December 25, 2020

Beto O'Rourke to teach seminar at UT-Austin this spring

Former congressman and El Paso city councilman Beto O’Rourke will teach a class at the LBJ School of Public Affairs about voting rights in Texas, titled “Texas Democracy and the Fight for Representation.”

The class will focus on Texas legislative policy and the history of voting rights and voter participation in Texas, and will bring O’Rourke’s experience as Senate and presidential candidate to discuss political campaigns in the state, according to the Austin American-Statesman.

The class, beginning in January 2021, will enroll 16 graduate students in the LBJ school by lottery and will take place via Zoom, LBJ school officials told the Statesman.

O’Rourke said Texas is one of the most restrictive states in terms of voter participation, and he wants to examine voting tension in Texas in the seminar. He told the Statesman the course will discuss what it’s like to start a campaign and run for office.

Read more: https://thedailytexan.com/2020/12/23/beto-orourke-teach-UT-Austin

This is Beto's second teaching gig. He will also be teaching an undergraduate course at Texas State University in San Marcos.

December 25, 2020

DeSantis spokesman deletes account after tweeting about coronavirus victims

ORLANDO — Fred Piccolo, spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, deactivated his Twitter account Wednesday after he tweeted in the middle of night that photos of each dead COVID-19 victim should be balanced with 99 photos of people who survive the disease.

In response to a Reuters photo gallery on COVID-19, Piccolo wrote, “I’m wondering since 99% (of) Covid patients survive shouldn’t you have 99 photos of survivors for every one fatality? Otherwise you’re just trying to create a narrative that is not reality.”

According to a screenshot captured by WLRN reporter Danny Rivero, Piccolo was responding at about 4 a.m. to a tweet by Corinne Perkins, the North America editor for Reuters Pictures.

“This thread is dedicated to those saying we aren’t seeing images of the reality of COVID-19 in hospitals across the U.S.,” Perkins wrote. “This is not an exhaustive list but I wanted to highlight the stories @reuterspictures photographers bring to light.”

Read more: https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2020/12/24/desantis-spokesman-deletes-account-after-tweeting-about-coronavirus-victims/

December 25, 2020

'Twas the night before Christmas ... at Mar-a-Lago

by Frank Cerabino
Palm Beach Post


'Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the state

The temperature had fallen

To a humid 78

***

And at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago

They were starting to snore

Except for the president

Who was pacing the floor

***

Ivanka and Jared

And the boys were slumbered

But Donald was fixated

On his voters outnumbered

***

He lamented to Melania

About losing to Biden

But she was locked away

In her own bedroom hidin’

Read more: https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/columns/2020/12/23/cerabino-twas-night-before-christmas-gets-trump-mar-lago-update/3957327001/

December 25, 2020

November state revenue tops expectations

As Florida continues trying to claw itself out of financial problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, November general-revenue collections exceeded expectations and slightly topped collections in pre-pandemic November 2019, according to a report released Wednesday.

Net general revenue last month totaled $2.698 billion, up 2.1% from $2.642.2 billion in November 2019, according to the report from the Legislature’s Office of Economic & Demographic Research.

After the pandemic slammed the economy, state analysts in August substantially reduced general-revenue estimates for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 fiscal years. But revenue exceeded those reduced estimates by a combined total of nearly $1 billion in August, September, October and November, the report shows.

November collections exceeded the revised estimate by $277.3 million. General revenue includes a variety of sources, including sales taxes and corporate-income taxes. Despite overall collections exceeding the August expectations, the report Wednesday said the tourism and hospitality industries continue to suffer.

Read more: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/390796-november-state-revenue-tops-expectations

December 25, 2020

A presidential election like none other, and now an inauguration like none other

WASHINGTON — As with so many other events during the year preceding it, the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden will be a ceremony unlike those of his predecessors.

Tempering the celebratory tone is a directive from Biden’s inaugural team for supporters to refrain from traveling to D.C. for the Jan. 20 swearing-in. Instead, they’ve urged Americans to participate in the inaugural activities from home.

It’s not yet clear what exactly those virtual festivities will include — or if President Donald Trump will attend Biden’s swearing-in. But the event will be scaled down in size, with an emphasis on safety precautions.

“First and foremost, my objective is to keep America safe but still allow people to celebrate,” Biden said at a news conference this month.

Read more: https://www.floridaphoenix.com/2020/12/25/a-presidential-election-like-none-other-and-now-an-inauguration-like-none-other/

December 25, 2020

The Six Most Patriotic Moments From the Conservative TPUSA Conference

More than 2,000 young American patriots swarmed the Palm Beach County Convention Center this week for a four-day conference organized by Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a right-wing organization that aims to enlighten high school and college students about the wonderful world of conservatism while railing against the evils of liberalism.

