The Florida Republican Party says presidential candidates will have to sign a pledge to support the party’s eventual nominee in order to appear on the state’s Republican primary ballot. The party’s two leading candidates, former President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, haven’t said whether they’ll sign a similar pledge the Republican National Committee (RNC) is requiring of debate participants. The first debate is next month. Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler told The Hill the pledge is “word-for-word the same language as the RNC pledge” and was “requested and passed by our members to ensure maximum unity heading into the General Election.”
Trump has been noncommittal on a pledge while DeSantis has been indirect. One candidate, former Rep. Will Hurd (Texas), said outright he won’t sign such a pledge. The Hill’s Caroline Vakil has compiled comments from 2024 candidates on whether they’ll support the eventual GOP nominee. |
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Amee LaTour, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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The Hill’s Rebecca Klar breaks down what you need to know about
Threads, Meta’s Twitter rival app, including how it works, the number of users already signed up and why its European rollout is delayed.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has been removed from the conservative House Freedom Caucus’s ranks, caucus board member Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) told multiple outlets on Thursday.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) criticized Chief Justice John Roberts for not enacting Supreme Court ethics reform before the term ended and reiterated a promise to mark up related legislation when the Senate returns from its July Fourth recess.
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© Jabin Botsford/Washington Post via Getty Images) |
Trump aide Nauta pleads not guilty
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Walt Nauta, a former White House valet accused of conspiring with former President Trump to withhold classified records from authorities, pleaded not guilty to charges on six counts in the Mar-a-Lago documents case. Nauta continues to work as a valet for Trump.
A recap from The Hill’s Rebecca Beitsch: “Court filings describe Nauta moving boxes in advance of a visit by former Trump attorney Evan Corcoran, who was set to retrieve documents in order to comply with a subpoena from the Justice Department seeking the return of all records with classified markings.” Read the full report here |
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Biden criticizes GOP lawmakers in red South Carolina
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During an appearance in West Columbia, S.C., on Thursday to tout his “Bidenomics,” President Biden went after South Carolina GOP lawmakers who have voted against key pieces of his agenda.
“Every Republican member of the House from this state voted to repeal the clean energy provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that attracts all these jobs,” Biden said at the event, where he announced private companies had invested $500 billion in manufacturing and clean energy during his tenure. Biden also said in the solidly red state: “Some of the analyses have said that the laws I’ve signed are going to do more to help red America than blue America; that’s OK with me because you’re all Americans.”
Read more on Biden’s remarks here |
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Candidates announce more Q2 fundraising hauls
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More federal campaign fundraising numbers are rolling in following the end of the second quarter last Friday. In the presidential race: -
Ron DeSantis‘s campaign reported raising $20 million in the first six weeks of his Republican presidential bid.
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Former President Trump‘s campaign and political action committee together brought in $35 million in Q2, his campaign said Wednesday.
- Robert F. Kennedy
Jr.‘s campaign said he raised $3 million in the final three days of the quarter for a total of more than $6 million. Kennedy is waging a long-shot Democratic primary challenge to President Biden.
Some notable congressional campaign announcements from Thursday: - Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who’s seen as vulnerable in his reelection bid next year, announced raising $5 million last quarter, a haul his campaign said was higher than any of his previous non-election year second quarters.
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Adam Frisch (D), who lost to Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) by 546 votes last November, is running again and raised $2.6 million in the second quarter, his campaign said.
- State Sen.
Sarah McBride (D) said she raised more than $414,000 in the first five days of her campaign for Delaware’s sole House seat at the end of June. McBride became the nation’s first openly transgender state senator in 2020 and would be the first openly transgender member of Congress if she won next year.
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June 2023 hottest on record
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Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service show that June 2023 was the hottest June on record, with global temperatures at 1 degree Fahrenheit above the month’s average from 1991 to 2020. Read more here |
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Americans’ confidence in most major institutions remains low
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A new Gallup poll shows Americans continue to have little faith in several institutions, with decreased confidence levels in seven of 16 institutions tracked since last year. The lowest confidence rating was for Congress, at 8 percent. Only two institutions — small business and the military — had the confidence of a majority of respondents.
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White House faces criticism for resuming interest on student loans
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The Hill’s Lexi Lonas and Alex Gangitano dig into the debate surrounding the White House‘s plan to resume interest accrual on student loans during its “on-ramp” repayment program. The program was announced following the Supreme Court‘s decision last Friday striking down President Biden‘s student debt forgiveness plan. Read the full report here
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“Justice Thomas champions our colorblind Constitution” — GianCarlo Canaparo, a Senior Legal Fellow in the Heritage Foundation’s Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies. (Read here) “If your faith makes you discriminate at work, change jobs” — Scott Altman, Virginia S. and Fred H. Bice Professor of Law at USC Gould School of Law. (Read here) |
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488 days until the presidential election. |
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President Biden will deliver remarks on health cost savings. |
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There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: ALaTour@digital-release.thehill.com | |
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