NEW YORK, Feb. 25 -- ABC News, a news division of Walt Disney Television, issued the following news: ABC News' "Nightline" ranked No. 1 Total Viewers (994,000), Adults 25-54 (312,000) and Adults 18-49 (220,000) for the week of Feb. 15, 2021, based on Live + Same Day Data from Nielsen Media Research. Taking the top spot across the board for the 2nd time in the last 3 weeks, "Nightline" beat CBS' "The Late Late Show-JC-ENC" (671,000, 182,000 and 111,000, respectively) in Total Viewers (+323,000),  more

MONTGOMERY, Alabama, Feb. 24 -- The Alabama Republican Party issued the following news release: Republicans are now in the majority on the Butler County Commission after County Commissioner Darrell Sanders switched from the Democrat to the Republican Party at the February meeting of the Butler County Republican Party. "With Darrell's move to the Republican Party, the GOP now has a majority on both the County Commission and the County School Board. This is a sign of the long term decline of the  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 -- Joseph R. Re, president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, Arlington, Virginia, has issued a public comment on the Patent and Trademark Office notice entitled "Request for Information: Sovereign Immunity Study". The comment was written on Feb. 22, 2020, and posted on Feb. 23, 2021: * * * The American Intellectual Property Law Association ("AIPLA") is pleased to offer comments in response to the above-referenced U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Notice   more

