Tag: republicans

Governor Kay Ivey Calls Special Session to Redraw Alabama Maps – Delivering a COMPLETELY REPUBLICAN Congressional Delegation

It is now official.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has called a special session of the Alabama Legislature for Monday, May 4, ordering lawmakers back to Montgomery to redraw the state’s congressional maps after the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling declaring race-based gerrymandering unconstitutional.

In a formal proclamation issued Friday, Ivey stated the Legislature would consider “primary elections” legislation and redraw districts whose boundaries were altered by prior court rulings, injunctions, or judicial orders.

That means Alabama Republicans are moving swiftly to reclaim control of congressional lines that had been reshaped through years of legal warfare and activist court intervention.

For years, Alabama has been at the center of a bitter redistricting battle after left-wing groups sued to force the state into creating a second Black-opportunity congressional district. Federal courts repeatedly interfered with maps passed by elected lawmakers, overriding the will of Alabama voters.

But the legal landscape changed dramatically this week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the use of race as the predominant factor in redistricting, dealing a massive blow to the race-based mapmaking agenda pushed by Democrats and activist groups.

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Former Congressman David Rivera Convicted of Lobbying for Venezuela

Former Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) was found guilty on Friday of secretly lobbying on behalf of Venezuela’s government, following a seven-week federal trial.

Rivera—alongside associate Esther Nuhfer—was convicted on all charges, including failing to register as a foreign agent and conspiring to commit money laundering.

Prosecutors said the pair worked for the government of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro as part of a covert influence campaign.

According to the government’s case, Rivera leveraged his Republican political connections, including ties from his time in Congress, to push U.S. officials to ease their stance toward Venezuela’s socialist leadership.

Prosecutors alleged that Rivera secured a $50 million lobbying deal from Venezuelan official Delcy Rodríguez, with funds connected to the state oil company PDVSA.

As part of the effort, Rivera worked with Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) and others to arrange meetings with U.S. officials and business leaders.

Sessions has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The case highlighted Miami’s long-standing role as a center of influence in U.S.–Latin America relations, shaped by its large exile community and history of anti-communist activism.

Rivera was first charged in 2022. Prosecutors said he used encrypted communications to conceal his activities, including a messaging group called “MIA.”

One of his key contacts was Venezuelan businessman Raúl Gorrín, who has separately faced U.S. bribery charges.

Messages presented at trial allegedly showed the use of coded language—referring to Maduro as “the bus driver,” Sessions as “Sombrero,” and money as “melons.”

Rivera denied any wrongdoing.

His defense argued that his firm was hired by a U.S.-based subsidiary of Venezuela’s oil company, not directly by the Venezuelan government, and therefore did not require registration under foreign agent laws.

They also said his work focused on business matters, including helping Citgo operate in the United States, and on encouraging political change in Venezuela.

However, prosecutors pointed to a related civil case alleging Rivera performed little of the contracted work and used the agreement to mask illegal lobbying.

Of the roughly $20 million he received, they said millions were diverted to personal expenses, including maintaining Gorrín’s luxury yacht.

Prosecutors said Rivera viewed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as a key ally for gaining access to senior U.S. officials. Rubio was not accused of any misconduct.

Court records showed Rivera met with Rubio in Washington in 2017 and later encouraged him to support negotiations with Maduro, suggesting the United States should help facilitate a peaceful resolution.

The effort ultimately failed.

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Senators Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Tighten US Ban on Chinese Vehicles

A bipartisan group of senators has introduced legislation aimed at strengthening a U.S. government ban on Chinese automakers accessing the U.S. market, citing national security concerns.

Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) introduced the Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026 on April 29, which would codify a Commerce Department rule that effectively bars all Chinese automakers from selling passenger vehicles in the United States and take other measures to block China from entering the U.S. light-duty market.

“The American auto industry is the backbone of the American industrial economy, we cannot afford to make the same mistakes globalists have made for decades and see these great American companies devastated by predatory and massively subsidized Chinese state enterprises hellbent on the destruction of our economy,” Moreno said in a statement.

“As Europe, Mexico, and others allow their markets to be overrun by Chinese predators, the U.S. must act before it’s too late. The answer is simple: Chinese vehicles can never be allowed into the U.S. market—the fate of the American auto industry and countless autoworkers depends on it.”

