Republicans

The Indiana Digest reports: Governor Mike Braun’s “Freedom and Opportunity” budget proposal is throwing the future of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library around the state into flux. Under the previous budget, the state matched donations from local partners making the program budget 50% donations and 50% funds from the state. The proposed budget removes that funding altogether. The program came to the Allen …

The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports: A bill to outlaw minors from being present at drag shows could have wider implications for access to art and transgender rights, opponents of the legislation said Tuesday. The legislation, House Study Bill 158, moved out of an Iowa House subcommittee, where lawmakers said they expect changes to the bill. Under the current proposal, any …

The Huffington Post reports: Republicans in the House are considering big cuts to Medicaid — and that isn’t sitting well with one Republican senator, who’s arguing they’d harm many people who voted for President Donald Trump. “I would not do severe cuts to Medicaid,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told HuffPost in an interview. He said he agreed with MAGA whisperer …

The Independent reports: An 11-year-old girl took her own life in Texas after she was tormented by classmates who threatened to call Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities and have her family deported from the U.S, her grieving parents have said. Jocelynn Romo Carranza passed away on February 8 after spending five days being treated in a Dallas hospital. This came …

Florida Politics reports: St. Cloud Police Chief Douglas Goerke will be one of eight inaugural members of Florida’s new State Immigration Enforcement Council. Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson named Goerke to the panel, where he’ll join four appointees chosen by the Legislature’s top two officials in advising the Cabinet on how best to coordinate immigration enforcement with Trump’s administration. Established under …

The Washington Post reports: Republican senators find themselves in an unusual position these days: begging Trump officials to release funds they themselves appropriated. Senators have in recent days made the case to Cabinet secretaries and other Trump officials to let money flow back into their states. They are trying to finagle exceptions to President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive orders or …

“Putin is a war criminal who should be in jail for the rest of his life, if not executed. What we can trust the Russians to do is to do anything to their advantage, to take temporary steps. Vladimir Putin has violated every tenant of international law and should be indicted and prosecuted and jailed, possibly executed.” – GOP Sen. …

St. Louis’s Fox affiliate reports: Legislation introduced in Missouri would create a list of “at risk” pregnant women in the state in order to “reduce the number of preventable abortions.” House Bill 807, nicknamed the “Save MO Babies Act,” was proposed by Republican state Rep. Phil Amato. The bill summary states that, if passed, Missouri would create a registry of …

Bloomberg News reports: The Trump administration is planning to lay off at least 40% of the workers at the federal agency that provides mortgage insurance on loans for people who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for one, according to two sources familiar with the agency’s plans. The FHA is one of the largest mortgage insurers in the world and has insured more …

“Everybody is going to take a little bit of a kick in the stomach here. Everyone. You want to be statesmen in the spirit of our revolutionary forefathers who gave up everything to fight the world’s greatest empire at the time — the British Empire? “We’re just asking you to sacrifice for a little bit for the long-term prosperity of …

Charleston’s CBS affiliate reports: On Friday, February 14, several members of the West Virginia House of Delegates introduced House Resolution 33, which proposes renaming Spruce Knob to “Trump Mountain” five years after the president’s passing. The resolution states, “Spruce Knob symbolizes strength, endurance, and resilience—qualities that epitomize the leadership and perseverance demonstrated by President Donald J. Trump during his time in …

Sen. Bill Cassidy today links to this Fox News report: An outbreak of measles in the South Plains of Texas is continuing to grow, with the number of cases doubling in less than a week. At least 48 cases were identified with symptom onset within the last three weeks, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. More than …

Florida Politics reports: The Senate Community Affairs Committee is moving forward a bill giving the state preemption powers over local governments regarding a future Donald Trump presidential library. Without discussion, the panel advanced Sen. Jason Brodeur’s legislation (SB 118). The Central Florida Republican said the bill was a way to “roll out the welcome mat” and afford Trump “maximum flexibility.” …

NOTUS reports: Trump’s efforts to dismantle USAID could hurt a surprising group: American farmers. As part of his broad slashing and freezing of federal spending, Trump froze food purchases for foreign aid through USAID last month. Over 40% of the food distributed through USAID programs is purchased from farmers in the U.S., amounting to about $2 billion per year. “President …

Phoenix’s ABC affiliate reports: The Arizona Department of Public Safety confirmed State Senator Jake Hoffman was pulled over for going 89 MPH in a posted speed limit zone of 65 MPH on January 22, but he was not cited due to what is called “legislative immunity.” “The Trooper recognized and verified that Mr. Hoffman is an Arizona State Senator, and …

The Associated Press reports: Republicans are weighing billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid, threatening health care coverage for some of the 80 million U.S. adults and children enrolled in the safety net program. Millions more Americans signed up for taxpayer-funded health care coverage like Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace during the Biden administration, a shift lauded by …

Mediaite reports: Vice President JD Vance is never beating the allegations that he’s getting sidelined in what critics have been deriding as the “Trump-Musk administration” — posting a tweet Monday that said threatening to jail people for dissenting views was a “threat to free speech” the morning after Elon Musk literally tweeted that sort of threat. Vance spoke out on …

The Hill reports: Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is set to launch his expected 2026 run for Ohio governor next Monday, The Hill has learned. After weeks of hints at the move, Ramaswamy is on track to kick off his campaign in Cincinnati on Feb. 24, a spokesperson told The Hill. He filed campaign paperwork over the weekend. The …

Boise’s ABC affiliate reports: A co-owner of a Boise mental health clinic serving children and teens, who previously ran for the Idaho State Legislature as a Republican, was arrested Wednesday on multiple felony charges involving alleged sexual abuse of minors. Ryan D. Jenks, 45, was charged with three felony counts: lewd conduct with a child under 16 and two counts of …

Newsweek reports: The Trump administration has urged Romanian authorities to lift travel restrictions on influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan Tate, as they await trial on charges including human trafficking, sexual misconduct, and money laundering, according to a report by the Financial Times. The 37-year-old is currently under house arrest in Romania and is awaiting trial on human trafficking …