The effort previews how an indictment would jolt the still-nascent race for the Republican presidential nomination — and perhaps already has.
Tag Archives: florida
Ron DeSantis Has a Secret Theory of Trump
It’s buried in “The Courage to Be Free,” but it’s unmistakably there.
Covid Politics Leave a Florida Public Hospital Shaken
Staff members of Sarasota Memorial Hospital are bewildered by critics who continue to wage a campaign against federal guidelines on Covid treatment.
Florida Will Review Social Studies Textbooks for ‘Prohibited Topics’
Behind the scenes, one publisher went to great lengths to avoid mentions of race, even in the story of Rosa Parks.
Pythons, Invasive and Hungry, Are Making Their Way North in Florida
A study from the U.S. Geological Survey called the state’s python problem “one of the most intractable invasive-species management issues across the globe.”
Florida surgeon general wrong on vaccines and bad at his job, CDC and FDA say
Enlarge / Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo speaks at a press conference in Rockledge, Florida, on August 3, 2022. (credit: Getty | SOPA Images)
At the height of the pandemic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis repeatedly promoted COVID-19 vaccines, saying correctly that “they’re safe, they’re effective,” and they “are saving lives.” With hundreds of millions of shots given worldwide at this point, the extensive international data on the vaccines’ safety and efficacy have strongly and consistently backed DeSantis’ statements. The vaccines are estimated to have saved over 14 million lives in 185 countries just in the pandemic’s first two years.
But amid growing rumors of a 2024 presidential bid, DeSantis reversed his stance on the life-saving shots, abruptly questioning their efficacy and making unfounded claims about their safety. In December, his about-face culminated in a call for a grand jury to investigate any alleged “crimes and wrongdoing” related to the vaccines.
Though the swing appears more aimed at scoring political points than protecting Floridians’ health, DeSantis’ hand-picked surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, has hewed closely to the governor’s anti-vaccine rhetoric and health misinformation. Since his appointment as Florida’s top doctor in late 2021, Ladapo has made false claims about vaccines, encouraged vaccine hesitancy, opposed masks, downplayed the health effects of COVID-19, and promoted ineffective COVID-19 treatments, such as ivermectin.
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Inside Ron DeSantis’s Politicized Removal of an Elected Prosecutor
The Florida governor accused the Democratic prosecutor of undermining public safety. But a close examination of the episode reveals just how fueled it was by Mr. DeSantis’s political aims.
Ron DeSantis Has the Courage to Be Dull
On the other hand, Ron DeSantis is unlikely to be indicted while running for president.
The Other Children in the DeSantis Culture War
Ron DeSantis’s censorship craze centers the feelings of white children. But what about children searching for a history that includes them?
‘Propaganda Factories and Intellectual Wastelands’ Are Not What They Had in Mind
When “freedom from indoctrination” is anything but.
Florida Republicans Propose 6-Week Abortion Ban
The bills would tighten the current 15-week limit and offer narrow exceptions. Gov. Ron DeSantis said he welcomed “pro-life legislation.”
G.O.P. States Abandon Group That Helps Fight Voter Fraud
Five red states have severed ties since last year with the Electronic Registration Information Center, a nonprofit that helps maintain accurate voter rolls.
Ron DeSantis’s Rise From Unknown to Heir Apparent
The Florida governor’s unusual path to Republican stardom could lead to a presidential nomination.
Before the Games Count, a Baseball Writer Is in Full Swing
Since 1998, Tyler Kepner has spent every March with baseball teams in Florida and Arizona. This year, along with the usual promise of possibility, spring training brings change.
Ricou Browning, Who Made the Black Lagoon Scary, Dies at 93
He helped bring “Flipper” to the movies and TV but was best known for his plunge in a monster suit in “Creature From the Black Lagoon.”
In Florida Legislative Session, a Chance for DeSantis to Check Off His Wish List
Republican lawmakers have indicated the session will be guided by Gov. Ron DeSantis’s priorities, including a proposal that would expand gun rights.
Florida Is Trying to Take Away the American Right to Speak Freely
There’s still time for state lawmakers to reject the crude pandering of a bill that seeks to overturn a bulwark of First Amendment law.
Florida bill would make bloggers who write about governor register with state
Enlarge / Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at a press conference in Daytona Beach Shores on January 18, 2023. (credit: Getty Images | SOPA Images)
A proposed law in Florida would force bloggers who write about Gov. Ron DeSantis and other elected officials to register with a state office and file monthly reports or face fines of $25 per day. The bill was filed in the Florida Senate Tuesday by Senator Jason Brodeur, a Republican.
