Republicans

“I’m safe. As you know I believe in the Second Amendment as well as a lot of other members, so we are armed. We are in a safe location. I can’t disclose where. “You know obviously having the wheelchair I am able to carry many, multiple weapons at one time. “So you know, everyone around me is armed.” – Madison …

Sen. Rand Paul writes for Fox News: To ensure that ineffective, unscientific lockdowns and mandates are never foisted on the American people ever again, I will introduce an amendment to eliminate Dr. Anthony Fauci’s position as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and divide his power into three separate new institutes. Each of these three institutes …

Axios reports: Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, attended the Jan. 6 rally that preceded the deadly riot at the Capitol, she said in an interview with The Washington Free Beacon. Thomas, a well-known conservative activist, said she attended the “Stop the Steal” rally held at the Ellipse in the morning, but got cold and left …

The Hill reports: Politico is demanding Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) stop using a controversial photo, taken last year by a journalist at a publication it owns, on his campaign merchandise. The photo, taken by E&E News photographer Francis Chung, shows Hawley walking to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 with his fist raised in the air. The image was …

Broadway World reports: Randy Rainbow is back with an all new song parody, this time taking on “Dentist!” from Little Shop of Horrors, and putting his own spin on it for “GURL, YOU’RE A KAREN”. Randy Rainbow is a three-time EMMY nominated American comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer and satirist best known for his popular YouTube series, The Randy Rainbow …

The Associated Press reports: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is planning trips to Iowa and New Hampshire. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., is considering a rough timeline for a potential presidential announcement. And allies of Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., are openly talking up her White House prospects. More than two years before the next presidential election, a shadow primary is already beginning …

Florida Politics reports: Rep. Joe Harding’s Ocala home was among those damaged by severe weather in Central Florida Saturday. The Ocala Republican was not at home, though family was. No injuries were reported. “We are blessed,” he said. “It could have been a lot worse.” Harding said a tornado touched down in his Ocala neighborhood. His next-door neighbor’s home was …

Australia’s The Mercury reports: A Donald Trump-endorsed candidate for governor stormed out of an interview with an Australian reporter, saying Aussies had “given your rights away” because they had melted down their guns. Republican candidate for Governor of Arizona, Kari Lake, made the fiery comments during an interview with 60 Minutes reporter Liam Bartlett that was terminated shortly afterwards. Barlett …

The Independent reports: Utah Sen Mitt Romney fiercely criticised former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii on Sunday and suggested that her remarks about the existence of so-called “US biolabs” in Ukraine would result in people being killed. The Republican senator accused his ex-House counterpart, who served as a Democrat but has shifted far to the right since leaving office, of …

Politico reports: Former Attorney General William Barr on Sunday said progressives are “dangerous” to the country and indicated that he could support Donald Trump should he win the Republican nomination in 2024. Barr said on NBC’s “Meet The Press” that he’d favor a generic Republican nominee over the former president if he decides to run again. But when host Chuck …

Reuters reports: Tens of thousands men, women and children joined an anti-war demonstration in central Berlin on Sunday, with many waving Ukrainian flags or holding banners with slogans opposing the Russian invasion. Gathering near the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of a divided Germany during the Cold War, protesters – including people in wheelchairs and toddlers in pushchairs – walked through the …

ABC News reports: More than 6 in 10 Americans oppose legislation that would prohibit classroom lessons about sexual orientation or gender identity in elementary school, a new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds. The ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 62% of Americans oppose such legislation, while 37% support it. Support for this type of legislation increases with age, but doesn’t reach majority …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: With Gov. Ron DeSantis vowing to veto a congressional redistricting plan, a lawsuit filed late Friday asks a federal court to set new U.S. House districts that would be used in this fall’s elections. The lawsuit was filed in the federal Northern District of Florida by two groups and five voters. The crux is that DeSantis’ …

The Hill reports: Republican Rep. Tom Rice (S.C.) slammed former President Trump in a statement on Saturday following the former president’s rally in South Carolina, calling him “a would-be tyrant.” At the rally, Trump said Rice is a “disaster” and “total fool” and criticized the congressman for voting to impeach him following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. …

The right wing Washington Examiner reports: Rep. Madison Cawthorn is stumbling at home and abroad as his bid to play Republican kingmaker falls flat with voters and alienates colleagues. “His antics are wearing thin with his colleagues and with Republican voters,” a senior North Carolina Republican said. Among them are ninth-term Rep. Virginia Foxx, the top Republican on the House …

Florida Politics reports: The House voted against the decriminalization of fentanyl test strips in Florida on Friday, angering some lawmakers in the closing hours of the 2022 Legislative Session. Brandon Democratic Rep. Andrew Learned urged House colleagues to decriminalize the strips, alongside other Democratic lawmakers on the House floor. “This is a product that doesn’t cause harm in any way,” …

NBC News reports: Negotiations between the Florida Senate and House of Representatives, both controlled by Republicans, broke down, with the two sides unable to agree on a bill that would require inspections of aging condo buildings and mandate that condo boards conduct studies to determine how much they need to set aside for repairs. The talks were undone by a …

Axios reports: Retiring Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said Friday that his “biggest regret” during his time in Congress was voting against the first impeachment of former President Trump. Trump was impeached and later acquitted on two articles — abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — related to a phone call in which he pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to …

Florida Politics reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Esther Byrd to the state’s Board of Education, a move that will almost certainly serve to further politicize that appointed panel. Byrd is the wife of Rep. Cord Byrd of Neptune Beach. Rep. Byrd, the incumbent in the current HD 11, is one of the House Republicans who sided with the Governor by …

The Daily Kos reports: In the video, Cawthorn makes the partisan hack joke that Nancy Pelosi only has rules for others, and not for herself (likely something connected to the MAGA-bugaboo of mask mandates). He then jokes, “I’ll tell you, I have to work with her every day so please do pray for me.” He gets a light spatter of …