Republicans

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Joel Greenberg, the former Seminole County tax collector who recently pleaded guilty to six federal charges — including sex trafficking of a child — is now set to face sentencing Aug. 19, records show. In a pair of orders filed Thursday, U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell also formally accepted Greenberg’s guilty pleas, which he made …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers visited an ongoing Republican-ordered audit of 2020 ballots in Phoenix Wednesday and called for their state to conduct a similar review, the latest sign that political fighting over last year’s election is far from over. Republicans in Arizona’s senate ordered the audit of roughly 2.1 million ballots cast in Maricopa County, home …

The Washington Post reports: The FBI is investigating Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in connection with campaign fundraising activity involving his former business, according to people familiar with the matter and a spokesman for DeJoy. FBI agents in recent weeks interviewed current and former employees of DeJoy and the business, asking questions about political contributions and company activities, these people said. …

Raw Story reports: Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel Wednesday evening posted a tweet wishing the LGBTQ community “Happy #PrideMonth.” It did not go over well. The GOP has been at war with the LGBTQ community at every turn, and considerably ramped up their attacks this year. “2021 has officially surpassed 2015 as the worst year for anti-LGBTQ legislation in recent …

The Texas Tribune reports: Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Wednesday that he is running for attorney general, challenging fellow Republican Ken Paxton with a sharp focus on Paxton’s legal troubles. “Enough is enough, Ken,” Bush said during a campaign kickoff at a downtown Austin bar. “You’ve brought way too much scandal and too little integrity to this office. And …

Politico reports: Federal prosecutors are examining whether Rep. Matt Gaetz obstructed justice during a phone call he had with a witness in the sex-crimes investigation of the Florida congressman, according to two sources familiar with the case. The witness in question was one of a handful of women who entered Gaetz’s orbit via his one-time “wingman,” former Seminole County, Fla., …

CNN reports: Republican Rep. Mo Brooks is avoiding a lawsuit from his Democratic colleague Rep. Eric Swalwell that seeks to hold him accountable for the January 6 Capitol insurrection — so much so that Swalwell’s attorneys hired a private investigator to find him. Federal Judge Amit Mehta, after learning of Swalwell’s inability to serve Brooks with the lawsuit, gave the …

The Hill reports: Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Tuesday introduced a bill banning proof of vaccinations for domestic travel. The measure — called the Freedom to Fly Act — prohibits the Transportation Security Administration from implementing policies that would allow employees to request information regarding vaccinations from any passenger traveling in the U.S. Scott said in a statement that travel …

Catholic News Agency reports: The U.S. Embassy to the Holy See announced on Tuesday, June 1, that it was displaying the rainbow LGBT “Pride” flag for the month of June, which is celebrated as LGBT “Pride” month. “The United States respects the dignity and equality of LGBTQI+ people. LGBTQI+ rights are human rights,” the embassy stated on Twitter. U.S. Secretary …

The Orlando Sentinel reports: Just days from the five-year remembrance of Orlando’s Pulse nightclub massacre, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday vetoed $150,000 in state funds that would have provided counseling for survivors — despite a budget that has $9.5 billion in reserves.  And in what advocates describe as “war” on LGBTQ+ Floridians, the governor also eliminated $750,000 approved by …

Dallas’s NBC News affiliate reports: Escalating his showdown with President Joe Biden, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday ordered state child-care regulators to yank licenses from facilities that house minors who crossed the state’s southern border without papers and were detained. Currently, 52 state-licensed general residential operations and child placing agencies in Texas have contracts with the federal Office of Refugee …

CNN reports: Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel excoriated the Commission on Presidential Debates in a letter on Tuesday, threatening to advise any future Republican nominee against participating in general election presidential debates unless significant changes are made to the commission. The letter is the latest example of the top Republican committee litigating something that was a key concern for …

Salt Lake City’s ABC News affiliate: On Monday, Governor Spencer Cox issued an order declaring June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Utah. “We must encourage relevant and vital conversations about what it means to love each other, understand our differences, and support our LGBTQ+ friends and family members,” Gov. Cox says in the declaration. “We can strengthen resilience in the …

The New York Daily News reports: Despite opting against getting the coronavirus vaccine, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Andrew Giuliani keeps making campaign appearances in various indoor settings without a face mask on in violation of New York’s public health restrictions. Giuliani has posted photos of himself on Twitter appearing without a mask and shoulder-to-shoulder with staff indoors at a bagel shop, …

Law & Crime reports: When Matt Bevin lost his 2019 re-election bid for governor, the Kentucky Republican controversially pardoned or commuted hundreds of criminal sentences on his way out the door, sparking an FBI probe. Less than two years later, federal authorities arrested one of several convicted killers pardoned by Bevin, charging him once again in connection with the same …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: A 21-page lawsuit by conservative small-business advocacy organization Job Creators Network, filed Monday in federal court in New York, demands the immediate return of the game to Atlanta and $100 million in damages to local and state small businesses. The suit also seeks $1 billion in punitive damages. MLB, the MLB Players Association, Commissioner of Baseball …

The military blog Task & Purpose reports: The Army is investigating a reserve officer who used photos of himself in uniform in an ad for his congressional campaign, conducted a campaign interview in uniform, and said he doesn’t think President Joe Biden is actually the president of the United States. 1st Lt. Alex Stovall, 26, says he is running to …

Miami’s ABC News affiliate reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1028 into law Tuesday, which bans transgender girls and women from playing on female school sports teams. The governor signed the bill, which includes the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, during a news conference at Trinity Christian Academy in Jacksonville. Under the new law, a transgender student athlete would have …

Newsweek reports: Lawmakers have criticized former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn after he appeared to say that a Myanmar-like military coup “should happen” in the United States. A handful of Republicans and Democrats hit out at the retired U.S. Army lieutenant general over the holiday weekend, with one calling for “action” to be taken against the former Trump administration official. …

Forbes reports: On a call with travel agents last Thursday, Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior VP of sales, trade support and service at Celebrity Cruises, discussed “the elephant in the room,” according a scoop in the unofficial Royal Caribbean Blog, which is not affiliated with the cruise line. The blog’s founder, Matt Hochberg, was not on the call but obtained an audio …