Byron Donalds
Election
Florida’s 2020 primary is over, and losers like GOP congressional extremists like Jessi Melton did not disappoint voters after losing their respective campaigns.
Melton and her boyfriend were accused by volunteers from both the Pruden and Flynn campaigns, of threatening bodily harm on election day. Apparently, campaign yard signs were at the center of the controversy. Melton also hire Push Digital, a questionable media firm ran by Wesley Donehue and Phil Vangelakos, who both lack fashion sense, and have a record of losing campaigns.
Attorney Jim Pruden won the race in FL CD 22.
Loomered
Conservative journalist Laura Loomer crushed the field of yahoos in her congressional primary race. No the matchup is set with Rep. Lois Frankel (D).
Dr. Leo Valentin (R) will take on Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D) in November.
Rep. Ross Spano (R) has narrowly lost his primary race against Scott Franklin in FL CD 15
Kat Cammack outlasted the big field of GOP congressional candidates in FL CD 5. Cammack has all-but solidified her seat in the U.S. Congress.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez beat fellow Republican Omar Blanco in the GOP primary race in the 26st district, but Blanco’s 40% showing could raise alarm bells for Republicans.
Anna Paulina Luna defeats Amanda Makki. Now Charlie is up…
Byron Donalds narrowly wins his Republican primary race in FL CD 19. This was the nastiest race this election cycle.
Alex Penelas’ political career is over. The long-time politician lost his mayoral race against Esteban Bovo (R) and Daniella Levine Cava (D). Bovo and Cava now face off in November.
DeSantis’ guy Sheriff Greg Tony defeats disgraced former Sheriff Scott Israel in Broward County’s contentious sheriff’s race.
Marco Rubio @marcorubio -Since March I warned #COVID19 was serious,helped save millions of #smallbusiness jobs & told everyone to use a mask But @Cbrennansports is too lazy to learn that. And so biased she calls retweeting athletes who say #WeWantToPlay “political posturing”
Debbie Wasserman Schultz @DWStweets -Now more than ever, we must protect Floridians’ rights to work safely, secure a retirement and earn a living wage. I’m proud to be endorsed by @SEIUFL and to join them and the entire labor movement in fighting for workers and their families.
Congressman Greg Steube @RepGregSteube -With the election coming up in November, DC Democrats have hyper-politicized future CARES Act negotiations.Rather than putting politics aside and drafting legislation that would pass Congress, they choose to load the bills with leftist poison pills.
US Rep Kathy Castor @USRepKCastor -Specialized health care is coordinated in one place. Drs & nurses develop relationships with the families to the benefit of all. The pandemic hasn’t slowed the ‘round-the-clock care provided by St. Joe’s & our other children’s hospitals. I’m proud to continue to #SpeakNowForKids.
Rep. Matt Gaetz @RepMattGaetz -Big Tech has bought off Congress. Our democracy should be powered by the people of our country, not by a few Silicon Valley monopolies.
Rep. Donna E. Shalala @RepShalala-This week we will celebrate the 85th anniversary of Social Security, a program that changed what it means to grow old in America.Thank you to everyone who worked to pass and implement this extraordinary legislation.
Rep. Val Demings @RepValDemings-We have heard from caregivers that they lack adequate PPE and testing supplies. This is dangerous and not acceptable. I've joined a new letter led by @RepCharlieCrist to @AHCA_FL asking for a complete and public inventory of PPE at all long term care facilities in Florida.
Congressman Charlie Crist @RepCharlieCrist -Long-term care workers are putting their lives and the lives of those in their care at risk every day they go without adequate PPE. After hearing from staff, we're calling on the State of Florida to get workers the protection they need NOW.
“Rubio: Biden ‘doesn’t have the strength’ to stand up to ANTIFA, Progressives” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – As the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention begins this Monday, Trump Victory held a tele-press conference with Florida Senator Marco Rubio and reporters, where Rubio expectedly cast shade on Democratic presidential nominee Joe. Biden’s candidacy, specifically his lack of “strength” in standing up against “radical” Progressives from within his political party. “He doesn’t have the strength to face this type of challenge,” said Rubio, adding that Biden didn’t have the strength to stand up against Progressives in his party. During the Q & A portion of the call, Rubio was asked what it said about Biden’s “refusal to formally denounce” ANTIFA and the widespread anarchy and violence the group has been responsible for over since George Floyd’s death earlier this year. Rubio continued to push the narrative that Biden does not have the strength or the “willingness to confront” ANTIFA if he is elected president in November.
