Jose Garcia
Jose Garcia's JournalBiden donor weighs third-party bid for Florida governor
Orlando-based attorney and former President Biden donor John Morgan is weighing a third-party run for Florida governor in 2026.
Morgan, who switched his registration from Democrat to independent, told The Hill on Monday that many have urged him to run following his success in leading two separate statewide ballot measures to legalize medical marijuana in 2016 and to raise the state’s minimum wage in 2020.
“My success with two statewide ballot initiatives I think has given some people a look at me,” Morgan said in an email. “But a ballot initiative is far different than an election,” he continued, adding “an election is much more cut throat.”
Morgan told Politico earlier this month that he was considering launching a bid under the banner of “the Capitalist Party.” On Monday he appeared to float running under what he called “the People’s Party.”
More: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5060171-orlando-based-attorney-considers-gubernatorial-run/amp/
Second Florida Democratic lawmaker switches to GOP
Source: The Hill
A second Democratic Florida legislator has switched parties to the GOP this month, citing her former party’s lack of unified support for Israel.
State Rep. Hillary Cassel (R) said in a Friday statement on the social platform X that she is not making the decision lightly, but she is joining the Republican Party because she believes in its “vision for a better, more prosperous Florida.”
“As a proud Jewish woman, I have been increasingly troubled by the Democratic Party’s failure to unequivocally support Israel and its willingness to tolerate extreme progressive voices that justify or condone acts of terrorism,” Cassel said. “I’m constantly troubled by the inability of the current Democratic Party to relate to everyday Floridians.”
“I can no longer remain in a party that doesn’t represent my values,” she continued.
Read more: https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5057873-second-florida-democratic-lawmaker-switches-to-gop/amp/
Biden administration withdraws proposed rule limiting transgender bans in sports
Source: MSN
(Reuters) - The Biden administration on Friday withdrew a proposed rule change that would have prohibited schools from banning transgender athletes from teams matching their gender identities.
The administration notified the public that it had withdrawn the proposed rule in the Federal Register.
The administration had proposed the rule in April 2023, inviting the public to comment. It said on Friday that it had received more than 150,000 public replies.
Many of the comments were against the proposed rule, the administration wrote in its Federal Register filing. That, along with multiple pending lawsuits related to gender identity and sports, led the administration "not to regulate on this issue at this time."
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/biden-administration-withdraws-proposed-rule-limiting-transgender-bans-in-sports/ar-AA1wfMuq?ocid=BingNewsBrowse
Hochul expands National Guard presence on New York subways
Source: Politico
NEW YORK — An additional 250 members of the National Guard will be deployed to New York City’s subway system as Gov. Kathy Hochul presses to bolster safety on the nation’s largest mass transit system as riders’ concerns about crime and disorder persist.
Hochul on Wednesday expanded a plan she unveiled earlier this year to improve safety and encourage more people to ride the trains since a 2020 pandemic drop that hurt the MTA’s revenue.
“The presence of the National Guard has made not just a physical difference, but a psychological difference in how (people) feel about safety,” the Democratic governor, flanked by police and transit officials, said at a news conference.
All subway cars will also be outfitted with security cameras — the culmination of a project started two years ago, Hochul said, noting, “We want to make sure there are eyes everywhere.”
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/18/hochul-national-guard-subways-00195228
Canada announces new border rules following Trump tariff threat
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/articles/czx5p41696po.amp
Canada has promised to implement a set of sweeping new security measures along the country's US border, including strengthened surveillance and a joint "strike force" to target transnational organised crime.
The pledge follows a threat from President-elect Donald Trump to impose, when he takes office in January, a 25% tariff on Canadian goods if the country does not secure its shared border to the flow of irregular migrants and illegal drugs.
Economists say such tariffs could strike a blow to Canada's economy.
Announcing details of the plan, Canada's minister of finance and intergovernmental affairs said the federal government would devote C$1.3bn ($900m; £700m) to the plan.
Read more: BBC
Senior Democrat Gerry Connolly beats out AOC in key vote for top party post on Oversight panel
Source: NBC News
WASHINGTON — A powerful panel of congressional Democrats on Monday recommended Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York for the top Democratic post on the House Oversight Committee, favoring a much more senior member of the party’s caucus to take on the second Trump administration.
