Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Republicans are keeping their options open…
On Thursday, multiple Republicans suggested Elon Musk become the next Speaker of the House.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) suggested Elon Musk serve as Speaker in a Thursday morning post on X following contentious debates over the continuing resolution (CR).
“The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . . ,” Paul wrote.
The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress . . .
Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’…
“Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk . . . think about it . . . nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds).”
Later Thursday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she would be open to supporting Musk to replace Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) in a post quoting Paul.
“I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House. DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency,” Greene wrote on X.
I’d be open to supporting @elonmusk for Speaker of the House.
DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency.
The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday.
“The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way,” she added.
Musk is the co-leader of President-elect Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), an advisory panel focused on cutting spending and the size of the federal government.
The Speaker is not required to be an elected member of the House.
Ted Eytan from Washington, DC, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
On Wednesday, Republicans voted to elect Sen. John Thune to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate Majority Leader.
Sources told Fox News Digital that no candidate reached a majority on the first secret ballot. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) received the least amount of votes and was knocked out of the race. The second secret ballot was between only Thune and Cornyn.
The senator received at least 27 votes from the 53-member conference during a secret ballot in the old Senate chamber on Wednesday morning.
John Thune is Senate Majority Leader.
He has a short window to show us he will support President Trump, fill his cabinet, confirm his judges, and pass his agenda.
Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) won the election to become Senate majority whip on Wednesday, cementing him as the No. 2 leader in the Republican conference for the foreseeable future.
Barrasso was uncontested for the post, having served for six years as Senate GOP conference chairman and in control of the Republican message. He won the role by acclamation, according to a source with knowledge.
He can serve upwards of six years in the role.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
Fighter pilot and decorated combat veteran Jeff Witt announced Monday he is entering the race to fill former Rep. Matt Gaetz’s seat representing Florida’s 1st congressional district.
Witt is currently serving as a policy advisor on the Trump-Vance Presidential Transition Team.
“I have served my country in uniform for 14 years, and my dedication to service extends to the community in which my family and I live,” Witt told Fox News Digital. “I am excited to meet voters from all across the district in this campaign, and prove to them that they can trust me to be a leader in Congress who represents them with conviction, hard work, and integrity.”
Witt told Fox News Digital that he will “fight to get inflation under control, secure our borders, and strengthen our military.”
“I will listen to the needs of my constituents, and I will work on their behalf to make Florida’s 1st District the finest place in America for veterans, businesses, and families,” he said.
Witt attended Harvard University for his undergraduate studies and was a Harvard football quarterback. He also received his Master of Business Administration from Harvard University.
A 2024 Club for Growth fellow, Witt has already been endorsed by top former Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie.
“Jeff Witt is a patriot and a staunch supporter of President Trump and his America First agenda,” Wilkie told Fox News Digital. “As the former Secretary of Veterans Affairs under President Trump, I know that Jeff’s mission will always be to put warriors first. I am honored to give Jeff my full endorsement.”
Wilkie told Fox News Digital that Witt “stands for the right things—family and freedom.”
Gaetz had represented Florida’s 1st congressional district from January 2017 until earlier this month, when he resigned from his post upon receiving the nomination for attorney general.
President-elect Donald Trump also urged Florida state Sen. Randy Fine to run for Congress, pledging to endorse the Sunshine State lawmaker if he opts to throw his hat into the ring.
“I am hearing that America First Patriot Randy Fine is considering launching his Campaign for Congress in Florida’s 6th Congressional District!” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
“Should he decide to enter this Race, Randy Fine has my Complete and Total Endorsement. RUN, RANDY, RUN!” Trump urged.
President Donald Trump said Monday that he supports temporarily suspending the federal gas tax as Americans face soaring fuel prices ahead of the busy Memorial Day travel season.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Trump said during a phone interview with CBS News. “Yup, we’re going to take off the gas tax for a period of time, and when gas goes down, we’ll let it phase back in.”
Gas prices have surged more than 50% since the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, with the national average climbing above $4.52 per gallon on Sunday, according to AAA. Analysts warn prices could remain elevated as tensions in the Middle East continue and Iran blocks access to the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil shipping route.
The federal gas tax currently adds 18.4 cents per gallon to gasoline prices and 24.4 cents per gallon to diesel fuel. However, suspending the tax would require approval from Congress and could cost the federal government roughly $500 million per week in lost revenue.
Several Democrat lawmakers have already introduced legislation aimed at either lowering or temporarily suspending the federal gas tax to provide relief to consumers struggling with higher prices at the pump.
Revenue generated by the federal gas tax funds the Highway Trust Fund, which supports road construction and repairs, along with other transportation and transit projects across the country.
The push for relief comes as AAA projects a record-breaking Memorial Day travel weekend. According to the organization, roughly 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home between May 21 and May 25, slightly surpassing last year’s total.
