Kevin McCarthy

A first-term Tennessee congressman backed by former President Donald Trump will face a Republican challenger who calls the lawmaker ineffective in a contest that’s among the top races in the state's August primary election

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) tried to pile onto the intrigue about President Joe Biden's fitness to continue serving and campaigning — but was quickly caught in a lie.During an interview with Politico's Rachel Bade released on Thursday, Johnson claimed that Biden's team refused to let Johnson take a meeting with him for weeks after Johnson was first appointed to House leadership. "Now we know why," Johnson told her — implying that there was a conspiracy to keep Johnson from finding out about Biden's cognitive state.But this isn't true, Biden ally Chris D. Jackson wrote on X — and he brought the receipts to prove it.EXCLUSIVE: Trump ‘secretary of retribution’ won't discuss his ‘target list’ at RNC"What a lie. He met with the president the day after he was sworn in. These guys can't tell the truth about anything," wrote Jackson, providing a screenshot of a contemporary NBC News report announcing Biden and Johnson had met the day after Johnson took the speakership.The commenters erupted over this revelation, with think tank policymaker Norm Ornstein slamming Johnson as a "disgraceful liar," and one other person demanding Politico reporters stop being so credulous: "I swear Politico needs to be shut down. All they do is promote one lie after another after another."Johnson was first elected to the speakership in 2023, after a weekslong intraparty fight in the GOP kicked off with a renegade group of far-right lawmakers voting to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.Biden has now faced several weeks of pressure from key Democratic party officials and high-dollar donors to step down, amid concerns about his ability to run a campaign that will defeat former President Donald Trump a second time. Axios has claimed that Biden is already making plans to bow out of the race as soon as this weekend, but officials close to the president continue to deny this.

A recount of the votes cast in the Republican primary in Virginia's 5th Congressional District will be held on July 31 to decide whether a challenger backed by former President Donald Trump will hold onto his narrow victory over U.S. Rep. Bob Good, one of the most conservative members of Congress.

‘Look, everybody has different people in their party. Unfortunately, Matt happens to be here. I think at the end of the day, he probably shouldn’t be on the streets,’ Speaker McCarthy says.

J.D. Vance's semi-public Venmo account reveals former President Donald Trump's running mate mingling with lobbyists, never Trumpers and leaders behind the notorious campaign platform Project 2025, Wired reported Thursday.Wired analyzed more than 200 payments and a public "friends list" the outlet said reveals "the populist's close ties to the very elites he rails against." ALSO READ: Sen. J.D. Vance finally dumps stock in 'slave labor' company"Friends" — which the app culls from cellphone and social media contacts — include vocal Trump critic former Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), a Manhattan federal court prosecutor and lawyers in President Joe Biden's Justice department, Wired reports.It also reportedly includes government relations director Amalia Halikias, from the Heritage Foundation, several lobbyists and pundits Bari Weiss and Tucker Carlson.Lanny Davis, "a well-known political operative and former lawyer for Trump antagonist Michael Cohen," may also appear on Vance's Venmo account, Wired reports. It remains possible that the account belongs to another Lanny Davis, Wired reports, but adds, "the account in question, which Davis declined to confirm or deny was his, was also linked to someone named Michael Cohen.""Gladden Pappin, for instance—president of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and a figure with close ties to the intellectual wing of the far right—shows up as one of Vance’s friends," Wired reports.There are other "far-right activists like Project Veritas founder James O'Keefe, Laura Loomer, and Ali Alexander," also on the list of "friends," according to the report.The Venmo account "was first discovered by a law enforcement and extremism researcher who asked to remain anonymous, citing security concerns," Wired reports. Very few of Vance's transactions are public and appear mundane, Wired notes. But his former Senate campaign manager, Jordan Wiggins, appears to have more "eyebrow-raising" transactions, according to Wired. "Some labeled for things like 'Back waxing & Happy Ending,' and adult 🎥,'" Wired reported. "While these descriptions are likely jokes between friends, Wiggins didn’t respond to a request for comment."The campaign refused to respond to Wired's request for comment. After the request was made, Vance's transactions were made private.

