JUICE — Florida Politics' Juicy Read — 6.2.2021 — Nikki Fried is Finally In — DeSantis 'State-Sponsored Bigotry' — Wasserman Schultz, Sprowls, Biden, Big Oil — More...

Biden Gives VP Harris Another New Job With Leading Administration Fight To Expand Voting Rights by The Floridian's Mona Salama —President Biden has tapped Vice President Kamala Harris with another White House assignment, adding to an ever-growing list of presidential responsibilities she’s has been put in charge of, this time tasking her with the role of leading the administration’s effort to push for federal voting rights legislation.

Biden Administration Extends Special oil License in Venezuela to U.S. Companies by The Floridian's Mona Salama

DeSantis’ Transgender Sports ban Called ‘State-Sponsored Bigotry’ by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres

Biden Administration To Halt Trump-Era Oil Leases In Arctic Refuge by The Floridian's Mona Salama— The Biden administration has suspended oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, reversing a drilling program former President Trump approved in the remote region rich for its oil reserve during his final days in office, according to reports Tuesday.

Nikki Fried Officially Running for Governor Against Ron DeSantis by The Floridian's Javier Manjarres—It’s official! Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has finally signed the controversial Transgender female sports ban into law today and has once again taken the media reigns for the day. Oh, wait, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried filed paperwork to put herself on the ballot for governor in 2022.

Cruz Tweets ‘Heartbreaking’ Image Of Israel While Slamming Biden For Showing ‘Weakness’ Toward Hamas by The Floridian's Mona Salama

DeSantis Signs Transgender Female Sports Ban Into law by The Floridian's Jim McCool—After many months of gaining controversial attention, the transgender female sports ban (SB 1028) has officially been signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which many Florida Democrats like Senator Shevrin Jones (D-35) have labeled a “hate-driven attack on LGBTQ+ Community.”

Democrats Push to Strip Gaetz of House Leadership Over Fake Video by The Floridian's Jim McCool

“Epic Memorial Day Message From President Ronald Reagan (Video)” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – As Americans come together on Memorial Day to recognize and remember the sacrifices made by millions of Americans to ensure that our God-given freedoms and liberties were protected, the words of President Ronald Reagan ring true decades after he made this epic address about our American exceptionalism and termination to meet evil head-on. Hat tip to Anna Paulina Luna for posting this video.

“Wasserman Schultz Calls Taylor Greene an “Anti-Semite,” Hopes She’s Expelled from Congress” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) is calling controversial Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) and “anti-semite” and hoped for her expulsion from Congress after she compared wearing makes and vaccine rules to the Holocaust. During a recent interview with MSNBC, Rep. Wasserman Schultz, who was the sponsor of the bill to strip Rep. Greene of her committee assignments and who backed the effort to censure her, reminded viewers of the stark difference between mask mandates and the Nazi treatment of Jews during WWII.

“Unvaccinated Concertgoers in Florida Being Charged $999 per ticket” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – It appears as if concertgoers who want to see punk bands Teenage Bottlerocket, MakWar, and Rutterkin next month in St. Petersburg, Florida are being asked to pay an entrance fee of $18, but only if they are fully vaccinated. In addition, unvaccinated concertgoers will also be allowed to attend the concert, they just would have to pay a little more—$999.99 per ticket!

“Senate Republicans Block Capitol Riot Commission Investigation” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Senate Republicans just stuck a fork in the bill to create an independent commission to investigate the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol complex. On a 54-35 vote, only six Republicans voted with Democrats, but Democrats still failed to reach the 60 vote supermajority needed to pass the measure, causing an automatic block of the measure. Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, and Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, all voted to kill the bill, but Sens. Bill Cassidy, Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Bene Sasse, Lisa Murkowski, and Rob Portman, all broke ranks and voted with Senate Democrats.

“New Poll: Hispanic Voters Ditching Democrat Party, Denounce Socialism” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – With Democrats having a stronghold on many demographics in terms of political identities, the growing brand of Socialism in the Democrat Party might be costing them the highly coveted Hispanic voting bloc as a new poll shows Hispanic voters are ditching the Democrats because of their views on Socialism. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a new poll of Hispanic voters in 2022 Senate battleground states. The survey found that Hispanic voters value capitalism over socialism, believe too many people are living off the government’s dime, and worry that their children will not have opportunities in the United States if our nation continues down the Democrats’ preferred path.

