Republicans

CNN reports: President Donald Trump tweeted an image of himself wearing a face mask and indirectly called the act “patriotic” on Monday — a clear pivot away from his earlier reluctance to wear a facial covering in public. The shift to encouraging mask-wearing was primarily motivated by floundering poll numbers. For months, aides tried to get Trump to wear a …

The New York Times reports: Teachers unions sued Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida on Monday over his administration’s emergency order pushing schools to fully reopen next month even as coronavirus cases in the state are surging. The suit, which appears to be the first of its kind across the country, sets up a confrontation between unions and politicians that could …

“There’s data out there, there’s scientific evidence now of who this affects and who it doesn’t, and kids are the least likely to have a problem with this. “These kids have got to get back to school. They’re at the lowest risk possible, and if they do get COVID-19, which they will — and they will when they go to …

Axios reports: Duval County Sheriff Mike Williams told Politico that security plans put forth for the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, next month are “not achievable” under current time constraints. Why it matters: The decision to move most of the RNC’s programming to Jacksonville last month has already come under scrutiny due to a massive surge in coronavirus cases …

Orlando’s ABC News affiliate reports: Gov. Ron DeSantis held a briefing in Orlando to state the importance of convalescent plasma donations for COVID-19 patients. The governor held the press conference from the OneBlood headquarters at 12:15 p.m., but it wasn’t one without interference. DeSantis was interrupted briefly by protesters before they were turned away by police. Florida health officials reported …

The Texas Tribune reports: Allen West, the firebrand former Florida congressman, has defeated Texas GOP Chairman James Dickey to lead the country’s largest state Republican Party. West claimed victory shortly before 3:30 a.m. Monday, while Dickey conceded about an hour later. The developments came during an early-morning round of voting among state Senate district caucuses at the party’s virtual convention. …

The Associated Press reports: Missouri Gov. Mike Parson told a radio host that based on the information he’s received, it’s likely he would pardon a white St. Louis couple if they are charged for brandishing guns during a racial injustice protest outside their mansion. Democratic Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner is investigating Mark and Patricia McCloskey, both in their 60s, for …

The Des Moines Register reports: Sen. Joni Ernst said Friday that the Senate should hold hearings on any Supreme Court nomination President Donald Trump might make this year, even if he loses November’s election. “If it is a lame-duck session, I would support going ahead with any hearings that we might have,” Ernst, a Republican, said during a taping of …

The Independent reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said on Friday he would not close gyms in his state during the COVID-19 pandemic because people who go to gyms are “in good shape.” “If you’re in good shape, you have a very, very low likelihood of ending up in significant condition as a result of the coronavirus,” said DeSantis. “I …

The Kansas City Star reports: Kansas Republican Rep. Steve Watkins announced Friday he will voluntarily step down from his committee assignments in the U.S. House in the face of felony charges filed against him this week. Watkins’ decision to relinquish his committee posts comes as former political allies are distancing themselves from the first-term congressman. He’s become isolated in both …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Top Senate Republicans are pushing to give federal courts jurisdiction over personal injury and medical liability claims stemming from the coronavirus pandemic as part of a temporary set of legal protections for businesses, schools and other organizations. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) crafted the measure ahead of …

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration went to court Thursday seeking to block Atlanta from enacting coronavirus restrictions and requiring residents to wear masks, setting up a legal showdown between the state and local governments over efforts to contain the disease. The state filed a lawsuit challenging Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ July 10 decision to revert to …

The Washington Post reports: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) asked the Justice Department on Thursday to investigate the St. Louis city prosecutor overseeing the case against a couple who pointed guns at civil rights demonstrators last month, the latest move in a war to cast the incident as either justified self-defense or an act of racial animus. Hawley’s letter is the …

Fox News reports: House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy introduced legislation on Thursday meant to shield statues targeted by protesters, by preventing state and local governments that do not protect monuments from receiving federal grants. McCarthy, R-Calif., rolled out the bill, titled the “Protect America’s Statues Act of 2020,” with Reps. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Sam Graves, R-Mo., as monuments and …

Jacksonville’s NBC News affiliate reports: The convention to nominate President Donald Trump as the Republican candidate for president is going to happen in Jacksonville, but be much smaller than originally planned. Rather than the 15,000 people originally scheduled to attend the event in Jacksonville next month, the communications director of the Republican National Convention announced Thursday that only about 2,500 …

ABC News reports: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt announced Wednesday that he has tested positive for coronavirus, becoming the first governor since the start of the pandemic to publicly announce a positive diagnosis. Stitt’s diagnosis came several weeks after President Donald Trump held a controversial campaign rally in Tulsa, where Stitt was photographed without a mask alongside thousands of the president’s …

The Washington Post reports: The Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ rights advocacy organization, is opposing Sen. Susan Collins’s reelection bid in Maine and endorsing her Democratic opponent, Sara Gideon. It’s the first time that the HRC has opposed Collins, a key Republican vote on LGBTQ rights, for reelection. The endorsement comes a day after Gideon, speaker of the …

Orlando’s NBC News affiliate reports: Florida has surpassed 300,000 cases of COVID-19 with 10,181 new cases reported on Wednesday. The state added another 112 deaths on Wednesday bringing the statewide death toll to 4,521. Florida’s rolling seven-day average for deaths is now 92 per day, triple the 31 posted a month ago just before the toll began creeping up and …

Oklahoma City’s ABC News affiliate reports: Governor Kevin Stitt said that he has tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Stitt made the announcement from his home during a joint press conference with Interim Commissioner of Health Lance Frye on Wednesday. Stitt said that he “feels fine” and does not exhibit many symptoms other than feeling “achy.” Stitt last appeared on …

“I think that wearing a mask is a personal choice, and I don’t particularly want my government telling me that I have to wear a mask. “And so I think that’s a choice that I can make. I think you have to look at your personal circumstances and look at your surroundings and decide if that’s right for you. “I’m …