Politics & Law
Trump won’t ‘even consider’ push to rename bases honoring Confederates
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee this week adopted an amendment to require the Defense Department to rename U.S. military facilities named in honor of Confederates. The amendment from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, was adopted during a closed-door vote on annual defense policy legislation. The language was approved by a voice […]
TaxWatch asks Gov. DeSantis to veto $136.3 million in ‘budget turkeys’
A state budget watchdog organization has identified $136.3 million in spending that it says was added to the $93.2 billion state budget for 2020 outside of the formal rules and urged Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto those projects. Florida TaxWatch identified 180 “turkeys,” which it defines as items placed in the budget “in individual line-items […]
Gov. DeSantis signs bill allowing student athletes to get paid for their fame
Gov. Ron Desantis traveled Friday to a University of Miami training indoor training facility to sign legislation allowing student athletes to benefit financially from the commercial use of their names, images, and likenesses, beginning in July 2021. The legislation (SB646) would require colleges to approve such contracts, and the State University System’s board of governors […]
Inmates released to home confinement say too many remain in infected federal prisons
Chalana McFarland, sentenced to 30 years in prison for mortgage fraud, left a federal prison in Florida on Monday with 10 years yet to serve. She will complete her sentence on home confinement, all the while wearing a hefty ankle monitor to track her movements. After being under prison-wide lockdown for nearly two months and […]
One great voting rights victory in a long, long battle
Many people take their right to vote for granted. But winning the right to vote for as many U.S. adult citizens as possible has been a never-ending battle since this country was founded. After the American Revolution, states generally granted voting rights only to land-owning or tax paying white males. Voting rights gradually expanded during […]
GOP moving Trump’s renomination ‘celebration’ to Jacksonville, despite COVID-19
Donald Trump will travel to Jacksonville to accept his renomination as president by the Republican Party to get around COVID-19 restrictions in the original venue, Charlotte, party chief Ronna McDaniel announced Thursday evening. The move followed intensive lobbying by Florida party leaders including Gov. Ron DeSantis. “We are thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion in […]
Junior Olympics are coming to Florida after Virginia backed out over COVID fears
The Junior Olympics will move to Brevard County in about three weeks, bringing thousands of young athletes to Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic, because disease restrictions meant the original venues in Virginia would not be available. The announcement came Thursday during a news conference in Melbourne featuring Gov. Ron DeSantis, who in promoting the reopening […]
PAC Report: Friends of Ron DeSantis gave money back as Cabinet fundraising continues slow
Campaign contributions reports for committees backing Gov. Ron DeSantis and members of the Florida Cabinet show continued sluggish fundraising amid the COVID-19 response during May, with the governor’s political committee actually showing a deficit for the month. The Friends of Ron DeSantis report reflects an inflow of $25,000 from Chicago investor and philanthropist Marshall Field […]
George Floyd’s brother: ‘Make sure that he is more than another face on a t-shirt’
WASHINGTON — George Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise Floyd, pleaded with lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday to ensure that his brother didn’t die in vain. “I can’t tell you the kind of pain you feel when you watch something like that. When you watch your big brother, who you looked up to your whole entire life […]
Report: GOP has ‘tentatively settled on Jacksonville’ for Trump’s big RNC party; but some say, ‘We can do without it’
It looks increasingly likely that the Republican Party will move its August convention, at least in part, to Jacksonville following reports by The Washington Post and Republican Party of Florida, though not everyone is a fan. As the Florida Phoenix has reported, Gov. Ron DeSantis has been leading cheers for bringing the convention — and […]
Democrat Nikki Fried lobs fresh bombs at Gov. DeSantis over cancellation of Cabinet meeting
The political warfare between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the only Democrat on the Florida Cabinet — Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried — heated up this week after the governor cancelled next week’s Cabinet meeting and Fried accused DeSantis of “ignoring his constitutional responsibility.” The cancellation and that of a clemency hearing set for next Wednesday […]
Florida NAACP chapter leaders speak out: ‘We don’t want black lives matter to be like a hashtag’
In the wake of recent killings of black people by police, and the protests, outrage and pain that followed, conversations about police reform are happening around the nation. In Florida, civil rights leaders have been focusing not only on tackling systemic racism and building better relationships between people of color and police departments, but holding […]