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☆ Matt Gaetz slams 2 Fox News hosts for over-sexualizing AOC and joking that he might divorce his wife and marry her instead
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gaetz spoke out against Fox News and accused two of its hosts of over-sexualizing Ocasio-Cortez. Two hosts on "The Five" joked last week about how Gaetz could divorce his wife and marry Ocasio-Cortez. Gaetz also slammed Pirro, saying: "And then Judge Jeanine — Judge Jeanine, who starts out saying I am happily married. Judge Jeanine, who was sitting at my table at Mar-a-Lago the night I proposed to my wife. Representatives for Fox News, Gaetz, and Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular working hours.

☆ Trump’s latest court loss may not hurt primary bid, but some Republicans raise alarm about 2024 viability
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

He would not win the White House. The unanimous jury verdict was vindication for Carroll and offered a symbolic win for other women who have made assault allegations against the president. Many White House hopefuls have exited presidential races for less. Nikki Haley or prospective White House contender, Florida Gov. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy characteristically dodged commenting on the verdict after leaving debt crisis talks at the White House on Tuesday.

☆ Ron DeSantis was already fretting in 2018 about how he could disagree with Trump without alienating the MAGA base, old debate prep video shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis was already worried about alienating the MAGA base in 2018, per an old debate prep video. Ron DeSantis was already worrying about how he could publicly disagree with then-President Donald Trump without annoying and alienating the MAGA base, a new video shows. A video published on Sunday by ABC News shows Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz helping DeSantis prep for debates, for DeSantis' first gubernatorial campaign in 2018. And while DeSantis has held back from publicly criticizing Trump, Trump has launched numerous attacks on the Florida governor. Trump has also given DeSantis nicknames like "Ron DeSanctimonius" and "RINO Globalist" — the former of which DeSantis has tried to brush off.

☆ Ron DeSantis was advised to write 'LIKABLE' at the top of his notepad as a reminder to himself to not get aggressive, old 2018 debate prep video shows
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Aditi Bharade | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ron DeSantis was advised to write 'LIKABLE' on his notepad before a 2018 debate. An advisor told DeSantis to tone down his aggressiveness in a debate prep video obtained by ABC News. "You have to write in all caps at the top of the pad, 'LIKABLE,'" the advisor off camera said. Ron DeSantis was advised by an aide to find ways to stay "likable" and tone down his aggressiveness while speaking in debates. According to ABC News, the advisor later told DeSantis: "You want to have that likable, dismissive tone, and not condescending."

☆ Watch an exasperated Matt Gaetz in a Nirvana shirt coach Ron DeSantis on how to debate people properly in a video from 2018
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A video from 2018 shows a dressed-down Matt Gaetz coaching Ron DeSantis on how to debate. Gaetz is also seen slumping onto the podium midway through debate prep. At the time of the video, Gaetz was a Florida congressman, while DeSantis had resigned to run against Gillum. Gaetz was one of the people enlisted to help DeSantis prep for debates. "I ran the Desantis Debate Prep in 2018.

☆ Ted Cruz defends three-times-a-week podcasting side-hustle, says it's a 'critical part of the job'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ted Cruz's highest-profile 2024 Democratic challenger says the Texas senator is podcasting too much. But Cruz argues that hosting a thrice-weekly podcast is "critical" to being effective as a senator. "That is not somehow peripheral to doing the job," said Cruz. The Texas senator began the project over three years ago, during former President Donald Trump's first impeachment trial. Though some other lawmakers also host podcasts, Cruz is well ahead of the pack in terms of the sheer volume of podcasting he does.

☆ Woman arrested after reportedly throwing drink at Matt Gaetz, with the Florida congressman insisting on pressing charges
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A woman intentionally threw a drink at Rep. Matt Gaetz during an event on Saturday, police said. Gaetz decided to press ahead with criminal charges against the woman. A previous case of a drink being thrown at Gaetz resulted in a woman serving 15 days in prison. A woman with Chambers told police that she was actually the one who cursed at Gaetz as they walked past, according to the Pensacola News Journal. This is the second time Gaetz has had a drink thrown at him resulting in criminal charges, with the first incident leading to a prison sentence.

☆ Matt Gaetz says AOC is 'wrong a lot' but 'she's not corrupt' as the pair joined forces to block Congress from trading stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Both congressional lawmakers formed an unlikely team-up on Tuesday to introduce a new bill. "AOC is wrong a lot, she'd probably say the same thing about me, but she's not corrupt," Gaetz told Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday. They and several other congressional leaders warned that congressional trading erodes trust in the government and presents conflicts of interest. Gaetz told Watters on Tuesday that Congress should "disallow congressional stock trading for the same reason we don't allow the referee to bet on the game." Representatives for Gaetz, Ocasio-Cortez, and Frankel did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.

