Republicans

CBS News reports: Luigi Mangione, a person of interest in the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City, is related to a prominent family in Maryland. The Mangiones own several country clubs, including Haysfield Country Club in Hunt Valley, as well as healthcare facilities [JMG: bolding is mine] and real estate companies in the Baltimore area. Luigi …

Semafor reports: Kari Lake is a leading contender for the nomination as Donald Trump’s ambassador to Mexico, two people familiar with the situation told Semafor. Lake won Trump’s endorsement in both her unsuccessful bids for statewide office in Arizona. The former news anchor and vocal proponent of stringent border security lost an Arizona Senate bid last month to Democratic Sen.-elect …

Florida Politics reports: Rep. Joel Rudman has filed open carry legislation for consideration by the Florida House. The Navarre Republican put the legislation in the hopper as he runs in a Special Election to succeed former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz in Congress. “Today, we reaffirm Florida’s commitment to the Constitution, and once again, the Third District leads the way,” Rudman …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s Governor initially fumed about a miscarriage of justice against a subway vigilante in New York, but Monday’s verdict gave him new faith in the jurors of the Empire State. “The acquittal of Daniel Penny is clearly the just and correct verdict. I must admit I was skeptical that a jury in New York City would reach …

“President Trump is right to end birthright citizenship by executive order on Day One. We are one of a handful of countries in the world that allows birthright citizenship. “In other words, if you’re born in the United States, you’re automatically an American citizen. This and birth tourism from developed countries like China have become one of the biggest magnets …

“We all agree this is an unsustainable area that we’re in right now — almost $36 trillion in debt and we are spending more on the interest on our debt than we are going to spend on the National Defense Authorization Act this year. Over a trillion dollars. “And so we’ve got to right the ship and it’s going to …

Playbook reports: The shocking collapse this weekend of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has reinvigorated scrutiny about Gabbard’s past sympathies for the brutal dictator. Her 2017 visit to Damascus to meet with Assad — years after he gassed his own people — and her comments defending his rule have long exemplified the former Democratic congresswoman’s unconventional foreign policy views. Now …

The Daily Beast reports: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears to have changed her tune when it comes to powerful men accused of sexually abusing and trafficking young girls. Just last month, she was threatening her fellow Republican lawmakers in an attempt to keep an ethics probe into her friend, former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL)—who has been accused of sex trafficking …

The Associated Press reports: Lara Trump will step down as co-chair of the Republican National Committee as she considers a number of potential options with her father-in-law, President-elect Donald Trump, set to return to the White House. Among those possibilities is replacing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whom Trump tapped to be the next secretary of state. If Rubio is confirmed, …

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger writes on Substack: Donald Trump’s latest threat to “jail” members of the January 6 Committee is nothing more than the desperate howl of a man who knows history will regard him with shame. Let me be clear: we did nothing wrong. The January 6 Committee’s work was driven by facts, the Constitution, and the pursuit of …

“We’ve all been residents for the state of Florida now for over three years. If that’s something that’s put in front of me, it would be a true honor. But, yeah, look, I think probably my last name does heighten my political profile a little bit, but I’ve got a proven track record. “I’ve been co-chair of the RNC during …

The Associated Press reports: Sen. Joni Ernst made her most expansive comments yet on Pete Hegseth, telling a largely GOP audience at a California security conference Saturday that she needs to hear more from President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled defense secretary pick on key issues before she decides whether to support him. ”I am a survivor of sexual assault,” said Ernst …

“Within the party Ronald Reagan once led so capably, it is increasingly fashionable to suggest that the sort of global leadership he modeled is no longer America’s place. But let’s be absolutely clear: America will not be made great again by those who are content to manage our decline. “At both ends of our politics, a dangerous fiction is taking …

Cincinnati’s ABC affiliate reports: JD Vance’s mother took aim at Middletown City Council for doing nothing to recognize her son following his election victory as vice president on Nov. 5 with President-elect Donald J. Trump. Middletown council was blasted last month by a local pastor for not doing enough to recognize the vice president-elect, who is a native of Middletown …

The Associated Press reports: Military leaders are rattled by a list of “woke” senior officers that a conservative group urged Pete Hegseth to dismiss for promoting diversity in the ranks if he is confirmed to lead the Pentagon. The list compiled by the American Accountability Foundation includes 20 general officers or senior admirals and a disproportionate number of female officers.  …

Mediaite reports: Chris Hayes broke down a plan by Republican legislators to transfer billions of dollars of taxpayer money to owners of Bitcoin in exchange for their holdings. At issue is a bill introduced by Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) that, if enacted, would require the U.S. Treasury to buy one million Bitcoins over five years and be held for at …

Politico reports: Over the past six years, Pam Bondi has worked as a Washington lobbyist for one of the top firms in the country, representing corporate behemoths such as Amazon and Uber. Now, some of the same clients her firm represents are squaring off against the Department of Justice she’s poised to lead. And corporate interests are cautiously optimistic that …

GOP Rep. Andy Biggs writes for the Washington Examiner: Year in and year out, Congress fails to perform one of its most basic responsibilities: to pass a budget. There is even a statute that sets forth the method and timeline for passing a federal budget. But instead, Congress opts for something known as a “continuing resolution,” which is a monolithic …

“I know he’s under fire in the Senate, but he’s under fire from squishy senators who have been against everything we want to do. And so I hope he holds the line all the way through. I’m defending him and we should all defend him. “You know, look, we’ve all had some indiscretions in our past and things like that. …

Newsweek reports: Expelled Congressman George Santos reappeared on Capitol Hill Thursday dressed in a Santa suit. Santos, ousted from Congress a year ago after a damning House Ethics report found that he engaged in fraud, was spotted at U.S. Representative Tim Burchett’s annual 15-minute Christmas party. Santos served as a congressman for 11 months before his expulsion. Burchett had hinted …