Tag: republicans

Israel’s Ben Gvir Says US Republicans Support His Plan To Bomb Food in Gaza

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is visiting the US and said on Wednesday that during a meeting at Mar-a-Lago, he received support from Republican leadership for his plan to bomb food and aid warehouses in Gaza.

“I had the honor and privilege to meet with senior officials of the Republican Party at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.

“They expressed support for my very clear position on how to act in Gaza and that the food and aid warehouses should be bombed in order to create military and political pressure to bring our hostages home safely,” the minister added.

Ben Gvir has been calling for Israel to bomb humanitarian aid that was allowed into Gaza during the short-lived ceasefire. “The government must also order the bombing of the aid stockpiles that have accumulated in Gaza in enormous quantities during and before the ceasefire,” he said in March after Israel imposed a total blockade on all goods entering Gaza.

The Trump administration has strongly backed Israel’s blockade on aid and the collective punishment of the civilian population in Gaza, a clear war crime under international law.

In another post on Wednesday, Ben Gvir, leader of the far-right Jewish Power party, vowed that “not a single gram” of food will enter Gaza until Israeli hostages are released, although Israel has refused Hamas’s offer to free all the captives in exchange for a permanent ceasefire.

“I see the reports about the debate over who should deliver ‘humanitarian’ aid to Gaza: Well, this is a fundamentally foolish debate, because not a single gram of aid should enter the entire Strip as long as our hostages are held there—not by some external organization, nor by IDF soldiers,” Ben Gvir said.

“This is the situation today, and only by maintaining it will it be possible to bring Hamas to its knees and free our hostages by force,” he added.

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Congressman Visits Ukraine Frontlines, Filmed Firing Heavy Weapon

Apparently trying to out-hawk the late John McCain, Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick has described that he recently traveled to Ukraine and spent several days at the front lines.

The 51-year old Republican rep from Pennsylvania spent a total of a week inside the war-ravaged country, visiting soldiers while making declarations that Ukraine and the US will defeat the Russian military.

Fitzpatrick even did a provocative photo op wherein he signed an artillery shell “to Putin”. And even more alarming is that he filmed himself firing a large gun, which may have been an anti-aircraft weapon.

It’s unclear whether he was manning the gun near an actual combat zone, or if he was really engaging a target. Likely it was at some kind of training or firing range.

Still, it’s clear the Congressman was trying to be as provocative against the Russians as possible, at a moment a Republican president is trying to forge peace between Moscow and Kiev.

Crucially, Fitzpatrick traveled around with Ukraine’s National Guard Artillery and Third Assault Brigade – the latter which is made up of Azov Special Operations soldiers and is commanded by Andriy Biletsky, who has long been accused of having neo-Nazi links and ideology.

He wrote on X after the trip, “It was my profound honor to deliver a very ‘personal’ message to Vladimir Putin today, from the front lines of the war near the Russian border, on behalf of our PA-1 community.  The only permissible details to share are that ‘the message was delivered on target.’“

This does suggest he may have been firing on or near an actual war zone – though the security risks would be enough to probably prevent him from getting very close to any real fighting.

Fitzpatrick has been receiving significant backlash over the stunt, especially as it could harm the cause of Trump’s efforts to negotiate peace settlement. In addressing ‘messages’ directly to Putin, it seems a deliberate effort at sabotaging peace.

Gen. Mike Flynn (ret.) ripped the Congressman, saying on X: “How stupid can you be?”

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Resolution wants Indiana House of Representatives to ‘submit’ to Jesus Christ

A resolution put forth by an Indiana legislator this week asks the state’s House of Representatives to “humbly submit its ways to the Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Written by Republican Rep. Joanna King and co-authored by 20 others, House Resolution 53 – “recognizing the importance of repentance” – invokes the Founding Fathers and their supposed reliance on “almighty God” when establishing the eventual U.S. government. It then calls for the House to “individually and corporately” uphold “biblical principles.”

King submitted the resolution on Tuesday, when it was referred to the committee on courts and criminal code. As of Thursday, it hadn’t been scheduled for a hearing.

