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Tag: John Cornyn

  • Cornyn’s Nasty Attack on Paxton May Haunt Texas Republicans

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    Photo-Illustration: Cornyn Lonestar Victory Fund

    In many years of observing politics, I’ve seen a lot of nasty, negative ads between primary opponents who belong to the same party. But for sheer volume of vitriol, the latest John Cornyn ad against Ken Paxton, his opponent in the Texas GOP Senate primary, is hard to top:

    As Inside Elections reporter Jacob Rubashkin points out, this wildly negative ad is co-sponsored by the Senate Republican Campaign Committee, whose fundamental purpose is to maintain GOP control of the upper chamber. Cornyn’s seat is one that could very well become the key to a Democratic takeover of the Senate, which was thought to be highly improbable just months ago. So the very people running this ad calling Paxton a despicable family-wrecking, corrupt, and LGBTQ-loving piece of garbage may soon be backing his general-election candidacy to the absolute hilt. Paxton is the favorite in a toxic contest that will almost certainly go to a May runoff, in which his brand of fierce MAGA conservatives are likely to dominate turnout.

    Democrats have their own issues in this race: U.S. representative Jasmine Crockett and state legislator James Talarico are locked in a close and increasingly fractious primary of their own. But at least Democrats are very likely to know the identity of their Senate nominee six days from now (barring a virtual tie that allows a minor candidate’s vote to deny either major candidate a majority). They will have many months to heal their divisions as Cornyn and Paxton drag each other to the bottom of the sea like sharks taking down their prey.

    It’s unclear how effective the savage (and lavishly funded) attacks by Cornyn and his D.C. friends will be in eroding or eliminating Paxton’s long-standing lead in this race. The intensely combative attorney general’s many ethics issues involving both his personal life and his finances are very well known. Republican voters may have already discounted them, much like Donald Trump’s many vices, as acceptable considering his longtime service to right-wing causes like stamping out abortion and blowing up public education in favor of private (and often religious) schools.

    The Texas GOP is in the midst of an ideological revolution against a “Republican Establishment” typified by Cornyn. In 2024 Paxton, along with Texas governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, led a high-profile primary purge of Republican legislators who resisted a school-voucher push and voted to impeach Paxton on corruption grounds (he was acquitted by the Texas Senate). To put it simply, the Texas party is racing to the right at an amazing pace, and the four-term incumbent simply hasn’t been able to keep up. Worse yet, Cornyn looks and sounds like a stereotypical senator, making him a “swamp” creature in the eyes of Washington-hating Texas Republicans (his self-depiction in his latest ad as a cowboy-hat-wearing “Texas Workhouse” probably inspires as much derision as admiration).

    Team Cornyn had hoped his bacon might be saved by a Trump endorsement, but the president chose to endorse all three major candidates in the race (Cornyn, Paxton, and U.S. representative Wesley Hunt), a familiar tactic that operates as a permission slip for MAGA diehards in Texas to follow their own preferences. Any way the wind blows, the GOP is going to have a major restoration project come May to bring supporters of either the empty-suit RINO Cornyn or the adulterous “Crooked Ken” back into the party corral during what could be a very difficult midterm election for the party.


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    Ed Kilgore

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  • Virginia US Sens. Kaine, Warner seek to keep Discovery space shuttle in the commonwealth – WTOP News

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    One of Virginia’s crown jewels of tourist attractions, the Discovery Space Shuttle, could be blasting off somewhere else.

    This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury. 

    One of Virginia’s crown jewels of tourist attractions, the Discovery Space Shuttle, could be blasting off somewhere else as U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine seek to prevent the move from its home in Virginia to Texas.

    The effort to relocate the space shuttle comes as support has increased for moving it to the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, which is considered central to the United States’ human spaceflight program. Republican U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, both from Texas, are pushing the relocation effort. The ship has been at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly since 2012.

    Last week, the senators wrote a letter to Senate appropriators, hoping to block federal funding included in the Big Beautiful Bill Act for relocating the shuttle, arguing that it would waste taxpayer dollars, put it at risk of damage and diminish public access.

    The Smithsonian estimated that transporting Discovery could cost more than $50 million, with another $325 million needed for planning, exhibit reconstruction and new facilities, the letter states, exceeding the $85 million appropriated in the Act.