“Israeli Ambassador Promises Hamas ‘Will not win”” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – While the US has largely dominated the dialogue on Israel and Palestinian conflict, Israeli Ambassador George Deek released a rather sobering statement yesterday on Twitter towards Hamas, stating, “You. Will. Not. Win.” The exchange of rocket fire has caused plenty of discourse in the States, leading figures such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to call Israel an “apartheid state,” and Republicans like Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) to accuse Democrats of “turning their backs on Israel.” Even with the recent ceasefire, the tensions between the two parties haven’t stopped especially with Ambassador Deek’s recent video that was addressed to the “leaders of Hamas,” accusing them of stealing from their own people.

“OPINION: Gov. DeSantis is not a Dictator but a Defender of our Liberty” by Ed Pozzuoli via The Floridian – The Sun Sentinel’s constant drum beat of anti-DeSantis articles only serves to show the paper’s agenda. However, calling Gov. Ron DeSantis a “dictator” is just wrong. DeSantis has guided the Sunshine State through the pandemic with strong, principled leadership. He didn’t write a book, take a vacation or get his hair done at an otherwise mandated closed salon. He lead with every Floridian’s constitutional rights in mind. In contrast, left-leaning Democrat governors in other states were in fact “authoritarian” by arbitrary, over-the-top, unscientific actions that included arrests in playgrounds, at sports contests, even paddle-boarding alone in the ocean, favoring casinos over worship services and even taking down license numbers in church parking lots. They even were barring people from visiting their own families or vacation homes.

“Fmr. House Democrat Says Republicans Follow Socialism and Authoritarianism” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – In response to an emotional video Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) posted on Twitter to bring attention to the Democratic electoral process in Equador, Equadorian-born and former Congresswoman Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D) stated she and other Ecuadorians know all too well what it’s like to fight against socialism and populist authoritarianism, adding that the Republican Party was the party of socialism. “Yes, Maria Elvira (pictured), we Ecuadorians know what it’s like to fight against Socialism and populist authoritarianism like the one your political party follows,” stated Mucarsel-Powell. For this reason, we should elect people that fight for Democracy for everyone, not those who support corrupt warlords like Trump.”

“Florida shooting at Miami-area banquet hall leaves at least 2 dead, about 25 wounded: reports” by Fox News’ Dom Calicchio – A manhunt was underway in the Miami area early Sunday after three gunmen opened fire on a crowd of people at a banquet hall, killing at least two and wounding about 25, according to reports. At least one wounded person was in critical condition, the Miami Herald reported. Police were searching for a white Nissan Pathfinder, a reporter with WPLG-TV of Miami wrote on Twitter. The gunfire happened at the El Mula Banquet Hall in the Country Club Shopping Center in Hialeah, WPLG’s Parker Branton reported on Twitter.

“10-year-old Florida boy shot after shooting paintballs at house” by Cox Media Group’s Jared Leone – A 10-year-old boy who was shooting paintballs at a house Sunday in South Florida was injured after the homeowner, who thought he was under attack, returned fire with an actual gun, investigators said. Opa-Locka police said a car pulled in front of a house where children were playing in the yard, then multiple people got out and started firing “rifle paint guns,” WPLG reported. Investigators said the homeowner, believing he was under attack, returned fire with an actual firearm, WFOR reported. One of the juveniles was struck. The driver fled the scene with the injured child in the car. The child was taken to a hospital. His condition has not been released.

“Trump supporters gather for Florida Memorial Day boat parade” by New York Post’s Samuel Chamberlain – Devotees of former President Donald Trump flooded the waters off Jupiter, Fla., Monday for a “boat parade” to mark the Memorial Day holiday. Photos showed legions of Trump fans sunning themselves on the decks of their vessels, which were bedecked with flags bearing slogans like “Trump Is My President,” “Trump Won,” “This Area Is a Liberal-Free Zone” and, naturally, “Trump 2024.” Pro-Trump boat parades were a regular sight during the 2020 presidential campaign and show no sign of decreasing in size or intensity of support with the 45th president potentially running to regain the White House in 2024.

