Republican Representative Lee Zeldin compared the death of Alexei Navalny to former President Donald Trump saying that Democrats want to make sure the former president to “dies in prison.” Navalny was an anti-corruption crusader in dictator Vladimir Putin’s Russia who investigated and published reports about Putin’s corruption and authoritarianism. He survived an assassination attempt using …

The Texan reports: A Texas A&M University (TAMU) program that allows students to minor in LGBT studies has caught the eye of one Texas lawmaker who said the university is “spending state resources” on “liberal indoctrination.” State Rep. Brian Harrison (R-Midlothian) posted online about the undergraduate minor in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) Studies, stating that he would …

Mediaite reports: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) condemned Tucker Carlson on Thursday for making a video gushing over a Russian grocery store, remarking, “The Soviets had a term for people like Tucker: useful idiots.” During his controversial trip to Moscow to interview Russian President Vladimir Putin, Carlson filmed a short video at a Russian grocery store, where he praised the prices …

Politico reports: For nine months in his speakership, Kevin McCarthy seemed like a man with a title but no power — desperately improvising to keep his job amid factions ready to turn on him in an instant. Now, in his fourth month in alleged power, Speaker Mike Johnson has accomplished what once seemed unthinkable: making McCarthy seem like a skilled …

Mediaite reports: During the February 14 edition of The Stew Peters Show, convicted January 6 rioter and current GOP congressional candidate Derrick Evans agreed with conspiracy theorist Stew Peters that “Israel had a whole lot to do with January 6” and that it’s possible “Jews stole the election.” Before entering the race to become the Republican candidate for West Virginia’s …

Florida Politics reports: Florida may have fewer left-lane laggards on high-speed roadways next year if the Senate approves legislation that just zipped through the House. The bill (HB 317) cleared the Legislature’s lower chamber on a 113-3 vote. Its twin companion (SB 258) now awaits consideration beside it on the Senate floor. If approved, the measure would provide that the …

The Daily Beast reports: When ABC News reported on Wednesday that the House Ethics Committee had acquired text messages between a young woman involved in the sex trafficking investigation and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), a Gaetz spokesperson told ABC that the congressman “does not know anything about the woman you’re referencing.” That seems extraordinarily unlikely. The Daily Beast can now …

The Guardian reports: The Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has died in jail, the country’s prison service has said, in what is likely to be seen as a political assassination attributable to Vladimir Putin. Navalny, 47, one of Putin’s most visible and persistent critics, was being held in a jail about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle where he …

Helena’s NBC affiliate reports: Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale has dropped out of the Montana U.S. Senate race MTN has confirmed. He entered the race Friday morning after months of speculation and hints of a potential run, with the goal of ultimately challenging Democrat U.S. Sen. Jon Tester in the general election. In a statement, Rosendale said knew the race …

Axios reports: Special counsel Robert Hur will testify to a Republican-led House panel next month on his investigation into President Biden, Axios has learned. House Republicans are eager to dig in on Hur’s findings about Biden’s mental acuity and memory. Hur will give public testimony to the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, according to a source familiar with the …

“Democrats are way better at this game than Republicans. Republicans are by and large a fragmentary group, it’s a coalitional group. “The confused messages coming out of the Republican Party is one reason why despite the unpopularity of the Democratic Party, Republicans are cruising for a bruising in November. I think people are whistling past the graveyard. “I don’t mean …

The New Republic reports: Governor Ron DeSantis on Thursday came out in support of a proposal to limit book bans in schools—the direct result of his own stupid policies. In a press conference, DeSantis tried to claim that accusations that he has enabled book bans in the state of Florida are “a fraud” and “a big hoax.” He blamed “activists” …