The Latest: Callista Gingrich Confirmed As Vatican Envoy

House members are lobbying Speaker Mike Johnson to raise the threshold to trigger the procedure to oust the speaker. However, Johnson announced he would not change the procedure for removing him from the speakership after Republican hardliners reacted with fury to the proposed change of rules. A single member can force a floor vote on the motion to vacate - part of the deal Kevin McCarthy made to become speaker last year.

Jury selection for the remaining alternates continues Friday in former President Donald Trump's hush money criminal trial. Follow here for the latest live news updates, analysis and more.

State lawmakers have yet to fund an $11 million effort to reform Colorado courts’ long-troubled competency system, raising alarm among supporters as the end of the legislative session looms. If funded, the bill, HB24-1355, would create a statewide diversion program aimed at shifting thousands of people with mental illness out of the criminal justice system and into comprehensive care in a first-of-its-kind effort to slow the flow of people into Colorado’s overcrowded court competency system. The state’s competency process aims to ensure people are not prosecuted for crimes if they are too sick or too disabled to understand the court process.

The proposed ban on the sale, transfer and manufacturing of many high-powered, semi-automatic guns in Colorado will face an uphill fight in the state Senate after clearing the House for the first time. The measure, House Bill 1292, would ban guns referred to as “assault” weapons by its Democratic sponsors. It now heads to a Senate committee that includes one of the most vocal gun violence prevention advocates in the state — who happens to be a longtime skeptic of the effectiveness of blanket prohibitions like the one proposed. Sen.

Juanita Jean - hubris, thy name is Donald; Lawyers, Guns & Money - NPR agonistes and the Bari Weiss grift model; Left Jabs - GOP Putin caucus now in the spotlight; Obsidian Wings - the eyes have it; Roy Edroso Breaks it Down - Romney: the Wrath of Rockefeller. Send tips to MBRU (AT) crooksandliars (DOT) com read more

Day 3 of the Trump Criminal Trial was quite a chaotic one!!! Started with fireworks about more of Trump's gag order violations, the worst one being a post with a direct quote attacking the jurors. After his post accusing jurors of being "undercover liberal activists", Juror #2 (an oncology nurse that was outed by the incredible amount of detail reported by journalists), decided to leave the jury! Fox News host Jesse Watters on Tuesday broadcast extensive biographical details about Juror No.