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Amid a revolt against incumbents, Nebraska’s State Central Committee of the Republican Party has endorsed a GOP challenger to incumbent Sen. and former Gov. Pete Ricketts. The committee is backing former Air Force Lt. Col. John Glen Weaver, according to the Nebraska Examiner. In 2022, former President Donald Trump branded Ricketts a “RINO,” which means Republican in Name Only, according to KLKN-TV.

A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation on Wednesday that would help set the stage for the United States to confiscate Russian assets and hand them over to Ukraine for rebuilding after the destruction of the nearly two-year-long war. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 20 to 1 in favor of the unprecedented "Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act." If it were to pass the full Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden, as expected, the act would pave the way for Washington's first-ever seizure of central bank assets from a...

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, has tapped former Gov. Pete Ricketts to fill the seat recently vacated by Ben Sasse, who resigned well before the end of his term as a U.S. senator. Sasse, a Republican who would not have come up for reelection until 2026, stepped down earlier this month with plans to become president of the University of Florida. He had served as a senator since early 2015, and had won another term in the 2020 election. He tweeted in November that he was "thrilled to join Gator Nation in February." Sasse was one of the seven...

Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) appointed his predecessor, former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R), to fill the state’s U.S. Senate seat, vacated by former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) in January. Term limits rendered Ricketts unable to run for reelection. Being appointed to the position was widely expected after he said he intended to seek an application for consideration for the appointment following Pillen’s announcement that he would “seek qualified applicants” to fill the upcoming vacancy. Sasse, a two-term senator, left his U.S. Senate seat to become the president of the University of Florida. He officially resigned from the Senate on...

Two months ago, former President Donald Trump and the Republican establishment joined forces to elevate Tudor Dixon in Michigan’s messy GOP primary for governor, signaling a united front against Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer. But since then, national Republicans have largely abandoned Dixon, leaving her to fend for herself in a state that was supposed to be one of the party’s top targets in 2022. Trump may be the exception. He’s scheduled to headline a Saturday rally for Dixon and other GOP candidates in the state. His visit comes at a time when Whitmer and the Democratic groups supporting her re-election...

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts released a column Tuesday continuing to oppose the Biden-Harris administration’s environmental policies. “Nebraskans don’t need the Biden-Harris Administration lecturing us on the environment,” Ricketts said. “Our farmers, ranchers, businesses, and homeowners have proven their ability to responsibly use the natural resources we’ve been blessed with here in Nebraska.” Ricketts signed an executive order last year to push back on the Biden administration’s conservation plan, specifically his 30×30 plan. President Joe Biden’s 2021 executive order outlined a goal to conserve at least 30% of the country’s land and water by 2030. The initiative...

LINCOLN — Gov. Pete Ricketts stepped up his fight against President Joe Biden on Thursday by ordering state agencies to resist the federal 30-by-30 initiative. Among other things, the order requires agencies under the governor’s control to stop providing money or staff support for any projects involving permanent conservation easements. It also puts an 18-month hold on state protections for new endangered species and directs the Department of Agriculture to publicize which local governments have taken positions opposing or supporting the Biden administration’s goal of conserving 30% of the nation’s land and water by 2030.

Gov. Ricketts Temporarily Waives Regulations for Truckers Hauling Critically Needed Fuels LINCOLN – Today, Governor Pete Ricketts issued Executive Order 22-06 to provide emergency relief on account of regional fuel shortages. The order temporarily allows drivers to work extended hours to haul gasoline or gasoline blends, diesel, fuel oil, ethanol, propane, and biodiesel. By facilitating increased fuel transportation, the Governor’s order will help reduce delays at petroleum product terminals in order to make fuels more readily available to consumers. The order is effective immediately and will remain in effect through November 30, 2022.

The Nebraska Republican Party has decided to bar Matt Innis of Crete, an outspoken Donald Trump supporter who has been sharply critical of Gov. Pete Ricketts, from its state convention in Kearney this weekend. The decision has stirred traffic on Facebook and within GOP circles. Innis, a former Lancaster County Republican chairman who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Ben Sasse in the 2020 GOP primary election and supported Charles Herbster in this year's Republican gubernatorial primary election, has aimed a steady stream of criticism at Ricketts on his Facebook page. Jim Pillen of Columbus, who won the GOP gubernatorial nomination in May,...

Republican gubernatorial candidate Charles Herbster and his campaign called accusations against him of sexual assault "libelous" and "100% false" in a statement Thursday afternoon, and accused political rivals Jim Pillen and Pete Ricketts of political dirty tricks. A report published Thursday by the Nebraska Examiner said eight women, including state Sen. Julie Slama, have alleged Herbster of sexual misconduct, with all of the incidents happening between 2017 and 2022. Slama confirmed the Examiner's account in a statement Thursday morning, saying she was touched inappropriately by Herbster during a Republican event in 2019.“I indirectly referenced the assault in a February 2022...

