JUICE - Florida Politics' Juicy Read - 1.28.20 - DeSantis' Pushes Civics In Classrooms - No CoronaVirus In FL, Yet - Holocaust Remembrance days

JUICE - Florida Politics' Juicy Read - 1.28.20 - DeSantis' Pushes Civics In Classrooms - No CoronaVirus In FL, Yet - Holocaust Remembrance days

Javier Manjarres
Javier Manjarres
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January 28, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Demolition Man DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantisĀ is tearing it up in his first term as governor, pushing both a conservative and a "green" agenda, a move that has caused many many Democratic Party heads to explode.

To pour a little salt in the wounds of some of his more "Progressive" detractors, DeSantis is pushing to make civics a big part of the K-12 curriculum.

Even better, he wants kids to have to take a test on the issue similar to the Citizenship exam that immigrants vying to become Americans must take.

DeSantis, who was sporting his trademark black Lucchese cowboy boots, made his "major announcement at the Omni Middle School in Boca Raton. DeSantis' travel aide Rob was also wearing a pair of brown boots. Is this a trend? Will we soon seeĀ Shane Strum and Helen FerreĀ wearing cowboy boots in the weeks and months to come?

Mazel Tov! (I'm not Jewish)

We normally don't tweet dumb, non-political crap like birthdays or if someone buys a horse or pony, but I need to congratulateĀ Rep. Dane EagleĀ and his wife on the news that they are expecting their first child. Let me tell you, that kid will own you! My two beautiful daughters (crossing fingers for the boy) have me wrapped around their sweet and sticky marmalade dripping fingers.

 

Visit The Floridian

ā€œDeSantis says no Coronavirus cases in Floridaā€Ā by The Floridianā€™s Javier Manjarres ā€“ Boca Raton ā€“ FloridaĀ Governor Ron DeSantis (R) gave reporters an update on the Coronavirus outbreak in China, saying that his Health department was ā€œworking closely with the CDCā€ and monitoring the status of the virus that has already killed 80 people in China. DeSantis said aid that even though the number of people infected with the virus in China was concerning, everyone suspected of having the virus in Florida has tested negative. There are no cases of Coronavirus in the state of Florida.

ā€œDeSantis to administer ā€œcivicsā€ test similar to citizenship testā€Ā by The Floridianā€™s Javier Manjarres ā€“ Many, if not most of us can remember being taught basic civics while attending grade school or middle school, right? Well over the years, civics was dropped from the education curriculum, a move that all-but can be seen negatively playing out in society whenever some reporter decides to stick his camera in someoneā€™s face and ask them some basic political or civic questions. These responses by everyday Americans are very funny, but at the same time, it is sad to see how the lack of civics in the classroom has made many Americans sound as dumb as rocks. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is looking to change all that. During a press conference in Boca Raton, Florida, Gov. DeSantis announced that he was going to prioritize civics, stating that he was sticking to his ā€œcommitment to American civicsā€ so that children have the opportunity to understand ā€œwhat makes the country unique. ā€œItā€™s a lost art,ā€ said DeSantis, adding that he was ā€œworking hard to make civics more of a priority.ā€ DeSantis also said that a ā€œsimilarā€ test to the citizenship test would be administered to kids.Ā ā€œWe are going to be administering a test similar to the citizenship test that naturalized Americans have to take,ā€ said DeSantis State Rep. Mike Caruso (R) was also on hand at the press conference where he told The Floridian that DeSantisā€™ civics initiative was ā€œgreatā€ because it was ā€œimportant that our youth understands how government works and how its comprised.ā€

ā€œRomney Says ā€œIncreasingly Likelyā€ That Bolton Will Testifyā€Ā by The Floridianā€™s Daniel Molina ā€“ Utah Senator Mitt Romney (R) has had a strained relationship with the President. At first, many criticized him for cozying up with the President, possibly vying for the Secretary of State position. However, upon not joining President Trumpā€™s cabinet, Senator Romney has been a critic of the President and his decisions made in office. As the impeachment trial continues in the Senate, one name that has been thrown around that will possibly testify is former advisor John Bolton. When asked to share his thoughts on whether or not Bolton would be testifying, Senator Romney commented to reporters on Capitol Hill that itā€™s ā€œincreasinglyā€ important for the Senate to hear what the former national security advisor has to say, so he asserted that itā€™s ā€œincreasingly likelyā€ that Bolton will be called to testify. In speaking to reporters, Romney commented that ā€œitā€™sā€¦ apparent that it would be important to hear from John Bolton.ā€

