JUICE — Florida Politics' Juicy Read — 6.21.2021 — Biden Turns Back On Navy Veteran—Mayor Trantalis is An Idiot—DeSantis Wins 2024 Poll—More...

“Dean Trantalis Fails to Apologize for Making False ‘Terror Attack’ Allegation” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – It took a full day for Openly-gay Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis to attempt to walk back the unbelievably irresponsible and false statements he made about this past weekend’s tragic car accident at the Stonewall Gay Pride parade in Wilton Manors that resulted in the death of one person and left two others injured. Trantalis put out a half-baked explanation, and instead of taking the opportunity to take back the egregiously false assertions he made, Trantalis could not bring himself to do the right thing and apologize.

“Posey, Wasserman Schultz Have Forged a Working Bipartisan Relationship” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Rep. Bill Posey (R) is one of the staunches Conservative Trump Republican you will find in the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) is one of the most liberal and anti-Trump representatives, but these to veteran lawmakers have been able to put their political ideologies and differences aside and have been able to work together at both the state and federal levels for 30 years. The Floridian sat down with Rep. Posey to talk about his current relationships in the House, and on the issues, legislators are currently debating and voting on.

"Biden Turning Back on Kidnapped U.S. Navy Veteran," By The Floridian's Mona Salama

"Trump Wishes Happy Father’s Day To All The ‘Radical Left,’ ‘RINOs’ and ‘Losers’ by The Floridian's Mona Salama

“Ron DeSantis Beats President Trump in New Conservative 2024 Poll” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Like President Donald Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis keeps winning, and according to a straw poll of 500 surveyed at the Western Conservative Summit in Denver, Colorado, Gov. DeSantis beats President Trump 74.12% to 71.43. The last time conservatives voted for a 2024 presidential candidate was in Orlando, Florida at the 2021 CPAC annual event, where DeSantis scored a second-place finish behind Trump. DeSantis can’t do anything wrong, and even as Democrats try to saddle him with the blame for all the COVID-19 related deaths in the state, DeSantis’ overall approval rating is above 50%.

“***UPDATE—1 Killed, two Injured in ‘Pre-Mediated’ Hate Crime Against Gay Community” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – In what appears to be a pre-mediated hate crime, A white man driving a white pickup truck has been arrested after allegedly running over several individuals moments before the 2021 Stonewall Gay Pride Parade was to begin. One person is dead, another is in critical condition, and a third is expected to survive according to Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis. “This was a terrorist attack against the LGBTQ community,” Trantalis said. “He came here to destroy people. This was clearly no accident.”

“Dr. Ronny Jackson Calls On Biden To Take Cognitive Test To Assess ‘Mental Impairment’” by The Floridian’s Mona – Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), a former White House physician sent a letter to President Biden Thursday demanding that he takes a cognitive test and release the results to the public “so the American people know the full mental and intellectual health of their President.” “The American people should have absolute confidence in their President. They deserve to know that he or she can perform the duties of Head of State and Commander in Chief. They deserve full transparency on the mental capabilities of their highest elected leader,” Jackson wrote, co-signed by 13 other GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter sent to Biden.

“Matt Gaetz Endorses Anthony Sabatini for Congress” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – With the 2022 election cycle heating up, everyone will be watching the races in Florida especially State Rep. Anthony Sabatini (R-32) and his attempt to beat out incumbent Rep. Stephanie Murphy (D-FL) in District 7. The Sabatini campaign however just picked up a crucial endorsement today from Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL). As per a Twitter post today, Rep. Sabatini announced “Thank you Congressman Gaetz — looking forward to joining in the fight to take our country back!” Effectively announcing Gaetz’s endorsement of Sabatini:

“Matt Gaetz Demands Briefing on Wuhan Lab Investigation” by The Floridian’s Jim McCool – As we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic that has left over 600,000 Americans dead, media outlets appear to have changed their tune on the virus and have begun to question the origins of COVID-19. Public figures like Sen. Tom Cotton (AR) have been on this for a while now, but today Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has sent a letter to the FBI demanding a briefing of the whistleblower Wuhan Lab investigation. Earlier this month, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Rep. Gaetz questioned Director Wray directly on the FBI’s potential mislabeling of Dr. Yan as a counterintelligence threat – after Dr. Yan fled to the United States in an attempt to expose the true origins of COVID-19.