“Input sought on civics, Holocaust education standards in Florida” by Wink News – How should civics and English be taught to our children? That Florida Department of Education is launching a listening tour this week to give you a chance to weigh in. The changes call for studying the influence of religion on America, and new standards on teaching about the Holocaust in schools. The latest drafts of the Civics and Government and Holocaust Education standards are now posted at http://www.fldoe.org/standardsreview/. You can weigh in right now by going to the links posted below. The listening tour will stop in Miami-Dade, Baker and Osceola counties.

“Job search requirement resumes for Florida unemployment claims” by NBC-2’s Dave Elias – There are some big changes for people still collecting unemployment in Florida. For the last year since the pandemic, those collecting didn’t have to prove they were looking for work. In order to continue collecting unemployment those receiving benefits are going to have to work a little harder in fact they’ll have to prove that they are looking for a job and that means visiting places like Career Source which is expecting more people to start showing up and looking for work. Desperate employers hope the requirement will help fill some of their empty positions. B&I Contractors in Fort Myers alone has 60 open positions.

National:

“DHS Inspector General reviewing huge no-bid contract with company connected to former Biden official” by Fox News’s David Spunt and Jake Gibson – The Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General's office is evaluating a multi-million dollar contract awarded to a Texas company that employs a former Biden transition official, multiple sources with the probe confirm to Fox News. A DHS IG official tells Fox News the contract, with the San Antonio-based nonprofit Endeavors, is the subject of an ongoing evaluation to look at how "ICE plans to house migrant families in hotels, and how ICE selected a contractor to implement these plans." The Formal title of the probe is, "ICE's Contract to House Migrants in Hotels." Tens of thousands of migrants are crossing the southern border every month, with nearly 180,000 encountered by Customs and Border Patrol along the Southwestern Border in April 2021. Thousands of those migrants are now being housed in hotels, thanks to Endeavors. The company recently landed a couple of massive government contracts worth upwards of a half-billion dollars.

“Dem congressman chides progressives for provoking anti-Semitism by calling Israel 'apartheid state'” by Fox News’ Houston Kenne – A Democratic congressman called out his progressive colleagues for provoking anti-Semitism by referring to Israel as "a terrorist or apartheid state." During a CNN interview on Monday, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., was asked if he had conversed with any of his fellow progressive lawmakers regarding his previous tweet, which called out their "silence" on condemning anti-Semitic attacks. Phillips, who is Jewish, said he’s "never had to stand up in this way" throughout his life and that "these are the times" his grandparents and great-grandparents cautioned him about growing up. The Minnesota Democrat said that there was a "problem on the right" regarding anti-Semitism while referencing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., before noting that America was now "seeing attacks from the left."

“Texas Gov. Abbott to veto funding for state legislature amid spat over election bill” by Fox News’ Thomas Barrabi – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that he would veto the portion of the state budget that funds the legislative branch, one day after Democratic lawmakers blocked a Republican-backed election bill in the House. In a tweet announcing the move, Abbott indicated that his decision was a response to lawmakers who "abandon their responsibilities." The Texas governor was a strong advocate for the passage of the elections bill. "I will veto Article 10 of the budget passed by the legislature. Article 10 funds the legislative branch," Abbott said. "No pay for those who abandon their responsibilities. Stay tuned."

“State Department calls for release of US journalist detained in Myanmar” by CNN’s Jennifer Hansler and Elain Ly – The State Department on Friday called on Myanmar's military regime to release Danny Fenster, an American journalist based in Myanmar who was detained earlier this week as he tried to board a flight out of the country. "We are deeply concerned over the detention of US citizen Daniel Fenster, who was working as a journalist in Burma," a State Department spokesperson said Friday. "We have pressed the military regime to release him immediately and will continue to do so until he is allowed to return home safely to his family."

Fenster, 37, who's originally from Detroit, works for the news site Frontier Myanmar in Myanmar's largest city, Yangon. The State Department spokesperson said consular officers from the US Embassy "have sought to visit Daniel, but have thus far not been afforded access to him by regime officials."

“Top Republican on House Foreign Affairs Committee calls Covid-19 origin 'worst cover-up in human history'” by CNN’s Chandelis Duster – Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, a top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, claimed Sunday the origins of the coronavirus pandemic are the "worst cover-up" in human history. "You know, I do think it's more likely than not it emerged out of the lab. Most likely accidentally," McCaul told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" without providing evidence to support his claim. "This is the worst cover-up in human history that we've seen resulting in 3.5 million deaths, creating an economic devastation around the globe." The comments from McCaul follows a directive from President Joe Biden ordering the intelligence community to redouble its efforts in investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic and to report back to him in 90 days. A US intelligence report found several researchers at China's Wuhan Institute of Virology fell ill in November 2019 and had to be hospitalized.

