Politics & Law
State: Condemned man’s mental illness ‘not genuine,’ but a ploy to avoid execution
Duane Eugene Owen is faking a schizophrenic delusion that he sexually assaulted and murdered two women in 1984 to capture their female essence, hoping to avoid execution next week, lawyers for the state argue in a brief filed with the Florida Supreme Court. A Bradford County trial judge properly concluded as much during a hearing […]
Former VP Mike Pence launches 2024 bid, criticizes Trump’s Jan. 6 actions
Former Vice President Mike Pence announced his candidacy for president to a crowd at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, focusing on the differences between him and former President Donald Trump, who is also running again in 2024. While Pence praised the conservative successes he and Trump achieved in office, he said he is […]
Statue of renowned Nebraska author Willa Cather unveiled in U.S. Capitol
WASHINGTON — Pulitzer Prize-winning author Willa Cather, who brought to life the Great Plains of Nebraska, is now honored with a statue in the U.S. Capitol, becoming the 12th woman represented in the National Statuary Hall Collection. U.S. and Nebraska lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled the bronze figure of the woman who wrote the widely acclaimed […]
National GOP announces coordinated plan to get voters to cast ballots before Election Day
Leading up to and following the 2020 election, Republicans around the nation denounced the dramatic increase in vote-by-mail balloting that took place across the country. Now, they’re embracing efforts to vote before Election Day in a nationwide campaign dubbed “Bank Your Vote” that they hope will help them retain the U.S. House and win back […]
President Biden nominates Charlie Crist to serve as U.S. ambassador for global aviation post
Charlie Crist, who left his job in Congress last summer to focus exclusively on the 2022 Florida gubernatorial race — he was unsuccessful — has been nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as ambassador to the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The ICAO is a specialized agency of the United Nations […]
White House launches national plan to address gender-based violence in the U.S.
For the first time in history, the White House has launched a national plan to address gender-based violence on a federal level, introducing seven strategic action plans to help communities across the United States. “As long as there are women in this country and around the world who live in fear of violence, there’s more […]
Chinese citizens file emergency motion to block FL law; say they’ll face financial harms and stigma
Attorneys for a group of Chinese citizens who live and work in Florida have filed an emergency motion in federal court to block a new law that bans Chinese nationals from purchasing property near military installations or critical infrastructure facilities. The Chinese citizens in the lawsuit say they will experience a constitutional injury, unwarranted stigma […]
Pence announces run for President
Former Vice President Mike Pence made his presidential bid official early Wednesday in a video highlighted by optimism, even as it acknowledged the country’s economic, political and cultural turmoil. “Today, our country’s in a lot of trouble,” Pence said in the video, which went live at 5:30 a.m. As he spoke, images and headlines depicted high […]
Hate groups’ political influence growing, watchdog says
WASHINGTON — More than 1,200 hate and anti-government extremist groups were active across the United States in 2022, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s latest report on the nationwide prevalence of extremists who target people of color, LGBTQ people, Jewish communities and other religious minorities. While the overall number of hate and anti-government groups tracked by […]
Condemned man’s lawyers cast doubt on fairness of psychiatric evaluation
Lawyers for death row inmate Duane Eugene Owen are still attempting to block his scheduled execution next week, disputing a panel of three psychiatrists who concluded that he is sane enough to be put to death for murdering a woman with a hammer decades ago. In arguments filed Tuesday before the Florida Supreme Court, his […]
U.S. House committee approves bills on whole milk, condemns sheltering migrants in schools
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee on Tuesday passed several bills that are a rebuke of not only the Biden administration’s policies on immigration, child nutrition and healthcare, but regulations from the Obama era. The committee passed a resolution that condemns the use of public schools to shelter undocumented people, a bill […]
Whole Woman’s Health closes South Bend abortion clinic
Whole Woman’s Health Alliance has closed its South Bend clinic for good amid “politically driven and medically unnecessary abortion restrictions,” the nonprofit announced late Monday night. The clinic has not seen patients for several months and surrendered its license back to the Indiana Department of Health this week. The license was set to expire June […]