BRUNSWICK, Maine, Feb. 26 -- Bowdoin College issued the following news on Feb. 25, 2021: "Historians and history students are used to working with words on the page, says Professor of History Patrick Rael, "but for many years I had been wanting to incorporate a more spatial and data-driven approach to the subject." That opportunity presented itself with the arrival on campus of geographer and statistical consultant Aaron Gilbreath in 2016. They began devising a new course and for the first tim  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics Center for American Women and Politics issued the following 36-page report entitled "The Money Hurdle in the Race for Governor". The report was co-authored by Kira Sanbonmatsu, Kathleen Rogers and Claire Gothreau. * * * Executive Summary Women are underrepresented as gubernatorial candidates. * Women lag behind men in holding gubernatorial office. The percentage of women serving as governors is lower than the percent  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2021: The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called on organizers of the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) to drop anti-Muslim speaker Scott Presler. Presler was a former organizer with ACT for America - an organization described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as the largest  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news on Feb. 22, 2021: Over the weekend, Axios detailed the nasty infighting that has overtaken the GOP gubernatorial primary in Virginia. Three Republican-related groups, Virginia Cornerstone PAC, Americans for Limited Government, and Stop Bad Candidates PAC, have been involved with launching negative radio and direct mail pieces against Glenn Youngkin, ensuring whoever the GOP nominee is won't come out unscathed  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news on Feb. 25, 2021: Today is day one of QPAC, and the Republican governors who plan to attend are wasting no time - already cozying up to people who pushed the dangerous "big lie" that led to the January 6th insurrection. South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is set to hold a fundraiser in Florida with Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle - both of whom have blatantly spread lies about the 2020 election. As Republic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- The Democratic Governors Association issued the following news on Feb. 24, 2021: Last night, the Virginia Republican Party reaffirmed their choice to hold an in-person convention to choose their gubernatorial nominees. An in-person event could be illegal due to the state's COVID-19 restrictions, but the Virginia GOP has an even bigger problem on their hands - frontrunner Amanda Chase and her supporters are mad, and hell hath no fury like a Trump Republican scorned. Chase  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2021: After a bruising 2020 cycle, Republicans are still ensnared in the same nasty internal battles that cost the GOP both of Georgia's Senate seats. With former Senator David Perdue announcing today he would rather spend time at his Sea Island estate than on the campaign trail, two other losing GOP candidates -- unelected (and now former) Senator Kelly Loeffler and former Congress  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following news release: New reporting from the Washington Post and CNN highlights how North Carolina's open Senate seat in 2022 has become a major headache for Republicans plagued by deep divisions that are causing the GOP to hemorrhage support in the "prized suburbs" while alienating donors. The North Carolina GOP just censured their most senior elected official -- retiring Senator Richard Burr -- for voting with a  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following news release: NRSC Chair Rick Scott's declaration that the GOP "civil war is now cancelled" isn't aging well. Just take a look at what's happened in the days following Scott's declaration: * Former Senator David Perdue opted out of trying to mount a 2022 comeback because "trying to navigate a feud between the former president and his state's sitting governor for the next two years was deeply unappealing."   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following news release: A series of new reports in recent days demonstrate how Senate Republicans are losing their crusade against President Biden and Democrats' COVID-19 rescue package as they "struggle" to make the case against the "increasingly popular" legislation. Despite the GOP's continued opposition to the American Rescue Plan, Democrats' proposal for immediate action "enjoys strong, bipartisan support nation  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2021: New reporting from The Hill details how the growing "tension between Trump and McConnell has made life difficult for" NRSC Chair Rick Scott as he tries to navigate the nasty rift between the Minority Leader and the former president. Scott is dealing with a brutal civil war destabilizing the party in Senate battlegrounds as he tries to calculate how to appease increasingly unpo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- The Democratic National Committee issued the following news release: The Republican divide continues to deepen ahead of the Conservative Political Action Conference, with key Republicans publicly butting heads over the future of the party and Trump's role in it. The Republican Party is divided, with some top Republicans openly clashing over Trump's speaking slot and his role in the party. Rep. McCarthy when asked whether Trump should be speaking at CPAC: (https://demo  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Federal Election Commission issued the following weekly digest: Commission meetings and hearings On February 25, the Commission held an open meeting and an administrative review hearing. On February 23 and 25, the Commission met in executive session. Advisory Opinions Opinion Issued Advisory Opinion 2021-02 (FEN-PAC) On February 25, the Commission approved an advisory opinion request from the Full Employment Now-Political Action Committee (FEN-PAC), an independen  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- The House Administration Committee issued the following testimony by Stacey Y. Abrams, founder of Fair Fight Action, as part of a virtual hearing entitled "Strengthening American Democracy": * * * The morning of January 6, millions of Americans had their eyes on Georgia as the final results of the January 5 runoff election became clear. Georgia voters of every political persuasion had turned out in record numbers; and in the final tally, we had elected the first Jewish a  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 23 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following fact sheet entitled "Debunking GOP Myths About the Minimum Wage": The Indiana Democratic Party enthusiastically supports the call for the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would increase the minimum wage gradually to $15.00 an hour. It's an idea that has been supported by Members of Hoosier Democrats both in the Indiana House of Representatives and Indiana State Senate. What's missing: support from the Ind  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 26 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 25, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, and Indiana Stonewall Democrats today celebrated Indiana Congressmen Andre Carson and Frank Mrvan and the entire U.S. House of Representatives for passing the Equality Act, which would usher in full equity for Indiana's 272,000 LGBTQ Hoosiers. If passed by the U.S. Senate and s  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 24 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today condemned the Indiana State Senate and senators like Aaron Freeman for their incessant attacks against working Hoosiers. Senator Freeman and the INGOP supermajority are expected to force through Senate Bill 141 in the Indiana Senate today, which could ultimately derail fu  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 23 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today has called on Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston to hold State Representative Jim Lucas and other Members of the Indiana Republican Party accountable for invoking racism against Indiana's Black Legislative Caucus last Thursday. The Indiana Democratic Party views this as a   more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 25 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 24, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today wanted to flag a glaring problem with Indiana's press corps: the Indiana Republican Party's decision to use debunked myths as a way to justify their opposition for increasing the national minimum wage. These disproven myths include the false notions that raising the minim  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 23 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 22, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today criticized the Indiana Republican Party for using debunked misinformation to justify their opposition for an increase to the minimum wage. U.S. Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young falsely claimed raising the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour would mean job loss and pain for s  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 25 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 24, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today criticized the Indiana Republican Party for what will be remembered as a legislative session where GOP Members of the General Assembly tossed out their Party's "local control, small government" morals in favor of bullying city governments, abusing Indiana's public schools  more

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, Feb. 26 -- The Indiana Democratic Party issued the following news release on Feb. 25, 2021: The Indiana Democratic Party, the organization that advocates for the future of Indiana and its families, today exposed even more hypocrisy by Governor Eric Holcomb as he stubbornly refused to provide teachers access to a COVID-19 vaccine. During yesterday's weekly COVID-19 press conference, Holcomb wouldn't say how many Hoosiers on standby lists were denied a vaccine, he falsely c  more