☆ Tucker Carlson helped broker the deal that made Kevin McCarthy House speaker after 14 failed votes, text messages show
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jacob Shamsian | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Tucker Carlson won concessions from Kevin McCarthy in a deal that made him House speaker, per his texts. McCarthy needed 218 votes to win his bid to become House speaker, giving him a small margin of error. The result was 14 rounds of votes that failed to produce a House speaker, making it the most contested speaker election in more than 150 years. Grossberg discussed some of the conversations between her and Carlson regarding McCarthy's House Speaker election in an interview with CNN on Tuesday night. On January 7, the House held its 15th vote for House Speaker.

☆ Woman arrested for allegedly throwing wine at Rep. Matt Gaetz
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Florida woman was charged with felony battery after she allegedly threw a glass of wine on Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., officials said Tuesday. But Chambers told an officer at the time of her arrest that she "was walking and tripped and spilled her drink on Representative Gaetz," according to the report. She also said that she had consumed alcohol at the festival, and that she recognized Gaetz before spilling her drink. Stacy Froeschner, who was with Chambers at the time, said she had cursed at Gaetz as they walked past him, the arrest report said. Other witnesses told officers that they saw Chambers throw the drink, the report said.

☆ AOC and Matt Gaetz introduce a bipartisan bill to ban Congress members from trading individual stocks
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban Congress members from trading individual stocks. Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul Pelosi has long been scrutinized for his extensive history of trading stocks. The Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act would prohibit Congress members and their spouses and any dependents from trading individual stocks. The bill would prevent Congressional lawmakers and their spouses and dependents from trading individual stocks. Instead of owning individual stocks, Congress members would be allowed to buy and sell baskets of stocks via mutual funds or ETFs, as well as Treasury securities.

☆ Stephen King says he still owns a Tesla and admires Elon Musk, but paying $44 billion for 'a social media plaything' was ridiculous
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

King has praised Tesla in the past, but he's been more critical of Musk in recent months. "$44 billion for what's essentially a social media plaything is a little bit on the ridiculous side," the author told Slate regarding Musk's Twitter purchase in an interview that was published on Friday. In the interview, King admitted that he owns a Tesla and he thinks it's a "great car." In 2019, King praised Musk for Tesla's "fart" feature and Musk thanked him for owning a Tesla. King told Slate he doesn't plan to leave Twitter anytime soon, but he's still averse to the idea of subscribing to Twitter Blue.

☆ 'The Queen of New York:' George Santos basks in rare praise as DC Young Republicans give him a hero's welcome
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

But on Wednesday, Santos received a warm reception at a DC happy hour for young conservatives. But he was still a star for the Washington, DC Young Republicans, a group that was taken over just a month ago by a cadre of self-described "ultra MAGA" young conservatives who emphatically align themselves with former President Donald Trump. —Washington, D.C. Young Republicans (@WashingtonDCYRs) April 27, 2023"Keep fighting for what you think is best, and for what you believe in," said Santos after speaking for less than 10 minutes. Perhaps owing to his precarious political standing, Santos has yet to break from party leadership on any major votes, contrasting with other New York Republicans who won Democratic-leaning districts last year. Attendees mill around before Rep. Santos' arrival.

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said lawmakers would vote on Wednesday on a bill to raise the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling and slash spending, despite lingering dissension within their ranks over the measure. Another critic of the bill, hardline House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, said he and other conservatives who had held out for changes to work requirements were ready to move forward. Representative Kevin Hern, chairman of the 175-member Republican Study Committee, welcomed the changes, which he said most Republicans would support. Bending to the far-right wing of the party, Republicans also accelerated some new, tougher work requirements for receiving Medicaid healthcare benefits for the poor. House Republicans are offering to increase Washington's borrowing authority by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, whichever comes first.

WASHINGTON, April 26 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said lawmakers would vote on Wednesday on a bill to raise the $31.4 trillion federal debt ceiling and slash spending, despite lingering dissension within their ranks over the bill. Representative Kevin Hern, chairman of the 175-member Republican Study Committee, welcomed the changes, which he said most Republicans would support. Several House Republicans, particularly from Midwestern states, had rebelled against that provision. Bending to the far-right wing of the party, Republicans also accelerated some new, tougher work requirements for receiving Medicaid healthcare benefits for the poor. House Republicans are offering to increase Washington's borrowing authority by $1.5 trillion or until March 31, whichever comes first.

☆ Marjorie Taylor Greene says that 'everyone I've talked to' is boycotting Fox and deleting its app after Tucker Carlson's ousting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Marjorie Taylor Greene said "everyone" she talks to is shunning Fox News after Tucker Carlson's exit. They have deleted Fox News on their phones and canceled their Fox Nation subscriptions, she said. Fox Corporation stock fell as much as 5% on Monday after Carlson's shock departure was announced. Fox News said on Monday that the network and Carlson, who was their top-rated host, had "agreed to part ways." "That's what they think they're doing to Tucker Carlson.

☆ Kevin McCarthy's bill to raise the debt ceiling squeezes by in the House after a series of contentious last-minute changes to secure enough GOP votes
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | Juliana Kaplan | Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Under the legislation — which still has a long road to becoming law — the debt ceiling would rise by just $1.5 trillion, or until March 31, 2024, depending on whichever comes first. Democratic senators insisted on Wednesday that the House bill is dead on arrival in the Senate. "I don't think it will have any impact on what happens in the Senate," Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, told Insider of the House bill on Wednesday afternoon. But GOP Sen. Ron Johnson told Insider that he thinks House Republicans "are doing the right thing." That means that both parties need to come to an agreement on an approach to raise the debt ceiling before the country hurdles into a default, expected early this summer.

