Political Jason

The state of Florida reconnected a key bridge decimated by Hurricane Ian that cut off mainland road access for thousands of residents, but fixing a second damaged bridge system to reconnect another barrier island could take weeks longer even for a temporary solution. Both bridges are in Lee County in Southwest Florida, which took a direct hit from the storm. The Florida Department of Transportation completed a temporary land bridge to Pine Island on Wednesday, two days ahead of schedule….

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Hurricane-ravaged Fort Myers on Wednesday served as the scene of a brief pause in hostilities between Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Joe Biden, two political foes now working “hand-in-glove” to rebuild a decimated region. “Mr. President, welcome to Florida. We appreciate working together across various levels of government,” DeSantis said, introducing Biden for remarks. Biden responded: “Gov and first lady, thank you very much for the hospitality.” The exchange could only exist in the wake of a…

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As Covid’s Omicron wave ebbed earlier this year, top Biden administration health officials began developing a plan to fortify the nation’s defenses against the next potentially dangerous coronavirus strain. The initiative was envisioned as a revival of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump-era program that paired federal dollars with private sector know-how to deliver the first vaccines in record time. By replicating the formula with a range of new candidates, officials planned to churn out increasingly advanced vaccines and treatments just…

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AUSTIN, Texas — In a cavernous, modern sanctuary at Greater Mt. Zion Church, the Rev. Gaylon Clark introduced Beto O’Rourke to his congregation one recent Sunday as “the next governor of the state of Texas.” Then he raised his hand and, over the strains of a keyboard, prayed for “victory in the name of Jesus.” In the sanctuary, the churchgoers said, “Amen.” In the lobby, they lined up for pictures with the one-time Democratic sensation now lagging in the polls….

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Elon Musk’s expected takeover of Twitter has Washington holding its breath. If the world’s richest man reinstates Donald Trump — along with other controversial politicians banned for rules violations — Republican campaign managers could again find their days wrecked by Tweet-driven headaches. Meanwhile, Democrats worry a revived Trump Twitter feed could be a huge boon for his future presidential ambitions. Or Musk, who says he’s a “free speech absolutist,” could end up scaring off users — and invite a wave…

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The son of Republican Georgia Senate candidate Herschel Walker on Tuesday continued his social media attack against his father in a series of new videos, labeling Walker’s behavior on the campaign trail as “atrocious.” “Family values, people? He has four kids, four different women, wasn’t in the house raising one of them,” Christian Walker said in a tweeted video. “He was out having sex with other women. Do you care about family values?” Christian Walker also accused his father of…

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After news broke that Senate candidate Herschel Walker had allegedly paid for a girlfriend’s abortion in 2009, Republicans rallied around his imperiled candidacy. Walker, the GOP nominee from Georgia, was already dogged by reports of past domestic violence — some of which he has acknowledged. Now he has put their top Senate pickup opportunity in peril with reports of behavior that directly violated his hard-line stance on abortion. Republicans had another Todd Akin on their hands, some Republican strategists said…

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Herschel Walker’s campaign was sent reeling after Monday night’s report that he allegedly paid for a former girlfriend to get an abortion. And before the Georgia Senate campaign had a chance to regain his balance, his son jumped in to deliver another gut punch in real-time. To the very online crowd, Christian Walker is no stranger. The 23-year-old cuts an interesting profile: He’s built a social media brand on the right railing against “woke liberals” and supporting former President Donald…

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Months before news broke alleging that Herschel Walker paid for an abortion, top Republicans in the state — including those advising his team — warned him that the story could torpedo his campaign. Four people with knowledge of those preliminary discussions said that the abortion issue was well known within the state, even before reporters began inquiring about it. It was brought to the attention of those working on Walker’s behalf, in part as a means of discouraging him from…

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Former President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to intervene in the fight over records the FBI seized from his Florida home as part of an investigation into alleged retention of classified information, theft of government documents and obstruction of justice. Lawyers for Trump asked Justice Clarence Thomas on Tuesday to issue an emergency order that would restore an outside reviewer’s authority over about 100 documents with classification markings found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate during the Aug. 8 search….

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