Republicans

The Texas Tribune reports: Former U.S. Attorney and Elon Musk lawyer John Bash is the first to throw his hat in the ring to replace Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is making a bid for a U.S. Senate seat. Bash previously worked as a federal prosecutor for the Western District of Texas until 2020, and served as a special assistant …

“I’ve been very outspoken about this. It’s a sham – this whole climate change is a sham. First of all, God controls the climate because he controls the sun and the sun controls the weather, primarily.” – GOP Rep. Mary Miller, speaking to an apparent Christian nationalist podcaster. Last year Miller earned national headlines when she declared that climate activists …

Miami’s CBS affiliate reports: The man accused of plotting to kill President Donald Trump at his West Palm Beach golf club during the presidential campaign will face new charges – this time in the state of Florida. Accused would-be assassin Ryan Routh already faces federal charges after he allegedly hid outside the perimeter of the Trump International Golf Club before …

“So, as a father of a one-year-old who is going through his vaccine regimen right now, that is something that I’m choosing for my son. We are getting him vaccinated just like I was vaccinated. In the case of the measles vaccine, that’s something that’s been long established. And I think we have a fairly good track record of evidence …

The Associated Press reports: Facing a deadline from an immigration judge to turn over evidence for its attempted deportation of Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil, the federal government has instead submitted a brief memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, citing the Trump administration’s authority to expel noncitizens whose presence in the country damages U.S. foreign policy interests. The …

“So whether you think we had to go through the operation or we didn’t have to go through the operation, bottom line is we ended up in a spot that is a much better spot than we were in three days ago. And, again, all of the reporting suggests precisely the theory that the president changed where he was on …

Democracy Docket reports: The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a major voter suppression measure that, if it became law, could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters and badly undermine U.S. democracy. The vote count was 220 to 208, with four Democrats voting for the bill and zero Republicans opposing it. Democrats …

The Alabama Reflector reports: An Alabama House committee approved legislation to expand the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law throughout K-12 public schools on Wednesday. HB 244, sponsored by Rep. Mack Butler, R-Rainbow City, would prohibit public school teachers at all grade levels from teaching or discussing gender identity or sexuality. The legislation also prohibits the display of pride flags and …

CBS News reports: The lower chamber was set to vote Wednesday evening on the budget resolution but punted after several House conservatives resisted increasing pressure from Mr. Trump to accept the blueprint that would open the door to implementing his border security, defense, energy priorities and extending expiring tax cuts. “I’m happy to tell you that this morning, I believe …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas senators could vote this week on a bill that would drastically limit how the state’s public universities teach their students about history, race and inequality. Senate Bill 37 would also create a way to file complaints about universities that higher ed experts say could threaten their funding and create a profound chilling effect. If the …

Florida Politics reports: Democrats shared their personal fertility stories and quoted “The Handmaid’s Tale” on the House floor Wednesday but that wasn’t enough to sway Republicans from voting against a bill to allow wrongful death lawsuits to be filed for fetuses. “It is devastating to lose a pregnancy. I know because I’ve lost three,” said Rep. Allison Tant, a Democrat, who …

Politico reports: The House passed legislation Wednesday that would limit the power of lower court judges to issue orders with broad national implications amid a rash of rulings to halt the Trump administration’s agenda. Members voted 219-213 on the No Rogue Rulings Act, with just one Republican joining Democrats in opposition. Trump and his base have increasingly called for the …

Axios reports: The House fell into uncertain territory Wednesday evening after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) pulled a scheduled vote on a key budget measure in the face of intractable right-wing opposition. It is not clear what Johnson’s next steps are, with the speaker conceding to reporters that a Thursday vote is not assured. The GOP speaker said he doesn’t …

NOTUS reports: At a fundraiser for the NRCC last night, Donald Trump wisecracked about House Republicans feeling angsty about his tariff plans. “I just saw it today, a couple of your congressmen, sir, ‘I think we should get involved in the negotiation of the tariffs,’” he said, pointing at Speaker Mike Johnson, who was sitting at a table near the …

“During his first term John Cornyn voted with President Trump more than 95% of current Senators, securing the votes for his biggest accomplishments as his Whip. Democrats are trying to destroy President Trump, and he and Texas need a battle-tested conservative who knows how to protect his agenda in the Senate and won’t be outsmarted by Chuck Schumer. “Ken Paxton …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday he will challenge U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in next year’s midterm elections, setting up a barnburner clash of two Republican titans that is poised to reverberate across state and national politics. Appearing on Fox News host Laura Ingraham’s show, Paxton said it was “time for a change in Texas” …

“There were definitely some warning signs about Amy Commie Barrett, but, it is a despicable thing that this has happened again. You know, there’s this — Sandra Day O’Connor was this Ronald Reagan appointee to the court, and she was supposed to be this, like, rock ribbed conservative, and they all go left. They all swing left. “What happened yesterday …

The New York Times reports: Beijing has denounced Vice President JD Vance’s rhetoric as “ignorant” after he said the United States was borrowing money from “Chinese peasants” in a television interview last week. “China’s position on Sino-U.S. economic and trade relations has been made very clear,” said Lin Jian, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, during a news conference on …

Manchester’s ABC affiliate reports: Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has decided he will not run for U.S. Senate in 2026. “I’ve done eight years and it was a hard eight years as governor. To sign up for the Senate, you’re really signing up for 12 more years, so that’s a commitment I hadn’t really put into the mix, and, again, …

The Guardian reports: A libertarian group that has been funded by Leonard Leo and Charles Koch has mounted a legal challenge against Donald Trump’s tariff regime, in a sign of spreading right wing opposition to a policy that has sent international markets plummeting. The New Civil Liberties Alliance filed a suit against Trump’s imposition of import tariffs on exports from …