“AOC Feuds With RINO Kasich Ahead of DNC Convention Billed As Night Of ‘We The People’” by The Floridian’s Mona Salama – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) slammed former Ohio Republican Governor. John Kasich ahead of the opening night of the Democratic National Convention speech on Monday after he criticized the progressive first-term congresswoman in an interview saying she doesn’t represent the Democratic Party and only cares about receiving the “outsized publicity.” “People on the extreme, whether they’re on the left or on the right, they get outsized publicity that tends to define their party. You know, I listen to people all the time make these statements, and because AOC gets outsized publicity doesn’t mean she represents the Democratic Party,” Kasich said in an interview with BuzzFeed News published Monday morning. “She’s just a part, just some member of it. And it’s on both sides, whether it’s the Republicans or whether it’s the Democrats.” Ocasio-Cortez hit back at Kasich in a serious of tweet Monday, arguing his record as GOP governor makes him “an anti-choice extremist” and “is not a friend to workers” shouldn’t “get to say” who represents the Democratic Party.
“Florida sheriff removed from office, but remains on ballot amid sex scandal, criminal charges” by Fox News’ Daniell Wallace – A Florida sheriff facing a primary contest next week was suspended from office Friday, a day after his arrest in connection to a sex scandal investigation at a previous job, officials said. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order removing Clay County Sheriff Darryl Daniels from his elected position. Daniels turned himself into the jail in Jacksonville on Thursday on a felony charge of tampering with evidence and three misdemeanor counts of giving false information to law enforcement. “I want you to look past the smokescreen of dirty politics,” Daniels said in a video posted on the official sheriff's office YouTube channel earlier Friday. “One thing I take ownership of as a man is failures as a husband. That has nothing to do with me as a sheriff.” He remains on the Tuesday ballot, where he faces six Republican challengers. The suspension does not prevent Daniels from running, but if he wins, the suspension will remain in place until the felony case is resolved. Daniels previously worked as the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office jails director and was elected sheriff of Clay County, just southwest of Jacksonville, in 2016. The charges against him come after a year-long internal investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into a former corrections officer who had been Daniels' mistress while he was her supervisor.
“Florida voting precincts preparing for a primary during a pandemic” by First Coast News’ Leah Shields – Your voice is your vote. Don’t forget to use it during the primary elections in Florida. You can look up your sample ballot online ahead of time to see what races you are eligible to vote for. On Monday, 199 precinct workers picked up their essential bags along with their box full of cleaning supplies and disinfectant. Duval County Supervisor of Elections Mike Hogan greeted precinct workers as they pick up their materials. Hogan says there is also a new employee on staff at each precinct: a sanitizer who keeps all the materials even pens clean while polls are open. He believes voter turn out will be about the same as other years even with a pandemic. He's estimating 32%. “It’s our duty. It’s our right we have as Americans. In some cases, it is a precious right. Many countries don’t have the ability," Hogan said about voting. Polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. As long as you are in line by 7 p.m. at your precinct, you can vote. If you have a mail-in ballot and you forgot to send it, there is a drop box at the Supervisor of Elections office in downtown Jacksonville. If you haven't sent yours yet, you can also decide to vote in person instead.
“Florida pipe bomb suspect found dead in his jail cell” by Associated Press – A Florida man arrested after police discovered more than two dozen pipe bombs near his home was found dead in his jail cell with a torn sheet wrapped around his neck, authorities said Monday. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said in a statement that Gregory Haasze was found unconscious Saturday night and could not be revived. The county medical examiner will determine if the death was a suicide, the sheriff's office said. Haaze had been jailed since Wednesday night after his arrest by Boynton Beach police officers. They had been called to a dead-end street after reports of an explosion. Investigators found remnants of an exploded pipe bomb and several undetonated bombs along the roadway. They sealed off the area and the Palm Beach County sheriff’s bomb squad disabled the devices. A neighbor told them a man named Greg who lived nearby makes bombs and sometimes detonates them in vacant lots. Officers also found a box in a trash bin with Haasze’s name on it and found several bombs and gunpowder. They say Haasze soon approached officers and told them he was the reason they were there. Investigators say he told them he had been making bombs for years and had made some of the devices for this past Fourth of July. He said he never meant to hurt anyone, saying he put the screws, nails and pellets in the bombs to remove tree stumps.