No Evansville-area lawmakers signed on as co-authors. The 21 listed included 20 Republicans and one Democrat.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution specifically bars legislators from passing any law “respecting an establishment of religion.” Indiana’s own constitution follows suit.

“No preference shall be given, by law, to any creed, religious society, or mode of worship,” Article 1, Section 4 reads in part.

In this case it’s not a law, but a resolution, which wouldn’t carry the same weight. Resolutions are largely symbolic and don’t alter existing code.

Kylie Glatfelter, a spokeswoman for King, said she’d pass on questions from the Courier & Press. As of Thursday morning, she hadn’t responded.

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Arkansas GOP Governor Vetoes Bill To Allow Drive-Thru Medical Marijuana Sales At Dispensaries And Ease Delivery Rules

The Republican governor of Arkansas has vetoed a bill that would have allowed medical cannabis sales at drive-thru windows at dispensaries, while also easing certain rules around marijuana delivery services for patients and caregivers.

After the legislation from Rep. Aaron Pilkington (R) narrowly advanced through the legislature, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) returned the measure with a veto message on Wednesday.

“This legislation would expand access to usable marijuana, therefore I am vetoing this legislation,” Sanders said.

Under the bill, licensed dispensaries would be have been authorized to “deliver usable marijuana to a qualified patient or designated caregiver via a drive-through window located at the dispensary,” the text says.

People would have needed to place an online order and pick up their products on the same day of the transaction.

The measure also would have revised existing statute to allow visitors to tour dispensaries in additional to cultivation facilities. And it would have made it so conventional medical cannabis deliveries could be handled by one employee, instead of the current minimum of two, if additional security measures were taken.

The governor didn’t address any of the specifics of the bill, instead simply voicing opposition to the idea of expanding access to cannabis.

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Indiana GOP Senators Block Another Attempt To Legalize Marijuana Through Budget Bill

Indiana Republican senators have rejected another attempt to legalize marijuana in the state.

On Monday, the Senate considered numerous amendments to a two-year budget, defeating many Democratic-led proposals including one from Sen. Rodney Pol (D) to create a regulated adult-use cannabis market.

Pol stressed that Indiana is “losing out” to neighboring states such as Illinois and Michigan that have already enacted legalization, with tax revenue from marijuana sales being diverted to those states as Indianans patronized their licensed businesses.

He said it’s “frustrating” to watch Indiana “lose on an opportunity to keep our dollars in our state and provide relief to those individuals that are dealing with cancer, PTSD, chronic pain and other ailments that prefer cannabis for needed relief, as opposed to pharmaceuticals.”

“We have hundreds of people in the hallway that are concerned about money that we are spending,” he said. “And this is an easy way to turn what is in an illicit market that is funding more crime right now into a regulated and safe taxed market that we reap the benefits of.”

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Republicans Debut Transparency Bill After Uncovering Millions Of Secret Spending On China

The Biden administration funneled $18 million in U.S. tax dollars — approximately $4 million of which Republican Sen. Joni Ernst’s staff found buried or absent from the federal government’s funding database — to causes in Communist China.

The majority of the payments were funneled through the U.S. Departments of State and Health and Human Services to various Chinese entities and China-based projects for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility trainings (including some at the U.S. consulate), “art billboards,” a bicycle parking cover, pro-LGBT events, various climate change initiatives, and rat research and reported on USAspending.gov.

Buried in that federal spending database, however, is more of Americans’ hard-earned money that the National Institutes of Health handed to at least one Chinese university.

In one example, the NIH grant database and USAspending.gov show Peking University in Beijing raked in approximately $4.8 million in U.S. tax dollars from 2021 to 2024. A cursory search shows that the only project grant Peking University received U.S. funding for between 2021 and 2024 was a “China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.” Ernst’s office, however, uncovered another $1.08 million to Peking researchers concealed as a subaward under a grant to the University of Southern California for sensors designed to provide imaging of “neuromodulators” that “regulate addiction attention, cognition, mood, memory, motivation, sleep and more through their influence on brain circuits.” The subaward’s purpose and amount are not associated with the university’s profile on USAspending.gov.