The closed-door meeting of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which is closely aligned with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., yielded 34 votes for Connolly and 27 for Ocasio-Cortez, according to a member of the panel. The position opened up after the top Democrat on Oversight, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., challenged Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., for a similar post on the Judiciary Committee, prompting Nadler to bow out.
In an upset, the Steering panel on Monday recommended Rep. Angie Craig of Minnesota to be the top Democrat of the Agriculture Committee. She secured 34 votes and beat out two much more senior rivals — California Rep. Jim Costa, who got 22 votes, and Georgia Rep. David Scott, who received just five votes and has held the top Agriculture job since 2021 — on the first ballot.
For the top Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, the Steering panel recommended senior Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., over more junior Rep. Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M. The vote was 44 to 17.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/gerry-connolly-beats-aoc-key-vote-oversight-ranking-member-rcna184427
Schumer requests "special drone-detection tech" for N.Y. and N.J.
Source: Axios
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday that he's "working to pass a bill" to give local law enforcement "more tools for drone detection" following a spate of mysterious sightings in Northeastern U.S. states.
The big picture: Schumer in online statements urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to send "special drone-detection tech" to New York and New Jersey to tackle the unidentified flying objects problem that saw N.Y. Stewart International Airport shut down Friday.
The Senate majority leader told reporters Sunday he's requesting Robin Radar Systems because they have "360-degree technology."
He added: "If the technology exists for a drone to make it up into the sky, there certainly is technology that can track the craft with precision and determine what the heck is going on, and that's what the Robin does."
State of play: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) in an online statement Sunday said "our federal partners" were "deploying a state-of-the-art drone detection system" to N.Y., which she said would support state and federal law enforcement in their investigations into the matter, but she said further assistance was needed.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/12/15/drone-detection-new-york-new-jersey-chuck-schumer
Matt Gaetz in talks to join Democratic megadonor's law firm
Source: Politico
Matt Gaetz may be taking on a second job.
Prominent Florida megadonor John Morgan is actively in talks with the former Republican lawmaker about joining his firm, Morgan & Morgan, he told POLITICO in an extensive interview. The job would be in addition to the role Gaetz announced on Tuesday that he’s joining the conservative One America News Network as a prime-time host beginning in January.
Morgan praised Gaetz, who recently withdrew from consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general, for his positions on marijuana legalization, property insurance and processed foods.
“A lot of the things that my politics are, Matt Gaetz’s are,” said Morgan, who has given heavily to Democratic candidates but is registered in Florida as a no-party affiliated voter.
Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/11/matt-gaetz-john-morgan-law-firm-00000146
Florida Republicans grow supermajority as Tampa Democrat switches sides
Source: Tallahassee Democrat
Tampa state Rep. Susan Valdes on Monday switched her party registration from Democrat to Republican. The move expands the GOP majority in the House to 86-34, the largest Republican majority in the House, according to a memo from Speaker Danny Perez, R-Miami.
In a statement, Valdes, who is term limited and was recently re-elected as a Democrat, said she didn’t want to spend the next two years being “ignored” by her party.
“In the House, I have long known that no one has a monopoly on good ideas,” Valdes wrote in a statement posted on X. “I will not waste my final two years in the Florida Legislature being ignored in a caucus whose leadership expects me to ignore the needs of my community.”
Valdes was a former Hillsborough County School Board member who first ran for the House as a Democrat in 2018. She has frequently criticized Republicans, especially for harsh immigration policies and rhetoric.
Read more: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/2024/12/09/susan-valdes-tampa-democrat-florida-house-rep-switches-to-republican/76862712007/
Cubas electric grid collapses after power plant failure
Source: MSN
HAVANA (Reuters) - Cuba`s national electric grid collapsed early on Wednesday morning after the country's largest power plant failed, the energy and mines ministry said, plunging millions of people into darkness.
Several such failures have hit the country over the past two months as Cuba`s power generation systems have fallen into disarray amid fuel shortages, natural disasters and economic crisis.
The mines ministry said it was working to reconnect the electrical system.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/cuba-s-electric-grid-collapses-after-power-plant-failure/ar-AA1vfWTG
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