Republicans

Florida Politics reports: Speaking in Tampa, DeSantis complained about benchmarks that can qualify states for federal dollars, explaining that to “change your behavior to get crumbs from the federal government” is not “something that you want to do.” “They did this infrastructure bill, and you get the bill and they try to give you money. But then you’ve got to …

The Associated Press reports: The Senate has confirmed real estate developer Charles Kushner, the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, to serve as ambassador to France. Charles Kushner was pardoned by Trump in December 2020 after pleading guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. Prosecutors alleged that he hatched a scheme for revenge and …

The Heartland Signal reports: Despite Missouri voters overwhelmingly approving a ballot measure guaranteeing paid sick leave and minimum wage increases last November, the state Republican Party passed a law repealing the provision just days after it went into effect. Last November, 1,693,064 voters, or 57.57%, approved Proposition A, and its passage was upheld in the state Supreme Court last month. …

CNN’s MANU RAJU: “Trump has taken a lot of controversial actions, some of which you may support. Some of which maybe you don’t support. You talk about speaking candidly to the American public. Which one of what he has done has caused you the most concern?” SEN. JOHN CURTIS: “If we’re not careful, we’ll destroy small businesses with tariffs. And …

Mediaite reports: Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) accused the Biden White House of a “political cover up” following former President Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis while also offering best wishes to the former president on Monday. The take came after Biden’s team announced Sunday that he’d been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already metastasized to the bone, …

The Hill reports: A trio of Miami-area Republicans are pushing back against the administration as President Trump works to end programs protecting many of the region’s immigrant communities from deportation. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) asked for “nuance” in plans for a wholesale rescission of Temporary Protected Status (TPS), something the administration has axed for both Venezuela and Haiti. It’s a …

The New York Times reports: The House Budget Committee late Sunday night revived President Trump’s stalled bill to cut taxes and spending, after a handful of fiscally conservative Republicans relented and allowed it to advance even as they continued to press for deeper reductions to health and environmental programs. The vote signaled a temporary resolution to a remarkable revolt from …

NBC News reports: More than two dozen Ohio lawmakers are supporting a bill that would designate the weeks between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day “Natural Family Month.” Though the bill, introduced by Republican state Reps. Josh Williams and Beth Lear [photo], doesn’t define “natural family” in its text, critics say it is intended to exclude LGBTQ families and promote marriage …

FOX HOST JASON CHAFFETZ: “Do you think that this was just some accident that the former FBI director didn’t know what he was posting up about Donald Trump being obviously number 47?” JAMES COMER: “My opinion of Comey is so bad, I don’t know that I could give a fair and balanced answer to that question, Jason. So, my confidence …

The Ohio Capital Journal reports: Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced the suspension of his gubernatorial campaign in an email to supporters on Friday. Yost said he has enjoyed traveling around the state engaging with Ohioans in his bid to succeed term-limited Governor Mike DeWine, but “it is also apparent that a steep climb to the nomination for governor has …

Nashville’s ABC affiliate reports: A jury of six men and six women found former House Speaker Glen Casada guilty for his involvement in what was a trial on public corruption charges against him. He was found guilty on 17 of 19 counts. The jury found his aide Cade Cothren guilty on all charges for his stake in the trial. Former …

The Hill reports: Fiscal hawks on the House Budget Committee on Friday blocked the panel from advancing the bill full of President Trump’s domestic priorities. The 16-21 vote marks a major setback for leadership hoping to get the bill to the Senate before Memorial Day. The Budget Committee must advance the 1,116-page bill, dubbed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” before …

“The problem is it’s asking conservatives, like myself, to raise the debt ceiling $5 trillion dollars. That’s historic. No one’s ever raised the debt so that much. It will be a record for Congress to raise the debt $5 trillion dollars. But, also it indicates that this year the deficit will be over 2 trillion, but it means they’re anticipating …

The Wall Street Journal reports: President Trump’s political team commissioned a poll that showed Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene losing a potential race for Senate in Georgia by double-digits, and the president shared the results with Greene in a bid to discourage her from running in 2026. The poll was conducted by Tony Fabrizio, Trump’s longtime pollster, the people said. Trump’s …

Politico reports: A planned Friday vote in the House Budget Committee to advance the GOP megabill is increasingly in peril, with at least three hard-liners pledging to oppose the party-line legislation. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), who sits on the Budget Committee, told reporters he will vote against the package of tax cuts and extensions, border security investments, energy policy and …

Axios reports: The GOP tax bill includes Republican packaging of what is more often a Democrat’s proposal – money for every baby in the country. The $4 trillion tax legislation would seed $1,000 for every American baby born over the next few years, the type of no-strings-attached cash infusion that Republicans often oppose. Dubbed the “MAGA Accounts Contribution Pilot Program,” …

The Des Moines Register reports: In a 34-16 vote on party lines, the Senate confirmed Cheryl Elsloo to the Iowa Civil Rights Commission that enforces the state’s anti-discrimination law and Whitney Smith McIntosh to the Human Rights Board, which serves underrepresented groups across the state. Elsloo has been a lobbyist with Protect My Innocence, which bills itself as a nonprofit …

The New Republic reports: Buried in the new House GOP reconciliation bill — the blueprint for Trump’s agenda — is a new and expanded giveaway largely benefiting wealthy investors, according to tax experts I spoke to. And the nitty-gritty of this neatly demonstrates how the “corporatist” side of the alleged GOP identity crisis is winning out. To see why, recall …

Axios reports: President Trump is taking steps to clear the Republican primary field for Rep. Elise Stefanik to run for New York governor, bolstering an ally once poised to serve in his administration. A pair of moves by Trump last week amount to a green light for Stefanik to jump into what early polls suggest could be a tight battle …

The Associated Press reports: Six months after Missouri voters approved an abortion-rights amendment, Republican state lawmakers on Wednesday approved a new referendum that would seek the amendment’s repeal and instead ban most abortions with exceptions for rape an incest. The newly proposed constitutional amendment would go back to voters in November 2026, or sooner, if Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe calls …