An April 2023 Government Accountability Office audit confirmed that projects and programs in China often receive American funding through subawards but noted the “full extent of these subawards is unknown because of limitations in the completeness and accuracy of subaward data reported in government systems.”

“Limitations in subaward data is a government-wide issue and not unique to U.S. funding to entities in China,” the report added.

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Montana GOP Purges 9 Turncoat Republican Senators for Backing Democrats, Says They Are No Longer Recognized as Republicans

The Montana Republican Party has formally censured nine Republican state senators for betraying the will of GOP voters and aligning themselves with Democrats during the 69th Legislative Session.

The state party’s Executive Committee has made it clear: these lawmakers are no longer recognized as Republicans.

The nine rogue senators—Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Josh Kassmier, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, Russ Tempel, and Shelley Vance—have repeatedly sold out conservative priorities, voting with Democrats on key issues, disrupting committee assignments, and opposing vital amendments to Senate rules that would have preserved Republican leadership and integrity.

More from the press release:

The Executive Committee of the Montana Republican Party (MTGOP) has censured the nine Montana Senators as Republicans following their repeated alignment with Senate Democrats during the 69th Legislative Session. These Senators have undermined the Republican majority leadership and disregarded the will of Montana Republican voters.

The nine Senators in question-Jason Ellsworth, Wendy McKamey, Gayle Lammers, Josh Kassmier, Butch Gillespie, Gregg Hunter, Denley Loge, Russ Tempel, and Shelley Vance-have consistently voted with Democrats, betraying the core values of the Republican Party.

Despite multiple calls for unity and adherence to Republican principles, the Senators have chosen to align with Democrats, undermining Republican priorities and leadership. Their actions include voting to disrupt committee assignments, opposing critical amendment to Senate Rules, and failing to support the expulsion of Senator Ellsworth after an ethics investigation.

The MTGOP Executive Committee has determined that these Senators no longer represent the values or interests of Montana Republicans.

As a result, the MTGOP will no longer support or fund their campaigns. The Party is also urging the media and the public to refrain from referring to these Senators as Republicans.

The MTGOP is committed to ensuring that its elected officials uphold the trust of their constituents and the Party’s principles, and will continue to advocate for a united Republican voice in Montana.

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Ohio newspaper edits black state lawmaker who sponsored anti-DEI bill out of photo of law signing

An Ohio newspaper has been accused of cropping out a black Republican state lawmaker from a group photo that had been taken during the signing of a bill to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at the state’s public colleges and universities. Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township) sponsored the House version of SB1, the Enact Advance Ohio Higher Education Act, which was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine last month. Williams had posed for a photo alongside his colleagues, all of whom were white, during the bill’s signing.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has been accused of deliberately cropping Rep. Williams out of the image in its report, sparking significant outrage. Williams, who made history as the first black Republican elected to the Ohio House, has said the publication pushed “propaganda” to fit a false narrative and demanded the outlet issue a correction and public apology.

“This is just another example of fake news mainstream media changing the facts to fit their narrative in an attempt to lie to Ohioans,” Williams told Ohio News. “I was at that event, and for the Cleveland Plan Dealer to deliberately crop me out of the while while using it to discuss the elimination of DEI in higher education is dishonest and manipulative. I call on them to issue a public apology and correction of the public record. Ohioans deserve the truth, not carefully edited propaganda.”

The Cleveland Plain Dealer had featured the edited image along with unfavorable reporting on the state’s decision to eliminate DEI programs, a decision defined by lawmakers as racial discrimination and “deliberate media bias.” Williams’ Republican colleagues also expressed outrage over the matter.

Rep. Gary Click (R-Vickery) demanded an apology, saying, “The utter audacity to publicly discriminate against a black lawmaker when discussing DEI is atrocious! Rep. Williams deserves a very public apology from the Cleveland Plain Dealer without delay and without excuse.”