    “From a public access standpoint, the Udvar-Hazy Center, located in the Washington, D.C. region, offers free public admission and draws millions of visitors annually, including students, veterans, and international tourists,” Kaine and Warner wrote. “The Smithsonian provides Discovery with professional stewardship and global visibility. The Smithsonian is unique among museums for providing visitors with access to a national treasure meant to inspire the American public without placing economic barriers.”

    The center has become one of the top 20 most-visited museums in North America, garnering more than a million visitors per year, according to the Smithsonian.

    Between 1984 and 2012, Discovery orbited the Earth almost 150 million miles more than its two predecessors, flying 39 missions. The ship, named for renowned sailing ships of exploration, was transferred to the Smithsonian by NASA in April 2012.

    Recently, the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum announced plans to expand the center in Northern Virginia, following the last major construction project in 2003. The project will enable the Smithsonian to showcase more artifacts and new acquisitions, likely enhancing the shuttle and the center’s offerings.

    Construction is expected to be finished by the end of 2028.

    In an August interview, Cornyn said the then-NASA Administrator and former Discovery astronaut Charles Bolden Jr. gave Houston “short shrift” when it came to considering the city as one of the homes for four retiring shuttles in 2010. Bolden assigned the remaining three shuttles to California, Florida and New York.

    However, Cornyn believed the Johnson Space Center is “a natural place” for the ship to be located, as it is the home of human spaceflight.

    As part of the process to have Houston reconsidered, the Act required the current administrator to make a new determination, which favored Houston. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, nominated by President Donald Trump, is serving as the acting administrator.

    Cornyn said he hopes that when current and future generations see the shuttle, they will find inspiration in subjects related to the space industry.

    “Seeing this firsthand and understanding its significance will hopefully make a very positive influence on them and their life, and it would be great for tourism and the economy,” Cornyn said.

    In a statement to the Mercury, the Smithsonian said it owns the Discovery and holds it, along with all its collections, in trust for the nation.

    “The Smithsonian has a unique responsibility to properly manage, preserve, and make accessible the collections in its care for current and future generations to appreciate, enjoy, and study,” the research institute stated. “The Smithsonian carries out its stewardship responsibilities through systematic collections management policies, procedures, and plans based on professional and discipline-specific best practices. The Smithsonian will carefully evaluate any request to move Discovery in light of these obligations.”

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    Will Vitka

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  • Senators seek to make it easier for VA to exhume ‘disgraced’ veterans

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    A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wants to make it easier to exhume and remove the remains of veterans convicted of serious crimes from national cemeteries.

    “The burial grounds of our national cemeteries should be reserved for the bravest and most honorable among us,” said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, in a statement announcing the bill introduced Tuesday. The legislation would give the Department of Veterans Affairs extended authority to disinter the remains of any “disgraced veteran” who wouldn’t be deemed eligible for burial under the standards and practices of current law, Cornyn said.

    Under current law, the VA can only reconsider a veteran’s eligibility for burial in national cemeteries for cases dating back to 2013. Families and victims’ advocates who want the VA to disinter someone buried before that time who had committed a serious crime must advocate for a law to be passed directing each individual’s exhumation and removal. That is “creating unnecessary delays and inequities,” senators stated.

    The senators’ proposal would give the VA retroactive authority dating back to June 18, 1973, when the National Cemeteries Act was signed into law. A law took effect in 1997 that prohibits the burial of veterans who have committed serious crimes in national cemeteries.

    A subsequent law allows VA to reconsider a veteran’s eligibility retroactively, but limits these reconsiderations to cases dating back to 2013.

    “Rather than setting an arbitrary cutoff for disinterment requests, this legislation will help ensure that the process is available to everyone,” said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, in the announcement.

    There are at least seven outstanding disinterment petitions across multiple states, including Hawaii, Alaska, Pennsylvania, Florida and California, the senators said. Senators from those states are among those who introduced the bill, including Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; John Fetterman, D-Pennsylvania; Rick Scott, R-Florida; and Adam Schiff, D-Calif.

    Earlier this year, the Senate passed a law introduced by Cornyn to disinter the remains of Fernando V. Cota, a convicted rapist and alleged serial murderer, from the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, where he was buried in 1984. The bill has not yet been considered in the House.

    Also this year, Rep. Scott Perry, R-Penn., introduced a bill in the House to disinter the remains of George E. Siple, a veteran who was convicted of the 1969 murder of Bertha Smith, and died in prison 30 years later. He was buried in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania, in 1999. Similar bills regarding Siple’s exhumation, including one introduced by Perry last year, haven’t been successful.

