Before Mike Johnson Was Speaker, He Was Blaming Abortion for School Shootings  —  What is it about Representative Mike Johnson that ended Republicans' spasms of disunity, electing him Speaker of the House on Wednesday?  The initial response was befuddlement, a collective who?

Televise Trump's federal trials?  Judicial panel says its hands are tied  —  A courts committee says it lacks authority to modify a broadcasting ban in time for the historic criminal cases against the former president.  —  A federal judicial panel has turned down a bid to allow live television coverage …

Family Reveals Suspected Gunman's Link to Maine Massacre Sites  —  “He just has to reach out and do the right thing,” Robert Card's sister-in-law told The Daily Beast. … The family of Robert Card—who is suspected of killing 18 people in double mass shootings in Maine on Wednesday night …

Can the GOP ever come to grips with the lies of 2020?  —  Mike Johnson's election, and the process getting there, showed a party not willing to address the fundamental question facing it.  —  Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was hours away from winning the speakership when a reporter asked …

Senate Voted to Let Vets With Mental Issues Keep Guns Hours Before Maine Shooting  —  Five senators who caucus with Democrats joined Republicans in voting to adopt the amendment  —  ROBERT CARD, AN Army reservist with a history of mental health issues, is suspected of killing at least 18 people …

DeSantis says he's sending weapons to Israel in move that could bolster him in the GOP primary  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he's arranged to send drones, weapons, and ammunition to Israel as it prepares for an incursion of Gaza in response to Hamas' attack.

U.S., Qatar to revisit Doha's ties to Hamas after Gaza hostage crisis  —  The agreement strives to balance the Biden administration's goal of rescuing as many captives as possible with its desire to isolate the militants after their rampage in Israel  —  The United States and Qatar have agreed …

And the Winner Is...  “If you don't think that moving from Kevin McCarthy to MAGA Mike Johnson shows the ascendance of this movement and where the power in the Republican Party truly lies, then you're not paying attention,” — Matt Gaetz to Steve Bannon Wednesday morning.  —  And of course, he was right.

At least 16 dead, dozens wounded in Lewiston shootings; police give few details on overnight search for gunman  —  A commercial man lift falls off trailer and blocks Route 4 in Rangeley  —  Hundreds of new laws take effect in Maine Wednesday.  Here's what you need to know

Charlottesville's Lee statue meets its end, in a 2,250-degree furnace  —  Melted down in secret, the divisive Confederate monument will be turned into a new piece of public art … SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S. SOUTH — It was a choice to melt down Robert E. Lee.  But it would have been a choice to keep him intact, too.

Larry Elder drops out of 2024 GOP primary, backs Trump  —  Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder is suspending his 2024 campaign for the White House and has endorsed former President Trump for the party nominee.  —  “As I look at the path forward, and after careful consideration …

New House Speaker Thinks Creationist Museum Is ‘Pointing People To The Truth’  —  An ark replica with dinosaurs “is one way to bring people to this recognition ... that what we read in the Bible are actual historical events,” Mike Johnson said.  —  Before arriving in Washington less than a decade ago …

U.S. Department of State Commemorates Intersex Awareness Day.  No, Really.  —  Americans are being held hostage by Hamas.  Israel is fighting for its existence.  Ukraine is fighting Russia for its sovereignty.  The United States is being overrun by unvetted illegal immigrants who are showing up on the terror watch list.

Maine Democrat calls for assault weapons ban after past opposition  —  Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) said he would pursue an assault weapons ban after a mass shooting killed at least 18 people in his hometown of Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday.  —  The gunman, believed to be Army reservist Robert Card, is still on the run.

Judge throws out Georgia's redistricting, orders new political maps  —  Democrats could gain a seat in Congress  —  A federal judge ruled Thursday that Georgia's district lines must be redrawn to ensure adequate representation of Black voters in Congress and the General Assembly …

New York Republicans Offer Motion to Expel George Santos From Congress  —  His fellow New York Republicans in Congress have seen enough.  They want him gone.  —  New York Republicans have finally had enough of Rep. George Santos (R-NY).  —  A group of GOP lawmakers from the state started …