A Republican congressman just hurled sex-doll and botox-inspired insults at a fellow House Republican. Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-MN) jumped on the social media bandwagon Thursday when he ripped Rep. Matt Gaetz's appearance during his Republican National Convention speech the night before. "RNC debuts first AI-powered inflatable sex doll to speak at a national convention," Van Orden wrote.Gaetz's smooth face and arched eyebrows drew much speculation that the Florida firebrand had overindulged in cosmetic procedures before mounting the stage in Milwaukee Wednesday night. "Matt Gaetz needs to lay off the Botox," one MAGA fan wrote. "Damn."ALSO READ: ‘Creepy weirdos’: Senator fears Trump WH staff would destroy government from ‘inside’Van Orden's mockery coincidentally parallels real allegations brought against George Santos, the New York Republican expelled last year, who was accused in a House Ethics report of blowing campaign funds on Botox treatments and the adult content site OnlyFans. Now it's Gaetz raising eyebrows among fellow and former House Republicans. Earlier Thursday, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy quipped that Gaetz looked "unhinged."ALSO READ: Do presidents’ popularity increase after assassination attempts? History has an answer.Van Orden's comment spurred much mirth on social media. "I love this republican-on-republican crime thing," replied X user Frantz Shoobert. "Ok I’m a maga guy," replied Shawn Winters, "but this is pretty funny!!"But he also drew censure from a young Republican commentator by the name of GOP Josh."The rest of the party is united," the young Republican podcaster wrote. "You are dividing.""Not 'dividing,'” Van Orden shot back. “Culling."

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy roasted Rep. Matt Gaetz on live television Thursday morning, going so far as to suggest the MAGA firebrand who orchestrated his ouster was taking drugs. "I don't know if he's on something, but I hope he gets the help that he needs," McCarthy told CNN's Manu Raju. "He looks very unhinged."Tensions mounted between the two rivals during this week's Republican National Convention after Gaetz (R-FL) heckled McCarthy (R-CA) in the middle of an interview with Raju's CNN colleague Kaitlan Collins. Gaetz had to be pulled away by bystanders as he taunted McCarthy, "If you took that stage, you would get booed off of it!"Days later, a seething McCarthy replied, "I hope that young women get the justice they deserve when it comes to him."ALSO READ: Trump and God: Religion raises the stakes at Republican convention"You're referring to the House Ethics committee investigation that is ongoing?" Raju asked. "Yeah, with his partner in jail because they paid under age women for sex and drugs," McCarthy replied.McCarthy was referring to Gaetz' former associate and friend Joel Greenberg who was sentenced to 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to felony sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department investigated Gaetz but opted not to present charges. Greenberg is now reportedly cooperating with an Ethics committee investigation into Gaetz, who denies wrongdoing. On Thursday, McCarthy doubled down on an oft-repeated accusation, which Gaetz denies, that the Florida lawmaker orchestrated the House speakership ouster. ALSO READ: Do presidents’ popularity increase after assassination attempts? History has an answerMcCarthy contends Gaetz retaliated when McCarthy refused to kill another Ethics committee investigation into Gaetz years earlier. "That's what the whole motion to vacate was about," McCarthy said. "He wanted to leverage me to try to do that, and if I didn't, he wanted to do a motion to vacate."Raju then showed McCarthy images of Gaetz' RNC speech — which spurred much debate about the limits of botox — and asked how the retired congressmen felt about Gaetz' elevated position with former President Donald Trump. "Are you concerned he's getting the platform here?" Raju asked. "Well, no, I have concerns with his actions with young women," McCarthy said. "It doesn't matter which party you're in, but if you take those types of actions, I just don't think that's safe."McCarthy suggested he was not the only one to take umbrage with Gaetz's behavior. "You see him in Congress, do you think anybody else wants to be around him?" asked McCarthy. "Do you think people want to associate? No, everybody knows his challenges."Watch the video below or click here.

Aaron Dimmock lives in Florida, but works 20-40 hours a week for Missouri

Nancy Mace once said Donald Trump had no future in the Republican Party. More than three years later at the Republican National Convention, Mace has set herself up as one of his loudest advocates.

If we have learned anything from the history of the speakership, it is that both intra- and inter-party divisions can turn an election of Speaker into a nasty and often prolonged process.

With the election of Mike Johnson as speaker of the House, the hard-right faction of the House Republican caucus has finally gotten its way. America is now poised for a catastrophic series of inter-branch battles that will push the economy…

Republicans should be riding high — President Biden is badly under water across top issues and overall approval polls. Instead, the GOP has a mess.

House Speaker Mike Johnson would not commit Sunday to subpoena President Biden's son despite demands from conservatives.

The former speaker, Kevin McCarthy, was a prolific fund-raiser for his House colleagues. The new speaker, Mike Johnson, doesn’t yet have the same juice.