“Nikki Fried Refuses to Give DeSantis Credit Over COVID Relief, Addresses her ‘Biggest Weakness’” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – During a CNN interview with Poppy Harlow, Agriculture Commissioner and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried stood her ground and refused to give Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis credit for the outcome of the COVID pandemic. Instead, Commissioner Freid, who supported a statewide lockdown, credited the local governments for doing the heavy lift of keeping the virus from spreading but failed to give herself any credit for how the state was “booming” as a result of not having been shut down. Gov. DeSantis recently called her “lockdown lobbyist” who “does nothing. “She does nothing, all she does is emote on social media. She’s a lockdown lobbyist. I’ve done more in my first week as governor than she has in her entire time as AG commissioner.”—Gov Ron DeSantis

“Waltz Says Ilhan Omar’s Antisemitism is ‘Ingrained’ in her (VIDEO)” by The Floridian’s Javier Manjarres – Washington—Florida Rep. Michael Waltz (R) and US Army Green Beret sat down with The Floridian to discuss his recently filed resolution to censure “The Squad” or the “Hamas Squad” in the House of Representatives for their ongoing anti-Israel, anti-Jewish positions, particularly Rep. Ilhan Omar who has espoused antisemitism recently equated the United States to the terror group Hamas. “So, we are renaming The Squad the “Hamas Caucus,” said Rep. Waltz before saying that it was “unacceptable” for Rep. Omar to put the US “on the same level’ as the terror groups Hamas and the Taliban.

“Florida mayor issues statement after falsely claiming Pride parade crash was 'terrorism'” by Fox News’ Staff – "The Big Sunday Show" reacted to Ft. Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis walking back of prior statement claiming the deadly Pride parade crash was an act of "terrorism" after new details emerge showing the accident was likely unintentional.

“Florida man arrested for vandalism after doing burnout through Pride street mural” by KIRO/ Cox Media Group National Content Desk – A Florida man was arrested after he intentionally did a “burnout” across a Pride-themed street mural earlier this week. Witnesses said Alexander Jerich, 20, peeled out in his white Chevrolet Silverado around 8 p.m. Monday through the recently painted intersection, WPBF reported. “This is a deliberate act of violence against the LGBTQ community,” Rand Hoch, founder and president of the Palm Beach Human Rights Council, told WFOR. “We’ve made such progress here in the last 30 years on LGBTQ issues. To see someone do something like this took me by surprise.” Jerich was participating in a parade in honor of former President Donald Trump’s birthday that was organized by the Palm Beach County Republican Executive Committee, WPTV reported. The political committee did not comment to WPTV about the incident.

“As pandemic wanes, Florida’s DeSantis seizes national stage” by Associated Press’ Bobby Caina Calvan – As Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis navigated the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats readied to pounce. Now that the pandemic is waning and DeSantis is heading into his reelection campaign next year, he has emerged from the political uncertainty as one of the most prominent Republican governors and an early White House front-runner in 2024. As DeSantis’ national stature has risen, he has remained defiant in the face of continued attacks on his opposition to mask mandates and lockdowns. “Hold the line. Don’t back down,” he told a crowd at a party fundraiser in Pittsburgh on May 20. “And in the state of Florida, with me as governor, I have only begun to fight.”

“Florida GOP congressional candidate allegedly threatens life of primary opponent with Russian-Ukrainian ‘hit squad’” by Local 10’s David Dwork – A relatively unknown Republican congressional candidate allegedly threatened the life of his primary opponent. William Braddock was reportedly secretly recorded, saying he would use a “Russian-Ukrainian hit squad” to kill Anna Paulina Luna. They are both running for the Tampa-area congressional seat being vacated by Charlie Crist, who is running for governor. Politico reports an activist recorded Braddock because she was worried about his alleged dislike for Luna. Braddock denies the claims and suggests the recording was altered. He also said he did not give consent to be recorded.

“Pence heckled at conservative conference in Florida” by CBS News’ Musadiq Bidar – Former Vice President Mike Pence was met with scattered heckling on Friday, at a speech he was delivering in the home state of the president he served. As he addressed a general session at the Faith and Freedom Coalition in Orlando, there were some jeers, with some yelling "traitor" at him. Undeterred, Pence declared himself "a Christian, a conservative and a Republican — in that order" and went on to say, as he often does, that serving as vice president alongside President Trump "was the greatest honor of my life." He laid out what he called a "winning agenda" to take back Republican majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives in the midterm elections next year, framing opponents of the GOP as anti-Christian and anti-military.

