Tag: Republicans

Trump Indictment: What You Need to Know and On-the-Ground Interviews

Last Tuesday, former President Donald Trump was arraigned to face 37 federal charges, different from the state charges brought against him in New York under District Attorney Alvin Bragg. This is the first time federal charges have been levied against a former president. Was this a politically motivated move, or is Trump guilty of intentionally…


Florida Restricts Direct Car Sales for Legacy Automakers, Allows Exceptions for Tesla

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) recently signed a new law that limits most car manufacturers from selling vehicles directly to the public, while providing advantages to EV makers such as Tesla, Lucid, Rivian, and Polestar. The legislation, set to be enforced from July 1, imposes obstacles for major car manufacturers, which are prohibited from bypassing independent dealerships…


Threat of Government Shutdown Looms as Spending Battle Heats Up in House

The word “shutdown” has been bandied about Capitol Hill as the standoff over raising the nation’s debt ceiling has morphed into an appropriations battle in the House between hardline Republicans and Democrats. An outline for 2024 federal spending was hammered out in negotiations between Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Joe Biden, culminating in the…


House Appropriator Shares Growing GOP Support to Cut DOJ, FBI Budget Amid Political Woes

Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee that handles the budget for the U.S. Department of Justice, said Republicans are gathering in support to cut the department’s budget. Cline, who is a member of the staunchly conservative House Freedom Caucus, said members of the caucus are leaning on House Speaker Kevin…


EXCLUSIVE: Republican Letter Asks Blinken to Visit Taiwan En Route to China

A group of Republican lawmakers is urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to visit Taiwan as he travels to communist China. The lawmakers, led by Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.), say that the stopover is necessary to demonstrate that China’s communist regime cannot dictate the terms of U.S. alliances and partnerships, according to a copy of…


Lawmaker Decries State Dept. Report on Human Trafficking for Burying Rights Abuses in China, Cuba

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has aimed heavy criticism at the State Department 2023 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report (pdf), claiming that it falls short of highlighting the genocide and forced labor of the ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang, China, and the exploitation of Cuba’s “medical brigades.” On June 15, the State Department released its annual…


DeSantis Says Trump’s ‘Going Soft’ on Abortion After ‘Harsh’ Comments on Heartbeat Bill

Florida governor Ron DeSantis has accused his 2024 presidential rival Donald Trump of going “soft” on the issue of abortion after the former president said last month that some believed it was “too harsh.” The Republican governor made the comments during an interview with Christian Broadcasting Network News’ David Brody set to air on the 700 Club on…


DeSantis Signs $116.5 Billion Florida Budget

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a $116.5 billion state budget into law on June 15. He highlighted the budget’s environmental spending by signing it in Fort Pierce with a scenic view of the Indian River Lagoon as his backdrop. The budget earmarks $1.6 billion for water restoration in the Everglades and elsewhere, including $100 million…


Trump Had Right to Records Central to Federal Criminal Case, Legal Analyst Says

According to legal analyst Mike Davis, former President Donald Trump had the right to hold onto records from his time as president despite federal prosecutors arguing the move constituted willful retention of national defense information. Davis—who served as a legal counsel to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), as clerk for a federal judge, and who now…


Republicans Demand Biden Declassify COVID-19 Origins Documents as Deadline Looms

Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) are tapping their watches at President Joe Biden as a deadline looms for his administration to declassify all of its documents on the origins of COVID-19. In March, Biden signed the COVID-19 Origin Act of 2023, which requires the Director of National Intelligence to “declassify any and…