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  • Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

    Guest lineups for the Sunday news shows

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    WASHINGTON (AP) — ABC’s “This Week” — Former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.; Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, R-Ark.

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    NBC’s “Meet the Press” — Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Raphael Warnock, D-Ga.; Gov. Doug Burgum, R-N.D.

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    CBS’ “Face the Nation” — Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations; Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C.; Reps. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Jim Himes, D-Conn.

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    CNN’s “State of the Union” — Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

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    “Fox News Sunday” — Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Chris Murphy, D-Conn.

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  • Sea turtle strandings have increased dramatically. Congress might create a fund to bail them out

    Sea turtle strandings have increased dramatically. Congress might create a fund to bail them out

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    IT WAS PUSHED BACK THIS MONTH ALL NEW AT 6 – HISTORY MADE IN GEORGIA TODAY … AS THE STATE MARKED ITS LARGEST – SEA – TURTLE – RELEASE … ON RECORD. WJCL 22 NEWS BROOKE BUTLER … WAS THERE. SHE TELLS US … HOW THIS ALL CAME TOGETHER.// (NAT – CLAPPING – PEOPLE SAYING GOODBYE) IT WAS ALL SMILES ON JEKYLL ISLAND WEDNESDAY – AS A RECORD BREAKING NUMBER OF REHABILITATED SEA TURTLES – WERE RELEASED BACK INTO THE OCEAN :23 WE ACTUALLY HAD 33 KEMPS AND ONE GREEN SEA TURTLE RELEASED TODAY OFF OF JEKYLL ISLAND. :30 THESE ENDANGERED TURTLES – ALL CAME FROM UP NORTH. THE ORGANIZATION – TURTLES FLY TOO – FLEW THEM IN. :20 SO WE FLEW FROM OUR HOME BASE IN NORTHERN NEW JERSEY UP TO MASSACHUSETTS TO PICK THE TURTLES UP FROM THE TEAM AT THE NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM. :28 1:53 HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE DOING THESE RELEASES TOGETHER AS FATHER AND SON? 1:56 1:56 THAT’S IT’S DEFINITELY IT’S VERY COOL. 1:59 (BROOKE STANDUP) I’M TOLD THERE ARE A NUMBER OF REASONS WHY RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS CHOSE JEKYLL ISLAND… AS THE LOCATION FOR THIS RELEASE. 1:15 I THINK IT’S REALLY NICE. IT’S CONVENIENT. OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE AN AIRPORT ON THE ISLAND, BUT OUR FACILITY, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A GREAT PARTNERSHIP WITH TURTLES FLY TO AND THESE OTHER FACILITIES UP IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA, UP IN THE NORTHERN STATES THAT WE ALL BAND TOGETHER AND, YOU KNOW, HELP THESE ANIMALS IN NEED. 1:30 RACHEL OVERMEYER WITH GEORGIA SEA TURTLE CENTER SAID – ALL OF THESE TURTLES..WERE COLD STUNNED WHEN THEY WERE RESCUED. THEIR RELEASE INTO GEORGIA WATERS… ENSURING THEY’LL STAY AT A COMFORTABLE TEMPERATURE. 1:34 OUR WATERS ARE JUST NOW WARM ENOUGH THAT WE CAN RELEASE ANIMALS. 1:38 OVERMEYER SAYS – WHILE SHE’S TAKEN PART IN A NUMBER OF RELEASES OVER THE YEARS – THE WORK – NEVER GETS OLD. 1:55 RELEASES ARE JUST SO SPECIAL BECAUSE IT’S WHAT WE PUT OUR BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS INTO. AND IT’S WHAT WE WHAT WE DO EVERY DAY IS WHAT WE WORK FOR. SO TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEM RELEASED IS IS REALLY EXCITING. 2:06 BROOKE BUTLER… WJCL 22 NEWS. OUT:”THAT ONE

