Republicans

“I am pleased to announce that Kari Lake will serve as our next Director of the Voice of America. She will be appointed by, and work closely with, our next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, who I will announce soon, to ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and …

NBC News reports: Federal officials Wednesday rejected claims the mysterious drones spotted in New Jersey are coming from an Iranian “mothership.” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., said Wednesday on Fox News that the unidentified flying objects in his state’s skies are coming from an Iranian vessel off the East Coast — a claim the Defense Department flatly denied. Drew, who …

The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) reportedly said that President-elect Donald Trump’s victory puts Americans in “a very, very dangerous world,” stressing that he plans to spend his final two years in the Senate pushing back against the growing Trump-fueled isolationism within the GOP. While McConnell has worked to significantly move the country to the right — much …

The Raleigh New & Observer reports: With North Carolina Republicans set to lose their veto-proof supermajority come 2025, state lawmakers took their final vote Wednesday on a bill that takes away power from incoming Democrats in the executive branch, overturning a veto with a party-line 72-46 vote. Protesters shouted from the gallery overlooking the state House chamber after the vote. …

The Washington Post reports: The House on Wednesday passed an $895.2 billion defense policy bill, after Democrats blasted the inclusion of a provision — pushed at the 11th hour by Speaker Mike Johnson — to prohibit the military’s health-care system from providing specialized treatments to the transgender children of U.S. service members. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed 281 …

Fox News reports: Dozens of Republican state attorneys general are backing Kash Patel, whom President-elect Trump has chosen to lead the FBI in his next administration. In a letter to incoming Senate Republican leader John Thune, R-S.D., who currently serves as Senate minority whip, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., 24 Republican attorneys general advocated for Patel to be the …

The Bulwark reports: “With politicians, if you’ve used a congressional committee and you’ve lied and tried to set people up and falsely imprisoned people, then you should be held accountable,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) told The Bulwark. “If they broke the law, then they should [be imprisoned],” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). “Now we know that they’ve manipulated evidence, so—if …

The Imprint reports: A former foster youth and award-winning advocate for children was arrested at the U.S. Capitol tonight — a bizarre twist in an otherwise celebratory day of events — after South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace accused him of assault. The incident took place outside a House of Representatives office building following an event honoring the anniversary of a …

The Independent reports: An effort to pass a sweeping measure aimed at protecting press freedoms was struck down in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. The journalism shield law — which would limit the federal government’s ability to force disclosure of journalists’ sources — drew strong objections from Trump. Arkansas GOP Sen. Tom Cotton blocked Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden’s …

Washington DC’s Fox affiliate reports: United States Capitol police officers arrested a man Tuesday evening following an alleged assault on U.S. Representative Nancy Mace inside the Rayburn House Office Building. The incident occurred shortly before 6 p.m. when Rep. Mace’s office reported the assault to Capitol Police. Officers from the House Division and agents with the Threat Assessment Section were …

“You’ve got 53 Republicans in the Senate. And I think most Republican senators begin from a proposition that the president is entitled to choose his cabinet nominees. Now, there is a back and forth on it. And so the advice and consent is part of the Constitution. “And by the way, when Joe Biden was president, that’s the same way …

“Almost every single business I know that wants to send a check out won’t use the U.S. Postal Service anymore. I won’t use the U.S. Postal Service anymore. That’s on your watch. The two major decisions I’ve seen you make, which is on the distribution centers and on employee rate hiring, have done nothing to mitigate this in real-time ways. …

The Daily Mail reports: Outgoing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell fell over during a Senate lunch on Tuesday. McConnell, 82, is the outgoing leader of the Senate Republicans and has been battling a string of health issues over the last few years. Medical staff with a wheelchair were reportedly called in to assist after the senator fell during the lunch. …

The Associated Press reports: Wisconsin prosecutors filed 10 additional felony charges Tuesday against two attorneys and an aide to President-elect Donald Trump who advised Trump in 2020 as part of a plan to submit paperwork falsely claiming that the Republican had won the battleground state that year. Jim Troupis, who was Trump’s attorney in Wisconsin, Kenneth Chesebro, an attorney who …

The Texas Tribune reports: A federal judge on Monday issued a court order temporarily blocking a Biden administration rule that would have granted some people brought into the country illegally as children access to health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, a decision that could affect tens of thousands of Texans. The decision comes after Texas and 18 other states …

The right wing Daily Caller reports: Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is calling on Daniel Penny to go after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg following Daniel Penny’s Monday acquittal by a New York City jury in his subway chokehold case. “Alvin Bragg is an absolute catastrophe. First, he indicted Donald Trump in a partisan case, and then he indicted Daniel …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Lara Trump wants to be the next U.S. senator from Florida, and she has a powerful advocate in her corner: her father-in-law. President-elect Donald Trump recently spoke to Gov. Ron DeSantis about Lara Trump, according to people familiar with the discussion, putting in a good word with his former 2024 GOP presidential primary rival. DeSantis …

“I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent …

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 …