A top White House adviser has escalated the war of words between the Biden administration and Republican governors over the vaccine-or-test mandate for businesses with at least 100 employees — promising that the president would “run over” anyone who opposed the new rule. Cedric Richmond, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement and a former Louisiana congressman, told CNN’s “Don Lemon Tonight” Thursday that it was “unfortunate that we have so many governors that are using vaccinations and mask requirements as a political gain.” “But our purpose is to save lives, and we will do anything and everything...

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday dispelled rumors that he may be running for president in 2024, referring to the buzz around the subject as "purely manufactured." "All the speculation about me is purely manufactured," DeSantis said during a news conference to discuss a new COVID-19 treatment unit in St. Cloud, Florida. "I just do my job and we work hard… I hear all this stuff and DeSantis' remarks on the subject come just days before he headlines a Nebraska event with other potential 2024 candidates to celebrate agriculture on Sept. 12 in Nebraska City. During the gathering, DeSantis will...

In the wake of Sen. Ben Sasse's decision not to sign on to a formal endorsement of Trump's reelection by leading Nebraska Republicans, GOP primary challenger Matt Innis of Lincoln said he "will gladly support President Trump" and suggested that Nebraska Republicans should consider that difference when they vote next May. snip Innis responded: "A clear difference between my opponent and me is that he won't support our Republican candidate for president and I will. Nebraskans should consider that when they go to the polls." Sen. Deb Fischer, Reps. Jeff Fortenberry, Don Bacon and Adrian Smith, Gov. Pete Ricketts and...

The son of Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was robbed at gunpoint Sunday night near his family home, according to a police report. Roscoe Ricketts, 19, was walking near Underwood Avenue and Fairacres Road when he was mugged by someone at gunpoint about 9 p.m., he later told police.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a budget Wednesday that will eliminate federal family-planning funding to Planned Parenthood of the Heartland. The $8.8 billion two-year budget would prohibit money to facilities that commit, promote, or refer clients for abortions. The budget also mandates health clinics in the state to legally, financially, and physically separate from abortion facilities. Ricketts, who is pro-life, approved the package after it was passed by the state legislature on a 38-6 vote. The Nebraska governor proposed the measure in his budget earlier this year. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts signed a budget Wednesday that will eliminate federal family-planning...

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts is encouraging the National Rifle Association to hold its annual convention in his state after one of Dallas' top elected officials urged the group to find another location. Ricketts said in a tweet Friday "We want your convention in Nebraska. Nebraskans love our constitutional rights!"

The Canadian energy giant TransCanada said Thursday it’s prepared to move ahead with the long-awaited Keystone XL oil pipeline and plans to start construction next year, laying to rest rumors that it would abandon the project in the wake of regulatory setbacks in Nebraska. In a statement, the company said it’s beginning to work with Nebraska landowners to secure necessary easements to allow the pipeline to go forward. “Over the past 12 months, the Keystone XL project has achieved several milestones that move us significantly closer to constructing this critical energy infrastructure for North America,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada’s president...

Some of the Ricketts family in Nebraska spent millions to defeat Donald Trump. Now the most high profile Ricketts is endorsing him. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts on Friday put his support behind the presumptive Republican presidential nominee while appearing at a rally with him in Omaha, Nebraska. "Politics is run by the people that show up ... By showing up today, you have demonstrated you want to chart a new course for our country," Ricketts told the crowd in his introductory remarks for Trump. He urged them to "get behind our nominee" to prevent likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton from...

The Anti Trump "War on Women" ad, being given tons of free air time by all the cable news channels, is from "Our Principles Pac", a Pac tied to Mitt Romney, and funded primarily by Marlene Ricketts. Marlene Ricketts is the owner of the Chicago Cubs, and mother of the current Nebraska Governor, Pete Ricketts. Her Husband, Joe Ricketts, is the founder of TD Ameritrade. http://www.inquisitr.com/2817315/marlene-ricketts-mystery-anti-donald-trump-donor-revealed-as-chicago-cubs-owner/ https://ballotpedia.org/Our_Principles_PAC

Nebraska has abolished the death penalty in a landmark veto-override vote backed by a coalition of conservatives who oppose capital punishment. North Platte Senator Mike Groene stood with 18 others as an advocate to keep the death penalty. But that just wasn't enough as 30 other senators decided to over ride Governor Pete Ricketts' veto and abolish the death penalty. He voted to keep the death penalty and uphold the governor's veto. "I believe in the death penalty in a civil society, we do not tolerate evil," Senator Groene said. State Senators voted 30-19 on Wednesday to override Gov. Pete...