Republicans

Houston Landing reports: A Friday lesson intended to teach students at dozens of Houston ISD schools how to think objectively included a video that mocked the idea of human-caused climate change from PragerU, a Florida nonprofit criticized for pushing biased, conservative viewpoints. Meant to help students discern fact from opinion, the seven-minute clip encouraged viewers to “do your own research,” …

The Salt Lake Tribune reports: Sen. Mike Lee spent the weekend aggressively pushing conspiracy theories and misinformation about the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.  In the months after the Jan. 6 riot, Lee received campaign donations from three Arizona Republicans who signed documents falsely claiming Trump won the 2020 election in that state. James Lamon, who unsuccessfully ran …

“I was also scared because no one can tell me that those were Trump supporters. I fully believe that they were Antifa BLM rioters. The same ones we saw caused over $2 billion in damage in American cities across the country the previous year. And I was actually scared. And luckily there was another member of Congress – I’m not …

Peter Montgomery reports at Right Wing Watch: Arkansas Gov. Sarah Sanders has appointed Jason Rapert, a Christian nationalist activist and former state senator to the state library board. Rapert was a zealously anti-LGBTQ and anti-choice lawmaker who ran for lieutenant governor last year but was defeated in the Republican primary. Earlier this month, Rapert tweeted a long angry rant against …

NBC News reports: Leaders of Ron DeSantis’ Never Back Down super PAC met privately last Tuesday to hash out a strategy for fighting Nikki Haley’s rise in the polls. Instead, two of them nearly came to blows. Jeff Roe, the top consultant for the super PAC, got into a heated argument with longtime DeSantis confidant Scott Wagner while a small …

The Washington Post reports: Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats endorsed Ron DeSantis for president on Tuesday, joining a roster of prominent conservatives in a state that could be make-or-break for the Florida governor’s campaign as it faces stiff headwinds. Evangelical Christians have made up almost two-thirds of Iowa GOP caucusgoers in past years, and DeSantis is appealing heavily to …

Iowa Public Radio reports: A jury spent about five hours deliberating before convicting Kim Phuong Taylor on 52 counts of voter fraud in federal court Tuesday in Sioux City. Taylor faces up to five years in prison on each count. A sentencing date hasn’t been set. Prosecutors say Taylor took advantage of other Vietnamese immigrants by illegally filling out election …

Roll Call reports: Republican Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio announced Tuesday he will not seek reelection in 2024 after accepting an offer to become Youngstown State University’s new president. Johnson, who was first elected to represent The Buckeye State’s 6th District in 2010, said in a statement he will continue serving in the House “for several more months” and that …

The Washington Blade reports: A new bill just introduced in Florida aims to expand “Don’t Say Gay Or Trans” provisions to a broad range of workplaces. Targeting government employees, contractors, and nonprofits, the bill sets forth restrictions and bans on policies relating to pronouns, gender identity, and sexuality. Specifically, it would prohibit state and local government employees as well as …

CNN reports: Mike Johnson, the new speaker of the House, voiced support for revisiting Supreme Court decisions that struck down restrictions on the use of contraception, barred bans on gay sex and legalized same sex marriages, according to a CNN review of his prior public statements. On a conservative talk radio show the day the Supreme Court struck down Roe …

Democracy Docket reports: Black voters today filed a federal lawsuit challenging North Carolina’s new state Senate districts that were enacted last month by the Republican-controlled Legislature. The North Carolina Legislature’s redrawing of the state Senate districts — along with the state House and congressional districts — ensued after the North Carolina Supreme Court’s newly constituted Republican majority overturned its prior …

The Pensacola News Journal reports: A new poll shows U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz is a polarizing figure in Florida, both in and outside of the Republican Party. A poll from the Florida Atlantic University Mainstreet PolCom Lab released last week showed that 57% of Florida voters disapproved of Gaetz’s performance as a member of Congress. The poll said only 21% …

NBC News reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson, who recently made clear his endorsement of Donald Trump in 2024, met with the former president Monday night, two sources familiar with the meeting said. Johnson, R-La., and Trump met at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida days after Johnson told CNBC in an interview that he is “all in for President Trump,” who …

Cedar Rapids’ ABC affiliate reports: The Iowa Board of Regents has voted to approve recommendations from a study group that would water down currently existing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) functions. The Board of Regents formed a study group earlier this year after Governor Reynolds [photo] signed a bill directing a “comprehensive study and review of the diversity, equity and …

The Texas Tribune reports: Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an investigation Monday evening into Media Matters for possible fraudulent activity in response to the media watchdog group’s report last week that prompted companies to pull advertisements from X, the site formerly known as Twitter. Earlier on Monday, X CEO Elon Musk filed a federal lawsuit in the Northern District of …

“There was no Due process! A report designed to smear me and create narratives that are false is what this was. We were never asked a single question pertaining to their ‘findings’ all we were asked for was to produce and we did to the best of our ability. They got so much wrong in this report and refused my …

The Ohio Capital Journal reports: An Ohio House committee has signed off on the Second Amendment Preservation Act, clearing the way for its consideration on the floor. The measure removes references in state firearms law to federal statutes and places strict limits on cooperation with federal officials. The stated purpose being to keep local agencies from enforcing federal laws or …

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced the creation of a new joint fundraising committee, called Grow the Majority, that will be his principal fundraising apparatus to support Republicans running for House seats. The creation of the organization will allow Johnson and his political apparatus to solicit six-figure donations from high-dollar donors and distribute those funds across the 70 …

Bloomberg News reports: Elon Musk railed against “bogus” media reports accusing him of antisemitism, issuing his strongest response yet after endorsing antisemitic content in a post on X that provoked outrage and alienated advertisers like Apple Inc. The backlash erupted last week after the billionaire Tesla Inc. chief and X-owner agreed with a post that said Jewish people hold a …

Politico reports: Senate Republicans are rolling out a provocative new strategy as they try to boost the GOP’s chances in Arizona next year: propping up incumbent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema. NRSC operatives have been fretting about polls that have shown Sinema, an independent, pulling in nearly twice as many Republican voters as Democrats in a three-way race. So in a bid …