Republicans

The Hill reports: A band of House conservatives tanked a procedural vote Wednesday in a rebellion against the spending deal Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) struck with Democrats, which members of the right flank have sharply criticized. Thirteen Republicans joined with Democrats to vote against the rule for a trio of bills, preventing the chamber from debating and voting on the …

“Either shut down the border or shut down the government and Mike Johnson is giving you more happy talk. ‘Oh, I think we can get everything done by the 19th.’ That’s impossible, bro. “It’s not going to happen. That’s like a week away. It’s nine days away. It’s not going to happen. It’s too much to happen. You’re going to …

The Birmingham News reports: History in Alabama is under attack again. A handful of state lawmakers are on a mission to erase it, to cancel those who would mention it and punish those who would protect it. No less than a revered state institution is on the line — the Alabama Department of Archives and History — and the stories …

Axios reports: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called behind closed doors on Wednesday for his fellow Republicans to stop criticising him and his budget negotiations on social media, per two sources inside the room. With just days to avert a partial government shutdown, conservatives are slamming Johnson’s topline budget agreement with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), alleging it does …

The Washington Post reports: Moving beyond efforts to block expansion of health care for the poor and disabled, Republican governors in 15 states are now rejecting a new, federally funded summer program to give food assistance to hungry children. The program is expected to serve 21 million youngsters starting around June, providing $2.5 billion in relief across the country. The …

CNBC reports: The son of the president arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning to attend in person a congressional committee meeting to hold him in contempt of Congress — setting up an unprecedented standoff on live television between Hunter Biden and House Republicans who have long sought his testimony as part of their impeachment inquiry into his father. Hunter …

The New Republic reports: A Florida Republican lawmaker has introduced a bill that would make it defamation to accuse someone of racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia, a measure that would deal a devastating blow to freedom of speech in the Sunshine State. The bill would make it much easier for someone to sue another person for defamation. The measure states …

From the editorial board of the National Review: Trump feels inevitable, but nothing is settled until Republicans actually caucus and vote. They would be well advised to opt for one of the alternatives who are far and away better on the merits, more likely to win in November, and, if elected, more likely to deliver — free from the wild …

The Hill reports: Republican senators are slapping down President Trump’s claim that people convicted of Jan. 6-related crimes are “hostages” who should be pardoned or set free by President Biden or a future president. “I don’t condone that characterization at all, no,” said Senate Republican Whip John Thune (S.D.). Sen. John Cornyn (Texas), a member of the Senate Republican leadership …

Popular Information reports: The Escambia County School District, located in the Florida panhandle, has removed several dictionaries from its library shelves over concerns that making the dictionaries available to students would violate Florida law. The American Heritage Children’s Dictionary, Webster’s Dictionary for Students, and Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary are among more than 2800 books that have been pulled from Escambia County …

The Messenger reports: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shot down a motion to vacate against Johnson as “the dumbest thing that could happen,” citing the “chaos” that occurred after Rep. Matt Gaetz introduced the same motion against former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall. The move ultimately led to McCarthy’s ousting as Speaker. “I mean, look at the results we have now. …

Axios reports: Senate Republicans are publicly acknowledging the need for a short-term spending bill to keep the government funded past January and avoid a government shutdown. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has pledged not to pass another so-called continuing resolution, putting him on a collision course with his increasingly agitated right flank. “Obviously we’re going to have to pass a …

The Daily Beast reports: Jayson Boebert, the former husband of Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO), was arrested Tuesday on six charges, including prohibited use of weapons, third-degree assault, and obstructing a peace officer, according to records with the Garfield County jail. The charges come three days after Jayson Boebert called the police on the congresswoman after a physical altercation between the …

Tampa’s Fox affiliate reports: As daylight broke along Florida’s panhandle, residents in Panama City Beach got a glimpse of the damage left behind after a tornado touched down Tuesday morning. Video shot by Chris Keefe showed the path of destruction the tornado left in its wake on the east end of Panama City Beach. The video shows toppled trees, flipped …

Phil Williams reports at Nashville’s NBC affiliate: A nonpartisan watchdog group has asked a federal ethics agency to investigate Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles over $1 million of discrepancies in financial disclosures he was required to file with the U.S. House. The Campaign Legal Center (CLC) repeatedly cites NewsChannel 5’s reporting in the complaint that was filed Tuesday with the Office …

Denver’s Westword reports: An aide for Lauren Boebert tells the Daily Beast that Jayson was “being disrespectful,” “being an asshole” and getting “lewd” during their meeting at Miner’s Claim. According to the Daily Beast, “the alleged behavior revolted Lauren … but that seemed to make her ex more aggressive.” Asked if the aide’s allegations are true, Jayson responds: “That’s her …

The Hill reports: “I do think we’ve seen in the state recently, Donald Trump doing events and I just, I watch some of those events, see snippets of his speeches, and comparing him to 2016 Trump, versus now. You know, this is just a different guy,” DeSantis said Monday during a virtual press conference. “He’s lost the zip on his …

The Washington Examiner reports: Conservative members of the House Freedom Caucus are coming out hard against the top-line spending agreement reached between Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and the Senate, claiming he sold them out and that the agreement doesn’t go far enough. “The speaker’s office and everyone in town are trying to sell everybody a bill of goods. It’s not …

Axios reports: Vivek Ramaswamy won’t be on the Illinois GOP primary ballot, some of his campaign staffers have begun looking for work elsewhere, and he hasn’t qualified for Wednesday’s final televised debate before Iowa’s caucuses. Ramaswamy jumped to political prominence in recent months with an anti-establishment, Trump-friendly message — but now there are signs that his long-shot campaign could be …

The Messenger reports: Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday following Austin’s failing to disclose a four day hospital stay to the public and White House officials. Rosendale is targeting Austin over the hospitalization controversy, though he also mentions the Chinese spy balloon spotted in North American airspace earlier this year …