Republicans

Newsweek reports: South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said Tuesday that it will be “difficult” for Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Defense, to defend himself against an allegation of sexual assault. Graham called the allegation “disturbing,” telling CBS News, “I think some of these articles are very disturbing. He obviously has a chance to defend himself here, …

The Hill reports: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) vented his displeasure Monday after two Democratic-appointed federal judges reversed their decisions to retire in what appear to be efforts to stop President-elect Trump from nominating their successors. McConnell called the unusual decisions to forgo retirement following Trump’s sweeping victory last month a “partisan” gambit that would undermine the integrity of …

“We’re gonna have to have some hard decisions. We gotta bring the Democrats in to talk about Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare. “There’s hundreds of billions of dollars to be saved, and we know how to do it, we just have to have the stomach to actually take those challenges on. “We have to have some real hard discussions. When you …

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s current Attorney General wants her immediate predecessor to be confirmed as the nation’s top lawyer, in the latest sign that Sunshine State Republicans are united behind President-elect Donald Trump’s pick. “Pam Bondi is a proven leader and fighter for justice,” said Ashley Moody in a statement accompanying a letter from 30 Attorneys General to Senate leadership. …

“I’ve always thought that we should respect the office of the president, but this president is not worthy of that respect. He has diminished, he has demeaned the office. In fact, he and his family are so full of slime that Nickelodeon is going to sue for trademark infringement. “This big guy is a liar, he is a crook, a …

The Detroit News reports: Republican Michigan state Rep. Josh Schriver said Monday that gay marriage should be “illegal again,” voicing opposition to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that set the standard for the nation and spurred same-sex weddings across the country nine years ago. Schriver of Oxford made his statement on the social media platform X, 27 days after the …

NBC News reports: Republican senators who met Monday with Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for defense secretary, brushed aside sexual assault and other allegations against him. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., called the allegations a “side issue” while lauding Hegseth’s ability to lead the Defense Department. “Again, they’re throwing disparaging remarks at someone who has earned a great deal of …

Courthouse News reports: With just weeks left in control of the Senate, Democrats implored the incoming Republican top brass Monday to respect the chamber’s longstanding responsibility of confirming White House officials, despite calls from the next administration to abandon the process. The call for bipartisanship in the next Congress, issued by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, comes just weeks after …

Florida Politics reports: Miami Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia wants to end weather modification in the Sunshine State. It would prohibit the injection, release or dispersion of any substance or apparatus into the atmosphere within Florida’s borders “for the express purpose of affecting the temperature, the weather, or the intensity of sunlight.” Based on Garcia’s recent social media activity, her …

The Raleigh News & Observer reports: The North Carolina Senate voted to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday amid protests, the latest example of Republicans using their supermajority power after election results indicated they will lose it next month. There was no debate. Just before the vote was called, someone shouted from the packed gallery above …

Law & Crime reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott threatened to take away funding from a children’s hospital if it fails to follow his executive order requiring medical care facilities to ask patients about their immigration status on intake forms. Abbott made the post on X in response to a doctor’s viral video on TikTok telling patients they were under no …

The Washington Post reports: In a 2019 production of his eponymous show, Mehmet Oz extolled the transformational results of Ozempic in an interview with comedian Billy Gardell about managing his Type 2 diabetes — and shedding 21 pounds after five months on the medication. “Whoa! Now we’re talking!” Oz said as he double high-fived Gardell before turning to a drug …

Axios reports: Three of the biggest investment firms in the world were sued by 11 states last week, in a case that not only could transform the way trillions of dollars is managed, but could also hobble global efforts to transition to a sustainable level of carbon emissions. Texas AG Ken Paxton, along with 10 of his colleagues, is attempting …

ABC News reports: Republican Sen. Mike Rounds emphasized his support for current FBI Director Christopher Wray after President-elect Donald Trump announced he intended to nominate loyalist Kash Patel for the department’s top job. “I think the president picked a very good man to be the director of the FBI when he did that in his first term,” Rounds told ABC …

“Joe Biden has lied from start to finish about his family’s corrupt influence peddling activities. Not only has he falsely claimed that he never met with his son’s foreign business associates and that his son did nothing wrong, but he also lied when he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden. The charges Hunter faced were just the tip of …

The Daily Beast reports: A senior Republican has given full-throated backing to Kash Patel’s nomination as head of the FBI, revealing he personally urged Donald Trump to bring the controversial former Department of Justice official “to the table” and looks forward to watching him rip the agency “apart.” Speaking with NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday morning, Sen. Bill Hagerty …

From a 2020 Tampa Bay Times report: Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne looked down at his ringing cell phone. It was the cop who had him arrested. A month earlier, Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister stood in front of a row of news cameras and blasted the pastor’s “reckless disregard” for the safety of his flock in holding two crowded Sunday services. Chronister …

Axios reports: Chemistry with Trump is a huge factor in the most controversial picks. “These are people that get him and understand him,” a longtime Trump confidant told us. “Last time, there were lots of people who didn’t understand the vision or buy into the vision.” Another transition source tells us Patel was close to being named deputy FBI director, …

The Hill reports: Former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) time in Congress may be over, but the saga over the House Ethics Committee’s report on its years-long investigation into him is in its final act. Two Democrats who moved to force votes requiring the Ethics panel to release its report have signaled they will continue that push, which could tee up …

Axios reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday condemned a series of bomb threats targeting House and Senate Democrats from New England over the Thanksgiving recess. The incidents left members of Congress feeling shaken and beleaguered by the increasingly relentless cycle of violence facing American political figures. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ (D-N.Y.) office said each threat was “signed …