Republicans

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Office is announcing the graduation of new Florida State Guard members. The first 205 graduates of the February Initial Entry Training (IET)’s three-week program passed the test. “The Florida State Guard serves an important role in emergency response for the state. I am pleased to see this important volunteer force continue to grow to …

The Hill reports: When asked by “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream how much “pressure” the U.S. or other international leaders should put on Russia and Ukraine to find a solution, Rubio said, “I’m not going to set parameters on what that looks like. It’s not our place to do that; it’s premature to do that.” “Here’s what I do …

NBC News reports: Kari Lake, the Arizona Republican candidate running for Senate, has proclaimed abortion “the ultimate sin,” said abortion pills should be illegal, and praised laws to restrict reproductive rights in other conservative-led states. Lake now says she believes Arizona will settle on a rule that offers access to abortion up to 15 to 24 weeks. She called the …

The Washington Post reports: Former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley said Sunday that she no longer feels bound by the earlier pledge made by her and other presidential hopefuls to support the GOP’s eventual nominee . The Republican National Committee made that pledge a key condition for candidates who wanted to participate in the party’s debates. Haley acknowledged in an …

ABC News reports: Georgia House Republicans are backing a bill that would require every eligible police and sheriff’s department to help identify undocumented immigrants, arrest them and detain them for deportation. The House voted 97-74 on Thursday for House Bill 1105 after police accused a Venezuelan man of beating a nursing student to death on the University of Georgia campus. …

Toledo’s ABC affiliate reports: J.R. Majewski, who was running to be the Republican candidate to face U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur (D, Toledo) in November, has suspended his campaign. The announcement came weeks after Majewski made headlines for a comment he made during a conservative podcast in February in which he compared arguing online to competing in the Special Olympics in …

The Washington Examiner reports: Former President Donald Trump endorsed Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) on Saturday to represent Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in the House of Representatives. The front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination called Boebert a “Proven Conservative and Effective Leader who delivers for Colorado, and our America First agenda” in a post on Truth Social. “Congresswoman Lauren Boebert is …

Al Jazeera reports: Former United States President Donald Trump has cruised to victory in Republican caucuses in Michigan, Missouri and Idaho, gaining huge momentum in the race to capture his party’s presidential nomination. The former president has now won every state-nominating contest heading into next week’s “Super Tuesday,” when voters in 15 US states and one territory choose their preferred …

Politico reports: Speaker Mike Johnson is eager to escape the chaos of a two-seat House majority. And he’s leaning on Donald Trump for help. During a February meeting with the former president at Mar-a-Lago, Johnson and his House GOP campaigns chief briefed Trump on several upcoming primary races, making the case that certain extreme candidates could blow the party’s chances …

“Now, what we’re trying to do is go to the next phase, have the public hearing, bring all the associates in, and let everyone see everyone’s side of the story and make a determination. “But at the end of the day, we’re gonna try to hold this family accountable. We’re gonna try to have referrals. We gonna try to identify …

Florida Politics reports: Language for a new social media bill with provisions for parental consent has been filed in the Senate. The move came after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed an all-out ban on those under 16 using most social media platforms. Sen. Erin Grall, a Fort Pierce Republican, filed an amendment with new language negotiated with the House, Senate and …

The Hill reports: A Texas district court judge on Friday temporarily halted a demand from the state attorney general’s office for an LGBTQ advocacy group to hand over information related to its support of transgender children receiving gender-affirming medical care. PFLAG National, a nonprofit group that supports LGBTQ people and their families, sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) late …

NBC News reports: Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Friday that she doesn’t know whether Donald Trump would follow the Constitution if elected president again. “I don’t know. I mean, you always want to think someone will, but I don’t know,” Haley said. Citing Trump’s remarks over the course of his campaign about using …

Roll Call reports: House Republicans will no longer blur the faces of Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol rioters in security footage posted online, Speaker Mike Johnson announced Friday. The decision reverses an earlier call to protect the identities of those who participated in the pro-Trump mob attack. The House Administration Committee, which took possession of all Jan. 6-related materials at the …

The Washington Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) vetoed what would have been one of the nation’s most restrictive bans against children using social media on Friday, drawing a line in the debate over kids’ online safety over concerns the bill did not allow parents to supervise teens’ activity. But unlike laws in Utah and Arkansas blocking kids under …

Courthouse News reports: Planned Parenthood traffics minors across states lines to obtain secret abortions, Missouri’s attorney general claims in a lawsuit filed Thursday. Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican, filed the suit in Boone County circuit court seeking an order stopping the actions. Bailey claims in the complaint to have video of Planned Parenthood staff members acknowledging they take minors …

Gainesville’s ABC affiliate reports: The University of Florida is firing all employees in positions related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) according to a memo sent on Friday. It follows the passage of a state law in 2023 targeting college funds spent on DEI. UF officials say they have closed the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions …

Reuters reports: The Michigan Republican Party is in turmoil. The fight to oust Kristina Karamo, elected as Republican party chair in Michigan last year, has become increasingly bitter and personal, leaving deep divisions in the local party. At the center of that battle is Bree Moeggenberg. The 44-year-old member of the Republican state committee – a governing board for the …

Florida Politics reports: It could be significantly harder for unhoused people to sleep in public spaces soon, as the House has passed legislation cracking down on the practice and compelling counties to set up homeless camps. The Republican Rep. Sam Garrison bill has been called a “carrot and stick” approach to managing the homeless problem in the state. “The status …

The Associated Press reports: A federal judge is upholding provisions of new Arizona laws that would require counties to verify the status of registered voters who haven’t provided proof of U.S. citizenship and cross-check voter registration information with various government databases. In a ruling Thursday, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton concluded Arizona legislators did not discriminate when they adopted the …