ATLANTA, Georgia, Feb. 27 -- The Georgia Institute of Technology School of Public Policy's Internet Governance Project issued the following article: The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression is suddenly interested in disinformation. It is presented as a major threat to world society, and the Special Rap would like to know how to save us from it. A report to the Human Rights Council is being put together and a call for comments wa  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 26 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news on Feb. 25, 2021: Karen Brinson Bell, Governor Roy Cooper's handpicked Executive Director of the North Carolina Board of Elections, testified in front of the House Elections Committee and continued her pattern of deception regarding the NCSBE's legal settlement that overturned key provisions of the 2020 Bipartisan Elections Act. Though it is well-established and easy to see by the plain language of  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 24 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news: Last week, a bipartisan coalition of the Republican-led North Carolina General Assembly passed SB37 to safely reopen North Carolina public schools. The bill garnered support of bipartisan supermajorities capable of overriding Democrat Governor Roy Cooper's veto. In the face of imminent defeat, Governor Cooper appearsto be deliberately dragging out the process hoping to avoid the humiliation of hav  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 26 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news: As Cal Jr. (Jeff Jackson) and Radical Liberal Erica Smith are seeking to be the next U.S. Senator from North Carolina, the people of North Carolina deserve to know how they would vote on important issues if elected. President Joe Biden nominated California Attorney General Xavier Becerra for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Becerra's only background in healthcare is suing nuns for practicin  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 25 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news: With each passing day, North Carolina kids shut out of their schools are falling behind. Still, Governor Roy Cooper has refused to issue a decision or definitive comment on the school reopening bill bipartisan supermajorities of the general assembly sent to his desk seven days ago. However, the North Carolina Republican Party was able to track down this video message from the absentee governor. T  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 27 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news: Earlier this week the North Carolina Republican Party published exclusively leaked video of Governor Cooper's plan to keep kids locked in failing virtual schools with his veto of SB 37. Surprisingly, Cooper agreed to a settlement with far left activists to release thousands of convicted criminals. It is appalling that while releasing thousands of criminals from prison; Cooper is locking North Caro  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 26 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news: Despite his flashy campaign commercials, Governor Cooper's COVID-19 response has been marked by incompetence. Governor Cooper entered into a settlement agreement with far-left activists to release at least 3500 convicted criminals. According the plaintiffs, the agreement marks one of the largest prisoner releases in the COVID-19 era, which is particularly concerning because the settlement lacks   more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 27 -- The North Carolina Republican Party issued the following news on Feb. 26, 2021: Yesterday in a MSNBC interview, Cal Jr. (Jeff Jackson) did his best to chase radical liberal Erica Smith to the far left. Cal Jr. told MSNBC he favors job-killing, arbitrary wage hikes, radical immigration policies and ending the filibuster as a meaningful tool. Smith had already staked out her position on these issues and has largely based her campaign for U.S. Senate on support  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- The National Republican Senatorial Committee issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2021: Democrats, and their friends in the media, have spent every day since the 2020 election hyping up a perceived rift in the Republican Party. Today, NRSC Chairman, Senator Rick Scott, released a memo that will be sent to elected officials, activists, donors and voters across the country outlining his focus on the future and how we win back the Senate majority. Senator Scott's   more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 26 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news: Since declaring his candidacy for the North Carolina Senate race, Mark Walker has been running to the far-right, embracing Trump, and shunning Republicans like Senator Burr who took a vote of conscience to impeach Donald Trump. Now, he's slated to speak at CPAC as it is "shaping up to be an event that leans into the 2020 election conspiracy theories rather than rebukes them." In December, Mark Wa  more

RALEIGH, North Carolina, Feb. 24 -- The North Carolina Democratic Party issued the following news: Republican infighting ahead of the North Carolina Senate race continues to draw national spotlight. In a new article, the Washington Post positions North Carolina as a "test" for Republicans in the post-Trump world. In the wake of the Capitol insurrection, "the early jockeying ahead of the 2022 race to replace Burr is exposing the inherent challenges in rebuilding a coalition that can win in close  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, issued the following news release on Feb. 24, 2021: This morning on CBS This Morning, Senator Portman discussed the bipartisan investigation he is co-leading in the Senate into the January 6 Capitol riot that resulted in seven deaths, including three police officers. Yesterday, Portman, as Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Comm  more

