NYT > U.S. > Politics
A Blue Texas May Be More Than a Dream for Democrats
Ken Paxton’s victory for the Republican nomination and a big shift among Hispanic voters have put a Senate seat within reach.
Center Left
Washington Examiner
Third round of May Social Security payments goes out today
Center Right
The third round of May Social Security payments for retirees, now capped at $5,181, will be issued today. When will payments arrive? Retirees born on or after the 21st of a month will receive this payment on May 27. The first round went out on May 13 to those born on or before the 10th […]
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Raw Story
Ken Paxton roundly mocked by observers after victory speech: 'He has no juice!'
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton was roundly mocked on Tuesday night after he gave his victory speech for defeating incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) in the state's runoff election. Paxton was declared the winner just after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET. He will move on to face Democratic Texas state lawmaker James Talarico in November, a race that some GOP pundits have suggested will be expensive because Paxton is not known for his fundraising skills. During his speech, Paxton took a shot at Talarico by calling him a "vegan" and a "threat to our way of life." "He's a threat to our very way of life and our values," Paxton said dryly. "I mean, he's a vegan who thinks God in nonbinary, and he thinks there are six biological genders." Political analysts and observers roundly mocked Paxton online. "Paxton is favored just because of the state's partisan lean, but it is wild to me that this guy has made it this far in state politics. He has no juice! none! zilch!" Jamelle Bouie, a columnist at The New York Times, posted on Bluesky. "Incredible that they've taken Talarico saying his order at a particular taco place was a potato, egg, and cheese breakfast taco and turned that into 'he's a vegan,'" immigration attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick posted on Bluesky. "Just straight-up old-school flim-flam.""These people are too online, I don’t think the average person even knows what it means to say God is nonbinary or importantly cares when gas is $4 a gallon," Zaid Jilani, a writer, posted on X. "I hope the Texans who voted for him can stuff red meat in their gas tanks, which — on account of having a hole — must be female, while they are praying to be able to afford their groceries," Branislav Slantchev, a political science professor at UCSD, posted on X.
Far Left
NYT > U.S. > Politics
Mayes Middleton Defeats Chip Roy in the Runoff for Texas Attorney General
After connecting his opponent to past criticism of President Trump, the conservative state senator now advances to the general election.
Center Left
Axios
Scoop: Rubio aide promoted to top White House national security post
Mike Needham, a longtime aide to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has been promoted to a top national security job in the White House, Axios has learned.Why it matters: Needham's new post as assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser is one of the more important jobs in a Trump administration consumed with foreign policy challenges from Iran to China, Cuba and Venezuela.Zoom in: Needham replaces Robert Gabriel, whom White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles last week called "a trusted confidant and dear friend to me and his White House colleagues."Like Gabriel, Needham has good relations in the White House, including with Vice President JD Vance's team."Everyone likes Mike. He gets the policy. He gets the politics," said a senior administration official.Because Rubio is also the president's national security adviser, Needham's transition still puts him in close contact with the secretary.Rubio said in a statement: "Mike has been a key player in delivering President Trump's overwhelming foreign policy successes. In his new role as Deputy National Security Advisor, Mike will continue to implement the President's America First agenda and build upon the historic record of the Trump National Security Council."The backstory: Needham entered Rubio's orbit as his Senate chief of staff in 2018 after leaving Heritage Action, a conservative political group, then joined the Trump administration with Rubio to serve as his State Department counselor.Dan Holler, Rubio's current chief of staff, will now take Needham's job as counselor and serve as acting director of policy planning. Holler served with Needham in Rubio's Senate office and at Heritage Action before.Matt Rhodes, now chief of staff to the counselor, will take Holler's spot as chief of staff at the State Department.
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BizPac Review
Ken Paxton ousts John Cornyn in runoff landslide after securing Trump’s endorsement
Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in a Senate runoff Tuesday, one week after receiving President Donald Trump’s backing. Paxton won the […]
Far Right
New York Post
Ken Paxton swamps John Cornyn in Texas GOP Senate runoff after securing Trump endorsement
Paxton’s landslide victory is the latest example of Trump’s unrivaled influence in Republican Party politics.
Right
Raw Story
Todd Blanche's fawning over Trump may land him in legal jeopardy: ex-prosecutor
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's gushing comments about Trump have an ex-prosecutor sounding the alarm and suggesting it could land Blanche in legal trouble.In early April, Blanche said he would tell Trump, "Thank you very much. I love you, sir," if the president passed him over for the permanent AG role and kicked him out of the White House.Glenn Kirschner, a former prosecutor, said on the Jim Acosta Show on Tuesday that those comments could be a problem for Blanche. "From this old prosecutor's perspective, he'll need to be criminally investigated beginning in January of 2029," Kirschner said, referring to when Trump's term is supposed to end. "The minute I heard him say ... 'Thank you, sir. I love you.' You can't make that up. And why would any self-respecting government official say that?"Along with the ongoing case against former FBI Director James Comey, Kirschner sees plenty of evidence that Blanche "was willing to do anything and everything to try and keep his job," he said. Kirschner said Blanche is aggressively "abusing the rule of law and the constitutional rights of targets of Donald Trump's wrath." Kirschner then pointed to the Richard Nixon administration and the criminal conviction of four dozen of his officials and associates. "I'll bet they all felt untouchable. I'll bet they felt like, 'No way the rule of law is coming for us,'" Kirschner said. "What happened? Forty-eight of them were criminally convicted, and thirty of them went to prison. This is what awaits, I believe, Todd Blanche and the rest of Trump's cabinet."
Far Left
Bloomberg Politics
Nasty Texas Republican Runoff Comes to a Head Today
The intense Republican primary runoff election for a US Senate seat from Texas comes to an end today. The showdown between incumbent John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has become one the most expensive in Senate history. Joe Lovinger reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
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