He added, ā€œI, of course, will make a final decision on witnesses after weā€™ve heard from not only the prosecution but also the defense. But I think at this stage itā€™s pretty fair to say that John Bolton has a relevant testimony.ā€ As well, Romney signaled ā€œthat other Republicans will join those of us who think we should hear from John Bolton.ā€

ā€œBuchanan Combats Anti-Semitism With House Billā€Ā by The Floridianā€™s Daniel Molina ā€“ Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan (R) is answering the call for greater action to combat anti-Semitism, and to honor the 75th anniversary of Auschwitzā€™s liberation, heā€™s started the week by passing the ā€™Never Againā€™ Holocaust Education Bill. The bill would provide federal grants that would provide resources for teachers, so they can train students to learn important lessons of the Holocaust. A 2018 Jewish Telegraphic Agency survey reported that 22 percent of U.S. millennials have not heard of the Holocaust. And, if they havenā€™t heard of it, theyā€™re unsure of the horrible atrocities that were committed. In a statement, Rep. Buchanan commented that ā€œas we honor the liberation of Auschwitz today, itā€™s vital to recognize that anti-Semitism is not only alive but growing in the U.S. and Europe.ā€ He added that ā€œthis cannot be allowed to continue and must be met with strong action.ā€ Rep. Buchanan is a member of bipartisan Congressional taskforce whose aim is to combat anti-Semitism, which experienced a rise in 2018. According to the Anti-Defamation League, there were 1,879 recorded attacks against Jewish institutions and Jewish people. It marked the third-highest year on record since the ADL began recording information in the 1970s.

ā€œFamily of Florida dad Anthony Todt found decomposed with stab wounds in home as new details emergeā€Ā by Fox Newsā€™ Stephen Sorace ā€“ The wife and three kids of Anthony Todt were all wrapped in blankets and decomposing, with three stabbed in the abdomen, when deputies discovered the bodies inside their Florida home earlier this month, according to documents unsealed Friday. Deputies with the Osceola County Sheriffā€™s Office noticed a ā€œstrong foul odorā€ when they entered the home in Celebration, located near Orlando on the outskirts of Disney World, to execute a federal warrant for Todtā€™s arrest, an arrest affidavit said. The 44-year-old Todt could ā€œbarely stand and appeared to be shakingā€ as he tried to walk down the stairs from the second floor, a deputy said in a written report. When asked if anyone else was in the house, Todt said his wife, Meghan, was sleeping upstairs and his kids might be at a sleepover. Deputies called out Meghanā€™s name, but no one responded, the report said, adding that the odor grew stronger as they reached the second floor, where they found the four bodies and the body of a dog with ā€œvery visible decomposition" in a bedroom. ā€œWhile standing outside of the master bedroom, I could see a person laying on the floor who was wrapped in blankets,ā€ one deputy reported. ā€œSticking out of the blankets was a foot that was black and blue in color.ā€ Meghan Todt, 42, was found lying on a bed with two stab wounds to her abdomen, according to the arrest affidavit. Their two sons, 13-year-old Alek and 11-year-old Tyler, were on the floor beside the bed. Each had one stab wound to the abdomen.

