Republicans

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, …

Axios reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has ousted Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) as the chair of the House Intelligence Committee, multiple GOP sources familiar with the matter confirmed to Axios. Turner, who was tapped to lead Republicans on the panel by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2022, has at times broken with party leadership in a way …

The Washington Post reports: Trump has encouraged billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy to consider filling Ohio’s vacant Senate seat. Ramaswamy publicly withdrew his name from consideration for the post in November, after Trump chose him to lead the DOGE panel along with billionaire executive Elon Musk. But the Ohio native has reemerged in recent days as one of the leading contenders for …

Mother Jones reports: At her confirmation hearing Wednesday, Pam Bondi probably assured she will become attorney general. She did that, however, by pretending to be an idiot. The former Florida attorney general and lobbyist refused to confirm or deny that Trump lost the 2020 election, declined to oppose pardons for violent January 6 attackers, would not say if she would …

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Following other Southern state governors, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that U.S. and state flags across the state – now at half-staff in honor of the late President Jimmy Carter – will fly at full-staff when President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated next Monday. U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson already has suspended Carter’s 30-day mourning period to allow …

Politico reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization, Advancing American Freedom, is calling for senators to vote against Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nomination for Health and Human Services secretary over his past support for abortion access. The letter from the conservative advocacy group Advancing American Freedom criticized Kennedy as being “pro-abortion,” specifically over his past support for abortions later in …

“Senator, to cut to the chase, you’re clearly talking about Kash Patel. I don’t believe he has an enemies list. He made a quote on TV, which I have not heard. I saw your sign, or Senator Durbin’s sign, about Kash, but I know that Kash Patel has had 60 jury trials as a public defender, as a prosecutor. He …

NOTUS reports: Early on in his latest campaign for president, Donald Trump unveiled a headline-grabbing campaign promise on Ukraine. “If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day,” Trump told CNN at a candidate town hall in May 2023. “Twenty-four hours,” he said. It was a bold declaration. And it became so ubiquitous on the campaign trail …

The Texas Tribune reports: Two hours after Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock was elected Texas House speaker on Tuesday, Christian worshippers gathered in a Capitol meeting room to prepare for “spiritual war” and protect lawmakers from demonic forces. “Pray for the fear of the Lord to come into this place,” Landon Schott intoned from the stage as a small band …

The Hill reports: Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi dodged a question from Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) on Wednesday about whether President-elect Trump lost the 2020 election. Bondi echoed other Republicans in stating President Biden is now the president, but she would not say Trump lost, and she described the post-2020 transition as peaceful despite the events of Jan. 6, 2021. …

USA Today reports: Sean Duffy, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Department of Transportation secretary, will appear before the Senate for his Wednesday confirmation hearing. From MTV reality star to former Wisconsin Republican congressman to Fox host, Duffy has accrued various job titles in entertainment and politics over the years. He, like other nominees, is an ardent Trump supporter and defender. …

Politico reports: Congratulations, Marco Rubio! You’ll soon be secretary of State. Condolences, too. You’re not likely to last long in the job. Unlike many of President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees, Rubio is a shoo-in for Senate confirmation, having already nabbed some Democratic support. U.S. diplomats and foreign officials, too, view the GOP senator from Florida as a knowledgeable, not-insane, well-behaved person …