Republicans

The Des Moines Register reports: Exposing minors to an “obscene performance” would be a crime under a bill winding through the Iowa Senate that critics fear could discourage drag shows and spur lawsuits against venues offering LGBTQ pride programming. The legislation, Senate File 116, would make knowingly exposing anyone younger than 18 to such a performance an aggravated misdemeanor, as …

Mediaite reports: Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) joined in spreading the latest MAGA-world accusation against USAID on Wednesday, but it was quickly revealed that the claim was grossly misrepresented and that Boebert herself was engaged in the same practice she was raging about. Boebert shared a Politico report on the many false allegations Elon Musk has spread against USAID and captioned …

“There’s no doubt that the president appears to have empowered Elon Musk far beyond what I think is appropriate. I think a lot of it is going to end up in court. I am concerned if the Trump administration is clawing back money that has been specifically appropriated for a particular purpose.” – Sen. Susan Collins, who met with Musk …

New York City’s ABC affiliate reports: In Nassau County, Democrats are suing Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman over his creation of an armed citizen deputy program. It’s something that opponents say amounts to an illegal militia and they are calling it “an authoritarian power grab in the heart of suburban America.” In what’s been ranked as the safest county in …

The Daily Beast reports: Mitch McConnell was escorted out of the Capitol in a wheelchair at the Capitol on Wednesday after the 82-year-old senator fell twice in short succession. One of McConnell’s falls occurred on stairs outside the Senate chamber, causing “panicked looks to flash across his congressional staff and security detail,” reported The Hill. A group, which included his …

The Associated Press reports: Several large book publishers, a tiny public library and others are suing Idaho officials over a law that forces libraries to keep some books in an adults-only section if community members believe they are “harmful to minors.” The Donnelly Library, Penguin Random House and the others suing say the law is overly vague and violates the …

“Holy father, we’ve seen a darkness in our land for four years. And actually, longer than that. But the last four have been terrible, lord. We have become apostate. The corruption, the perversion, the depravity. The sacrificing of our own children, lord, in the abortion industry. “Lord, we know that no government can save us. Only faithfulness and obedience to …

Fox News reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called President Donald Trump’s proposal to “take over” Gaza a “bold step” toward restoring peace in the region. “Of course, the initial announcement yesterday, I think, was greeted with surprise by many, but cheered by, I think, people all around the world,” Johnson said during his weekly press conference on Wednesday. “Why? …

Courthouse News reports: Congressional Democrats on Tuesday unveiled legislation they say is a response to an illegal effort by President Donald Trump and his allies to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies. But as Democrats took their most concrete steps yet to oppose meddling by the White House and billionaire Elon Musk, Republicans positioned the administration’s actions as an above-board review of …

NBC News reports: The CIA has offered so-called buyouts to its workforce, a CIA spokesperson said, the latest move by the Trump administration to overhaul and scale back the federal government. The offer of eight months of pay and benefits is similar to deferred resignation offers proposed to employees at other federal agencies. But at the CIA, some employees — …

Mediaite reports: In a memo titled, “PLACED ON ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE,” acting deputy administrator for management and resources Pete Marocco advised USAID employees they were “being placed on excused absence (also known as administrative leave) with pay effective immediately.” “During the period that you are on administrative leave you are not to enter USAID premises, access USAID systems, or attempt to …

The Associated Press reports: The Trump administration said late Tuesday that it is pulling almost all U.S. Agency for International Development workers off the job and out of the field worldwide, moving to all but end a six-decade mission to shore up American security by fighting starvation, funding education and working to end epidemics. The administration notified USAID workers in …

The HIPAA Journal reports: Arizona Congressman Rep. Andy Biggs has reintroduced a bill that seeks to abolish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Biggs views OSHA as part of “the bloated federal government” and believes safety and health issues are better handled by states and private employers. OSHA is a federal agency part of the Department of Labor and …

The Hill reports: Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) has called for the deportation Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), a U.S. citizen, to her birth country of Somalia. “America would be a better place if @IlhanMN were deported back to Somalia,” Gill wrote Tuesday on the social platform X. Gill, a first-term lawmaker representing Texas’s 26th Congressional District, was responding to a clip …

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports: Former congressional candidate Sean Parnell has been chosen to serve as the spokesperson for the Pentagon and the assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. Mr. Parnell, a Western Pennsylvania native and veteran, often appeared alongside Trump when he campaigned in the region last fall, including when Trump was shot at during a rally …

“There’s groups that you know believe in violence now as a way to get the change they want and you know you just have to condemn it and hold these people accountable for bad acts. If you look at what’s happened on television – I mean, he’s not been convicted yet – but it sure looks like [the murder] was …

Politico reports: The Trump administration is making moves to place nearly all of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Washington-based staff on leave, according to two people familiar with the steps being taken. A person familiar with the situation said some 1,400 people will be notified Tuesday, on top of about 600 who were placed on leave starting Sunday night. …

Via press release from GOP Rep. Michael Cloud: Congressman Michael Cloud (TX-27) and Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) have introduced the Dismantle DEI Act, a bill to codify into law President Trump’s agenda dismantling so-called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government. This legislation ensures that Trump’s actions are permanently enshrined in law, preventing future administrations from reviving …

The Daily Beast reports: A MAGA senator said he liked “omelets better than sex” when coming to Elon Musk’s defense for shutting down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Louisiana Senator John Kennedy had a bizarre rant on Fox News when he compared the breakfast food to Musk putting USAID on the chopping block. “I like omelets better than …

CBS News reports: The Senate Finance Committee is considering Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination on Tuesday, with a key vote on whether to advance his confirmation to lead the Department of Health and Human Services after a pair of fiery hearings last week. Kennedy appeared Wednesday before the finance committee for a confirmation hearing, before testifying to the Senate Committee …