ā€œHunters put the squeeze on 80 snakes in Florida's Python Bowlā€Ā by CNNā€™s Theresa Waldrop ā€“ Once again, we have a winner in the annual contest of your dreams -- your very, very bad dreams, that is. More than 750 people from 20 states turned up for Florida's 2020 Python Bowl, catching 80 of the giant invasive snakes, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in a release. The grand prize winner in the 10-day contest is Mike Kimmel, who caught eight Burmese pythons, the commission said Saturday. His prize was a Tracker 570 Off Road all-terrain vehicle. One contestant, Tom Rahill, caught both the longest, a beast of 12 feet, 7.3 inches, and the heaviest, a 62-pounder. He won $4,000 for his efforts. Florida holds the contest every year in an effort to put the squeeze on the nonvenomous constrictor. Conservationists say the reptiles, estimated to number in the tens of thousands in the Everglades, pose a threat to native wildlife. Raccoon populations, for example, dropped more than 99% from 1997 to 2012 in the areas where the pythons have been the longest, according to the US Geological Survey. The Burmese python is one of the most worrisome invasive species in the state and can be found across more than 1,000 square miles in South Florida, according to the USGS.

If you missed your chance to show off your snake-wrangling skills in the contest, relax. It's legal to hunt pythons any time on private lands with the landowner's permission, the FWC said, and the commission will even teach you how to do it.

ā€œFlorida bills would strip local governments from creating certain lawsā€Ā by First Coast Newsā€™s Jessica Clark ā€“ Several bills in the Florida legislature would block local governments from creating their own laws for certain issues. The bills would give that power to the state.Ā A group of city leaders from across the state are urging state leaders to vote against these bills. St. Augustine Beach City Commissioner Dylan Rumrell told First Coast News that while some issues need state-level control, other topics are inherently local and should be governed at the local level. One example, he said, is the plastic bag ban.Ā "I think it was a progressive thing for St. Augustine Beach to do," he said.Ā Ā In 2019, St. Augustine Beach City Commissioners passed a local law that banned businesses from using plastic bags, plastic straws and polystyrene foam (commonly referred to as Styrofoam).Ā Rumrell remembers the demand was clear.Ā "Our community wants that," he said. "It was a unanimous vote." The commission passed that ordinance, even though there was a state law on the books which says cities cannot ban plastic bags.Ā Other Florida cities have created their own progressive local laws.Ā Key West passed a law that outlaws certain kinds of sunscreens with chemicals detrimental to coral reefs.Ā St. Augustine city leaders want to create ways to regulate short-term rentals in the city's tight-knit neighborhoods. However, this year, legislators are considering several bills that would basically tell Florida cities they can't make local laws which do things such as: ban the sale certain sunscreens, continue to ban businesses from using plastic bags, set local minimum wages and worker protection rules.Ā 

ā€œā€˜Shame on you.ā€™ Florida LGBTQ advocates rally against bills that would ban medical treatments for transgender youthsā€Ā by Sun Sentinelā€™s Skyler Swisher ā€“ LGBTQ advocates rallied Monday at the Florida Capitol against a proposed ban on medical treatments for transgender children, calling the push misguided and harmful. State Rep. Shevrin Jones, a Broward County Democrat, took aim at legislation introduced by two of Floridaā€™s most conservative state legislators. The bills would make it a felony offense for doctors to treat children with hormones and sex reassignment surgery. ā€œShame on you,ā€ Jones said. Rep. Anthony Sabatini, R-Howey-in-the Hills, and Sen. Dennis Baxley, R-Ocala, are behind the legislation. Supporters argue that the treatments are being given to children when they are too young to understand the consequences. State legislators in Colorado, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina and South Dakota have filed similar bills. Nathan Bruemmer, who led an LGBTQ youth center and now advocates for Equality Florida, said the bills are based on a misunderstanding of the needs of transgender youth. Advocates say the treatments yield mental health benefits. ā€œSupportive health care, supportive families save lives," Bruemmer said. "This transgender medical ban for our youth does exactly the opposite.ā€ An NBC News report on that bill and others put a national spotlight on Florida. Bills also have been filed that would stop cities and counties from regulating conditions of employment and regulating home-based businesses and occupational licensing.