“A judge ruled that Florida would be harmed by the CDC stopping most cruise ships from sailing” by CNN’s Jamiel Lynch and Alexis Benveniste – A federal judge ruled Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's conditional sailing orders on the cruise industry "likely constitutes an unconstitutional delegation of legislative power to CDC." In a motion for a preliminary injunction, the state of Florida alleged that the CDC's order exceeds the agency's authority and that it was was "arbitrary and capricious" in issuing the conditional sailing order. The state claimed the CDC failed to recognize the prevalence of vaccines and the effectiveness of Covid-19 mitigation measures.

“DeSantis, Moody seek to scuttle protest law case” by News Service of Florida – Lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody are asking a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a measure that the Legislature approved to crack down on violent protests. Groups such as the Dream Defenders and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP filed the lawsuit last month, contending that the measure (HB 1), which DeSantis signed into law April 19, will have a “chilling” effect on protected speech and violates equal-protection and due-process rights.

“Florida wins first round in cruise fight, but victory will be delayed” by Orlando Sentinel’s Richard Tribou and Angie Dimichele – A federal judge on Friday ruled for Florida in a lawsuit challenging a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order making it difficult for cruise ships to resume sailing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday granted a preliminary injunction against the CDC, which has imposed conditions for cruises to resume after a year and a half on the sidelines. The Tampa-based judge, in a 124-page decision, delayed the injunction for a month, however, so the CDC can propose changes. If the order stands, it means cruises can set sail without having to adhere to the agency’s rules. The injunction prevents the CDC from enforcing its conditions pending further legal action on a broader Florida lawsuit.

National:

“Kevin McCarthy calls for declassification of COVID origins intelligence: 'Let the entire world know'” by Fox News’ Yael Halon – House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called for the declassification of the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into the origins of COVID-19 during an appearance on "Sunday Night America." "Think about who had to pay for this," McCarthy told host Trey Gowdy. "Three million and eight hundred thousand people have lost their lives because China led to the world. Six hundred thousand of those 3.8 million are Americans. And for so long, with social media denying our ability to even talk about it of where it came from our having from Wuhan and others. The first thing we should do is declassify the intelligence. That would show us it came from Wuhan,."

“Florida mayor under fire after claiming Pride parade crash was terrorism” by Fox News – Fox News' Trace Gallagher slammed the mayor for 'lying' as new details emerge showing the incident was likely an accident on 'The Big Sunday Show' (Video)

“Steve Scalise accuses Pelosi of ‘Soviet-style cover-up’ of COVID-19 origins” by Fox News’ Bradford Betz – House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., had some fiery words for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi while speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, accusing her of thwarting efforts to investigate the true origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Pelosi won’t do it," Scalise told the crowd on the second day of the three-day conference in Kissimmee, Fla. He promised that when Republicans retake the House in the 2022 midterms, they will "hold China accountable." "They are covering for China right now," Scalise said of his Democratic colleagues. "It’s a Soviet-style cover-up. We’re going to keep calling them out on it." Scalise’s comments were first reported by JustTheNews.com. Fox News has reached out to Pelosi’s press office for comment on the matter. A spokesperson referred to the House Intelligence Committee's investigation into the origins of COVID-19.

“Biden administration to invest $3 billion for Covid-19 antiviral medicines” by CNN’s Kate Sullivan – The Biden administration on Thursday announced it would invest more than $3 billion from the American Rescue Plan to accelerate the discovery, development and manufacturing of Covid-19 antiviral medicines -- ideally like a pill someone could easily take at home early in an illness. "Vaccines clearly remained the centerpiece of our arsenal against Covid-19, however, antivirals can and are an important complement to existing vaccines, especially for individuals with certain conditions that might put them at a greater risk for those whom vaccines may not be as protective," Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told reporters during a White House Covid-19 briefing.

“Georgia removes 100,000 names from voter registration rolls” by CNN’s Rachel Janfaza – More than 100,000 names will be removed from Georgia's voter registration rolls in an attempt to keep the state's voter files "up to date," Georgia's secretary of state announced Friday. "Making sure Georgia's voter rolls are up to date is key to ensuring the integrity of our elections," Republican Brad Raffensperger said in a statement. "There is no legitimate reason to keep ineligible voters on the rolls." The voter files being removed are "obsolete and outdated," according to the statement, which says that since the 2020 election, Raffensperger has "made it a priority to continue with the list maintenance process."

