Republicans

The Washington Post reports: Mark Meadows, formerly President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, has ditched one Carolina for the other amid accusations that he committed voter fraud. Meadows, who is under investigation in his former home state of North Carolina for the alleged voter fraud, told the South Carolina Post and Courier on Wednesday that he is officially a Palmetto …

Denver’s NBC News affiliate reports: A Republican state lawmaker running for Congress in El Paso County wants his name on the June 28 primary ballot to include “Let’s Go Brandon.” State Rep. Dave Williams (R-Colorado Springs) qualified for the primary ballot at the Congressional District 5 (CD5) assembly in Colorado Springs, earning him the top name on the ballot for …

Mediaite reports: Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) made a quick escape when asked about recently published text messages revealing his involvement in the plot to overturn the 2020 election. In his conversation with Meadows, Lee attempted to get Sidney Powell in a room with Trump, claiming she had a strategy to “keep things alive and put several states back in play” …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: The Republican-controlled Florida Senate quickly voted Wednesday to dissolve Disney World’s Reedy Creek Improvement District. The Senate voted 23-16 to dissolve Reedy Creek, with Sen. Jeff Brandes the only Republican to vote against Sen. Jennifer Bradley’s bill. The Senate voted along party lines to approve Bradley’s bill retracting the Disney carveout. Democrats assailed their Republican colleagues …

The Tampa Bay Times reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday signed a bill that makes it harder for faculty at state universities to retain tenure, framing the legislation as another way that he and the Legislature are working to prevent educators from bringing their political views into the classroom. In a wide-ranging news conference at The Villages that took swings …

Raleigh’s NBC News affiliate reports: WRAL News on Tuesday night obtained video of a traffic stop involving U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina. Troopers told WRAL News the truck was stopped for driving outside of the designated lane on Highway 74. The video shows a N.C. Highway Patrol trooper stop a pickup truck. You can hear the trooper tell …

Inside The Magic reports:  The Reedy Creek Improvement Act essentially allows Walt Disney World to reside in Florida unregulated, acting as its own “government” in a way. The act involved creating a special taxing district that acts with the same authority as a county government. This situation, while complex, seemed fairly cut-and-dry until reporters started to do the numbers and …

From the editorial board of the Miami Herald: In an act of pure vengeance, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday that he was using his powers to expand this week’s special session in a push to strip Walt Disney World of the special taxing district that independently governs it. It’s clear that the governor has been nursing a towering grudge …

The Hill reports: Billionaire tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel is donating $3.5 million to a super PAC backing Ohio GOP Senate candidate JD Vance after he won former President Trump’s endorsement last week. Thiel’s donation to Protect Ohio Values, first reported by Politico and confirmed to The Hill by a source familiar with the matter, comes amid a mad dash to …

The Associated Press reports: It would be easy to dismiss Palin’s candidacy as the latest headline-grabbing twist in an unconventional career. Some of her critics have sought to cast her as an opportunist seeking to bolster her brand. The opinion section of the website of Alaska’s largest newspaper is dotted with letters to the editor urging Alaskans to reject her …

Law & Crime reports: Members of a right-wing militia group sought “protection” for a Texas representative believed to have “critical data” while inside the Capitol building as it was violently breached by supporters of former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6. Included in 109 pages of texts from a group chat on the Signal messaging app were a handful of …

Politico reports: When real estate investor Moshe Popack wanted to host a political fundraiser for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, he spared no expense. Popack, chair and CEO of YMP Real Estate Management, had DeSantis and a handful of top contributors to his 10,000-square-foot Miami Beach home in February, an event DeSantis’ political committee reported as a $200,000 non-monetary or in-kind …

From the editorial board of the Salt Lake Tribune: Confession, it is said, is good for the soul. It should also be good politics. It is past time for Mike Lee to start fessing up to all he knows about the plot to set aside the results of an honest and fair election to keep Donald Trump in power. We …

The Tennessean reports: Morgan Ortagus, Baxter Lee and Robby Starbuck were voted off the primary ballot by the party’s executive committee, Tennessee Republican Chairman Scott Golden confirmed Tuesday Republican officials last week confirmed official challenges had been filed against the three, which triggered a technical removal from the ballot per party bylaws. Ortagus, a former State Department spokesperson who nabbed …

CNBC reports: Veteran physician and Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz has little-known, but close ties to the heirs of the DuPont chemical fortune who are financially backing Oz’s Senate run, according to a review of campaign finance records. Oz, who amassed his own multimillion-dollar fortune as the host of “The Dr. Oz Show,” is related to Ben duPont by …

Florida Politics reports: “When you poke the bear or you kick the bees’ nest, sometimes issues come out,” said Brevard County Republican Rep. Randy Fine, sponsor of HB 3C. Fine and other Republican committee members who spoke made it clear that the bees nest was Gov. Ron DeSantis. The House State Affairs Committee approved HB 3C 14-7 along party lines. …

The Daily Beast reports: A federal disclosure submitted last week shows the Fortenberry campaign chucking nearly a million dollars into a legal sea over the first three months of the year, about $100,000 more than it had in the bank to begin with. The vast majority of that money vanished into costs associated with the Republican’s failed legal defense, including …

Mediaite reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) said at a Tuesday press conference that Florida is looking at potential action against Twitter, Inc. over the recent decision to use a “poison pill” play in an effort to prevent billionaire Elon Musk from taking over. The state’s pension fund, claimed DeSantis, is a Twitter investor. During a presser at The Villages, …

Raw Story reports: While talking on his “Verdict” podcast, Cruz complained about Disney’s opposition to Florida’s new “Don’t Say Gay” law that critics say could force LGBTQ teachers to remain closeted out of fear of being sued by parents. “I think there are people who are misguided trying to drive Disney, stepping in saying, you know, in every episode now …

CBS News reports: A former Maryland mayor who admitted to posting nude photos of his ex-girlfriend on Reddit will not have to spend time behind bars under a plea deal announced by the state prosecutor’s office on Monday. Former Cambridge Mayor Andrew Bradshaw pleaded guilty to five counts of distributing revenge porn online and was sentenced to a year and …