Rep. Ron Ferguson (R-Wintersville) added that the paper deliberately decided to push a false narrative. “Legacy media is dying because they can’t resist the opportunity to spin reality,” he said. “Cutting out Rep. Williams, who was an instrumental part of passing SB1, is a prime example of the never-ending spin.”

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New Hampshire Governor Reiterates Opposition To Marijuana Legalization, But May Consider Allowing Medical Homegrow

As bills to legalize marijuana for adults in New Hampshire makes their way through the legislature, Gov. Kelly Ayotte (R) is reiterating her opposition to the reform—but is also signaling that she may be open to separate legislation that would allow medical cannabis patients to grow their own medicine at home.

“I’ve been very clear on this,” Ayotte told reporters last Wednesday, the same day House lawmakers passed HB 198, which would legalize the use and possession of marijuana by adults 21 and older. “I ran on this issue, and the people of New Hampshire know where I stand on it. I don’t support it.”

A former U.S. senator and state attorney general, Ayotte said repeatedly on the campaign trail last year that she would oppose efforts at adult-use legalization.

HB 198 would, if enacted, allow adults 21 and older to possess up to two ounces of marijuana flower, 10 grams of concentrate and up to 2,000 milligrams of THC in other cannabis products. Retail sales of marijuana products, along with home cultivation, would remain illegal. Consuming marijuana on public land would also be prohibited.

The proposal, from Rep. Jared Sullivan (D), cleared the chamber last week in a 208–125 vote.

Ayotte said there were a number of reasons she’s against the change, according to a report from the outlet InDepthNH.

“I don’t think it is the right direction for the state for a lot of reasons,” she told reporters. “I believe, if you think about our quality of life, if you think about some of the concerns that can flow from that. I know…we talked about safety on our roadways. I think that there are a number of issues that states who have legalized cannabis have experienced in those regards that I just don’t think can be addressed at the moment with the existing technology.”

The governor of the Granite State also added that she’s “mindful of the message we send to younger people when we legalize something versus it being illegal.”

Despite Ayotte’s comments flatly opposing legalization, however, she left the door open to more modest cannabis reform. She told reporters she will review every bill that comes to her desk, including a separate House-passed measure that would legalize home cultivation by state-registered medical marijuana patients.

That bill—HB 53, from Rep. Wendy Thomas (D), would allow cultivation of up to three mature plants and three immature plants, as well as 12 seedlings. Patients could also possess up to eight ounces of usable cannabis from those plants.

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GOP Senator Paints Dire Picture Of Medical Marijuana Legalization In His State, Saying Voters Didn’t Understand ‘Consequences’

U.S. Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) said at an event on Friday that voters in his home state didn’t understand what they were doing when they legalized medical marijuana in 2018.

Pointing to a new report from the Texoma High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program, which covers north Texas and Oklahoma, Lankford said the state has been overrun by growers and dispensaries and has “seen rising crime, human trafficking [and] illegal migration coming into our state” since the law took effect.

Although citizens voted in favor of medical marijuana legalization, he said, “I don’t think a lot of Oklahomans realized, when that vote actually occurred, what the consequences of that would be.”

The senator’s comments are in keeping with criticisms that Republican politicians in Oklahoma have levied against medical marijuana for years. In 2022, for example, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) similarly suggested that state residents misunderstood the cannabis initiative they voted to enact.

Stitt said at the time that he was directing law enforcement to “crack down hard on the black market,” adding that “drug cartels, organized crime, foreign bad actors have no place in the state of Oklahoma.”

But in comments on Friday, Lankford—a longtime critic of legalization—painted a dire picture of what’s happening in the state.

“The findings that are coming out are stark,” he said of the new HIDTA report. “We have Chinese criminal organizations and organized crime that has moved in to Oklahoma in just the last six years, in numbers that have skyrocketed.”

That’s led to what he described as “execution-style murders in rural areas of the state” that are connected “directly to marijuana grows and what is happening here on the ground.”

“We, as a state, have to decide what we’re going to do about it,” the federal lawmaker said. “We have hard decisions to be able to make on what we’re going to do to be able to protect our kids in the days ahead… This is a very serious issue that we need to be able to take on and to be able to address.”

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