“See, this is the great part,” Mr. McCarthy told reporters who questioned how — if he could barely get his colleagues to elect him — he would ever be able to govern his slim and unruly House Republican majority. Mr. McCarthy is set as early as Wednesday to bring to the floor his proposal to lift the debt ceiling for a year in exchange for spending cuts and policy changes. That includes soliciting “yes” votes from right-wing members who have never before voted to increase the debt ceiling and take pride in that fact. But after late-night wrangling on Tuesday, Mr. McCarthy appeared to have acquiesced at least in part, moving up the imposition of stricter requirements by a year, to 2024. “The last five votes, you’re standing there begging,” Mr. Gingrich said he has told Mr. McCarthy of his own experience with tough bills.

☆ Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( David Wallace-Wells | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +55 min

Dr. Fauci Looks Back: ‘Something Clearly Went Wrong’ In his most extensive interview yet, Anthony Fauci wrestles with the hard lessons of the pandemic — and the decisions that will define his legacy. But when people say, “Fauci shut down the economy” — it wasn’t Fauci. But somehow or other, the general public didn’t get that feeling that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly. We also had a public-health system that we thought was really, really good. But it was really, really antiquated.

☆ Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Marjorie Taylor Greene is the Republican who's really in charge of the party and McCarthy is doing her bidding
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

She said that Greene was actually more powerful than House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. "Every time something irks her, she communicates that McCarthy is doing her bidding," said Ocasio-Cortez of Greene. "Speaker McCarthy, in order to become Speaker, had to cut some deals we still don't know the details on. "I think you've got Marjorie Taylor Greene running the caucus." I think that Speaker McCarthy is stuck between having to please the most racist and heinous elements of his party with having to maintain a majority.

☆ Biden vs. Trump? Why 2024 could be the most boring presidential primary season ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( Harry Enten | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

At this point, Biden doesn’t look likely to break that streak. First, primary endorsements are as good a predictor at this point of primary success as polling is. Second, it’s true that Democratic primary voters tell pollsters they are open to listening to a credible challenger to Biden. So it’s not like Democratic voters will be kicking and screaming if they have to support Biden for another term. Trump, like Biden, seems to have two things going for him: a large share of Republican voters and the party behind him.

☆ DeSantis keeps losing home-state endorsements to Trump, and the Florida governor's recent visit to DC didn't produce any converts.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ron DeSantis bled support from the Florida congressional delegation this week. 3 more Florida GOP lawmakers are lining up behind Trump amid DeSantis' trip to DC. Ron DeSantis' personal appeal to congressional Republicans in DC on Tuesday night appears to have spectacularly backfired, as Florida lawmakers continue throwing their support behind Trump in the 2024 presidential race. And freshman Rep. Brian Mast told CNN that not only does he plan to endorse Trump, he'll also spearhead a "Veterans for Trump" group. Even if DeSantis had tried that, Crenshaw noted that he has no plans to endorse anyone in the GOP presidential primary, so that was off the table.

☆ Americans could see their student debt, car, and mortgage payments surge because of Republicans' 'flirtation with the default,' top Democrat Hakeem Jeffries says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said a default on the US debt could cause student debt, car, and mortgage payments to surge. Republicans plan to bring a debt ceiling bill to the House floor next week, but it's unclear if it will get enough support. Biden has refused to meet with Republicans over debt ceiling negotiations. "Even the flirtation with the default is going to hurt everyday Americans," Jeffries said. "It risks raising car payments, it risks raising home mortgage payments, it risks raising student loan debt payments," he continued.

☆ DeSantis is calling up Republican lawmakers in his state to try to stop them endorsing Trump, report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeSantis aides have called Florida lawmakers to try stop them endorsing Trump, NBC News reported. They asked lawmakers to delay endorsements, after four state lawmakers backed Trump. Ron DeSantis have been calling other lawmakers in the state to try and stop them endorsing former President Donald Trump for the 2024 presidency, NBC News reported. DeSantis' team have contacted at least six members of Florida's congressional delegation, sources close to four of those members told NBC News. Insider has contacted DeSantis' office for comment.

☆ Steve Bannon, who has ties to an indicted Chinese billionaire, says Elon Musk's 'paymasters' are Beijing and the Chinese Communist Party
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Steve Bannon accused Elon Musk of having "paymasters" in Beijing. This isn't the first time Bannon has accused Musk of having links to the Chinese Communist Party. This isn't the first time Bannon has — without substantiation or evidence — accused Musk of serving the Chinese government. Elon Musk's ties with ChinaMusk has spared no effort to create business ties with China. Steve Bannon has been linked to China, tooMeanwhile, Bannon has long been associated with the indicted Chinese billionaire, Miles Guo Wengui.

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