“Sanders says he wants an infrastructure package with a larger price tag” by CNN’s Chandelis Duster and Daniella Diaz – Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday said it's urgent that Democrats work toward an infrastructure package with a larger price tag that addresses climate change and other related issues. "I sometimes think we get boggled down in numbers and that's important, but we've got to look at what the needs are of the American people, what's going on right now," Sanders, a Vermont independent senator who caucuses with the Democrats and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, told CNN's Dana Bash on "State of the Union."

The comments from Sanders come as Democrats eye a bipartisan track and budget reconciliation track in negotiations over President Joe Biden's bipartisan infrastructure proposal.

“Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill Could Lose Gas-Tax Rise, Senator Says” by WSJ’s Yuka Hayashi and Andrew Duehren – A proposed infrastructure spending plan may be hammered out without a measure raising the gasoline tax, a key Republican lawmaker said Sunday, suggesting the removal of an obstacle to a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure plan pushed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers. Sen. Rob Portman (R., Ohio), one of the lead Republicans in the group, said a higher gasoline tax may not be in the final package, citing opposition from the Biden administration. “But the administration, therefore, will need to come forward with some other ideas without raising taxes,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

“Taliban Advances Test Afghan Forces’ Morale as the U.S. Leaves” by WSJ’s Yaroslav Trofimov – Every few hours this weekend, the Taliban released videos of triumphant insurgents inspecting yet another Afghan district headquarters that had been lost in battle by government forces or surrendered without a fight. Some of these districts, a unit equivalent to American counties, are too remote or sparsely populated to warrant defending as the overstretched Afghan military, shorn of vital U.S. air support, refocuses on protecting the country’s major population centers. Trained and equipped by the U.S. and Western allies for nearly two decades, the Afghan security forces, numbering roughly 260,000 men, should be strong enough to prevent the Taliban from seizing power in the immediate aftermath of the American military withdrawal that is nearing completion.

“HUD Aims to Boost Homeownership for Buyers With High Student Loans” by WSJ’s Andrew Ackerman – The Federal Housing Administration is relaxing the way it assesses student-loan debt when weighing eligibility for homebuying assistance as the Biden administration pushes to help lower-income borrowers and narrow a racial gap in homeownership. The changes, which were presented in a letter to lenders late Thursday, are intended to allow more borrowers to qualify for loans backed by the FHA, a unit of the Department of Housing and Urban Development that provides insurance on mortgages to first-time and lower-income home buyers. Prospective home buyers who qualify for FHA help typically have lower credit scores than individuals with other government-backed loans—such as those guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac—and they are disproportionately Black and Hispanic, according to data collected by federal regulators. The surge in student debt over the past two decades has coincided with historically low homeownership rates among younger households. Some researchers say the phenomena are linked.

“Justices don't vote the way you expect them to, Christie says” by Politico’s David Cohen – The most recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare is proof that justices often don't vote the way the presidents who appoint them expect to, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Sunday. "No matter what you think when they appoint them, when they get on the court, they vote the way they believe they should vote," Christie said on ABC's "This Week" in discussing the 7-2 ruling last week that turned away a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act. It was the third time the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the constitutionality of the 2010 law.

“Progress reported at Iran nuclear talks” by Politico/Associated Press – Top diplomats said Sunday that further progress had been made at talks between Iran and global powers to try to restore a landmark 2015 agreement to contain Iranian nuclear development that was abandoned by the Trump administration. They said it was now up to the governments involved in the negotiations to make political decisions. It was the first official meeting since Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief won a landslide victory in the country’s presidential election last week. Some diplomats expressed concern that Iran’s election of Ebrahim Raisi as president could complicate a possible return to the nuclear agreement. Enrique Mora, the European Union official who chaired the final meeting of the sixth round of talks between Russia, China, Germany, France, Britain and Iran, told reporters that “we are closer to a deal, but we are not still there.”

“New Israeli leader: World powers must ‘wake up’ on Iran nuke deal” by Politico/AP – Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Sunday opened his first Cabinet meeting since swearing in his new coalition government last week with a condemnation of the new Iranian president. He said Iran’s presidential election was a sign for world powers to “wake up” before returning to a nuclear agreement with Tehran. Iran’s hard-line judiciary chief, Ebrahim Raisi, was elected Saturday with 62% of the vote amid a historically low voter turnout. He is sanctioned by the U.S. in part over his involvement in the mass execution of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, at the end of the Iran-Iraq war. Raisi has not commented specifically on the event.