ā€œFlorida Senate eyes changes in employee health insuranceā€Ā by News4Jax ā€“ Changes could be in store for the state-employee health insurance program. Again. A Senate committee Monday introduced legislation that would make changes to prescription drug benefits, require the state to competitively bid the insurance program to managed-care plans in nine regions and strike a 2017 law that required four different benefit plans to be offered to employees. The bill (SPB 7046) did not draw debate before members of the Senate Governmental Oversight and Accountability Committee voted unanimously to move forward with it. The proposal would amend a 2019 law that authorized the introduction of a prescription-drug formulary to make clear that pharmacy benefit managers working on behalf of the state cannot ā€œsubstitute their judgment over the judgment of the prescriber regarding whether a prescription drug is medically necessaryā€ for treatment of a patient. The proposal also lays the groundwork for Florida to competitively bid by Jan. 1, 2023 the insurance program in nine regions. Also, the measure would delete from current law a requirement for the state to begin offering employees access to a variety of health insurance options that ranged in cost and value. The plan options were named after metals, from a high-end platinum plan to a lower-end bronze plan. The tier plan was pushed by House Republican leaders in 2017. But an actuarial analysis showed that the introduction of high-deductible plans -- along with pre-tax health-savings account contributions -- could entice about 29,000 employees to enroll in the state program after turning down coverage in the past. As a result, the Legislature delayed the tier offering.

ā€œFlorida lawmakers look at pre-kindergarten changesā€Ā by News4Jaxā€™s Ana Ceballos ā€“ A proposal that would revamp Floridaā€™s voluntary pre-kindergarten program was approved by a Senate panel on Monday as Democrats expressed concern about ā€œhigh-stakesā€ testing for the stateā€™s youngest learners. The proposal, sponsored by Sen. Gayle Harrell, R-Stuart, emerged after Gov. Ron DeSantis said last year the education quality offered to kids in Floridaā€™s voluntary prekindergarten program was ā€œnot good enough.ā€ His disappointment stemmed from a report released by the Florida Department of Education showing 42 percent of children who participated in the program were not prepared to enter kindergarten. The governor called the failure rate ā€œsimply not defendableā€ and called on state leaders to come up with a new plan. Harrell on Monday pitched the Senate Education Committee a proposal (SB 1688) that would bring major changes to how providers are measured and reprimanded if they fall short. The proposal was unanimously approved by the committee and would require the education commissioner to develop a standardized test for pre-K students. The new assessment would be taken by kids three times a school year from pre-K through third grade, and the test results would be used to judge the effectiveness of pre-K providers. Currently, pre-K providers are assessed on results of tests students take within 30 days of entering kindergarten. Harrell is also proposing setting up a metric to grade providers on an A-to-F scale. Providers who earn high marks, the bill says, would get more funding. But the impact the assessment would have on children garnered pushback from Democrats and parents during Mondayā€™s hearing.

ā€œCommon Core Curriculum being replaced in Florida schoolsā€Ā by News 13ā€™s Madalyn Bierster ā€“ What students learn in class is constantly evolving and changing, but new standards are rarely introduced. Governor Desantis is working to change that and more specifically replace common core. The new standards, which the Governor is calling the ā€˜B.E.S.T.ā€™ standards will be implemented as early as next year. The common core curriculum was introduced to Bay District Schools back in 2010, now it is being replaced with Floridaā€™s ā€˜B.E.S.T.ā€™ standards, or Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking. Classrooms will see several changes, like removing ā€˜confusingā€™ math and deducting points for working a problem the wrong way. ā€œI think what this does is clarifies the fact that it doesnā€™t matter how the child solves the problem, itā€™s whether or not the child answers correctly,ā€ said Assistant Superintendent of Schools, Denise Kelley. The district thinks it will simplify the way parents are able to help their students with their math homework. ā€œParents were not understanding the way math was taught, the processes for math, so it made it difficult for parents to help students at home. After reading the press release that was sent out, these new standards should make it easier based on the requirements and the expectations for the standards, for parents to be able to help their students,ā€ said Kelley. These ā€˜B.E.S.T.ā€™ standards also implements teaching students financial literacy and providing civics education, as early as elementary school. ā€œTheyā€™ll be required to take the Florida civic literacy test for the very first time. Students wonā€™t have to pass it for graduation. But if they pass it, it can be used to receive credit in meeting their civic literacy post-secondary assessment in college. So that will actually start in 2021,ā€ said Kelley

 