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania, Feb. 27 -- The Pennsylvania Democratic Party issued the following news on Feb. 26, 2021: Tomorrow, the Lehigh County GOP will host an annual fundraising breakfast. That's a normal thing for a county party to do. What's not normal is to invite a QAnon-supporting freshman Congresswoman from Colorado who live-tweeted Nancy Pelosi's location during the Capitol Insurrection -- but Rep. Lauren Boebert (CO-3) will be a "featured speaker" at the event, alongside former Congre  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- Rep. Alma S. Adams, D-North Carolina, issued the following news release: Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12) released the following statement on the President Biden's nomination of Anton Hajjar, Amber McReynolds, and Ron Stroman to the United States Postal Service Board of Governors: "President Biden promised to rebuild our most important government institutions, and is delivering. I am overjoyed he answered our call to fill the vacancies on the United States Postal Servic  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, D-Maryland, issued the following floor statement: * * * Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) spoke on the House Floor today in support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act. Below are excerpts from his remarks. "I proudly rise in support of H.R. 5, the Equality Act, and I congratulate Mr. [David] Cicilline and all those who have worked on getting this bill to this point on this Floor. We passed it before, of course, and it sent it to the United States Senate -   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16 -- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, issued the following op-ed to the Washington Post: * * * Mace: We Need to Rebuild Our Party Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01) spoke with The Washington Post last month about her backstory, what led her to run for Congress, and where the Republican party goes from here. Read the piece here (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/magazine/republican-rep-nancy-mace-on-the-capitol-insurrection-we-need-to-rebuild-our-party/2021/02/04/ee66  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release: The U.S. House on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation, under the floor management of Congresswoman Nancy Mace (SC-01), to rename the Georgetown, South Carolina Post Office in honor of Joseph Rainey, the first Black American to serve in Congress. "Joseph Rainey overcame slavery, the Civil War, and deep-seated hatred to help lead South Carolina through one of the darkest times in our nation's histor  more

RICHMOND, Virginia, Feb. 24 -- The Republican Party of Virginia issued the following statement on Feb. 23, 2021: * * * Chris Marston, General Counsel of the Republican Party of Virginia, addressed the Virginia Department of Elections at its meeting to criticize the Northam Administration's Post-Election Report. Marston's written comments to the report are available here (https://gop.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=3e3f06b563b941f067c8fc8db&id=9b06559d9f&e=dbefea0601). The Department's repor  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27 -- The Ripon Society issued the following news: The Ripon Society and Franklin Center for Global Policy Exchange held a virtual discussion on Wednesday with two members of the Utah delegation to Congress: U.S. Reps. John Curtis (UT-3) and Blake Moore (UT-1). The discussion centered on what each lawmaker seeks to achieve in the 117th Congress. Curtis, first elected to the House in 2017, kicked things off by touching on his recent appointment to the Energy and Commerce Commit  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 25 -- Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, issued the following transcript of an interview on CBS This Morning: This morning on CBS This Morning, Senator Portman discussed the bipartisan investigation he is co-leading in the Senate into the January 6 Capitol riot that resulted in seven deaths, including three police officers. Yesterday, Portman, as Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC), questioned the current and former officials respons  more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, issued the following transcript of a news conference regarding the Equality Act on Feb. 25, 2021: * * * Speaker Nancy Pelosi held her weekly press conference today in the Capitol Visitor Center. Below are the Speaker's remarks: Speaker Pelosi. Good morning everyone, and it is a good morning. We are so excited that today the Equality Act will come to the Floor. We have passed it in the House before - the Equality Act, H.R. 5 -   more

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- Rep. Tom Rice, R-South Carolina, issued the following news release on Feb. 23, 2021: Today the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously approved Congressman Tom Rice's (R-SC) legislation to rename the Georgetown, South Carolina Post Office in honor of Joseph Rainey, the first African American to serve in Congress. Joseph Rainey was born into slavery in Georgetown, South Carolina in 1832. His father was a barber and used his earnings to buy freedom for himself and his fa  more

MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 26 -- The Wisconsin Republican Party issued the following statement: * * * Over the course of the pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers had the authority to resolve the myriad of issues with Wisconsin's unemployment insurance system himself. However, to avoid accepting responsibility for his administration's failures, Gov. Evers opted to sit on his hands and point fingers -- during which time, the backlog of claims surpassed 700,000, an audit revealed that less than one percent of  more

MADISON, Wisconsin, Feb. 23 -- The Wisconsin Republican Party issued the following news: In case you missed it, in a video unearthed by The Intercept, New York trust fund baby Alex Lasry reveals that he was pleasantly "surprised" to find that Milwaukee is, in fact, a real city with actual amenities. Lasry, who had only lived in "kind of bigger East Coast cities" previously, was "surprised" to learn that "Milwaukee has all the same things as any city, especially any big city, has," such as rest  more