The legislation would ban internet-connected vehicles and related hardware and software tied to the Chinese regime or other foreign adversaries from being imported, manufactured, sold, or resold in the United States.

It would empower the Commerce Department to identify and block technologies or parts deemed national security threats from entering the U.S. market.

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Republicans Could Gain DOZENS of House Seats After SCOTUS Outlaws Racial Gerrymandering — Here’s How

Republicans could pick up as many as 27 additional House seats following the Supreme Court’s decision to curb race-based redistricting, a shift that could reshape the 2026 midterm map.

The projection stems from analysis of how congressional districts may be redrawn now that states are no longer required to prioritize race when complying with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

Estimates indicate that weakening Section 2 enforcement could ultimately produce even larger gains, with Axios reporting that 27 seats could shift toward Republicans over time.

The changes would be concentrated primarily in Southern states, where previous maps were challenged and altered to create additional majority-minority districts.

With the Court ruling that racially gerrymandered maps are unconstitutional, states now have broader authority to redraw districts using traditional and political considerations rather than racial targets.

The impact could be significant given the current balance of power in the House, where relatively small seat changes determine control.

The Louisiana case at the center of the ruling involved a dispute over a second majority-Black district added after legal challenges.

A group of voters later sued, arguing the map relied too heavily on race, and federal courts agreed before the issue reached the Supreme Court.

The Court’s decision effectively limits how Section 2 can be used to force states into drawing districts based on racial composition.

This removes a major legal obstacle for Republican-led legislatures seeking to revisit congressional maps ahead of 2026.

Ongoing legal battles in Texas and Florida suggest that mid-cycle redistricting efforts are already underway, with courts allowing those maps to remain in place while challenges proceed.

Republicans are also expected to benefit from structural advantages in turnout and district geography, which, combined with new map flexibility, could further strengthen their position.

The ruling does not eliminate the Voting Rights Act but significantly narrows its application in redistricting cases, reducing the likelihood of successful legal challenges based on racial representation claims.

While most pollsters believe that Democrats will take back the House in November, there are some signs that a so-called “blue wave” is not a foregone conclusion.

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GOP Bill Seeks $400M for White House Ballroom and Security Infrastructure

As the country is engaged in a costly illegal war abroad, and as prices continue to climb at home, a group of Republicans in Congress has turned its attention toward a $400-million White House construction effort. On Monday, Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, Katie Britt of Alabama, and Eric Schmitt of Missouri introduced legislation to authorize and fund the so-called East Wing Modernization Project. That includes a State Ballroom, visitor screening facility, and related “national-security” infrastructure.

The bill arrives in the immediate aftermath of a highly suspicious shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Saturday, and as courts continue to weigh whether the administration had authority to move forward with the ballroom project without congressional approval. Legal challenges temporarily blocked parts of the project, making the legislation not only a funding vehicle, but a political and legal rescue effort for one of President Donald Trump’s most controversial White House priorities. Initially touted as a grand venue for high-profile receptions, the plan took on a different tone in late March, when the president described the ballroom as “essentially a shed” for a hardened underground complex.

The Bill

Dubbed the “White House Safety and Security Act of 2026,” the legislation seeks to authorizes $400 million in federal funding for what is formally described as the “East Wing Modernization Project.” The Trump administration kicked off that “modernization” by tearing down the historic East Wing last October.

The appropriation is direct. It draws from the U.S. Treasury and remains available through January 20, 2029. The funds are intended for “design, construction, and other appropriate expenses.”

The legislation also contains a secondary mechanism to offset costs. It extends customs user fees through March 31, 2032. That extension is framed as a way to balance the federal outlay. Critics argue it simply shifts the burden.

The scope is broad. It includes a secure State Ballroom and a visitor-screening facility. It also allows for “any other related national security facility.” That final phrase appears to be vague by design. It leaves room for expansion beyond the ballroom itself. The president himself left little room for ambiguity, posting on Truth Social on April 16 that “future Presidents and World Leaders” would need

… a safe and secure large scale Meeting Place, or Ballroom, one with Bomb Shelters, a State of the Art Hospital and Medical Facilities, Protective Partitioning, Top Secret Military Installations, Structures, and Equipment, Protective Missile Resistant Steel, Columns, Roofs, and Beams, Drone Proof Ceilings and Roofs, Military Grade Venting, and Bullet, Ballistic, and Blast Proof Glass

That list sounds less like a reception hall and more like a hardened lair. For a proclaimed “Golden Age,” it suggests not confidence, but preparation for doomsday.