The students, ranging in age from 15 to 25, had their nascent minds prodded by a who's who of elite guest speakers, including Donald Trump Jr., Trump campaign finance chair Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Fox News personality Tucker Carlson.

The event flouted COVID-19 safety guidelines with gusto. Going maskless in a huge crowd of fellow non-believers — Grandma be damned — is as inalienable a right as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Only a true American has the courage to flip the bird to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Here are some of the most patriotic moments from the TPUSA conference.

https://twitter.com/Z_Everson/status/1341141414894313474

Read more: https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/six-moments-from-the-turning-points-usa-conference-11781177

December 25, 2020

Florida may allow counties to investigate, fine landlords who lash out at tenants

The Florida Legislature this spring will consider giving counties the option to investigate and fine landlords who retaliate against tenants, an issue that housing advocates say has become more widespread after the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Under Senate Bill 290, county commissions could set up boards focused on landlords accused of violating state laws that prohibit retaliatory conduct, for example, by raising rent, not renewing leases or issuing evictions to tenants who have reported code violations, organized or joined unions for tenants, or legally withheld rent until repairs are made.

“It would simply be giving enforcement powers to make sure there’s compliance with what we already have on the books,” said Alana Greer, executive director of the Community Justice Project, a Miami nonprofit that advocates for low-income renters.

The inspiration for the bill came from the plight of an elderly woman from Leesburg, Marie Wissler, who was nearly evicted from her rent-restricted apartment for complaining about needed repairs. She wrote letters to the Florida Attorney General and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for help, but Wissler’s only recourse was to take her landlord to court.

Read more: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-ne-baxley-bill-retaliatory-landlords-oversight-20201224-y3osuyxm2raijnvludrumm7u2a-story.html

December 25, 2020

Couple buys mansion in Seminole County with fraudulent $7.2 million PPP loan, feds say

A Florida couple is accused of fraudulently obtaining a $7.2 million federal loan meant to help businesses during the pandemic and spending that money on expensive cars and a multimillion-dollar house in Seminole County.

The federal government wants to seize the $3.5 million, seven-bedroom house, saying in civil court filings the estate was purchased with money connected to a wire fraud scheme.

Don Cisternino and his partner, Lori Quasky, purchased the home in July after Cisternino was investigated for using fake information to get a loan for his business, according to a federal court filing on Dec. 17.

It was the second time in four days the U.S. government has sought to seize money or property in Orlando federal court that was tied to someone accused of lying to received a multi-million Paycheck Protection Program loan, commonly known as PPP.

Read more: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-bz-ppp-fraud-house-seminole-20201223-cswwnoyx4jedhbcntbpamqleb4-story.html


The seven-bedroom mansion at 3018 Kingfisher Pt., in Seminole County, that authorities believe was purchased with money fraudulently obtained through a PPP loan. ((Corcoran Premier Realty))

December 25, 2020

More than a dozen earthquakes reported in Puerto Rico on Christmas Eve including one measuring 4.8

From the early hours of the morning of Thursday, December 24, a series of earthquakes were registered in Puerto Rico from magnitude 2.1 to the most recent at 12 p.m. (Puerto Rico time) of a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 on the Richter scale followed about half an hour later with a 4.7.

The Puerto Rico Seismic Network (Red Sísmica) has recorded earth movements in the south since early this morning. None caused a tsunami alert, but island residents have shown concern about the earthquakes that began in December 2019 and have not stopped since then, although they did decrease in intensity.

The first tremor occurred at 1:02 a.m. with a magnitude of 3.3 in the Guánica area. The epicenter of this natural phenomenon was 10.09 kilometers southeast of Guánica with a depth of 12 kilometers.

The earthquake with the highest intensity was reported at noon with an intensity of 4.8 according to the Red Sísmica. The epicenter was located in the south of the Caribbean island, near the seismic zone where the earthquakes have been concentrated.

Read more: https://www.orlandosentinel.com/espanol/el-sentinel-in-english/os-ex-english-puerto-rico-earthquakes-20201224-kwe5i6sc2bhofeqxazsfkoon2m-story.html

December 25, 2020

'Jarring' Nazi headstones removed from Fort Sam Houston

SAN ANTONIO -- A pair of headstones bearing Nazi swastikas were removed from Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery on Wednesday, the final chapter in a long controversy over whether the grave markers were historical artifacts worth preserving or emblems of hate that should be destroyed.

Led by the cemetery director, Aubrey David, several workers went to the site of graves for German prisoners of war Alfred P. Kafka and Georg Forst at around 8:15 a.m. It took a little more than an hour for the crew to replace the two headstones.

David shot photos with a mobile phone as the crew removed and replaced the memorials.

The founder and president of a civil rights group that mounted a nationwide campaign to take down the gravestones called the action an early Christmas present.

Read more: https://www.lmtonline.com/news/local/article/Nazi-headstones-removed-at-Fort-Sam-15824562.php
(Laredo Morning Times)