66º

WEATHER ALERT

JEB BUSH

Florida Senate releases sweeping school choice proposal

The Senate proposal also would establish the “Gardiner-McKay Scholarship,” by combining two existing voucher programs that serve students with special needs. Diaz’s plan would result in the consolidation of five of the state’s existing major school-voucher programs into two programs. Step Up for Students, a nonprofit organization that helps administer two of the state’s existing voucher programs, also is backing Diaz’s proposal. The Democrats expressed fear that Diaz’s proposal would shift Florida’s public schools toward a universal school-choice system. “We’re going to have to fight like hell on this one.”The Florida Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union, also opposes the measure.

Iowa again a battleground, sign of Trump's Midwest obstacles

But there are signs Iowa may be competitive again. Deep concerns about the economy and dissatisfaction with Trump's handling of the coronavirus have changed dynamics of the race. However, Iowa, where Trump won by 9.4 percentage points in 2016, echoes the trend in Ohio, where Trump won by 8 but is now in a pitched battle with Biden. “I believe it is a close race in Iowa," former Iowa Gov. In 2018, Democrats showed signs of resurgence, even though Republican Kim Reynolds became the first woman to be elected Iowa governor.

Floridian may be President Trump’s Supreme Court pick

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida-born Barbara Lagoa is one of four or five women President Donald Trump is considering for the U.S. Supreme Court. Flags were at half staff Monday at the Florida Supreme Court where one of Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s possible successors once served. In 2006, then-Governor Jeb Bush tapped Barbara Lagoa to serve on the Third District Court of Appeal. Nine months later, President Trump nominated Lagoa for an opening on the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Based on our research, if nominated, Barbara Lagoa would be the only Florida-born person ever nominated for the nation’s highest court.

How starving public health fueled a COVID fire in Florida

“Public health can’t help us get out of this situation without our elected officials giving us the resources.”State officials neither answered specific, repeated questions from The Associated Press and KHN about changes in public health funding, nor made staffers available for deeper explanations. The 1990s saw a move toward privatization, particularly as Medicaid managed care took hold, said a 2004 paper in the Florida Public Health Review. By 2011, budget cuts and lack of money were the most frequently cited challenges in a Florida public health workforce survey, which pointed to growing needs. “Current events demonstrate how bad a decision” the deep cuts to public health were, said Dr. Marissa Levine, a professor of public health and family medicine at the University of South Florida. “Dismantling the system was a complete disregard for the health and well-being of the citizens of Florida.”With an ill-equipped public health system, Wilson, the retired public health nurse, said it falls to everyone to lead Jacksonville, and Florida, out of the coronavirus crisis.

Chipping in? Trump may put up his own cash on reelection

Trump also is grappling with the political fallout from the mounting number of coronavirus deaths and the pandemic's economic toll. Trump spent more than $60 million of his own money on his 2016 run for the White House. Eberhart said he was skeptical that Trump will spend $100 million of his own money and questioned whether money was significantly hampering the presidents campaign. He echoed the president in saying that the Trump campaign, which was outspent in 2016, has more resources to use between now and Election Day than it did four years ago. Still, Trump added in his comments to reporters that he was prepared to spend his own cash to help his cause.

Bush group weighs in on school reopening fight

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. An influential education group led by former Gov. Jeb Bush is backing the state in a legal battle about an order requiring school districts to open classrooms for face-to-face instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Foundation for Excellence in Education, which is chaired by Bush, filed a friend-of-the-court brief Friday at the 1st District Court of Appeal supporting Gov. A Leon County circuit judge last month ruled that a July 6 order issued by Corcoran about reopening classrooms was unconstitutional. The state immediately appealed the ruling by Circuit Judge Charles Dodson to the Tallahassee-based appeals court.

Trump embraces immigration court fight as election boost

In this June 11, 2020 photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion about "Transition to Greatness: Restoring, Rebuilding, and Renewing," at Gateway Church Dallas in Dallas. Trump has asserted without evidence that expanded mail-in voting will lead to the greatest Rigged Election in history. Trump, who often attempts to shift the nation's focus to immigration when forced to defend himself on other fronts, said Friday he would renew his legal effort. His immigration push is risky, even for someone who has built his political career on defying conventional wisdom. Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh says, Conservative judges were a huge issue in 2016 and will be again this November."

GOP candidates balance pros, cons of running with Trump

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, facing a competitive North Carolina reelection contest, is looking forward to campaigning" with Trump, Tillis' spokesperson said. GOP Sen. Steve Daines tweeted, Montana cant wait to have you back, Mr. President! after Trump promised to help him battle a strong Democratic challenger. Republican candidates are hostages, said Trump critic Tim Miller, an aide to past GOP presidential contenders including Jeb Bush. Anyone who wants to win in November should be running with the president, said Trump campaign spokesperson Erin Perrine. In the House, Democrats hope to use allegiance to Trump that GOP candidates touted in primaries against them in general elections.

Biden aims to move left without abandoning centrist roots

But they left many of the partys strongest liberals worried that little progress would be made toward their sweeping goals. Asked whether his recent moves mean hell govern as a progressive, Biden retorted on CNBC: Im going to be Joe Biden. Biden aides say hes uniquely positioned for a wide Biden coalition because voters prioritize experience and temperament, along with policy. Republicans who dislike Trump the kind who cut deals with Sen. Biden or Vice President Biden arent likely to back President Biden's proposed public option health insurance expansion when theyve never embraced the Affordable Care Act. Winning back just that cohort back could be enough to secure Biden to the presidency alone this cycle, he said.

Bill Clinton, Jeb Bush pine for the days of civility

Former President Bill Clinton and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush take part in the George and Barbara Bush Distinguished Lecture series Friday at the University of New England in Biddeford, Maine. BIDDEFORD, Maine - Former Democratic President Bill Clinton and former Republican Florida Gov. Jeb Bush are pining for the days when the two parties worked together. Partnering with the George & Barbara Bush Foundation, the university used the 30th anniversary of the late President George H.W.

Oil legend T. Boone Pickens dies

(CNN) - Legendary oil man T. Boone Pickens, whose investments helped shape the American energy industry going back to the 1950s, has died at the age of 91. Pickens announced his retirement from the oil and gas industry in January 2018 due to his poor health. A longtime maverick in the US energy industry, Pickens began a campaign in 2008 to help the US lessen its dependence on oil from OPEC nations. I have always believed that maintaining the status quo inevitably leads to failure," Pickens wrote in an op-ed for Forbes in 2017. "Back then, the notion that shareholders own the companies and managements were employees was foreign to big oil companies that would rather operate like empires.

Trump's campaign offered 10 plastic straws for $15 because 'liberal paper straws don't work' and they just sold out

Now, there's Trump Straws. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is selling 10-packs of branded plastic straws for $15. Because "liberal paper straws don't work," the president's online campaign store asserts. Trump, asked at the White House on Friday if he was in favor of banning plastic straws, said, "I do think we have bigger problems than plastic straws." Some large corporations, such as Starbucks, have even vowed to stop offering plastic straws in all their stores.

cnbc.com

Ted Cruz defends proposal to patrol Muslim communities

Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz picked up an important endorsement from his former rival, Jeb Bush. He is also celebrating a win in Utah's caucuses. But Cruz is facing a backlash over his proposal to target Muslim Americans after the Brussels attacks. On Tuesday after the bombings, he said, "We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized." Cruz joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss why he is proposing the policy.

cbsnews.com