“New defendants charged in Oath Keepers conspiracy case” by CNN’s Katelyn Polantz – The Justice Department has added four new defendants to the federal criminal conspiracy case against Oath Keepers who allegedly prepared for and took part in the US Capitol riot, according to a new indictment made public in DC District Court on Sunday. The newly named Oath Keeper defendants are Joseph Hackett, who went by "Ahab," Jason Dolan, who went by "Turmoil," and William Isaacs, all from Florida. A fourth new defendant's name and alleged actions are still redacted. The case is the largest against any of the far-right extremist groups that participated in the pro-Trump siege on January 6. Prosecutors have gradually built out the case almost weekly, dropping additional details of how the group allegedly brought guns to a hotel in Virginia to back them up on January 6, and communicated during the insurrection.

“U.S. Manufacturers Blame Tariffs for Swelling Inflation” by WSJ’s Yuka Hayashi and Josh Zumbrun – Economists and policy makers are debating whether stimulus spending and easy monetary policy are fueling inflation. Many businesses say there is another culprit that should share the blame: import tariffs. The Trump administration implemented tariffs on products including lumber, steel and semiconductors to shield American companies from a glut of cheap imported products from China and other countries. The tariffs have long been opposed by U.S. companies that import the goods and pay the levies. They are making a new push for the Biden administration to lift them, on grounds that tariffs contribute to rising prices and product shortages that are accompanying the post-pandemic recovery.

“Biden Administration Extends Bipartisan Infrastructure Talks Into June” by WSJ’s Ken Thomas – The Biden administration said Sunday that talks over a $1.7 trillion infrastructure package would need to show a “clear direction” toward agreement by the time Congress returns from recess in early June, signaling that Democrats might be preparing to go it alone on a broad plan to rebuild roads and bridges, expand broadband service and create programs to help care for the elderly and disabled Americans. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said President Biden and members of his team would continue negotiating privately this week and said the talks with Republican lawmakers were encouraging. But he identified the return of Congress on June 7 as when the talks would need to indicate an endpoint.

“Employers Can Require Covid-19 Vaccine Under Federal Law, New Guidance States” by WSJ’s Eric Morath and Sarah Chaney Cambon – U.S. employers could require all workers physically entering a workplace to be vaccinated against Covid-19, the federal government said Friday. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued updated guidance stating that federal laws don’t prevent an employer from requiring workers to be vaccinated. However, in some circumstances, federal laws may require the employer to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who, because of a disability or a religious belief, aren’t vaccinated. For example, the EEOC said as a reasonable accommodation, an unvaccinated employee entering the workplace might wear a face mask, work at a social distance or be given the opportunity to telework.

“Fox’s Lone-Wolf Liberal Had a Tough Job. But It Made for Better TV.” By Politico’s Joanna Weiss – Juan Williams is headed for a gentler life. As the lone liberal co-host of Fox News Channel’s roundtable show “The Five,” he took the heat on live TV on a near-daily basis for years— sometimes mocked condescendingly, sometimes hollered at ferociously, always completely outnumbered. On Wednesday, Williams, who lives in Washington, D.C., announced that he was stepping down from the job, days before fully-in-person production resumes in the New York studio. A year of largely calling in to the show remotely, plus a personal bout with Covid-19, had depleted his appetite for a weekly commute to New York, he explained.

“New attention on abortion pill dispensing amid challenge to Roe v. Wade” by Politico’s Alice Miranda Ollstein – The Supreme Court’s decision to take a Mississippi case that poses a direct challenge to Roe. v. Wade has raised the stakes for the Biden administration’s newly launched review of restrictions on abortion pills, which could dramatically expand access to the procedure. A ruling for Mississippi, which is petitioning for the right to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, would allow states to implement restrictions farther-reaching than any seen in decades, abortion-rights advocates say. Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina moved this year to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with similar limits pending in several other Republican-led states.

—Florida political news. Florida news. Florida Politics. The Floridian.