Republicans

CBS News reports: Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican, said Sunday that “the math doesn’t really add up” on the cost of President Trump’s “one big beautiful bill,” while outlining his opposition as the legislation moves to the Senate this week. Paul is among a handful of Senate Republicans who have expressed opposition to the centerpiece legislation of Mr. Trump’s …

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) doubled down on his claim that there won’t be Medicaid cuts in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” despite projections that millions of low-income individuals would lose health insurance as a result of the bill. Johnson, during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” pushed back on independent projections that the bill would lead to …

The Texas Tribune reports: Democrats took to the floor of the Texas House on Saturday to label a ban on clubs that support gay teens the work of “monsters” and to say the ban endangers children and strips them of their dignity. The Democratic representatives grew emotional in opposition to a bill that would ban K-12 student clubs focused on …

NPR reports: Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst faced intense questioning from her constituents during a Friday town hall, eliciting shouts and boos from community members. One dismissive comment drew particularly intense ire: In response to constituents’ concerns over Medicaid cuts, Ernst said, “We all are going to die.” The next day, the senator doubled down on her comments in a …

Raw Story reports:  Texas state Rep. Nate Schatzline (R) said he wanted his children’s school to be “celebrated” because it was one of the “least vaccinated” schools in the state. In an Instagram post, Schatzline railed about Star-Telegram reporter Bud Kennedy, who revealed the school’s unvaccinated status. “Look, I am so excited to say that Mercy Culture Prep is celebrating …

404 Media reports: Earlier this month authorities in Texas performed a nationwide search of more than 83,000 automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras while looking for a woman who they said had a self-administered abortion, including cameras in states where abortion is legal such as Washington and Illinois, according to multiple datasets obtained by 404 Media. The news shows in …

The Texas Tribune reports: Legislators on Saturday gave final approval to a bill giving Texas parents and school boards a bigger role over what books students can access in public school libraries and creating new advisory councils to oversee the removal process. Senate Bill 13 would give school boards, not school librarians, the final say over what materials are allowed …

Ars Technica reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has failed to reverse a preliminary injunction currently blocking him from probing Media Matters for America (MMFA) in defense of Elon Musk’s social media platform X. On Friday, a US appeals court upheld the injunction. In his opinion, senior Circuit Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that there was “ample” evidence that Paxton …

Axios reports: The massive Republican budget bill working its way through Congress has mostly drawn attention for its tax cuts and Medicaid changes. But it would also take steps to significantly roll back coverage under the Affordable Care Act, with echoes of the 2017 repeal-replace debate. The bill that passed the House before Memorial Day includes an overhaul of ACA …

The Hill reports: An awkward moment came at a town hall meeting on Friday in Butler, Iowa, when Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst (R) defended the spending reforms in a House-passed budget reconciliation package that are intended to stop people who crossed into the country illegally from receiving federal benefits. Someone in the crowd tried to talk over Ernst, interrupting her …

Florida Politics reports: Following through on his mid-May vow to do so, Gov. Ron DeSantis has blocked bipartisan legislation that would have repealed a decades-old Florida law that critics derisively dubbed “free kill.” DeSantis confirmed he vetoed the measure, maintaining the state’s existing prohibition on lawsuits by unmarried adults over 25 and their parents from suing for pain and suffering …

Axios reports: Elon Musk claims that his DOGE team saved $175 billion in taxpayer spending, though an outside analysis estimates the verified savings are closer to $16 billion. The “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which passed the House last week, is projected to add $3 trillion to 5 trillion to budget deficits over the next 10 years. Even using Musk’s most …

Politico reports: A federal judge seemed wary of arguments during a Thursday court hearing that state Attorney General James Uthmeier, an appointee of Gov. Ron DeSantis, hadn’t tried to undermine her court order blocking a Florida immigration law. Yet U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams said she would take the defense of Uthmeier’s attorney, Jesse Panuccio, into consideration and review a …

Just in via press release: Representative Greg Steube (R-Fla.) today introduced the Make Autorail Great Again Act to block all federal funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) until it officially changes its name to the “Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access” (WMAGA) and renames the Metrorail the “Trump Train.” “WMATA has received billions in federal assistance over …

Florida Politics reports: Rep. Byron Donalds urged the city of Naples to fight a court ruling permitting the show. U.S. District Judge John Steele, an appointee of Democratic President Bill Clinton, ruled earlier this month that Naples city officials cannot prohibit a drag performance from being held at an outdoor venue, Cambier Park. He also declined to stay his ruling …

“We are going to protect the innocence of our children. Why would it be problematic to say you can’t do this stuff that’s sexually explicit in front of minors that used to not even be something that would be questioned? “Now, somehow you have folks going into court and they really want to push the envelope on this stuff, and …

Courthouse News reports: The treasurer for former Rep. George Santos’ congressional campaign was sentenced to three years of probation Wednesday after pleading guilty to a felony count of conspiracy to defraud the US, admitting to filing false campaign finance reports, obstructing the FEC and aggravated identity theft. U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert handed down the sentence to Nancy Marks about …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Legislature has given oil and gas companies legal cover to sell wastewater to be treated and released into the state’s rivers, lakes and streams. State Rep. Drew Darby’s [photo] House Bill 49 — on its way to Gov. Greg Abbott — marks a step the oil and gas industry has said is a key barrier …

Wired reports: Nancy Mace, the South Carolina Republican congresswoman, often tells her staff that she’s a self-taught coder—just one aspect of how Mace presents her tech expertise, as befits her role in shaping the GOP’s policies on technology and work as chair of the House subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Government Innovation. “I would say [it was] at least …

Spectrum New York reports: President Donald Trump issued a full pardon on Wednesday to former Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm. The Republican lawmaker, who represented Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn in Congress from 2011 to 2015, pleaded guilty in December 2014 to aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return. He served seven months in prison, one …