Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' (R) new campaign manager previewed the candidate's strategy for the upcoming GOP debate to donors and top supporters Saturday in a memo obtained by Axios.
DeSantis' campaign manager James Uthmeier wrote that they expect the other candidates to attack the governor, but DeSantis will focus on outlining "his vision to beat Joe Biden, reverse American decline, and revive the American Dream."
Why it matters: The debate this upcoming Wednesday is critical for DeSantis to maintain his status as the main alternative to former President Donald Trump after his campaign's early struggles.
Several top GOP donors, panicked about their current choices, are holding back 2024 money with the long-shot dream of luring an alternative to former President Trump into the presidential race at the last minute.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp are getting secret overtures from establishment Republicans — and haven't ruled out running, top sources tell Axios.
Why it matters: This (probably futile) quest for anyone-but-Trump is an indictment of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who was seen as Trump's top challenger but is struggling for traction ahead of Wednesday's first GOP debate.
The Walt Disney Company filed a counterclaim Thursday against the board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) to take control of Walt Disney World's special tax district, per court filings.
The big picture: The move comes amid a yearslong feud between Disney and DeSantis, which ignited after the company publicly opposed the controversial dubbed "Dont Say Gay" law, championed by the governor.
Family members attempted to cross the U.S.-Mexico border in July at the second-highest level on record — with 70% of them crossing illegally, according to new government data.
Why it matters: The number of migrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border ticked up overall in July after back-to-back months in which those numbers had started to fall.
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, thinks his Republican colleagues will eventually intervene to get Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) to stop holding up hundreds of military nominations.
Why it matters: The Alabama senator's months-long blockade – in protest of a Pentagon policy reimbursing service members' abortion-related expenses – has created bipartisan concerns about military readiness.
In a historic summit Friday at Camp David, President Biden and his counterparts from South Korea and Japan announced they will strengthen military cooperation and turn this first-ever trilateral summit into an annual tradition.
Why it matters: It was Biden's first foreign leader summit at Camp David, and marks a significant step in the rapprochement between Tokyo and Seoul — two U.S. allies whose historically fraught relations have thawed in recent months amid China's increasing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and ongoing nuclear threats from North Korea.
Republican presidential candidates are facing the distinct possibility that former President Trump will be absent from the debate stage next week, or he'll throw a curveball into the mix.
Driving the news: The New York Times reported on Friday that Trump plans to skip the Aug. 23 Republican primary debate and instead sit for an online interview with Tucker Carlson.
Driving the news: "If he believes he should be the nominee, if he believes that he's got such a great record, if he believes he's the best person to go against Joe Biden, then show up on Wednesday night and stop being such a coward," Christie said Friday in his latest criticism of the former president.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Friday introduced a longshot resolution to censure and open an investigation into the judge overseeing the federal trial into former President Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Why it matters: It’s the latest example of Trump’s allies closing ranks around the former president and trying to use congressional power to undermine efforts to prosecute him.
The Fulton County jail in Georgia could make history in the weeks ahead as the first institution to ever take a U.S. president's mug shot.
Driving the news: The local sheriff's office says it expects to book all 19 of those indicted this week on election-related charges — including former President Trump — at the notorious detention center, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Prosecutors requested that Henry "Enrique" Tarrio and other Proud Boys associates convicted for seditious conspiracy over the U.S. Capitol riot serve 27 to 33 years in federal prison, according to court documents filed Thursday.
Why it matters: The longest sentence handed down in the Jan. 6 cases so far is an 18-year prison term, being served by Stewart Rhodes, the founder of the far-right militia group Oath Keepers.
Former President Trump on Thursday canceled a press conference he'd scheduled for next week at which he said he'd present a report that would lead to his "complete EXONERATION" in his Georgia election interference case.
The big picture: Trump faces racketeering charges in the Georgia case — his fourth indictment in four months. The Republican 2024 presidential primary front-runner denies any wrongdoing in the cases.
A Florida man whom prosecutors said attacked three law enforcement officers with a flagpole during the U.S. Capitol riot was sentenced Thursday to 48 months in prison, the Department of Justice announced.
The big picture: Michael Steven Perkins, 40, of Plant City, "helped a co-defendant in an attempt to charge and break through a police line by pushing him from behind into the line" at the U.S. Capitol after attending a pro-Trump rally on Jan. 6, 2021, per a DOJ statement.
Maui Emergency Management Agency's top official resigned Thursday after facing criticism over the response to Hawai'i's catastrophic wildfires that have killed at least 111 people.
Driving the news: Herman Andaya cited "health reasons" as he resigned as the agency's administrator with immediate effect, per a Maui County statement.
