Republicans

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the power to suspend or criminally charge local officials who don’t train at least 10% of their law enforcement staff to detain and deport undocumented immigrants or follow other tough new immigration rules he’s proposed. In a four-page memo to legislative leaders, DeSantis said he wants to make it mandatory for all …

Mediaite reports: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) got testy with CBS Face the Nation moderator Margaret Brennan — accusing her of a bias against President-elect Donald Trump. “He’s got a list he’s published, Kash Patel,” Brennan said. “He published it in a book of enemies Do you take him at his word here that these are an enemies list, and you’re …

Politico reports: Vivek Ramaswamy could withdraw from working with the Department of Government Efficiency ahead of his bid for Ohio governor, which he intends to formally announce by the last week in January, according to a person close to the matter. Ramaswamy’s potential exit could upend DOGE, which aims to reduce government spending by up to $2 trillion by July …

Nashville’s NBC reports: A new bill in Tennessee was filed on Friday that could change the name of the Nashville International Airport. It was filed by Rep. Todd Warner (R-Chapel Hill), ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20. HB 0217 applies to international airports operated by metropolitan airport authorities in counties with more than 500,000 residents (which …

“On the floor of the United States House of Representatives, there should only be one flag on display: ours. We make serious decisions on behalf of the American people and their taxpayer dollars on the House floor. “This business should be carried out beneath no other banner than our stars and stripes to remind us of who we represent and …

Orlando’s ABC affiliate reports: Months after being voted out of office, former State Representative Carolina Amesty (R-Windermere) has been charged with federal crimes related to a pandemic-era relief program. According to the filing, Amesty and a relative received more than $500,000 across 15 COVID-19 disaster loans. The loans Amesty received or was approved for included $150,000 to her family’s school, …

The New York Times reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence is planning to attend President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inauguration on Monday, according to two people with knowledge of the planning. Mr. Pence was invited by the congressional committee overseeing the event, as is the custom for all former presidents and vice presidents, according to one of the people with knowledge …

Reuters reports: Donald Trump’s incoming presidential administration plans to launch a large immigration raid in Chicago the day after he takes office, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing four people familiar with planning. The raid, expected to start on Tuesday, would last all week, the newspaper said, adding that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) would send between …

The Washington Post reports: Biotech entrepreneur and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy plans to run for Ohio governor, according to two people familiar with his plans who say that the co-leader of President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative will announce his bid shortly. A person inside Ramaswamy’s political apparatus who spoke to Ramaswamy this week said that Ramaswamy …

CBS News reports: Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is expected to name Lt. Gov. Jon Husted to fill the Senate seat that Vice President-elect JD Vance is vacating, multiple sources tell CBS News. DeWine is expected to announce his selection at a 1 p.m. press conference Friday. The announcement will end months of speculation and jockeying for the seat Vance held …

Florida Politics reports: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody hasn’t been sworn into the Senate yet, but she’s already eyeing her first federal election next year. Moody, whom Gov. Ron DeSantis announced as the replacement for future Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will be buoyed by the eponymous Moody for Florida committee, according to Federal Election Commission records. However, Moody may …

NBC News reports: South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Homeland Security, will testify today at a confirmation hearing held by the Senate homeland security committee. If she is confirmed, Noem will oversee a workforce of more than 260,000 people across several agencies. Noem had at one time been viewed as a possible …

Axios reports: Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) conspicuous silence is starting to spook Tulsi Gabbard’s team. Voting against Gabbard would resume hostilities between McConnell and Trump. It could have implications for big policy questions down the line, from funding Ukraine to raising tariffs. Two key GOP swing votes sit on the Intel committee: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Me.), a …

“I’m honored and humbled to be appointed by Gov. DeSantis as the next Attorney General of the Free State of Florida. I’m excited to get to work, build on Ashley Moody’s fine record, help enact the Donald Trump agenda, and defend our people, our constitution, and our Florida way of life!” – James Uthmeier, DeSantis’s chief of staff, on replacing …

Politico reports: Former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell is giving some indirect hints into his thinking on President-elect Donald Trump’s forthcoming nominees. “I will vote to confirm nominees to senior national security roles whose record and experience will make them immediate assets — not liabilities — in the pursuit of peace through strength,” McConnell said during a speech from the …

Atlanta News First reports: A Georgia senator who had been previously banned from the floor of the state House was arrested Thursday when he tried to attend Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address. The governor’s annual speech is delivered from the Georgia House chamber, and state Sen. Colton Moore (R-Trenton) was banned last year after he denounced late …

The Austin Statesman reports: Austin real estate investor Nate Paul on Wednesday pleaded guilty to a charge of making false statements to a financial institution as part of a deal with prosecutors, ending a six-year legal saga. All other counts against Paul will be dropped under the terms of the agreement. He faces up to six months in prison. Paul …

NBC News reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed state Attorney General Ashley Moody to the U.S. Senate, setting her up to fill the seat of Sen. Marco Rubio, whom President-elect Donald Trump tapped to be secretary of state. Rubio was selected to serve in Trump’s administration shortly after Trump won the 2024 presidential race, handing DeSantis a Senate appointment that …

NBC News reports: Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., has been telling potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026, the clearest signal yet that his much-expected bid is moving forward. Donalds, who represents southwest Florida, has long been rumored to be considering a campaign to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, but those rumors have ramped …

Salon reports: Trump tapped Gabbard to serve as the Director of National Intelligence in his second term. In a new report from the Wall Street Journal, however, several insiders claimed Gabbard demonstrated little understanding of what the DNI actually does. She flubbed at least one interview with Republican senators ahead of her confirmation hearing. While meeting with Sen. James Lankford, …