ā€œCollins Expected to Run for Georgia Senate Seatā€Ā by Hispoliticaā€™s Mona Salama ā€“ Rep. Doug Collins(R-GA) is expected to announce in the next few days that he is running for Senate against Sen. Kelly Loeffler, setting up a fierce Republican showdown. The top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee had sought the Senate seat vacated in the wake of the retirement of Sen. Johnny Isakson, who stepped down in December due to health problems. However, Gov. Brian Kemp appointed Loeffler, a wealthy finance executive and Republican mega-donor to the seat in early December. She was sworn in on Jan. 6, just a week before Trumpā€™s impeachment trial began. Collins, who was President Trumpā€™s preferred pick for the appointment, said this month he was still considering running for the seat in 2020. Trump privately lobbied Kemp on three different occasions to fill the open Senate seat with Collins, who they felt would be a reliable ally in the Senate. First reported in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Collins has started to line up campaign staff and call politicians and supporters to inform them of his decision to enter the race. A recent AJC poll shows Collins with a slight advantage of Loeffler, with 34 percent of Georgia voters surveyed saying they have a favorable opinion to Loefflerā€™s 22 percent.

ā€œMcBath fundraising off ā€˜regularly attacked with falsehoodsā€™ of Sonā€™s Murderā€Ā by Hispoliticaā€™s Mona Salama ā€“ Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Ga.) tweeted out Wednesday a link to fundraise for her reelection campaign in response to comment from a local GOP official who said her son had been killed in a ā€œdrug deal gone bad.ā€ ā€œA local GOP official said my son was killed in a ā€œdrug deal gone bad.ā€ He later said Jordan was murdered by one of his ā€œthug friends,ā€ McBath wrote on twitter with a screen shot of Georgia Republican Paul Maner Facebook post. ā€œPaul ā€” let me be clear: This is pathetic. I am regularly attacked with falsehoods, so please ā€“ help me fight back.ā€ ā€œTHIS is what the lunatics like Lucy McBath for Congress Rep. Lucy McBath are all about,ā€ Maner tweeted. ā€œIf her son hadnā€™t been involved with a drug deal gone bad, her son might still be alive today. Her solution, to disarm everyone who is a law abiding citizen.ā€mManer Facebook post shows a link to a video from the group Secure Americaā€™s Borders, which shows Virginia State Police calling on houses before a Second Amendment Rally in Richmond. McBath responded on Twitter, writing over several tweets that she canā€™t ā€œrespond to these attacks alone, & we must respond to those who spread lies about me & my family,ā€ while tweeting out a link from ActBlue requesting donations to her campaign. The freshman congresswoman also retweeted fellow Democrats tweets including, Georgia Senate candidate Jon Ossoff, and founder of Moms Demand, Shannon Watts that all tweeted links to contribute to her campaign.

ā€œFour factors really driving U.S. health care change in 2020ā€Ā by Philadelphia Inquirerā€™s Howard Peterson ā€“ If you listen only to the national political debate on healthcare you would believe that we are headed inevitably toward some form of universal, nationally controlled system of care. However, the federal government has not and will not lead the essential changes required in the industry. The political environment and politiciansā€™ dependencies on historical campaign funding from healthcare industry donors will cause congressional behavior to continue, as it has, making small incremental change. This behavior every year simply reinforces the existing system. Dramatic, fundamental change by government action will not be forthcoming for three reasons. First, there is no feasible funding plan for ā€œMedicare for All.ā€ Second, 150 million U.S. citizens are not going to accept having their current healthcare insurances and providers changed. Third, the fundamental solutions for healthcare are reducing cost and inappropriate utilization. Adding money to the healthcare system to cover uninsured persons is irrational when we have plenty of money already in the system to cover everyone today. So, if you step back and examine healthcare industry trends the following four factors will be principal drivers of change in 2020ā€¦