    Sea turtle strandings have ticked up at an alarming rate in New England, but now the reptiles are close to receiving a lifeline from Congress to help them stay in the water.Related video above: ‘Really exciting’: 34 rehabilitated sea turtles released back into the ocean on Jekyll IslandCongress is nearing passage of the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, which would create a new $33 million federal grant program to fund institutions around the country that rescue, rehabilitate and research stranded turtles. The aid would arrive as scientists and federal authorities are sounding the alarm that an increasing number of cold-stunned turtles are washing up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, likely as a result of climate change.Less than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on Cape Cod in 2000, but by 2022, that number has ballooned to 866, said Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Quick action is needed to help the turtles because all six species of sea turtles found in the U.S. are threatened or endangered, Markey said.Turtles face “extinction and environmental wipeout” without assistance, said Markey, the sponsor of the act.”Our current rescue efforts are largely volunteer and underfunded, forcing our aquariums to shell out to keep our shelled friends safe,” he said. “We will not let these rescue and rehabilitation organizations, much less sea turtles, sink.”The annual average number of cold-stunned turtles in Massachusetts has also increased over time. Two decades ago, it was 139, and in the past five years it has increased to 739, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in June.The sea turtle act was placed on the Senate’s calendar after unanimously passing the commerce, science and transportation committee on July 31, records state. A similar measure, introduced by Democratic Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts, passed the House of Representatives earlier in the year.Both proposals have bipartisan support, and the Senate measure is cosponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.Sea turtles sometimes become cold-stunned because they’re unable to regulate their body temperatures. In recent years, hundreds of those turtles have become stranded in Massachusetts. The New England Aquarium operates a Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts, that treats the animals, who sometimes need months of care before they can be rereleased into the marine environment.Providing more assistance to organizations that care for stranded turtles “would have a significant impact on the continuation of this collaborative conservation work and the resulting research to solve ocean challenges,” said Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, in support of the proposal last year.

    PORTLAND, Maine —

    Sea turtle strandings have ticked up at an alarming rate in New England, but now the reptiles are close to receiving a lifeline from Congress to help them stay in the water.

    Related video above: ‘Really exciting’: 34 rehabilitated sea turtles released back into the ocean on Jekyll Island

    Congress is nearing passage of the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance and Rehabilitation Act, which would create a new $33 million federal grant program to fund institutions around the country that rescue, rehabilitate and research stranded turtles. The aid would arrive as scientists and federal authorities are sounding the alarm that an increasing number of cold-stunned turtles are washing up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, likely as a result of climate change.

    Less than 50 sea turtles were found stranded on Cape Cod in 2000, but by 2022, that number has ballooned to 866, said Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts. Quick action is needed to help the turtles because all six species of sea turtles found in the U.S. are threatened or endangered, Markey said.

    Turtles face “extinction and environmental wipeout” without assistance, said Markey, the sponsor of the act.

    “Our current rescue efforts are largely volunteer and underfunded, forcing our aquariums to shell out to keep our shelled friends safe,” he said. “We will not let these rescue and rehabilitation organizations, much less sea turtles, sink.”

    The annual average number of cold-stunned turtles in Massachusetts has also increased over time. Two decades ago, it was 139, and in the past five years it has increased to 739, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in June.

    The sea turtle act was placed on the Senate’s calendar after unanimously passing the commerce, science and transportation committee on July 31, records state. A similar measure, introduced by Democratic Rep. Bill Keating of Massachusetts, passed the House of Representatives earlier in the year.

    Both proposals have bipartisan support, and the Senate measure is cosponsored by Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas.

    Sea turtles sometimes become cold-stunned because they’re unable to regulate their body temperatures. In recent years, hundreds of those turtles have become stranded in Massachusetts. The New England Aquarium operates a Sea Turtle Hospital in Quincy, Massachusetts, that treats the animals, who sometimes need months of care before they can be rereleased into the marine environment.

    Providing more assistance to organizations that care for stranded turtles “would have a significant impact on the continuation of this collaborative conservation work and the resulting research to solve ocean challenges,” said Vikki Spruill, president and CEO of the New England Aquarium, in support of the proposal last year.

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  • Texas Republican Twitter Beef: John Cornyn Calls Out Ken Paxton Over Indictments, “Russian Propaganda”

    Texas Republican Twitter Beef: John Cornyn Calls Out Ken Paxton Over Indictments, “Russian Propaganda”

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    The Republican Civil War of Texas that became tremendously public in May 2023 continues to rage on as the primaries draw ever nearer. The latest battle took place not in the state Capitol, nor on a ballot, but in the Twitterverse. State Attorney Gen. Ken Paxton, who has made it his mission to fight against as many Republican state senators and representatives as he can, took aim at U.S. Senator John Cornyn on Tuesday morning.

    Cornyn, for his part, seemed ready to fight back, regardless of party affiliation, and he brought out the big guns. 

    It all started when Paxton sent out an X post quoting another post from conservative publisher Michael Quinn Sullivan, which took a shot at Cornyn over his vote in favor of the $95 billion aid package for Ukraine and Israel. Sullivan wrote that “while Texans slept” the senator, seemingly all by himself, sent billions of dollars “to help with their border problems.”

