Republicans

First, a refresher from Fox News: Members of the mainstream media sounded the alarm about President Trump’s health for what they believe were signs of declining health during his appearance at the West Point commencement ceremony. Following his prepared remarks to the military academy graduates, Trump was seen cautiously walking down a ramp from the stage. A clip was shared …

Politico reports: Conservatives are seething over Justice Neil Gorsuch’s opinion that cemented new protections for LGBTQ people. The Senate Republicans who confirmed him? Not so much. The Republican Party seemed generally supportive of both the substance and process by which the Supreme Court extended Civil Rights Act protections to gay, lesbian and transgender workers. President Donald Trump declined to trash …

All of this assumes McTurtle even keeps his seat: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said on Tuesday that he intends to stay on as Republican leader even if his party loses control of the upper chamber in November. Asked if he intends to seek the GOP leader spot in the next Congress even if Republicans lose the majority, McConnell …

NBC News reports: Rep. Tom Rice, R-S.C., said Monday that he, his wife and their son have the coronavirus illness, COVID-19. In a statement, Rice called the illness the “Wuhan Flu,” a term that has been criticized as inaccurate and even racist. “We are all on the mend and doing fine,” Rice said. Rice said his son, Lucas, got sick …

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports: Challenger Bob Good has ousted Rep. Denver Riggleman, R-5th in a rancorous drive-thru convention for the party’s nomination. Voting in the all-day convention at a church in Campbell County concluded at 7 p.m., but party officials did not announce the results until after 1 a.m. Fifth District GOP chairman Melvin Adams said 2,537 delegates voted Saturday. …

Newt Gingrich writes for Fox News: Every time some supposed conservative or Republican explains why he or she can’t vote for President Trump, I wonder if they have thought about the alternative – the Biden-Schumer-Pelosi machine. Our choice in November will not be between President Trump and President Perfection. It will be between President Trump and a nightmare that would …

Talking Points Memo reports: Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) roasted Jeff Sessions Saturday after Sessions criticized the senator for voting to change the names of military bases currently named for Confederate soldiers. The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to require the Pentagon to strip bases and equipment of any Confederate names or monuments within three years. Sessions once spoke out …

Never Trumpers make the best anti-Trump ads: A GOP group released a new ad Friday showing Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) previously praising former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and calling out President Trump. The ad, released by the coalition Republican Voters Against Trump, begins with footage of Graham appearing on CNN in 2015. Graham, who was running for president at …

The Fresno Bee reports: The attorney for Rep. Devin Nunes said on Friday that he is at a “dead end” in attempting to identify anonymous people who criticize the California Republican on Twitter as he asked a Virginia judge to hold the company responsible for social media criticism. Nunes, R-Tulare, filed a lawsuit against Twitter last year alleging he was …

Politico reports: Florida is sitting on more than 980,000 unused doses of hydroxychloroquine, a drug President Donald Trump touted as a “game changer” in the fight against the coronavirus, after only a handful of hospitals in the state asked for access to the medicine. Gov. Ron DeSantis said in April that the state was getting 1 million doses of the …

“A civilized society has to have rules and someone to enforce them. I don’t believe that the 18,000 police forces that we have in this country are endemically racist,” Kennedy said. “I think there are some racist cops and we need to weed them out. “And finally, to the governor and the mayor of Seattle, who I think are holding …

Yahoo News reports: Jacksonville, Florida, has been selected to host the celebration marking President Donald Trump’s acceptance of his party’s nomination for reelection, the Republican National Committee chairwoman said Thursday night. Ronna McDaniel made the announcement a day after saying that Jacksonville was a front-runner to hold the event. The governor of North Carolina, the official host of this summer’s …

Politico reports: A vote by the Republican National Committee to leave the party’s 2016 party platform unchanged ahead of the November election has infuriated grass-roots activists — including moderates who wanted to streamline its message and social conservatives who sought added language on emerging hot-button topics. The decision by the party’s executive panel Wednesday means the GOP will maintain positions …

Just in from the Democratic National Committee: While the RNC preposterously claims Trump has taken “unprecedented steps to protect the LGBTQ community,” they just re-endorsed an unpopular platform that advocates overturning hard-fought LGBTQ+ rights. The GOP’s 2020 platform “condemns” marriage equality, which has been legal across the United States for five years and is supported by two in three Americans. …

Fox News radio host Guy Benson: The book is called Dare to Fly. The author is my guest, U.S. Senator Martha McSally. The subhead is Simple Life Lessons in Never Giving Up. And on that subject, I do want to pivot to your Senate race. The last two polls have you down double digits. The Fox News poll that just …

Utah’s Deseret News reports: Former Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Wednesday he’s tested positive for COVID-19. One of four Republican candidates for governor on the June 30 primary ballot, Huntsman tweeted he has “been experiencing classic symptoms … like so many others, my goal is to keep my family safe. Though isolated temporarily, we’ve never been more energized in this …

Thomas Balcerski writes for the Washington Post: Last week, the hashtag #LadyGraham exploded on social media in response to allegations made on Twitter by gay adult-film star Sean Harding against Sen. Lindsey O. Graham of South Carolina (the hashtag, along with the abbreviated form “Lady G,” purportedly refers to Graham’s nickname among male sex workers). What followed has been a …

The Washington Post reports: Seeking a city willing to allow a large-scale event amid the coronavirus pandemic, Republicans have tentatively settled on Jacksonville, Fla., as the new destination for the premier festivities of the Republican National Convention in August, according to three Republican officials briefed on the plans. The details of the arrangement are still in flux and RNC aides …

Axios reports: Republican senators on Tuesday largely avoided discussing President Trump’s tweet alleging without evidence that a 75-year-old Buffalo protester, who was seriously injured after being shoved by police, is an “antifa provocateur.” Our thought bubble: It’s the classic dodging mechanism, which we’ve grown accustomed to during the Trump presidency. Whenever senators and Trump advisers don’t want to weigh in …

The Associated Press reports: The lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs has fired former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, one of Washington’s most prominent lobbyists. The firm gave no reason for the Mississippi Republican’s sudden departure and declined to answer questions about it. Mark Ruehlmann, Squire Patton Boggs’ chairman and global chief executive, said only that the firm had “decided that …