Republicans

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 …

The Daily Beast reports: Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon went in on far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer Monday, saying she was right out of the horror movie Poltergeist. On Monday’s episode of The Chuck ToddCast, host Chuck Todd asked Bacon what he thought of the recent firing of top aides after Trump’s Oval Office meeting with Loomer Wednesday. “Sometimes, I look at …

From my December 2024 report: Republican Randy Fine has filed a bill in the Florida Senate to ban local governments, public schools and state universities from displaying flags promoting a “fictional” Palestine, “pro-violence” Black Lives Matter, LGBTQ rights and other “woke” topics. “Supporters of Muslim terror, child mutilators, and groomers have no right to taxpayer sponsorship of their repugnant messages,” …

Florida Politics reports: James Uthmeier revealed that he had signed an opinion from Texas, Utah, and other states regarding a significant legal challenge against the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The AG said Monday that a big reason was to let the federal government know Florida was ready to move and was tired of dithering from D.C. “For decades, Washington has …

The Associated Press reports: A former Wisconsin state Supreme Court justice who spread election conspiracies and led an investigation into President Donald Trump’s 2020 loss in the swing state agreed Monday to surrender his law license to settle multiple misconduct violations. The complaint stems from Gableman’s investigation into allegations of fraud related to the 2020 election that Trump narrowly lost …

NBC News reports: Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday said he had selected Nov. 4 as the date for the special election to fill the House seat that had been occupied by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Texas, who died unexpectedly in March. The decision means the deep-blue, Houston-based congressional seat will be vacant for roughly eight months. House …

The Bulwark reports: Like many Republican officials, Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is no fan of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts. Earle-Sears, who on Saturday officially became the GOP nominee to succeed Glenn Youngkin in the governor’s mansion, has repeatedly blasted DEI initiatives. “Democrats think minorities can’t succeed without DEI,” her campaign wrote in an X post in March. …

The Texas Tribune reports: A Travis County district court judge on Friday awarded $6.6 million to four former senior aides to Attorney General Ken Paxton who said they were improperly fired after reporting Paxton to the FBI. Judge Catherine Mauzy stated in her judgment that the plaintiffs — Blake Brickman, Mark Penley, David Maxwell and Ryan Vassar — had proven …