If enacted, the proposed law would likely be challenged in court on grounds that it violates First Amendment protections of freedom of speech and the press. Defending his bill, Brodeur said, “Paid bloggers are lobbyists who write instead of talk. They both are professional electioneers. If lobbyists have to register and report, why shouldn’t paid bloggers?” according to the Florida Politics news website.
The bill text defines bloggers as people who write for websites or webpages that are “frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content.” Websites run by newspapers or “similar publications” are excluded from the definition.
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DeSantis Hits the Trail. Just Don’t Call It a Campaign.
With a tentative tour that would include stops in Iowa, Nevada and New Hampshire, the Florida governor is paving the way for a presidential run.
1776 Is Not Just What Ron DeSantis Wants It to Be
The question is not which allies he hopes to empower or which elections he hopes to win, but what order he hopes to create and usher into being.
DeSantis’s ‘Apocalyptic’ Attack on Higher Education
The Florida governor borrows from Viktor Orban’s playbook.
DeSantis Would Be Bad. But He Would Not Be Worse Than Trump.
Why exaggerating the threat posed by the Florida governor could actually increase Trump’s prospects in the G.O.P. primaries.
Their Retirement Plan Did Not Include Being Forced to Sell Their Condo
An investor-owner took over a condo board, terminated a condo declaration and is now requiring a couple to sell their condo in what one expert called “a private form of eminent domain.”
Orlando Journalist Mourned as Local Newsrooms Face More Danger
Journalism experts said it was a sign that covering local news was growing more dangerous. The gunman killed two other people, including a 9-year-old, and wounded two more, the authorities said.
Florida surgeon general fudged data for dubious COVID analysis, tipster says
Enlarge / Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo speaks during a press conference at Neo City Academy in Kissimmee, Florida. (credit: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Florida’s health department opened and then closed an investigation into the state’s polarizing surgeon general, Joseph Ladapo, after a tipster claiming to have insider knowledge alleged that Ladapo “manipulated data” and committed “scientific fraud” in his final edits to what became a contentious, widely panned analysis on COVID-19 vaccine safety in young men.
That’s all according to a report by Politico, which reviewed state documents on the investigation, including the original complaint from the tipster. Those documents appear to raise more questions than answers regarding the accusations and the health department’s investigation. According to the documents, the Florida Department of Health’s inspector general opened an investigation in November of last year but closed it at an undisclosed time because the anonymous complainant didn’t respond to follow-up questions.
“Batshit study”
The dubious analysis at the center of the controversy was posted online last October by the health department. Oddly, though, it did not list any authors or bear the health department’s letterhead or other identifiers. Ladapo used the analysis as the basis for the state’s concerning recommendation that males aged 18 to 39 should not receive an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. That recommendation goes against the recommendations of all other major health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Gunman Kills 3, Including Child and News Reporter, Sheriff Says
The shooting spree began on Wednesday morning when the gunman fatally shot a 20-year-old woman in Orange County, Fla, the authorities said.
America, Right-Wing Censors, and the ‘Battle for the Next Century’
This is the New Right’s strategic plan: a relentless push to strengthen the white supremacist power structure.
Texas is planning to make a huge public investment in space
Enlarge / SpaceX has built a site to launch the world’s largest rocket in South Texas. (credit: SpaceX)
Everything is bigger in Texas, or so the saying goes. When it comes to investing in commercial space, it just might be true.
As part of the state’s biennial budget process, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has called on the state legislature to provide $350 million to create and fund a Texas Space Commission for the next two years.
“With companies seeking to expand space travel in coming years, continued development of the space industry in the state will ensure Texas remains at the forefront not only in the United States, but the entire world,” Abbott stated in his budget document for the 88th Legislature. “Further investment will cement Texas as the preeminent location for innovation and development in this rapidly growing industry. Due to increased competition from other states and internationally, further planning and coordination is needed to keep Texas at the cutting edge.”
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DeSantis Visits New York on Tour Meant to Show He Is Tough on Crime
Speaking on Staten Island, the Florida governor appeared to position himself as the law-and-order candidate in a presidential campaign he has not announced.
Scott Drops Social Security From Plan as G.O.P. Retreats From Entitlement Cuts
The backtracking by the Florida Republican came after bipartisan criticism and signaled how the G.O.P. has pulled away from calls to overhaul the nation’s entitlement programs.
Ron DeSantis and the ‘Wicked Wisdom’ of Divide and Conquer
The Florida governor is turning marginalized groups against each other.
Gov. Murphy Knocks DeSantis and Expands African American Studies
In expanding the course, which Florida recently banned, New Jersey entered a conflict over how schools should address race and racism in classrooms.