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RINO JOHN THUNE STABS AMERICA IN THE BACK YET AGAIN: Refuses CBDC Ban in ANY Legislation, Declares “NO SAVE AMERICA”

Another day, another warning sign from the Washington establishment.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has reportedly will BLOCK a permanent ban on Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) in ANY legislation the House sends over, and also “No SAVE America.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), one of the few true fighters left in Congress, dropped this bombshell warning to the nation on X:

“Attention America: John Thune has said he will not support a CBDC ban in any of the legislation we send over. He also has said No Save America.”

This comes as House are desperately trying to protect the American people from the coming CBDC surveillance nightmare.

A Central Bank Digital Currency would give the corrupt Federal Reserve and the Democrat deep state the power to track every transaction you make, freeze your accounts if you buy a gun or attend a Trump rally, and turn the United States into a totalitarian digital prison state.

This is the same technology the Chinese Communist Party uses to enslave its people, and Thune is rolling out the red carpet for it.

As The Gateway Pundit has exhaustively reported in recent weeks, Thune has already proven himself a spineless sellout on the SAVE America Act, the critical legislation to require proof of U.S. citizenship and photo ID to vote, stopping the Democrat illegal voting machine cold.

Just days ago, we exposed how Thune STABBED TRUMP AND AMERICA IN THE BACK by refusing to nuke the filibuster to pass the SAVE Act, telling reporters “That’s not going to happen.”

He mocked the massive grassroots pressure campaign as nothing but “propaganda by paid influencers.” After a two-week recess, he reportedly dropped the bill entirely, prompting Rep. Luna to expose Thune on X who is “no longer considering the SAVE America Act.”

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New Digital ID Bill Ties Your Identity to Your Phone—and Everything You Do Online

Republicans are once again teaming up with Democrats to ram Digital ID through at the federal level.

The bill they’ve just introduced is, if you can believe it, worse than all the others before it.

HR 8250, deceptively named the Parents Decide Act, doesn’t just force everyone to link their identity to use apps on their phones, it mandates that they must do it to use ANY operating system. That means Apple, iOS, Windows, Google, Android, even Samsung—basically everything.

And once that’s in place, there’s nowhere to step outside of it.

But one brave group is refusing to go along.

GrapheneOS has made a statement saying: GrapheneOS will remain usable by anyone around the world without requiring personal information, identification, or an account.

Glenn and Eric Meder from Privacy Academy have been working to educate people on how to escape the digital control grid, including how to put GrapheneOS on your phone—for free. And they have a solution to Digital ID right now.

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House Judiciary expands probe into allegations Biden admin spied on GOP members of Congress

ouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan expanded his committee’s investigation Monday into allegations that the Biden administration spied on Republican lawmakers. 

Revelations last year claimed the Biden FBI snooped on the phone records of multiple Republican members of Congress, including eight senators, during its January 6 investigation known as Arctic Frost. 

Jordan sent the latest letter to Alpine Bank CEO Glen Jammaron requesting documents and communications related to allegations that the Biden administration’s Department of Justice may have subpoenaed financial institutions for records of private customer data for Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert.

The letter asks the bank to produce documents and communications relating to any material sought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia in relation to investigations about the 2020 presidential election.

It also sought documents and material related to Arctic Frost and activities conducted by former Special Counsel Jack Smith and asked for the material by no later than May 11.

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Mike Johnson’s Crusade to Renew Warrantless NSA Spying on Americans Culminates This Week

House Speaker Mike Johnson is on a crusade. He is determined to pass a three-year, reform-free renewal of the notorious FISA law that authorizes the NSA to spy on the communications of American citizens, on U.S. soil, without warrants of any kind.

Immediately prior to the last (unsuccessful) attempt by Johnson to pass a new reform-free renewal of this spying law — just two weeks ago — I wrote about the bizarre and deeply bipartisan history of FISA domestic spying and how the U.S. somehow became a country that authorizes its surveillance state to target American citizens, all without warrants.