Of those travelers, an estimated 39.1 million are expected to drive to their destinations despite fuel prices reaching their highest levels since 2022. AAA also warned drivers to expect the heaviest traffic congestion on May 21 and 22 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., as well as during the afternoon of May 25. Sunday is expected to be the lightest travel day of the holiday weekend.
Meanwhile, about 3.66 million Americans are expected to fly during the holiday period, accounting for roughly 8% of all travelers. AAA noted that round-trip domestic airfare is currently about 6% cheaper than it was last year.
However, Trump’s idea to pause the federal gas tax faces an uphill climb in Congress.
While rank-and-file GOP lawmakers are eager to get Trump’s backing on any plan to address cost-of-living concerns in a midterm election year, top Republicans are hesitant to endorse the gas tax idea, according to reporting from The Hill.
Trump’s proposal for a federal gas tax holiday got some initial enthusiasm Monday, with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) quickly saying they would introduce legislation to suspend the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal tax.
This week I will be introducing a bill in the House to suspend the federal gas tax in light of Trump’s recent remarks.
American families need this relief on gas prices. My office will be working directly with President Trump to ensure we deliver this win for the American… https://t.co/w540M6kSBB
However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) pointed out that it supports the Highway Trust Fund, which finances the Interstate Highway System and other surface transportation systems.
“The best way to get gas prices to normalize in my view is to get the strait open,” Thune said Monday, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. “We do have a Highway Trust Fund and it does perform an important service in making sure that we’ve got highways and roadways across our country that are serviceable.”
Several top Democrats, including House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), have indicated that they may not commit to certifying the 2024 presidential election results if former President Donald Trump secures a victory. This reluctance was revealed during discussions with Axios, raising questions about the party’s stance on the upcoming election certification process.
Raskin denied Trump won the 2016 election when he objected to Trump’s electors in 2017.
If Trump “won a free, fair and honest election, then we would obviously accept it,” Raskin said, assuming the election was free, fair and honest. “I definitely don’t assume that,” he added. “Democrats don’t engage in election fraud and election fabrication.”
A video surfaced in September of a panel discussion in February 2024 in which Raskin speculated that Congress would invalidate a Trump election victory, even though it could be at the risk of “civil war.”
FLASHBACK: Jamie Raskin claims Congress will STOP TRUMP on J6, 2025 and create “civil war conditions.”
“It is not clear whether Raskin was actually outlining a plan of action, or rather using a hypothetical to argue that the U.S. Supreme Court was placing what he considered an undue burden on Congress to keep Trump out of office,” Breitbart News’s Joel Pollak reported.
House Rules Committee Ranking Member Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) echoed Raskin’s concerns, telling Axios that Democrats would certify a Trump victory “assuming everything goes the way we expect it to … We have to see how it all happens.”
McGovern also objected to Trump’s electors in 2017.
The uncertainty among Democrats comes amid heightened political tension with 24 days until the presidential election. Raskin, who has been an outspoken critic of Trump, previously called the former president’s legacy “American carnage.”
In response to Thursday’s development, former Department of Justice official Jeffrey Clark criticized the Democrats’ position. Taking to X, Clark expressed frustration with what he sees as a double standard in how objections to election certifications are perceived:
Do you see how this works? If you’re a Republican in Congress and you object to certifying a President, you’re called an insurrectionist. But if you’re a Democrat like Jamie Raskin, you can object all you want, and it’s “protecting our democracy.”
Do you see how this works?
If you’re a Republican in Congress and you object to certifying a President, you’re called an insurrectionist.
But if you’re a Democrat like Jamie Raskin, you can object all you want and it’s “protecting our democracy.” https://t.co/uTKwL3JU4i
Election certification has been a contentious issue since the unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 presidential race, with Democrats consistently emphasizing the need to safeguard democracy. However, their reluctance to fully commit to certifying a potential Trump win could deepen mistrust on both sides of the political aisle.
Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News.
House Democrat Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has single-handedly brought Congress’s progress on President Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” to a halt.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) began speaking in the chamber minutes before 5 a.m. and appears to be poised for hours more.
One GOP lawmaker told Fox News Digital that Jeffries was seen arriving with multiple binders, one of which he read from for roughly three hours. If the rest of the binders also hold portions of his speech, the New York Democrat could keep the House floor paused into the afternoon.
He’s able to command the House floor via a “magic minute,” a privilege for party leaders in the chamber that allows them to speak for however long they want.
It comes after the House of Representatives voted to advance Trump’s $3.3 trillion “big, beautiful bill” to its final phase in Congress, overcoming fears of a potential Republican mutiny.
It’s a significant victory for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), but the fight is far from over.
Lawmakers voted to proceed with debate on the megabill in the early hours of Thursday – a mechanism known as a “rule vote” – teeing up a final House-wide vote sometime later Thursday morning.