Justice Dept. Declines to Charge Gaetz in Sex-Trafficking Inquiry, Officials Say
An investigation had examined whether Representative Matt Gaetz broke federal laws, focusing on his relationships with women recruited online, and whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl.
U.S. Arrests Three Americans in the Assassination of Haiti’s President
Antonio Intriago, a Venezuelan American businessman, and Arcángel Pretel, a Colombian American citizen, are the owners of a Florida-based security company that has been tied to the 2021 killing.
Tiny Public College Known for ‘Free Thinkers’ Is Latest Target for DeSantis
Gov. Ron DeSantis’s plan to transform New College of Florida into a beacon of conservatism has left students and faculty members at the tight-knit, progressive school reeling.
The Rocky Path to the College Board’s A.P. Black Studies Course
Over a year, the nonprofit dropped concepts favored by academics, held a frustrating meeting with Florida officials and left educators in doubt about the process.
‘There’s No Spring Break Here’: Florida’s Gulf Coast Fights to Rebound After Hurricane Ian
Communities like Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel and Captiva, devastated by the storm, are struggling to rebuild the hotel rooms, restaurants and rental units that keep their economy alive.
How Sports Betting Upended the Economies of Native American Tribes
Hard-fought deals for casinos gave many tribes a critical economic lifeline. When the doors opened to widespread sports betting, others wanted in on the gambling business.
Florida Officials Had Repeated Contact With College Board Over African American Studies
In a recent letter to the College Board, state officials list a series of emails and meetings over the last year, often discussing course material about race that state regulations might bar.
What Liberals Can Learn From Ron DeSantis
Let’s not make the same mistake again.
Erasing Black History Is Not the Role of the College Board
The way forward is confronting this history, not wishing it away.
Their American Dream Is Being Washed Away
Five years after Hurricane Harvey destroyed their home, Becca and Sergio Fuentes are still rebuilding their lives.
Massive nursing degree scheme leads to hunt for 2,800 fraudulent nurses
Enlarge / A critical care nurse assists a patient. (credit: Getty | Katherine Frey/The Washington Post)
More than 2,800 people may be working as nurses under false pretenses after allegedly buying a fake diploma for between $10,000 and $15,000 from a massive Florida-based scheme recently busted by federal investigators. State and federal authorities are now working to track down the alleged fraudulent nurses, and in some cases, immediately annulling their licenses.
Last week, the Department of Justice announced charges against 25 people in five states connected to the alleged scheme. The investigation, code-named Operation Nightingale, found evidence that the 25 defendants worked to sell more than 7,600 fake diplomas, along with transcripts, between 2016 and 2021, making over $100 million in the process. The fraudulent diplomas and transcripts were allegedly issued from three accredited Florida-based nursing schools: Siena College and Sacred Heart International Institute in Broward County and Palm Beach School of Nursing in Palm Beach County.
The three schools are now closed and the 25 defendants each face up to 20 years in prison.
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The College Board Strips Down Its A.P. Curriculum for African American Studies
After criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, the official course looks different: No more critical race theory, and the study of contemporary topics — like Black Lives Matter — is optional.
DeSantis Takes On the Education Establishment, and Builds His Brand
A proposal by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida to overhaul higher education would mandate courses in Western civilization, eliminate diversity programs and reduce the protections of tenure.
Ron DeSantis Likes His Culture Wars for a Reason
The governor of Florida has built his national political image on well-timed and strategically chosen battles that mask his economic agenda.
Supreme Court seeks Biden admin input on Texas and Florida social media laws
Enlarge / The US Supreme Court building. (credit: Getty Images | Grant Faint)
The US Supreme Court wants the Biden administration to weigh in on the Texas and Florida social media laws before justices decide whether to take up cases involving Big Tech industry lawsuits against the two states.
In a list of orders released this morning, the Supreme Court did not decide whether to hear the cases. Instead, the court asked the Department of Justice’s Solicitor General to provide the agency’s view.
“The Solicitor General is invited to file briefs in these cases expressing the views of the United States,” the Supreme Court said.
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Supreme Court Puts Off Considering State Laws Curbing Internet Platforms
The laws, enacted by Florida and Texas in response to conservative complaints about censorship, have been challenged under the First Amendment.
‘We Are on the Right Side of History,’ Harris Says on Roe’s 50th Anniversary
The vice president said the Biden administration was “fighting back” against reproductive health restrictions by directing several federal agencies to explore how to support access to the abortion pill.
Judge Rules DeSantis Was Wrong, but Upholds Prosecutor’s Suspension
A federal judge ruled that the Florida governor violated state law when he ousted Tampa’s top prosecutor — but that the court lacked the authority to reinstate him.