ā€œTrump meets Israeli political rivals Netanyahu, Gantzā€Ā by Las Vegas Review-Journalā€™s Debra J. Saunders ā€“ President Donald Trump greeted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his political rival, Blue and White party lead Benny Gantz, in separate meetings at the White House on Monday. Trump also announced on International Holocaust Remembrance Day that he will unveil his ā€œdeal of the centuryā€ Middle East peace plan on Tuesday morning. Trump has courted Jewish-American voters, especially by fulfilling his promise to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the U.S. embassy there, even telling the American Israeli Council Summit in December that ā€œYou have to vote for me, you have no choice.ā€ Republican Jewish Coalition President Matt Brooks cited that promise ā€” which past U.S. presidents have made but none have fulfilled ā€” in anticipation of the peace planā€™s release. Trump ā€œpromised to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal and undivided capital of Israel, move the American embassy to Jerusalem, recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, dismantle ISIS, and confront Iran, and he has delivered. He will do the same with his peace plan,ā€ Brooks said in a statement. But Trumpā€™s critics said the plan was designed to distract from the impeachment trial going on in the Senate.

ā€œTrump team turns Senate trial into extended Obama-Biden attackā€Ā by POLITICOā€™s KYLE CHENEY and ANDREW DESIDERIO ā€“ President Donald Trump turned the Senate floor Monday into an alternate-reality impeachment of his political rivals: Joe Biden and Barack Obama. While senators debated the Trump impeachment behind closed doors ā€” a process now defined by whether theyā€™ll agree to allow new witnesses to testify ā€” his lawyers shed any pretense of persuading a band of centrist Republicans to side with the president and instead acted out a virtual prosecution of Trumpā€™s top political nemeses. For about two hours on Monday, Trumpā€™s attorneys Pam Bondi and Eric Herschmann argued that it was Biden and Obama who should be investigated for corruption or abuse of power, laying out a case thick with political innuendo that has been sharply refuted by sworn witnesses during the House's impeachment inquiry late last year. Bondi said the focus on Biden, in particular, was made necessary by the House's charges against Trump, which relied on contentions that Trump's request for Ukraine to investigate Biden was "baseless" and meant to inflict political damage. "We would prefer not to be discussing this, but the House managers have placed this squarely at issue so we must address it," Bondi said. And while she and Herschmann laid out their case in public, a much trickier and more consequential maneuver was playing out in the Senateā€™s private offices, where Republicans were wrestling with rising pressure to concede to the Houseā€™s demand to call new witnesses against Trump. There, during the Senate GOP caucus lunches and in other private off-the-floor conversations, senators grappled with new and damning revelations from former national security adviser John Bolton directly linking Trump to the withholding of aid to Ukraine ā€” and whether they should now seek his testimony.

ā€œJ Streetā€™s political action committee to raise $1 million to oust Trumpā€Ā by Times of Israelā€™s RON KAMPEAS ā€“ For the first time, J Streetā€™s affiliated political action committee will raise money for a presidential candidate, arguing that any of the Democrats running is preferable to US President Donald Trump. Ben Shnider, J Streetā€™s vice president for political affairs, said the liberal Jewish Middle East policy groupā€™s affiliated PAC would raise $1 million for whoever emerges as the Democratic nominee. In addition, the PAC also plans to raise $5 million this election cycle for 2020 congressional candidates that J Street endorses, matching its total from the 2018 races. ā€œWe feel an incredible sense of urgency about doing everything we can to remove Trump from office and replace him with somebody who shares our values and who is ready to lead on the international stage,ā€ Shnider told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last week in an interview that was embargoed until Monday. Shnider specifically cited the ā€œunsustainability of the status quoā€ in the Middle East. J Street sees the Trump administration as advancing policies that would kill the two-state solution, particularly in reports that the president plans to give Israel the green light to annex portions of the West Bank.


 

 

President Donald TrumpĀ @realDonaldTrumpĀ -Ā On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we remember the millions of precious souls who perished as a result of the horrific crimes perpetrated

Chuck SchumerĀ @SenSchumerĀ -Ā TheĀ @NYTimesĀ report about the Bolton book strengthens the case for witnesses & documents even more. Every few days something comes out, and Americans are saying they want witnesses & documents. If President Trump did nothing wrong, why is he so afraid of witnesses & documents?