“Florida education commissioner urges schools to use ‘surgical’ response to coronavirus cases” by News 4 Jax’s Ana Ceballos – Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran is urging local school officials to be “very surgical, not sweeping” when responding to coronavirus cases, which he acknowledged are likely to occur as classes resume this month. “If you have a COVID-19 case or you have (COVID-19) symptoms, don’t panic,” Corcoran told school superintendents in a conference call Thursday. “Communicate with everybody and be open and transparent about it. We are going to have cases, and that’s OK.” Corcoran asked superintendents to check in with with top officials in the state Department of Education before shutting down a classroom or school, and said symptomatic individuals should be sent home. He also stressed that school officials should communicate with parents whenever a symptomatic individual attends school. “Even though it is not required, we would suggest dismissing the class for that day. Clean it, hyper-clean it, and let the parents know you hyper-cleaned the class,” Corcoran added. “Unless your child has symptoms or you see symptoms, we are fine with your child coming back the very next day.”
“Florida tourism numbers plummet by over 60 percent in second quarter” by News Service of Florida’s Jim Turner – Florida’s vital tourism industry suffered an estimated 60.5 percent drop in visitors as the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard during the year’s second quarter, with international travel off more than 90 percent. And the outlook remains dim for the state following the nearly 20 million visitor drop from April through June. The tourism industry must combat ongoing negative perceptions of Florida’s handling of COVID-19, international travel bans, people slow to return to entertainment venues and double-digit unemployment. During the second quarter, an estimated 12.801 million people --- almost all traveling from other states --- came to Florida as businesses were shut down in April and amid harried reopening efforts in May and June, according to numbers posted Sunday by the Visit Florida tourism-marketing agency. In 2019, Florida recorded 32.4 million visitors in the second quarter and 68.2 million for the first six months. For the first half of 2020, the state saw its tourism numbers drop 35.2 percent, attracting 44.188 million visitors. Florida saw a 12.3 decrease in first-quarter tourism from 2019, representing a reduction of 4.4 million visitors, as the pandemic started to take hold. In all, an estimated 31.39 million visitors came to the state during the first quarter.
“Over 1,000 Young Lawyers Are Stranded As Florida Bar Exam Is Canceled” by Forbes’ Alan Gassman – Lawyers and many other professionals know that the bar exam is one of the most difficult and unpleasant experiences in professional and academic life. It normally takes at least 12 weeks of 60 to 70 hours per week of intense preparation and “cramming” of a great deal of largely irrelevant material, with the failure rate exceeding 15%. This is not a pleasant or even livable experience for many who take it, and the economic pressure to pass in order to be employable, coupled with the need to do so to avoid having to wait for months to cram again to be retested, is substantial. The problem is apparently caused by a software company that cannot do what it was contracted to do, which seems very surprising given that the bar exam is not a complicated or innovative data challenge. According to the website of the software company, they have received positive testimonials on their product going back as far as 2016, so it is somewhat of a mystery as to why all of this has to be happening to tens of thousands of young law graduates throughout the country. Couldn’t a company like Google GOOGL +0.8% or SalesForce CRM +1.7% or Apple AAPL -0.3% put together a program that would enable students to take exams while being watched on webcams?
“Michelle Obama, in DNC speech, rips Trump White House for 'chaos' and 'lack of empathy'” by Fox News’ Brooke Singman – Former first lady Michelle Obama, in a measured but searing address Monday to close out Democrats' opening convention night, accused President Trump's White House of operating in "chaos" and without "empathy" as she urged voters to cast their ballots for Joe Biden like their lives depend on it. In prerecorded remarks, Obama stressed the “awesome power of the presidency,” while saying the job “requires clear-headed judgment, a mastery of complex and competing issues, a moral compass and an ability to listen.” She added: “Whenever we look to this White House for some leadership or consultation or any semblance of steadiness, what we get instead is chaos, division and a total and utter lack of empathy.” The address was widely praised by Democrats as a powerful indictment of the administration. But it also came at the close of a first-night program that had a bleak tone at times, especially with Sen. Bernie Sanders repeatedly saying the country is facing the threat of "authoritarianism." Trump campaign adviser Steve Cortes told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that they presented a "dystopian" picture of the country. And the unusual format, at the first-ever virtual political convention, also raised eyebrows as videos of musical performances and news-style segments hosted by Eva Longoria were interspersed with remarks from lawmakers.
“6 takeaways from the DNC's first night” by CNN’s Eric Bradner, Gregory Krieg and Dan Merica – Michelle Obama closed the first night of an unprecedented Democratic convention with a powerful, direct-to-camera excoriation of Donald Trump's presidency that could reverberate through the rest of the 2020 campaign. The coronavirus pandemic forced Democrats to turn their plans for a four-day party in Milwaukee into a two-hour-a-night event made for TV that's being broadcast this week from studios across the country. The night started slowly, highlighting individual Americans across the country hurt by the pandemic and Trump's politics and policies. It included interludes designed to highlight the character of the party's choice to take on Trump, former Vice President Joe Biden -- such as a short panel discussion led by Biden on racial justice and a video of his relationships with Amtrak workers. In speeches, Democrats (and a handful of Republicans) criticized Trump's handling of the pandemic and lambasted his efforts to undercut by-mail voting. Family members of people who were killed by police or died of coronavirus were featured. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Biden's strongest primary rival, called for Democratic unity in November's general election.
