Republicans

CNN reports: Republican Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana has suspended in-person campaigning for his gubernatorial bid in the state after his wife and running mate attended an event with Kimberly Guilfoyle, the girlfriend of Donald Trump Jr. and a top fundraiser for the Trump campaign who has tested positive for coronavirus, a spokesperson for Gianforte’s campaign told CNN on Saturday. …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas GOP’s executive committee voted Friday night to proceed with plans to hold the party’s in-person convention in Houston later this month. The State Republican Executive Committee, a 64-member body that serves as the governing board of the state party, voted 40-20 to approve the resolution supporting the in-person gathering. Thursday’s vote comes as the …

The Hill reports: In a video shared to Facebook on Thursday, Ohio state Rep. Candice Keller (R) read the text of former President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in front of the Soldier’s National Monument in Gettysburg. “My husband and I came here yesterday to enjoy the weekend of the Fourth of July, and there is an atmosphere here of, I don’t …

Vanity Fair reports: This week, Jacksonville, Florida—where Trump moved the Republican National Convention so he could hold a 15,000-person rally next month—mandated that people wear masks indoors to slow the explosion of COVID-19 cases. According to a Republican working on the convention, the campaign is now preparing to cancel the event so that Trump doesn’t suffer another Tulsa–like humiliation. “They …

The Associated Press reports: The white St. Louis couple who became internationally famous for standing guard with guns outside their mansion during a protest have pulled a gun before in defense of their property, according to an affidavit in an ongoing case. The McCloskeys and the trustees of Portland Place are involved in a three-year legal dispute over a small …

The Daily Beast reports: Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain has been hospitalized with the coronavirus, his team announced Thursday afternoon. News of his diagnosis comes just days after Cain appeared at President Trump’s rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which was attended by scores of maskless supporters. In a statement, Cain’s team said he was informed that he had tested positive …

From the far-right site Newsmax: Newsmax TV contributor Herman Cain was admitted to a hospital Wednesday and is being treated for COVID-19. He is doing well and is not on a ventilator, his staff tells Newsmax. Cain, who also is a regular guest on “Newsmax Now,” joined Newsmax TV as a contributor in April. He also hosts “Herman Cain’s America,” …

Roll Call reports: Republican senators came out swinging today against a bill passed in the House last week that would make the District of Columbia the 51st state.  Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, was joined by Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Steve Daines, R-Mont., who noted a Gallup poll that found a majority of Americans believed Washington should not be a …

The Hill reports: Senate Republicans fear President Trump is putting them into a political no-win situation by threatening to veto a popular defense policy bill over bipartisan language to rename military bases named after Confederate generals. GOP lawmakers are trying to wave the president off his veto threat and may end up delaying the bill to avoid a political disaster …

The Washington Post reports: President Trump is set to hold a high-dollar dinner at a private residence in Hillsboro Beach, Fla., next week to raise money for his campaign and the RNC. The invitation does not name the owner of the home hosting the $580,600-per-couple event. Campaign manager Brad Parscale, RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and other senior RNC fundraisers are …

The Washington Post reports: The pandemic had just started to wane in some parts of the country when South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) lifted some of the restrictions he had imposed, paving the way in April for Myrtle Beach and its surrounding communities to open their hotels fully by mid-May, just in time for Memorial Day. The Grand Strand, …

Phoenix’s NBC News affiliate reports: Coronavirus cases in Arizona continue to skyrocket, and the state set another new record for daily cases on Wednesday with 4,878 new cases reported. The state also reported a new high of 88 deaths on Wednesday. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), the state has reported a total of 84,092 cases and …

The Texas Tribune reports: Despite Texas’ surge of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Tuesday evening that he doesn’t need the advice of the nation’s top infectious disease doctor, Anthony Fauci. “Fauci said today he’s concerned about states like Texas that ‘skipped over’ certain things. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Patrick told Fox News …

The Texas Tribune reports: The Texas Medical Association on Tuesday called on the Republican Party of Texas to cancel its in-person July convention scheduled to take place in Houston, one of the country’s coronavirus hot spots. The latest development comes one day after The Texas Tribune reported on the Texas Medical Association’s sponsorship of the convention, an indoor gathering that …

The Hill reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that Russia should not be readmitted to the Group of Seven (G-7), breaking with President Trump who has repeatedly floated having Moscow attend the group’s summits. Asked if Russia should be let back into the economic group, McConnell told reporters: “Absolutely not.” Trump said late last month that …

Politico reports: Democrats see a boycott motivated by partisan politics. Republicans argue they have legitimate security concerns. Either way, GOP members of the House Intelligence Committee have skipped all but one of the panel’s proceedings, public and private, since before Congress went into its coronavirus-lockdown in early March. And that impasse shows no signs of ending, even as the panel …

The Associated Press reports: A group of Texas bar owners filed lawsuits Monday seeking to overturn Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s order that closed their businesses to help contain the spread of the coronavirus in Texas. Abbott has pinpointed the re-opening of bars last month as one of the sources behind a dramatic spike in new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and …

Roll Call reports: Alabama officials asked the Supreme Court to step into the debate over how to conduct election laws in the midst of a national health crisis, in a legal dispute over absentee ballot requirements in three of the state’s largest counties. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill filed an application to the high court Monday to overturn a …

CNN reports: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell reiterated his strong support of wearing masks and face coverings during the coronavirus pandemic, saying, “we must have no stigma, none, about wearing masks when we leave our homes and come near other people.” McConnell, speaking on the floor of the Senate, said, “The more we hate the pain and suffering that accompanied …

“There’s no question. He should not have retweeted it and he should just take it down. If you watch the entire video — you can’t play it because it was so profanity laced. The entire thing was offensive. Certainly, the comment about the white power was offensive. There’s no question. “We can play politics with it or we can’t. I’m …