The House adopted the rules for debate on the measure in a dramatic 219 to 213 vote – with all but moderate Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) voting to proceed.
Next comes a vote on the actual measure, likely sometime on Thursday.
But the timing largely hinges on when Jeffries finishes speaking.
The vote had been stalled for hours, since Wednesday afternoon, with five House Republicans poised to kill the measure before lawmakers could weigh the bill itself.
Several members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and their allies, meanwhile, appeared ready to skip the vote altogether in protest of GOP leaders’ compromise bill.
But both Johnson and Trump spent hours negotiating with holdouts, apparently to some success.
By The White House - https://www.flickr.com/photos/202101414@N05/54581054338/, Public Domain,
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday released a new batch of emails connected to Jeffrey Epstein that reference President Donald Trump.
The correspondence, which includes messages between Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and author Michael Wolff, was reportedly obtained from Epstein’s estate as part of an ongoing congressional review of more than 23,000 documents.
By Ralph Alswang, White House photographer – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417695
In a 2011 email to Maxwell, Epstein wrote that Mr. Trump “spent hours at my house” with one of Epstein’s alleged victims, whose name was redacted. “I want you to realize that that dog that hasn’t barked is Trump. [Victim 1] spent hours at my house with him, he has never once been mentioned,” Epstein wrote. Maxwell responded, “I have been thinking about that…”
Another message, dated January 31, 2019, appears to show Epstein corresponding with Wolff about Mr. Trump and Mar-a-Lago. “Trump said he asked me to resign, never a member ever. of course he knew about the girls as he asked ghislaine to stop,” Epstein wrote.
A third exchange between Epstein and Wolff, dated December 15, 2015, discusses how then-candidate Trump might respond to media questions about his connection to Epstein. Wolff wrote, “I hear CNN planning to ask Trump tonight about his relationship with you—either on air or in scrum afterwards.” Epstein replied, “if we were able to craft an answer for him, what do you think it should be?” Wolff responded, “I think you should let him hang himself. If he says he hasn’t been on the plane or to the house, then that gives you a valuable PR and political currency… Of course, it is possible that, when asked, he’ll say Jeffrey is a great guy and has gotten a raw deal and is a victim of political correctness, which is to be outlawed in a Trump regime.”
Mr. Trump announced his first presidential campaign in June 2015. Wolff later wrote Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, published in 2018.
Epstein and Mr. Trump were social acquaintances in New York and Florida from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. The President has said he cut ties with Epstein in 2004, long before Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. Mr. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing.
Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. Maxwell was later convicted of conspiring in Epstein’s sex trafficking operation and is serving a 20-year sentence.
Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, said in a statement that the Justice Department should release its full Epstein files “immediately.”
He added, “The more Donald Trump tries to cover up the Epstein files, the more we uncover. These latest emails and correspondence raise glaring questions about what else the White House is hiding and the nature of the relationship between Epstein and the President.”
The email release coincides with a broader congressional push for transparency in the Epstein case. Lawmakers are reviewing materials from Epstein’s estate and have sought information from former officials, including past attorneys general and FBI directors. The committee has also questioned Alex Acosta, the former U.S. attorney who oversaw Epstein’s controversial plea deal in Florida and later served as Labor Secretary under Mr. Trump. Acosta resigned in 2019 amid scrutiny over his handling of the Epstein case.
The House returned to session Wednesday for the first time since mid-September, with Democrats expected to advance a discharge petition to compel the Justice Department to make public its Epstein investigation files. A vote on the measure is not expected until next month.
Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio) is calling for a full investigation after a disturbing image surfaced showing what appeared to be an altered American flag — twisted into a swastika — displayed behind one of his staffers during a virtual meeting.
The image, first reported by Politico and amplified on social media by an Ohio blogger, quickly drew outrage. But Taylor’s office says it may not be what it appears.
“I am aware of an image that appears to depict a vile and deeply inappropriate symbol near an employee in my office,” Taylor said in a statement. “The content of that image does not reflect the values or standards of this office, my staff, or myself, and I condemn it in the strongest terms.”
Taylor emphasized that he acted immediately, directing Capitol Police to investigate what he described as a potentially malicious act.
“Upon learning of this matter, I immediately directed a thorough investigation alongside Capitol Police, which remains ongoing,” the statement continued.
A spokesperson for the congressman suggested the image might have been the result of “foul play or vandalism,” not any endorsement of the offensive imagery by his staff. The photo appeared to show Angelo “AJ” Elia, a legislative correspondent who joined Taylor’s office in January, sitting at his cubicle with the doctored flag visible behind him.
Elia — who recently earned a master’s degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University — has not commented publicly. Taylor’s office has not said whether any personnel actions have been taken while the investigation proceeds.
