Republicans

Media Matters has the transcript: STEVE DOOCY (HOST): Because the Republicans are running on it and Joe Biden’s numbers are so underwater on it, the Republicans want this through November so they can say, “Joe Biden broke it.” But then the Democrats, now, if the Republicans don’t go for it, are going to be able to say, “Hey, we had …

Roll Call reports: A year ago, Rep. Victoria Spartz declared she would not run for reelection to the House in 2024 because she wanted to spend more time with her two teenage daughters. On Monday, the Indiana Republican changed her mind. “Earlier last year, I decided to take some time off from running for public office to recharge and spend …

“Almost anyone that President Trump is considering and would consider as a serious running mate can absolutely beat Kamala Harris in a debate. I think that Tim Scott checks a lot of the boxes, somebody who dropped out of the race and is actively campaigning for President Trump, but who will eat into this notion that the Democrats have a …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) went after Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) on Monday, saying he is not “fit to serve” after he said he would have chosen not to certify the 2020 election results without pro-Trump electors. Vance said Sunday in an ABC “This Week” interview he would have allowed states to send multiple slates of electors …

The Colorado Sun reports: U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert asked for and received a temporary restraining order Friday against her former husband, Jayson Boebert. The order also covers three of the couple’s four sons. In requesting the order, the Republican congresswoman filled out a checklist alleging incidents ranging from name calling and harassing phone calls to “abusing children in household” between …

“It’s interesting that he [Johnson] said he’s already opposed to it. He needs three weeks to be able to read it, but he’s already opposed to it. So again, people have got to be able to read it and go through it themselves. Don’t just go off of Facebook post somewhere what the bill says. Unfortunate that he would step …

The Des Moines Register reports: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ new attempt to enforce conservative values in Iowa, introducing a bill that would define the words “sex,” “man” and “woman” in state law, has raised the hackles of civil rights and LGBTQ groups. It sounds simple, but the bill would have wide-ranging implications, including requiring changes to the way Iowa collects public …

Raw Story reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson spoke to “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Sunday, claiming he was being left out of all of the negotiations between the Democrats and Republicans over the border and military funding bills. CNN’s Capitol reporter Manu Raju posted on the social media site “X” that Republican Sen. James Lankford (OK) was “invited …

Axios reports: Florida is suing the Biden administration over a new policy limiting when states can remove children from public health insurance programs. The lawsuit challenges the implementation of a law requiring states to let kids remain eligible for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program for 12 straight months before reviewing their status, regardless of life changes that mean …

The Daily Beast reports: Add another ignoble credential to Rep. Nancy Mace’s résumé. As of Monday, according to three sources familiar with the matter, Mace’s entire D.C. staff has turned over since Nov. 1, 2023. That’s nine staffers in the span of a few short months—with all but one of those employees leaving on their own accord. The lone exception …

The New York Times reports: On official biographies on Instagram and X, she calls herself a “former IDF paratrooper,” invoking one of the Israeli military’s most vaunted combat roles. But, as Ms. Pilip herself has acknowledged, she was an armorer maintaining weapons in the paratrooper’s brigade, not a paratrooper or trained parachutist. She did not face combat. Ms. Pilip’s campaign …

Mediaite reports: In an interview on Inside Politics Sunday, CNN anchor Manu Raju asked Santos about the possibility he will take a plea deal on the 13-count federal indictment he’s facing. “You’ve been in talks over a possible plea agreement and the federal indictment you’re facing,” Raju said. “Do you expect you will reach a plea deal that will keep …

ABC News reports: Sen. JD Vance on Sunday defended Donald Trump as the former president faces a litany of legal issues amid his comeback campaign for the White House. In a contentious interview with ABC News “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos, Vance — a onetime Trump critic — also doubled down on his views of the 2020 election, saying the …

Politico reports: Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley on Sunday said that states can’t secede, backtracking from remarks she made last week. “According to the Constitution, they can’t,” she told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.” On Wednesday, Haley had said, “If Texas decides they want to do that, they can do that. If that whole state says …

The Hill reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday dug into the timing of President Biden’s response to last week’s deadly drone strikes, arguing the U.S. gave Iraq and Syria a “weeks notice,” that only served to kill “some dumbass,” who did not know the counter-attack was coming. “If the goal is to deter Iran, you’re failing miserably. If the …

The Daily Beast reports: For the first few minutes of this week’s Saturday Night Live, it seemed like the show was going for a pretty standard cold open. James Austin Johnson started off with his familiar Donald Trump impression; he delivered some fun bits about Taylor Swift and the Super Bowl, but for the most part seemed to be staying …

From the Justice Department: Alexander M.M. Uballez, United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, announced today that Demetrio Trujillo pled guilty to conspiracy, two counts of interference with federally protected activities, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, …

Roll Call reports: Speaker Mike Johnson told GOP lawmakers on Saturday that he’s preparing to bring a stand-alone, $17.6 billion supplemental funding package for Israel and U.S. troops in the Middle East to the House floor next week. The move comes as Republicans in that chamber seek to preempt the Senate’s push on a much broader war and border security …

The Associated Press reports: Facing a cash crunch and harsh criticism from a faction of far-right conservatives, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel on Friday called for the party to unite behind the goal of defeating Biden. McDaniel spoke at the RNC’s winter meeting in Las Vegas behind closed doors on Friday, addressing a gathering of state chairmen and other top party …

ABC News reports: In the two weeks since ending his 2024 presidential campaign, Ron DeSantis has returned to Florida and to the duties of his governorship, while still focusing on some of the culture war issues that helped him build a national profile. DeSantis began 2023 as the best positioned Republican candidate to challenge Trump for the party’s presidential nomination, …