Republicans

Newsweek reports: On Wednesday, Republican Pennsylvania State Representative Russ Diamond issued a statement about “hateful comments towards [the] unmasked community,” that is, people who refuse to wear masks during the worsening COVID-19 epidemic. One line in his statement seems to mock a comment about anti-LGBTQ discrimination made on Tuesday by Pennsylvania Health Department Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine, a transgender woman. …

1010 WINS reports: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during a call with House Democrats Wednesday that she will introduce a mandatory mask policy for the House of Representatives floor, according to reports. The move comes after Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican who has been vocal about not wearing a face covering at the Capitol, announced on Wednesday that he …

The Alabama Political Reporter reports: Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday extended her “safer-at-home” order, which includes a statewide mandate to wear face masks in public, until Aug. 31, with the addition of a requirement for masks to be worn in most classrooms statewide. Ivey’s amended order Tuesday mandates that face masks be worn by employees and students in classrooms from …

COVID continues to vulture over the Glorious Leader: President Donald Trump is campaigning in Texas without a face mask on Wednesday as the state has seen its coronavirus cases surge and he again defended a doctor who touted hydroxychloroquine as a cure for the deadly disease. Trump arrived in Midland, Texas, without a mask even as most of the state …

Politico reports: Shortly after we reported that Rep. Louie Gohmert had tested positive for Covid-19, we got an email from one of his aides saying this: “Jake, thank you for letting our office know Louie tested positive for the Coronavirus. When you write your story, can you include the fact that Louie requires full staff to be in the office, …

“It’s really ironic, because you know a lot of people have made a big deal out of me not wearing a mask a lot, but in the last week or two, I have worn a mask, more than I have in the whole last four months. But I can’t help but wonder if my keeping a mask on and keeping …

The Miami Herald reports: Florida’s Department of Health on Wednesday confirmed 9,446 additional cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s known total to 451,423. There were also 216 Florida resident deaths announced, setting another fatality record in the state for the second day in a row. The statewide resident death toll is now at 6,333. The 216 deaths mark the highest …

Mediaite reports: Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) has reportedly tested positive for Covid-19 less than 24 hours after attending the House Judiciary Committee’s questioning of Attorney General William Barr, according to Politico. Gohmert has not been wearing a mask around the hill, he told CNN, because he’s been tested regularly. “I don’t have the coronavirus, turns out as of yesterday I’ve …

Bismarck’s CBS News affiliate reports: After both Republican and Democratic politicians spoke out against a portion of the North Dakota Republican Party’s recently adopted policy platform that describes LGBT practices as “unhealthy and dangerous,” and “sometimes infecting society at large,” the NDGOP Executive Committee voted to disavow Resolution 31 and its “harmful and divisive language.” In a statement after the …

Axios reports: CNN host Jake Tapper demanded Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) apologize on Tuesday for playing an edited montage at the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing with Attorney General Bill Barr that misleadingly suggested reporters were calling violent protests “peaceful.” In the full clips played by Tapper, the CNN reporters that Jordan had clipped were noting that the protests tended to …

Arizona Central reports: Twitter has “temporarily limited” the account features of Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward after determining she violated its policy on spreading misleading and “potentially harmful” information about the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision by Twitter came after she shared the viral video of a group of physicians making false and misleading comments about the pandemic. Twitter’s decision …

The Texas Tribune reports: Local health officials do not have the authority to shut down all schools in their vicinity while COVID-19 cases rise, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in nonbinding guidance Tuesday that contradicts what the Texas Education Agency has told school officials. After Texas ordered schools to reopen their classrooms this fall, county and city public health …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Florida heath officials reported Tuesday the largest single-day increase in COVID-19-related deaths in the state. Officials said 191 new deaths are now linked to coronavirus, bringing Florida’s death toll to 6,240. The Florida Department of Health also recorded another 9,230 positive test results, with a total number of cases for the state now reaching 441,977. …

The Birmingham News reports: The Alabama Democratic Party renewed its call for a state lawmaker to step down after he posted on social media that he had a “great time” honoring Confederate Army General and Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest over the weekend. And while the state’s Republican Party isn’t asking Rep. Will Dismukes, R-Prattville, to resign, the …

The Christian Post reports: A group of Republican U.S. senators have asked President Donald Trump to withhold COVID-19 relief from states that wrongfully keep churches closed amid the pandemic. In an official letter sent out to the president, the senators explained that there were “many state and local government leaders” that were violating religious freedom. The letter was signed by …

Courthouse News reports: Some three years after Sarah Palin sued The New York Times over an editorial about toxic political rhetoric, the paper’s attorney told a federal judge that the former Alaska governor’s hunt for evidence has turned up empty. “Governor Palin does not have one iota of evidence that the allegations are true,” Time attorney Jay Brown told a …

NBC News reports: The neighbor of Sen. Rand Paul who in 2017 attacked the Kentucky Republican during a dispute about their yards was sentenced Monday to an additional eight months in prison for the assault. Rene Boucher must also serve six months in home confinement, U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Leitman said Monday. Boucher will receive credit for the 30 …

Mediaite reports: The National Republican Congressional Committee snapped at conservative columnist Kurt Schlichter on Monday, calling him a “Karen,” after Schlichter complained about the committee’s aggressive fundraising texts to Republicans. Conservative and Republican commentators condemned the NRCC’s response, while Schlichter called on NRCC Chairman Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) to “fix” the “completely dysfunctional” organization. Schlicter last appeared on JMG when …

The Washington Post reports: Senate Republicans will propose cutting weekly emergency unemployment benefits from $600 to $200 until states can bring a more complicated program online, according to two people familiar with the plan granted anonymity to share details that had not yet been released. The $600 weekly jobless benefit expires in a few days, and House Democrats have proposed …

“The 1619 Project is left-wing propaganda. It’s revisionist history at its worst. It won’t be much money. But even a penny is too much to go to the 1619 Project in our public schools. The New York Times should not be teaching American history to our kids. “We have to study the history of slavery and its role and impact …