    Paxton, keen hearing the screech one of the GOP’s favorite dog whistles —  anything related to the border — added that it was “unbelievable” that Cornyn would “stay up all night to defend other countries [sic] borders, but not America.”

    Seems quality sleep is something Paxton and a certain sect of conservatives are passionate about.

    In a mic drop moment not often seen between two prominent members of the same party, Cornyn lit the fuse to every cannon he had at his disposal against the embattled but empowered attorney general.

    “Ken, your criminal defense lawyers are calling to suggest you spend less time pushing Russian propaganda and more time defending longstanding felony charges against you in Houston, as well as ongoing federal grand jury proceedings in San Antonio that will probably result in further criminal charges,” Cornyn wrote.

    In reliable fashion, the rest of X was as ready to pounce as Cornyn was. GIFs involving popcorn eating, girls fighting and dudes popping out their lawn chairs to take it all in populated timelines across the state immediately. One person posted that this testy exchange was something “you didn’t expect to see,” but we’ll assume he isn’t from around these parts, because in Texas in 2024, there’s very little as reliable as death, Texas and Republicans bickering with other Republicans. 



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    Kelly Dearmore

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  • Tucker Carlson blasts GOP senators over calls to target Iran: ‘Lunatics’

    Tucker Carlson blasts GOP senators over calls to target Iran: ‘Lunatics’

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    Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson slammed two Republican senators over their social media posts appearing to call for the United States to attack Iran in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan.

    U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Sunday that a drone strike had killed three U.S. military personnel and wounded 34 others who were stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border. The president blamed Iran-backed militant groups for the deadly blast. Officials said that the attack had been launched from Syria on Saturday night.

    In response to news of the attack, Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator John Cornyn both posted on X, formerly Twitter, calling on the U.S. to act.

    Graham, a South Carolina Republican, wrote on X: “Hit Iran now. Hit them hard.”

    While sharing a CNN article on the news of the drone strike, Cornyn, a Texas Republican, posted on X: “Target Tehran.”

    Carlson appeared to disagree with the idea of retaliating against Iran on X where he shared an image of the posts by Graham and Cornyn and referred to the senators as “f****** lunatics.”

    Former Fox News television personality Tucker Carlson speaks at the Family Leadership Summit on July 14, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa. In a January 28, 2024, post on X, Carlson slammed Senator Lindsey Graham and…


    Scott Olson/Getty

    Newsweek reached out via email on Sunday night to representatives for Carlson and Graham for comment.

    A spokesperson for Cornyn responded to Newsweek‘s request for comment by sending a “follow-up tweet from the senator.”

    In the post, Cornyn responded to an X user who was questioning if he suggested that the U.S. “bomb Iran.” The Texas Republican responded, “No. IRGC and Quds Force terrorist facilitators.”

    Carlson, who hosts Tucker on X, has previously criticized Republican lawmakers who pushed for the U.S. to go to war with Iran amid mounting conflict in the region.

    The attack of U.S. troops in Jordan, a Middle Eastern ally of the U.S., comes as the Israel-Hamas war has caused tensions to escalate across the region in the months following Hamas‘ surprise attack on Israel in October 2023.

    On October 7, 2023, Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, resulting in the Middle Eastern nation to launch its heaviest-ever airstrikes and ground offensive on Gaza, home to more than 2 million Palestinians. Israeli officials have said that roughly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 250 hostages were taken in Hamas’ attack, according to the Associated Press. As of Sunday, more than 26,000 Palestinians have been killed, officials from the health ministry in Gaza said.

    Carlson has previously spoken out against the U.S. potentially heading into war with Iran.

    Just a few weeks after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, Carlson lashed out at Republicans, saying that they weren’t doing enough to fight against the Biden administration, which he accused of “pushing” for the country to head into a war with Iran.

    “We seem to be heading to war with Iran, certainly the Biden administration is pushing us in that direction,” Carlson said. “What’s new and interesting and ominous is that very few Republicans, the opposition party, are pushing back. Instead, those party leaders are encouraging it.”

    The conflict in the Middle East has grown increasingly precarious for the U.S. and its forces stationed in the region. Biden’s administration has continued to support Israel throughout the war. In response, Iran-backed groups have targeted U.S. troops. Since mid-November, the Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen have launched drones and missiles at vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S. has responded by carrying out a series of strikes against Houthi targets.