Politics & Law
In Florida, surgeon general ushers in a bright new day for medical quackery
The Quack Ladapo doesn’t want you to get the new COVID-19 booster shot. It’s terrible, horrible, no good and very bad. It hasn’t been tested! Or if it has, certain secret clinical trials reveal it could kill you or turn you schizo or maybe cause your extremities to fall off in the street, which is […]
Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid
Updated: WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the U.S. House earlier in […]
Government shutdown nears: U.S. House GOP fails to pass one-month spending plan
WASHINGTON — A sweeping government shutdown appeared inevitable on Friday, with the U.S. Senate stuck in a procedural holding pattern on its bipartisan stopgap bill and divided U.S. House Republicans unable to pass their short-term spending bill. Both chambers of Congress must approve and President Joe Biden must sign government funding legislation before midnight on […]
U.S. sues Pensacola furniture store, insurance company, over vaccine mandates
The federal government has filed lawsuits against two companies for refusing to grant religious exemptions to workplace COVID vaccine mandates, including one case involving a worker in Florida. That matter involves an assistant manager at a Hank’s Furniture store in Pensacola, which fired the worker on Oct. 31, 2021, after rejecting her request for a […]
GOP witnesses at Biden impeachment hearing see insufficient evidence of wrongdoing so far
WASHINGTON — With days before a partial government shutdown, House Republicans held their first impeachment inquiry hearing Thursday over unproven allegations that President Joe Biden benefited from his son’s business dealings overseas. Witnesses tapped by Republicans for the House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing acknowledged that there was no evidence showing that the president profited […]
U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California dies at 90, reports say
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has died, according to multiple media reports. The California Democrat was 90 and had announced in February she would not run for reelection in 2024. Feinstein last voted early Thursday, but missed votes later in the day. Her death was first reported by Punchbowl News. California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will pick her […]
Kamala Harris makes her case for the youth vote in appearance at FIU in Miami
Vice President Kamala Harris told thousands of college students and others in Miami Thursday that the country is witnessing “an intentional full-on attack against hard won freedoms and rights,” and they need to respond by going to the ballot box next year. “It is incumbent on us then to not passively sit by and let […]
Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know
Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]
Democrats blast DeSantis for blowing off Spanish TV network after GOP debate
Gov. Ron DeSantis skipped a post-debate interview with Univision, the Spanish-language network that cohosted the GOP primary debate Wednesday night, one of the network’s anchors said. The move drew criticism from the Florida Democratic Party. The recently rebranded Spanish X account of the Florida Democratic Party posted that the governor had refused to talk to […]
State Sen. Thompson elected chair of African American History Museum Task Force
Democratic Sen. Geraldine Thompson of Orlando became this week the chair of the African American History Museum Task Force, saying she’s committed to “tell the unvarnished truth” about the painful past of African Americans in Florida. During the group’s first meeting on Monday, members chose Thompson as its leader, according to a press release. The […]
Government shutdown won’t affect health care or most benefits for veterans, VA says
WASHINGTON — Veterans who rely on government health care and other assistance can continue to see their doctors and receive education and pension benefits despite a possible, and likely imminent, partial shutdown that will temporarily cease many federal operations. The Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday released guidance on what functions will continue and not […]
How Florida teacher unions are coping with a new anti-union law
As a “right-to-work” state, Florida’s Constitution says that the “right of persons to work shall not be denied or abridged on account of membership or non-membership in any labor union or labor organization.” However, legislation signed into law in May by Gov. Ron DeSantis aims directly at unions for public employees, including one of his […]