The controversy comes amid renewed scrutiny of conservative youth organizations after Politico reported on leaked Telegram messages allegedly showing racist and anti-Semitic comments from some Young Republican leaders. The timing of the leak, combined with the sudden surfacing of the photo from Taylor’s office, has raised questions among some Republicans about whether politically motivated actors are attempting to smear conservatives ahead of the 2024 election cycle.
The image was first posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Ohio blogger DJ Byrnes, who claimed a friend had a Zoom meeting with Taylor’s office and noticed the symbol. “A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today … Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background,” Byrnes wrote Wednesday.
A friend in DC had a Zoom call with Congressman Dave Taylor’s office today…
Taylor’s legislative correspondent, Angelo Elia, had what can only be described as an American swastika flag prominently displayed in his background. pic.twitter.com/zFn3QowS0c
By Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America - Pete Hegseth, CC BY-SA 2.0
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced her support for Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense Monday evening, marking a reversal from her earlier reluctance to back the embattled nominee. Ernst’s decision came just days after she indicated skepticism about Hegseth’s qualifications for the role.
According toPolitico, Ernst’s shift followed a concerted effort by President-elect Trump’s allies to persuade her. The report describes an intense pressure campaign that reportedly left the senator’s political life “extremely uncomfortable.”
Last Thursday, after meeting with Hegseth, who has been accused of sexual assault and alcohol abuse, Ernst, a veteran and sexual assault survivor, told Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that she was undecided on his nomination.
“I think for a number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared, and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process,” she said at the time.
On Monday, after another meeting with Hegseth, Ernst changed her tune in a statement:
I appreciate Pete Hegseth’s responsiveness and respect for the process. Following our encouraging conversations, Pete committed to completing a full audit of the Pentagon and selecting a senior official who will uphold the roles and value of our servicemen and women — based on quality and standards, not quotas — and who will prioritize and strengthen my work to prevent sexual assault within the ranks. As I support Pete through this process, I look forward to a fair hearing based on truth, not anonymous sources.
However, sources close to the matter strongly implied Ernst’s change of heart went beyond a productive discussion with Hegseth. One Trump ally, speaking to Politico, emphasized the role of grassroots activism, saying Ernst faced “an onslaught of criticism from MAGA activists” and “got the message loud and clear.”
In recent days, allies of Trump adopted an approach that is not novel for the president-elect and his followers: Make life extremely uncomfortable for anyone who dares to oppose him. The swarm of MAGA attacks that Sen. Joni Ernst has experienced is a warning of what’s in store for others who express skepticism of his personnel choices.
Days after signaling she continued to have serious concerns about confirming Hegseth, Ernst on Monday sounded a different note. She described their conversation Monday afternoon as “encouraging,” said she would “support” Hegseth through the process, touted some of the commitments he made to her about what he would do in the role, and suggested she would only take allegations against him seriously if they come from named accusers.
The change in tune followed an aggressive push for Hegseth by top Trump allies and supporters, as well as a defiant performance by the Defense secretary nominee that has Trump’s team bullish on him getting confirmed. But it’s not just Hegseth. Trump allies believe his choice to lead the FBI, Kash Patel, and his nominee for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, are in a stronger position as well.
With a narrow Senate majority, endorsements from key Republican senators like Ernst are critical to the prospects of Trump’s nominees.
Ex-Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) will not rejoin Congress after resigning from the current Congress after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him to be attorney general.
Gaetz was reelected to the next Congress and many speculated he may rescind his resignation after dropping his bid to become attorney general on Thursday.
CNN’s Kristen Holmes broke the news on-air.
“Yeah, there had been a lot of speculation as to what exactly Matt Gaetz was going to do. Was there some kind of loophole in the sense that he had just been reelected? Would he go back to Congress? He is now saying in an interview with Charlie Kirk that he does not intend to go back,” Holmes reported, adding:
That he’s going to continue trying to do things for Donald Trump, but not in the capacity of a congressman. This obviously comes as we know that there are still questions about whether or not that ethics report is going to be released. But in this interview, he also talked about what happened when some of those meetings up on Capitol Hill, he downplayed the any kind of impact that the ethics report had, but instead said that while he had some momentum with senators, he felt he had to explain himself quite a bit.
Holmes then played a clip from the Kirk interview, in which Gaetz said “And again, while our discussions were going well, I found myself having to do two jobs at one time.”
“Charlie, And you got a front-row seat to this. I had a full-time job explaining to senators that maybe a tweet I sent about them was rash and not reflective of how I would serve as attorney general. And at the same time, I was having to build out the Department of Justice with the right human talent, the right policy infrastructure. And Pam Bondi’s confirmation won’t have some of the sharp edges that I would have,” Gaetz added of Trump’s replacement for Gaetz as AG.
