Republicans

The Associated Press reports: The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld the state’s rejection of signed petitions for an abortion rights ballot initiative on Thursday, keeping the proposal from going before voters in November. The ruling dashed the organizers’ hopes of getting the constitutional amendment measure onto the ballot in the predominantly Republican state, where many top leaders promote their opposition to …

“President Trump knew more about diplomacy than any president of the last 40 years. And Asia, he opened diplomatic talks with North Korea after a half century of stagnation. “And you remember when he went to North Korea, he met with Kim Jong Un, the leader of that country. And if you know anything about Kim Jong Un, well, how …

The Hill reports: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) office executed search warrants in one of the state’s largest urban counties — and biggest Democratic strongholds — where it alleges vote tampering. On Tuesday the attorney general’s office searched offices in Bexar County, the state’s fourth most populous county and the home of San Antonio. The office said the searches …

“They’re talking about her belt. Now, granted, she seems like she’s dressed like Darth Vader, but it’s just her outfit and the whole movie is this stuff. So, I actually don’t think she would have been that formidable in — at the end of the day. One thing, though, she never had a job. It’s true. You can look it …

“Well, first of all, I think the Democrats should be congratulated for this night. It was well-produced. The music, the Obamas, the whole thing worked for them tonight. “I think the contrast that I see – and I don’t know which is gonna win – but we’re seeing the contrast of the politics of combat versus the politics of compassion. …

Politico reports: A reclusive Republican megadonor gave $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC in July, following two other massive donations to boost the former president this cycle. Timothy Mellon, a longtime GOP donor and heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has now given $115 million to the group, Make America Great Again Inc., since the start of 2023. That …

Mediaite reports: Professional wrestling Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan asked a crowd of supporters if he should “body-slam” Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday evening, before making a racist remark about the vice president’s Indian ancestry. During an event in Medina, Ohio to promote his new Real American Beer, Hogan called out to the crowd, “You want me to body …

The Daily Beast reports: Matt Gaetz mocked Kevin McCarthy after beating off a challenger backed by the former House speaker in the GOP primary election for Florida’s 1st Congressional District. Rep. Gaetz (R-Fla) was targeted by McCarthy in his so-called “Revenge Tour” following last year’s mutiny by House Republicans to remove him as speaker. GOP challenger Aaron Dimmock, a retired …

NBC News reports: Florida’s official tourism website quietly removed a landing page for the state’s LGBTQ-friendly travel destinations sometime in the past four months. The website for the state’s tourism marketing corporation, VisitFlorida.com, had an “LGBTQ Travel” section that no longer exists, according to archived versions of the site viewable on the Internet Archive. The landing page previously featured blog …

The Associated Press reports: Former U.S. Rep. George Santos pleaded guilty Monday to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, short-circuiting the federal fraud case that led to his expulsion from Congress just weeks before it was set to go to trial. “I betrayed the trust of my constituents and supporters. I deeply regret my conduct,” the New York Republican said …

The New York Times reports: George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York whose penchant for lying led to one of the oddest sideshows in modern U.S. politics, pleaded guilty on Monday to aggravated identity theft and wire fraud. While Mr. Santos’s plea will allow him to avoid a trial on a total of nearly two dozen charges …

New York City’s NBC affiliate reports: Former U.S. Rep. George Santos is due in court Monday afternoon, where two sources familiar with the matter tell News 4 he is expected to plead guilty to multiple counts in the fraud indictment against him. A hearing for the planned guilty plea has been scheduled for 3 p.m. in federal court, the sources …

Rachel Maddow writes for the New York Times: A cleareyed look at Republicans’ handling of the administration of elections since Mr. Trump’s effort to overthrow the last election should prepare us: Refusals to certify results should not necessarily be seen as indicating real electoral problems; they are more likely part of a bad-faith strategy to mess with the democratic process. …

The Hill reports: Former Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock (Va.) said she will vote for Vice President Harris for president on Sunday, marking the latest former GOP member to break from the party’s support of former President Trump.  “After Jan. 6, after Donald Trump has refused for four years to acknowledge that he lost, and his threats against democracy, I think …

NBC News reports: The Republican-led House committees investigating whether to impeach President Joe Biden released their long-awaited report about their findings Monday morning, arguing that Biden has committed impeachable conduct but deferring to the full House on whether to pursue a formal impeachment. The nearly 300-page report is a summary of the investigation conducted by the House Oversight, Judiciary and …

“Yeah, they were asinine comments. There’s no doubt about that. Again, I don’t think they’re the first asinine comments former President Trump has ever made. I don’t think they’ll be a game changer in terms of the election.  “So to make these types of comparisons is so far afield, I don’t think it’s going to be a big politically, big …

“I’m confident that we’re going to do everything that we need to do over the next few months to make sure that House Democrats take back the majority so the American people do not have to encounter that question [on House Republicans refusing to certify the election]. It is a reality that far too many of my extreme MAGA Republican …

“I don’t look at Vice President Kamala Harris as a lunatic. I look at her as the most liberal person to be nominated for president in the history of the United States. I would make it about policy. A nightmare for Harris is to defend her policy choices. “President Trump can win this election. His policies are good for America, …

The Miami Herald reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis and top Florida Republicans are putting pressure on the state university system’s Board of Governors to look further into the spending habits of former University of Florida President Ben Sasse after a student-run newspaper reported that he’d spent millions in university funds on secretive consulting contracts and jobs for GOP allies. On Friday, …

First, some numbers from the latest poll: The poll—from The Washington Post, ABC News, and Ipsos—finds that overall perceptions of Vance are far more negative than those of Governor Tim Walz. While 42 percent of Americans view Vance unfavorably and 32 percent view him favorably—putting him 10 points underwater—Walz is viewed favorably by 39 percent to 30 percent. That’s a …