Republicans

The Texas Tribune reports: A Travis County district court judge on Friday awarded $6.6 million to four former senior aides to Attorney General Ken Paxton who said they were improperly fired after reporting Paxton to the FBI. Judge Catherine Mauzy stated in her judgment that the plaintiffs — Blake Brickman, Mark Penley, David Maxwell and Ryan Vassar — had proven …

Politico reports: Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that the House will provide Trump with “space” to carry out his massive global tariff regime, even as some GOP lawmakers openly plead with Trump to negotiate off-ramps before the levies kick in on Wednesday. “We’re going to give him the space necessary to do it, and we’ll see how it all develops,” …

Courthouse News reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit against the city of San Antonio on Friday, accusing the municipality of undermining Texas law through a fund that could help people travel out of state to get abortions. “The city of San Antonio is blatantly defying Texas law by using taxpayer dollars to fund abortion tourism,” Paxton said …

Axios reports: President Trump would veto a bill introduced by Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that would limit the president’s authority to unilaterally impose tariffs, according to a White House statement seen by Axios. “If passed, this bill would dangerously hamper the President’s authority and duty to determine our foreign policy and protect our national security,” according …

The Texas Tribune reports: Texas lawmakers could imperil the future of public transportation in two of the state’s largest urban areas, transit officials and advocates warn. Republican legislators are entertaining proposals to sap hundreds of millions of dollars from Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the state’s largest public transit system, and thwart the voter-approved expansion of public transportation in Austin known …

“It’s the priority of the Democrats, the letter salad of LGBTQ groups, you can’t let one of them down. And the Democrats know that transgender boys and women’s sports is wrong, but they can’t abandon them because the rest of their group would probably say, if you’re not going to stand with us, we’re out of here for you Democrats. …

The Oklahoman reports: Journalists would write fewer “fake news” stories if disputes over coverage could be handled through violence, U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin suggested on social media. In a video posted over the weekend to his official X account, the Oklahoma Republican describes the 1890 killing of a former congressman, who was shot by a reporter in the U.S. Capitol. …

“We have a total of seven Republicans in the Senate and I have some beginning support on the House side, which we’ll unveil tomorrow. It will be harder to pass this in the House, no doubt. I think if we get 60 votes in the Senate, they’ll put pressure on the House to look at this. And if we continue …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: A Florida law that has pushed public schools to remove thousands of books, including literary classics, from their shelves could get even more restrictive soon, as Republican lawmakers move to close a “loophole” they say still allows volumes depicting nudity or sexual conduct to remain on campuses. New bills backed by GOP legislators would mean school …

Austin’s NBC affiliate reports: When asked why he has not called for a special election to fill the vacant seat left by the passing of former Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Governor Greg Abbott said Harris County will need “adequate time” to conduct the election after “repeated failures” in the past. But Democratic lawmakers at the state and federal level say …

Atlanta’s Fox affiliate reports: The man caught on camera shouting offensive remarks at a group of Muslim women in Alpharetta issued a public apology Friday afternoon during a press conference organized by the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Georgia), following backlash over the now-viral video. Perry Greene, the ex-husband of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, publicly apologized …

NBC News reports: The Montana Republican Party announced Friday it is censuring nine state senators after “repeated alignment with Senate Democrats” this legislative session. A press release claims the senators “undermined the Republican majority leadership and disregarded the will of Montana Republican voters.” The censure alleges State Sens. Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Josh Kassmier, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, …

The New York Times reports: The Senate approved Republicans’ budget blueprint just after 2:30 a.m. on Saturday to clear the way for passing President Trump’s domestic agenda, after Democrats forced an overnight session to protest the G.O.P. push to deliver what the president has called “one big beautiful bill” of spending and tax cuts. The 51-to-48 vote, mostly along party …

The Associated Press reports: Prosecutors are seeking more than seven years in prison for disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos after he pleaded guilty to federal fraud and identity theft charges. The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York argued in a court filing Friday that a significant sentence was warranted because the New York Republican’s “unparalleled crimes” …

Politico reports: Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz is warning about major risks for the American economy and its automotive industry thanks to President Donald Trump’s trade war, saying it could result in the biggest tax hike in a “long, long time.” “I’m seeing a lot of Republican cheerleaders reflexively defending what the White House is doing,” Cruz said on his …

Miami’s NBC affiliate reports: A former New York City councilman who once did time in federal prison in a bribery scheme has been arrested on child pornography charges in Miami. Daniel James Halloran, 53, was arrested at Miami International Airport on Saturday on charges of possession of child pornography and transportation of child pornography. U.S. Customs agents searched Halloran’s iPhone as …

USA Today reports: Television host and surgeon Dr. Mehmet Oz was confirmed on Thursday to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on a 53-45 vote that split the U.S. Senate along party lines. During his confirmation hearing last month, Oz vowed to empower patients to take charge of their health care and crack down on fraud, waste and …

Florida Politics reports: Capping a nearly two-month debate with no shortage of conspiracy theorizing from the public, the Senate has passed legislation to crack down on suspected weather modification and bioengineering in Florida. The bill (SB 56) passed after a back-and-forth on the chamber floor between its sponsor, Miami Republican Sen. Ileana Garcia, and Boca Raton Democratic Sen. Tina Scott …

The Arkansas Times reports: A bill allowing for discrimination against LGBTQ Arkansans in housing, employment, education and other areas passed out of committee Tuesday and will be heard next by the full Arkansas House of Representatives. Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-Springdale), the bill’s lead sponsor and a longtime crusader against LGBTQ rights, said it’s “designed to restrict government’s ability to burden …

SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: “The truth is that we don’t know what the impact will be short term on the American economy. I’ve heard a bunch of economists over the last month, some say that it will cause the economy to grow exponentially, others say the tariffs will tank the economy. My experience with Washington economists is that they make those …