I will not recount all of that here, except to note that — like the 2001 Patriot Act — the original law empowering the NSA to spy on Americans without warrants was such a self-evident departure from American tradition that passage was only possible by portraying it as a mere temporary emergency measure. Yet those spying powers have now become one of the many such “temporary” and “emergency” measures that have seamlessly become a quasi-permanent fixture of the U.S. government. This upcoming week in the House will determine whether it becomes genuinely permanent and, worse, forever immune to reforms.

The FISA bill that permits warrantless NSA spying on American citizens was first enacted by Nancy Pelosi’s House in 2008, then signed into law by President Bush. The law provided for those powers to expire four years later, unless Congress approved renewal.

The law was first renewed in 2012 with the support of the Obama White House, this time for five years, without any reforms. When that five-year renewal was set to expire in 2018, Congress, this time backed by the Trump White House, passed a six-year reform-free renewal, requiring a new vote in 2024.

For the 2018 renewal, there was a mountain of evidence demonstrating abuse, which in turn gave rise to steadfast opposition to such a renewal from dozens of members of both parties (who were demanding, among other reforms, the addition of a warrant requirement for spying on Americans). As a result, then-Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) was forced to rely on dozens of Democratic representatives to secure FISA renewal.

Ryan accomplished this by working in close tandem with three key California Democrats: then-Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, ranking Intelligence Committee member Adam Schiff, and Eric Swalwell (D-CA). That liberal trio led 65 House Democrats alongside 191 Republicans to vote to endow a President they were calling a Hitler-type fascist with virtually unlimited power to spy on Americans without warrants.

The last time the FISA bill was renewed was four years after that 2018 vote: in April, 2024, with the support of the Biden White House and the key support of newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson. That time, Congress was only willing to extend it only for two years, meaning the bill was scheduled to lapse on April 17, 2026, unless it was renewed again.

That is why Mike Johnson is now tasked with securing a new multi-year renewal of FISA with no reforms. On April 17 — last week — Johnson’s first attempt to renew the spying law for 18 more months failed to secure the necessary votes in the House for renewal He was thus forced to desperately plead with the chamber for a short 10-day extension to give more time to pressure the 20 House GOP holdouts to change their minds, and to try to induce more Democratic defections.

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DeSantis proposes new Congressional map for Fla., giving GOP 4 extra seats

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has proposed an overhaul of the state’s congressional map, designed to net the Republican Party 4 additional seats in the U.S. House. This move is widely viewed by Democrats as a strategic “tit-for-tat” response to recent Democrat redistricting victories in states like Virginia and California.

Nonetheless, by establishing a projected 24–4 GOP advantage, the governor’s proposal reportedly seeks to ensure Florida’s congressional delegation accurately reflects the state’s massive shift in voter registration, which now sees Republicans leading Democrats by over 1.5 million voters.

This update would modernize the current split to better align with the state’s significant population growth and clear political mandate. Supporters have described the move as a necessary step to solidify Florida’s influence and provide a decisive Republican firewall in the House ahead of the 2026 midterms.

“Florida got shortchanged in the 2020 Census, and we’ve been fighting for fair representation ever since,” DeSantis (R-Fla.)told Fox News Digital. “Our population has since grown dramatically, and we have moved from a Democrat majority to a 1.5 million Republican advantage. Drawing maps based on race, which is reflected in our current congressional districts, is unconstitutional and should be prohibited.”

“Our new map for 2026 makes good on my promise to conduct mid-decade redistricting, and it more fairly represents the makeup of Florida today,” DeSantis added.

DeSantis’ latest congressional map proposal follows similar mid-decade redistricting efforts in states like Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, and Ohio, which are collectively expected to bolster the GOP’s seat count in the U.S. House.

While the move also coincides with a recent shift in Virginia that will highly likely favor Democrats, sources familiar with the governor’s thinking similarly argued that the Florida redraw is primarily driven by the state’s massive population growth and a significant shift in voter registration since the 2020 Census.

DeSantis has maintained that the update is necessary to ensure fair representation for Florida’s expanded electorate and to move toward a more “race-neutral” map, rather than acting as a direct retaliation for political developments in other states.

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