“Justice Department Disagreement Arises Over Possible Google Antitrust Suit” by WSJ’s Brent Kendall – Some Justice Department staffers have expressed internal concerns over plans to bring an antitrust lawsuit against Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG 0.68% Google—and what they view as an aggressive timeline favored by Attorney General William Barr, according to people familiar with the matter. The department has been moving toward bringing a lawsuit as soon as this summer, but some lawyers involved in the yearlong investigation have expressed a belief that the department doesn’t have a camera-ready case right now and needs more time to consider whether the millions of pages of documents in the government’s possession yield the kind of evidence needed to win in court, the people said. Dozens of government antitrust lawyers are on teams investigating whether the search giant has used its dominance to stifle competition. One group is focused on Google’s search practices, and some of its members have voiced the belief that there are vulnerabilities in a case built around those issues, people familiar with the matter said. Details about the Justice Department’s legal theories couldn’t be learned. Another team is examining Google’s online advertising business, where the company owns industry-leading tools at every link in the complex chain between online publishers and advertisers. Some attorneys working on that aspect of the probe aren’t ready to move forward because they are still untangling the new and complex issues raised by that part of Google’s business and how it affects the many companies in the digital ecosystem, the people said.
“Trump fires back at Cuomo after coronavirus criticism in DNC speech” by Fox News’ Megan Henney – President Trump fired back at Andrew Cuomo after the New York governor delivered a blistering Democratic National Convention speech criticizing the White House's response to the coronavirus pandemic. In a tweet, Trump accused the three-term governor of being responsible for thousands of deaths in nursing homes, referring to Cuomo's controversial policy in late March that essentially ordered nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients from hospitals, a measure designed to free up hospital beds. (He eventually reversed the order in May). "Now AP estimates that the real Cuomo number of people killed because of his total incompetence is 11,000, not the 6000 that was originally thought!" Trump tweeted. The state has officially reported a care home death toll of more than 6,600. But unlike other states with major outbreaks, New York only counts residents who died on nursing home property, not individuals who were transported to hospitals and died there, according to the Associated Press. The discrepancy could add thousands of individuals to the state's nursing home death toll. The Cuomo administration has refused to release the number, leading to speculation the state is intentionally manipulating the figures.
“McConnell says he doesn't share Trump's 'concern' about Postal Service” by CNN’s Chandelis Duster and Ali Zaslav – Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday said he doesn't share President Donald Trump's "concern" surrounding the United States Postal Service and mail-in voting ahead of the November election and said the agency "is going to be just fine." On Thursday, Trump said he was against funding for the Postal Service and tied it to mail-in voting, falsely claiming that the practice will lead to widespread voter fraud. Democrats are also concerned a recent change in policies at the USPS by officials could slow down mail and compromise the election. Asked about voters being disenfranchised, Trump's comments opposing USPS funding and whether he believes the USPS should be defunded, McConnell said, "The Postal Service is going to be just fine." "We're going to make sure that the ability to function going into the election is not adversely affected," the Kentucky Republican said at a press event at a medical center in Hart County, Kentucky. "I don't share the concern, the President's concern ... and, in fact, (Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin), in discussions with (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi), had already indicated the administration is prepared to spend up to $10 billion just to make sure the Post office is on good terms going into the November election."
“China’s CDC, Built to Stop Pandemics Like Covid, Stumbled When It Mattered Most” by WSJ’s Jeremy Page and Lingling Wei – Before going to bed, George Gao, the head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, typically completes his 10,000 steps for the day and then checks the news online. When he scanned his feed on Dec. 30, he was stunned. Two leaked local-government notices warned about cases of unexplained pneumonia in the Chinese megacity of Wuhan. It was the first he’d heard of the outbreak, according to people close to him. The 58-year-old virologist called the head of Wuhan’s disease-control office, who confirmed the outbreak and revealed to Dr. Gao’s growing alarm that it had been going on since at least Dec. 1, with 25 suspected cases so far, the people close to him said. This wasn’t how things were supposed to work. Dr. Gao’s agency, known as the China CDC, was set up in 2002 precisely to detect and stop epidemics that often emerge from southern China. It was a mission that grew more urgent after a deadly outbreak that year of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The China CDC trained hundreds of its staff in outbreak-response techniques with U.S. help, sent teams to fight Ebola in Africa and introduced a China-wide, real-time reporting system for infectious diseases. In Dr. Gao, they recruited an expert with credentials from Oxford and Harvard universities.
