Raw Story

In yet another blow to House Republican leadership, nine GOP lawmakers broke ranks to advance debate on a discharge petition for a labor rights resolution.

The proposal, noted independent congressional reporter Jamie Dupree on X, "sets strict timelines for businesses and newly-certified labor unions working on a first contract."

It's the latest in a long line of discharge petitions either taken up for debate or adopted outright in this term of Congress, driven by razor-thin margins dividing Republicans and Democrats and a set of GOP leaders who have frequently failed to enforce party unity. Other discharge petitions include one that forced the release of the Jeffrey Epstein child trafficking case files, and another that called for a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.

All of this came just hours after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) publicly pleaded with his caucus to stop bypassing them and signing onto discharge petitions.

"I don't support that process," said Scalise to reporters. "I mean, look, we have committees and the committees do hard work and you know, everybody's got their own bills that they might want to move and you know, as the majority leader, when people come to me and they want a bill moved, I tell them first thing I always tell them is go talk to the chairman, work through the committee process. That is what the the regular order is around here."

Despite the rapid proliferation of discharge petitions, GOP leaders insist they are still in command of the caucus, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) insisting to reporters at the end of last year that "I have not lost control."

Vice President JD Vance announced Monday night he forwarded a criminal referral to the Justice Department regarding fraud allegations against Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Vance released a statement on social media, saying, "I've referred these allegations to DOJ's new Fraud Division for criminal investigation."

"Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimidated whistleblowers, they must face justice."

The referral represents Vance's first major action as President Donald Trump's appointed Fraud Czar, a position dedicated to targeting alleged fraud in blue states.

The move aligns with the Trump administration's priority of addressing fraudulent claims, a focus that intensified following MAGA influencer Nick Shirley's controversial and unsustained investigation into Somali daycares in Minnesota.

Watch the video below.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter criticized President Donald Trump for attending Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden Monday night, calling it his absolute worst act of selfishness.

The New York Knicks face the San Antonio Spurs in their first home-base game of the Finals.

Trump's attendance requires attendees to comply with strict no-bag policies and TSA-style security screening, inconveniencing 20,000 people, according to CNBC. The Knicks Watch Party at the Garden was canceled, requiring thousands of additional law enforcement officers at taxpayer expense while creating traffic disruptions.

Coulter, an early Trump supporter, argued the President could simply watch the game on television instead. In a social media post on X, she wrote, "Presidents ought to be willing to sacrifice once in a while."

MS NOW's "Morning Joe" panelists predicted Trump will face a "volume of boos" from sports fans if displayed on the jumbotron, predicting a less-than-friendly reception from attendees.

Watch the video below.

Fans of President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement melted down on Sunday after reality TV personality Spencer Pratt fell out of his second-place spot in Los Angeles's mayoral primary race.

Pratt, who ran as a Republican, had held a strong lead against Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a Democrat, in the primary race until Sunday. The Los Angeles Times reported that mail-in ballots were the key reason why Raman was able to make such a large comeback, and the trend seems likely to continue as the state allows mail-in ballots to be counted for several days following an election.

MAGA fans weren't happy to see their favorite candidate lose his lead and shared their reactions on social media.

"Spencer Pratt was robbed. This is egregious," MAGA influencer Laura Loomer posted on X.

"A woman with absolutely zero following, no groundswell of support, and no name ID absolutely killed it in mail-in voting in Los Angeles. It's just the way this state counts ballots, guys!!" Andrew Kolvet, a spokesperson for Turning Point USA, posted on X. "Free PSA: If you don't want us to assume cheating, maybe make it a little less obvious."

"Stolen election in broad daylight," Dana Loesch, a MAGA radio host, posted on X.

"Total. F------. Fraud," Mike Davis, a lawyer for the Article III project, posted on X.

"I feel genuinely terrible for all my Southern California friends who worked so hard. It was always going to go this way because that’s how communism works. Once you vote it in, you can’t vote it out," MAGA pundit Jesse Kelly posted on X.

A Democratic strategist was floored on Sunday after hearing a former Make America Great Again podcaster's blistering rebuke of President Donald Trump.

Tim Dillon, a popular comedian who boosted Trump on his podcast during the 2024 general election, claimed during a recent episode of his podcast that Trump's schtick is "not cute anymore" as Americans struggle to afford basic necessities and the Trump administration "sells the government for parts."

Mike Nellis, a Democratic strategist, seemed taken aback by Dillon's comments because they reflect the growing frustration among some Republicans.

"The problem is that a carnival barker now is President of the United States at maybe the worst possible time that we could tolerate a president like this because he has decimated the global economy across the world, but certainly here at home and the economy was already not great for a lot of people because wage growth has been depressed because of the inflationary crisis, because of the job market with AI and robotics," Nellis said.

"And we need a president that has a forward-looking vision for how to deal with the dramatic changes that are occurring in our economy right now," he added. "We need a president that's willing to take on the billionaire class of people who are stripping us of our dignity and making it harder for you to be able to pay your bills, take care of your family, take a vacation, have a hobby, stuff like that. It's disgusting, but he was entertaining."

Dillon has recently criticized Trump for "betraying MAGA" by waging war in Iran. The war has dramatically increased global energy prices, which have been a leading cause of stubborn inflation in grocery prices and other goods.

President Donald Trump is planting a bomb that is sure to explode in Republicans' faces during the midterms as he seeks to get Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed for the full AG role, according to one long-time GOP pollster.

Sarah Longwell, publisher of The Bulwark, argued during a new episode of her podcast, "Illegal News with Sarah Longwell," that confirming Blanche as Attorney General could be difficult because of the Republicans' narrow majority in the Senate. She added that Blanche's confirmation may spark a bitter intra-party fight among Republicans over some of the baggage Blanche is bringing.

"The Blanche thing is so egregious," Longwell said. "It would not surprise me at all if Blanche gets blocked by the Senate confirmation."

Longwell noted that Republicans can only afford to have four of their own party members vote against Blanche in the confirmation battle. However, there seem to be at least five — and possibly many more — who are willing to vote against Blanche to spite the president.

Longwell added that Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), and Bill Cassidy (R-LA) seem likely to vote against Blanche because of how the president has treated them.

She also said that there are other Republicans who are vulnerable enough politically that they may be willing to vote against Blanche with just a little pressure.

"The obvious thing to do is to start running ads in these guys' states, people who are not completely out of their minds or who are vulnerable, because this is the kind of thing Republicans will attack other Republicans over," Longwell said, noting that the ads would focus on why Blanche was willing to give convicted sex criminal Ghislaine Maxwell a sweetheart deal to move to a low-security facility.