Volusia County Sheriff withdraws endorsement of Randy Fine

Rapper turned civic leader Luther Campbell challenges Cherfilus-McCormick in congressional primary

Source: Sun-Sentinel

Luther Campbell, the rap music icon, free-speech advocate and civic activist, launched a primary challenge Sunday against U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, who is under federal indictment and now faces a widening field of political rivals.

Campbell said in an interview on the WPLG-Ch. 10 “This Week In South Florida” program that he’s been meeting with residents of the sprawling Broward-Palm Beach county 20th Congressional District. He said they have great, unmet needs, and the incumbent isn’t doing enough to solve them.

His conclusion: “I’m going to run for Congress in CD 20.”

“What I heard, and what I already know, is it is a very underserved community. Our district is very underserved. The district, the representation of the district, is not there. People want to be able to engage with their congressperson,” Campbell said. “I looked at the race and I said if the congresswoman was doing her job, then I wouldn’t get in the race. That’s not my thing.”

Read more: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/02/15/rapper-turned-civic-leader-luther-campbell-challenges-cherfilus-mccormick-in-congressional-primary/?share=er2w2sucurueoinpiisc&fbclid=Iwb21leAP_F_tjbGNrA_8X9mV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHrX9kJQWc1accMLozSMsThHaDleVJZ36MurGHPaTvXz8R5luyGRBaJV_wE2D_aem_z9sHPb2elH_wzo2UphU3FA

Bangladesh Nationalist Party claims victory in country's first election since 2024 uprising

Source: Associated Press

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — The Bangladesh Nationalist Party has claimed victory in the country’s first election since the 2024 uprising, positioning itself to form the next government and potentially reshape Bangladesh’s political landscape after years of intense rivalry and disputed polls.

The party’s media unit said on X Friday that it had secured enough seats in Parliament to govern on its own, though rival group Jamaat-e-Islami raised concerns over delayed results.

The final tally has not yet been announced by the Election Commission, but several local media outlets reported the BNP crossing the 151-seat threshold needed for a majority in the 350-member Parliament.

The Election Commission said Friday the voter turnout in Thursday’s election stood at 59.44%. More than 127 million voters were eligible.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-election-hasina-tarique-rahman-bnp-8ec3a74b4488dfe998b3d1d232c3ba4f

City of Seattle found negligent in deadly 2020 CHOP shooting

Source: KIRO-TV

The City of Seattle was found negligent for the killing of 16-year-old Antonio Mays Jr., who was shot in the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) in 2020, The Post Millennial reported Thursday.

Seattle was found liable for a “state-created danger” after abandoning the Seattle Police Department (SPD) East Precinct, fortifying the zone with barriers, and prohibiting police from entering the area. Plaintiffs argued this allowed violence to escalate and delayed aid to Mays Jr.

The city will have to pay Mays Jr.’s family more than $30 million in damages — $4 million to the estate of Mays Jr. and $26 million to Mays Sr., according to The Seattle Times.

Antonio Mays Sr., Mays Jr.’s father, filed a lawsuit against Seattle in 2022, claiming the city failed to provide emergency services to protesters in CHOP.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/city-seattle-found-negligent-deadly-233002972.html

El Portal Councilman sparks outrage after using N-Word twice in public meeting; calls for apology, resignation grow

An El Portal Village councilmember is under fire for using the N-word twice during a meeting.

Councilmember Anders Urbom says he was quoting someone to describe where he thinks the country is heading.

At the end of last week's planning and zoning meeting, Urbom wanted to bring up an issue he's seen in the community, border patrol agents stopping people.

"It just seemed odd that a CPB officer was doing a traffic stop," he said. At the end of his retelling of the traffic stop, he continued on.

more: https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/el-portal-councilman-sparks-outrage-after-using-n-word-twice-in-public-meeting-calls-for-apology-resignation-grow/

Germany's Merz floats possibility of EU-India trade deal by end of January

Source: Reuters

AHMEDABAD, India, Jan 12 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz floated on Monday the possibility that the European Union and India could sign a landmark free trade agreement by the end of January, a move that could reshape global trade ties as protectionism rises and U.S.-India talks remain stalled.

Top EU leaders would travel to India to seal the deal if negotiations wrap up in time, Merz told reporters in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Monday after meeting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"In any case, they will take another major step forward to ensure that this free trade agreement comes into being," Merz said during his first trip to India since becoming chancellor.

European Union officials have yet to comment.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/merz-germany-wants-closer-security-cooperation-with-india-reduce-russia-reliance-2026-01-12/?lctg=67e20b8a81092991ea0c50e0

Supreme Court Resolves Split Over Federal Inmates' Habeas Rights

Source: Bloomberg

A provision of the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act requiring federal courts to dismiss certain previously raised habeas corpus claims applies only to state prisoners’ applications, the US Supreme Court said Friday.

“AEDPA is replete with examples of Congress treating state and federal prisoners differently,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the 5-4 court.

The decision resolves a six-to-three circuit split that the justices were eager to resolve over the extent of the law’s applicability.

Significant structural barriers resulted in the question presented in petitioner Michael Bowe’s case having a history of evading review.

Read more: https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/supreme-court-resolves-split-over-federal-inmates-habeas-rights

Venezuela to release a 'significant number' of prisoners as gesture to 'seek peace'

Source: ABC News

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Venezuela will release a “significant number” of Venezuelan and foreigners imprisoned in the country, the head of Venezuela’s national assembly said Thursday.

Jorge Rodríguez, brother of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, did not specify who they would be releasing or how many people would be released.

Despite mass detentions following the tumultuous 2024 election, Venezuela’s government maintains it doesn’t keep political prisoners.

The U.S. government and the country’s opposition have demanded the release of opposition figures and critics.


Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/amp/International/wireStory/venezuela-release-significant-number-prisoners-gesture-seek-peace-129026156

Congress passes Lumbee recognition bill, heads to Trump's desk

Source: Yahoo News

Lumbee Chairman John Lowery testified before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs on Nov. 5, 2025. (Photo from senate.gov)

The Senate approved federal recognition for the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina on Wednesday as part of the National Defense Authorization Act, following passage by the House last week.

In a vote Wednesday, a broad bipartisan coalition of senators approved the bill in a 77-20 vote, following a 312-112 vote in the House last Wednesday. The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk, where he can now deliver on a pledge for recognition that he made during his campaign stops in North Carolina in both 2020 and 2024.

The Lumbee are set to become the largest federally recognized tribe east of the Mississippi River with more than 55,000 enrolled members and only the second with full federal recognition based in North Carolina after the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/congress-passes-lumbee-recognition-bill-231924592.html

Trump, Clinton, Gates included in Epstein photo trove

Source: Politico

Photos from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein tie the late, convicted sex offender to President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, tech billionaire Bill Gates and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers.

These men and others are featured in the roughly 95,000 photos the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has received from the Epstein estate as part of its ongoing investigation. House Democrats publicly released select 19 photos Friday morning.

“It is time to end this White House cover-up and bring justice to the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and his powerful friends,” said the Oversight Committee’s top Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia of California, in a statement. “These disturbing photos raise even more questions about Epstein and his relationships with some of the most powerful men in the world. We will not rest until the American people get the truth. The Department of Justice must release all the files, NOW.”

The White House and other individuals in the photographs beyond Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/12/trump-clinton-gates-included-in-epstein-photo-trove-00688628?experience_id=EXYF89KVT5UQ&is_login_link=true&template_id=OTJIR2CRKUD6&variant_id=OTV632IE7RALS