“Sanders claims America threatened by ‘authoritarianism’ in dire convention speech” by Fox News’ Andrew O’Reilly – Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders made a dire plea to his supporters during Monday evening’s Democratic National Convention by asking them to cast their votes for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden to prevent the spread of “authoritarianism” under President Trump. Sanders – a progressive independent from Vermont – was once Biden’s biggest rival in the Democratic primaries, but in recent months has come over to the former vice president’s camp ahead of November’s general election. During a speech from his home in Burlington, Sanders specifically called on his wide base of support among leftwing voters to go to the ballot box for Biden, arguing that Biden stands as the last line of defense against the demise of progressive polices under Trump. “Our campaign ended several months ago but our movement continues and it gets stronger everyday,” Sanders said. “But if Donald Trump is reelected, all the progress we have made will be in jeopardy.” Sanders, 78, almost certainly won't mount another White House bid. But he's solidifying a legacy as he helps Biden build ties with the left to prevent the type of internal divisions that helped Trump win in 2016. And he's basking in victories that progressives have recently notched in Democratic congressional primaries in Missouri, New York and Illinois, as well as seeing many of his ideas -- single-payer health care, tuition-free college and remaking the economy to combat climate change – move from the fringe into the mainstream.
“Roger Stone dropping appeal of his conviction” by CNN’s Katelyn Polantz – Convicted felon Roger Stone, who avoided more than three years in prison when his longtime friend President Donald Trump commuted his sentence last month, has told a court he'd like to drop the challenge of his criminal conviction. Stone gave little reason for his concession in a sworn statement filed to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday night. Stone was convicted in a jury trial last November on seven counts of lying to Congress, obstruction of Congress and witness tampering related to his attempt to cover up his efforts for the 2016 Trump campaign to obtain stolen Democratic documents. His conviction stood even after he received the President's commutation in July, and he had vowed to try to clear his name in the court system. "I have been fully informed of the circumstances of my case and the consequences of a dismissal, and I wish to dismiss the appeal," Stone wrote under penalty of perjury on Monday.
His appeal sought to invalidate a Washington jury's unanimous guilty verdict on all counts, by claiming the trial judge had erred and jurors were prejudiced against him. "He remains a convicted felon, and rightly so," former special counsel Robert Mueller, who led the Russia investigation until 2019, wrote in a Washington Post opinion piece in response to the Stone commutation and the President's criticism of the Russia investigation.
“House Democrats Set Vote on Bill to Bolster USPS” by WSJ’s Alexa Corse and Natalie Andrews – House Democrats set a Saturday vote on a bill that would prohibit operational changes to the Postal Service until well after the election and give $25 billion in additional funding to the agency, which has become the focus of a political battle over expanded mail-in voting that Democrats favor amid the pandemic and President Trump has continued to disparage. Democratic lawmakers have also called the leaders of the U.S. Postal Service to testify before Congress next Monday about their concerns over mail delays and cost-cutting moves being made by Louis DeJoy, the new postmaster general and a major Republican donor, amid persistent budget shortfalls. Mr. DeJoy and Robert Duncan, chairman of the Postal Service board of governors, said they would attend. The Postal Service has said it can’t promise to deliver all ballots in time to be counted if they are mailed close to Election Day and has urged election officials and voters not to leave mail-in balloting until the last minute. The agency and some election officials say some states allow voters to request absentee ballots so late that it is difficult to guarantee their delivery in time to be counted. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) told Democrats in a letter that she is bringing lawmakers back to Washington from their August recess, saying Mr. Trump is on a campaign to “sabotage the election by manipulating the Postal Service to disenfranchise voters,” citing operational changes at the Postal Service that postal-union representatives and some customers say have delayed mail.
President Donald Trump @realDonaldTrump-With what I am doing in the fight with the Drug Companies, drug prices will be coming down 50, 60, and even 70 per cent. The Democrats are fighting hard to stop me with big ad buys, plus. Likewise, Big Pharma. FAVORED NATIONS AND REBATES ARE BRINGING PRICES DOWN NOW. We will win!
Nancy Pelosi @SpeakerPelosi -The assault by President Trump & his mega-donor Postmaster General Louis DeJoy on the Postal Service threatens lives, livelihood & life of our American democracy. I am calling on the House to return to vote on Chairwoman Maloney’s "Delivering for America Act."
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