 

 

 

 

Rick ScottĀ @SenRickScottĀ -Today, theĀ @CDCgovĀ recommended that Americans avoid traveling to China. It is important that you heed every warning as this outbreak is spreading and a threat to your health. We must take every precaution we can to ensure the safety of all Americans.

Marco RubioĀ @marcorubioĀ -Ā Tonight the House passed my Supporting Our Veterans in STEM Act. Now heads toĀ @POTUSĀ for his signature & it becomes law.

Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-PowellĀ @RepDMPĀ -Ā Today, we passed theĀ #NeverAgainĀ Education Act to give teachers the resources to educate current and future generations on the Holocaust. We must use the power of education to ensure this dark part of history never repeats itself.Ā #WeRemember

Debbie Wasserman SchultzĀ @DWStweetsĀ -This shows how important it is that we take back the Supreme Court. One vote can determine whether America lives up to the virtues of its founders or caves to the fears of privileged xenophobes. America should not be behind a paywall.

Rep. Michael WaltzĀ @RepMichaelWaltzĀ -Ā After spending the last week in my district itā€™s clear Americans see impeachment for the political attack it is. Meanwhile, PresidentĀ @realDonaldTrumpĀ keeps getting things done, including working on a Middle East peace deal & signingĀ #USMAĀ this week alone.

AG Ashley MoodyĀ @AGAshleyMoodyĀ -Ā Last week in Miami, I met with local business leaders to discuss strengthening efforts to preventĀ #HumanTraffickingĀ ahead ofĀ #SuperBowlLIV. We need everyoneā€™s help in fighting this evil. VisitĀ http://YouCanStopHT.comĀ to learn how to spot and report HT.

Jimmy PatronisĀ @JimmyPatronisĀ -Ā On InternationalĀ #HolocaustRemembranceDay, we take time to honor the victims and survivors of these evil acts. We can never allow these atrocities against humanity again.Ā #WeRemember

Commissioner Nikki FriedĀ @NikkiFriedFL-Ā As Florida's only Jewish statewide elected official and Cabinet member,Ā #HolocaustRemembranceDayĀ is incredibly personal and important to me. It's important that we stand up against anti-Semitism and discrimination, and to ensure evil like the Holocaust never happens again.

Senator Lori BermanĀ @loribermanĀ 75 years ago, Auschwitz was liberated. On thisĀ #HolocaustRemembranceDay, we remember the millions of victims of genocide, and reaffirm that bigotry and prejudice will never again have a place in our society.

Anthony SabatiniĀ @AnthonySabatiniĀ Every public records exemption should be highly scrutinizedā€¦ Some are very good for Floridaā€¦ Others arenā€™t

 

 

 

"DNA Ties Florida S*x Offender to ā€˜Pillowcase Rapistā€™ Cases: Prosecutors,"Ā by The Daily Beasts's Julia Arciga -

Florida prosecutors announced Thursday that a 60-year-old s*x offender's DNA has been matched to as many as 25 rape cases from the 1980s, leading them to believe they have finally identified the so-called Pillowcase Rapist,Ā The Sun-SentinelĀ reports. At a Thursday news conference, Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said officials believe Robert Koehler was the Pillowcase Rapistā€”who s*xually assaulted over 40 women in Florida about four decades ago. ā€œThis offender will never, ever be free again,ā€ Rundle said. ā€œWe feel confident that there are a number of sufficient cases that we can prosecute,ā€ she said, adding that it may take time to locate victims. Koehler, who was convicted of a 1990 rape, was arrested over the weekend and has denied the allegations against him. Authorities say DNA tests show 100 percent matches between his DNA and that found on at least 25 women who claimed to have been raped by the Pillowcase Rapist. Koehler is being held without bond.

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Javier Manjarres

Javier Manjarres

Javier Manjarres is a nationally renowned award-winning political journalist and Publisher of Floridianpress.com, Hispolitica.com, shark-tank.com, and Texaspolitics.com He enjoys traveling, playing soccer, mixed martial arts, weight-lifting, swimming, and biking. Javier is also a political consultant and has also authored "BROWN PEOPLE," which is a book about Hispanic Politics. Follow on Twitter: @JavManjarres Email him at Diversenewmedia@gmail.com

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