Republicans

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: A Florida Panhandle lawmaker has filed the “Right to Rock Act.” Rep. Joel Rudman, R-Navarre, wants to prohibit the cancellation of performances because of an artist’s social media comments or their political affiliation. HB 15 would forbid entertainment venues that have accepted taxpayer funding to cancel contracts for a live presentation by a singer, musicians, dancers, …

“Donald Trump, as you pointed out, said just a few days ago that, he had he had told the NATO ally that he would encourage Putin to do whatever he needed to do whatever he wanted to do. “He basically made clear that, under a Trump administration, the United States is unlikely to keep its NATO commitments. And I think …

Newsweek reports: Representative Tim Burchett of Tennessee, a Republican, has come under fire after falsely claiming on social media that one of the shooters at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration parade last week was “an illegal alien.” Burchett’s claim on X has been corrected on the social media platform, where readers have added context specifying the individual in …

The Hill reports: The former chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party said Sunday he was “tricked” into signing documents alleging former President Trump won the 2020 election as part of the state’s “fake elector” scheme. Andrew Hitt told Anderson Cooper in a “60 Minutes” interview that he was advised by the state GOP’s legal counsel to sign the documents as …

“You know, if you’re talking about pardoning Trump, it’s not a matter of innocence or guilt at that point because that means he would have already been found guilty. I believe in the best interest of bringing the country together. “I would pardon Donald Trump because I think it’s important for the country to move on. We’ve got to leave …

Mediaite has the transcript: HALEY: We are going to have a we are going to have a female president of the United States. It will either be me or it will be Kamala Harris. And if Donald Trump is the nominee of the in for the Republican Party, he will not win. Every poll shows that he will not win. …

NBC News reports: For more than a year, Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and MAGA influencer, was aimed like a heat-seeking missile toward one goal — ousting Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel. But the RNC effort has Kirk increasingly under the microscope in Trump world. In recent weeks, at least three people, including McDaniel herself, have privately warned Trump …

“I don’t trust this court decision. You know, being a practicing lawyer in commercial transactions, I think the whole premise of the case, which all legal analysts have said is unusual, is not really justifiable. We’ll have to see ultimately how the appeals run in this case. “But I think if this case stands, it’s going to be a threat …

“I want to have a system where if you don’t pay up you get kicked out. But no, I’m not inviting Russia to invade Ukraine. President Trump is right to want NATO nations to meet their obligation of 2 percent. We need to turn it into an obligation that means something. I’m a big fan of NATO, but there’s $70-80 …

The Hill reports: Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday dismissed former President Trump’s recent remarks on NATO and his silence on the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, instead touting that he believed the former president made the world “safer” during his White House term. Pressed on Sunday by CNN’s “State of the Union” anchor Jake Tapper on why Trump …

Florida Politics reports: The three Rs (reading, writin’, and arithmetic) are slated to have a new addition soon in public schools: religion. The Senate legislation (SB 1044) is slated to be heard in Tuesday morning’s Appropriations Committee on Education. That bill, sponsored by Sen. Erin Grall, would “authorize volunteer school chaplains to provide support, services, and programs to students as …

The Kansas Reflector reports: A Kansas lawmaker known for pushing discredited treatments for people with COVID-19 urged a bill Thursday pumped from the same vein: An attempt to strip state health officials of their authority to fight infectious diseases. Officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said the proposed bill would pose significant health hazards. Sen. Mark Steffen, …

The Oklahoman reports: A GOP-sponsored anti-abortion bill could create a state database of women who have undergone the procedure and ban emergency contraception. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, including the Republican chair of the House Public Health Committee, expressed concerns that House Bill 3216 from Rep. Kevin West, R-Moore, could ban some forms of birth control, such as IUDs. HB …

NBC News reports: Former Rep. George Santos filed a civil lawsuit against Jimmy Kimmel Saturday accusing the late-night television host of using fake names to request Cameo videos from the former lawmaker and then misusing them on his show. Santos sued Kimmel for copyright infringement, fraud, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. He is seeking at least $750,000 in damages. …

Arizona Central reports: House Bill 2876 would kill Arizona’s phenomenally popular, three-decade-old early voting program that is used by nearly 90% of voters. Henceforth, only those who are aged, infirm or out of state on Election Day would be able to cast an early ballot. HB 2876, ending early voting and mandating a return to precinct polling, was approved Wednesday …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton remains on track to be tried for felony fraud this spring after the presiding judge shot down his attempts to have the charges thrown out. During a Friday court hearing in Houston, Harris County District Court Judge Andrea Beall rejected Paxton’s arguments that his right to a speedy trial had been …

“My biggest issue is, I don’t want the RNC to become, you know, his legal defense fund. I don’t want the RNC to become his piggy bank for his personal court cases. We’ve already seen him spend $50 million worth of campaign contributions towards his personal court cases. “Now, we see him trying to get control of the RNC so …

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports: The former chairman of the Wisconsin Republican Party in a new interview claims he sent Congress paperwork he signed posing as an elector for Donald Trump following the former president’s 2020 election loss out of fear for his safety from the candidate’s supporters. Andrew Hitt, who was chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin during …

Salt Lake City’s NBC affiliate reports: After discussion in an hourslong, closed-door session, the Utah State Board of Education voted publicly to strip Natalie Cline of several of her powers as a state board member in response to her post questioning the gender of a student-athlete online. The board also asked her to resign immediately. The formal censure includes stripping …

The Washington Post reports: The Fulton County district attorney’s office opted not to put Fani Willis back on the witness stand Friday, avoiding the spectacle of more deeply personal testimony from the top prosecutor as she fights an effort to derail Donald Trump’s 2020 Georgia election interference case. On Friday, prosecutors sought to bolster Willis’ testimony that Wade was not …