Gov. DeSantis says only ‘consenting’ migrants were shipped to Martha’s Vineyard

Florida’s Governor is sounding off about sanctuary cities and his controversial migrant flights, saying that those people taxpayers paid to fly from Texas to Massachusetts boarded the flights to Martha’s Vineyard of their own free will and without better options.....Read More

We can now stop worrying about the planet: FL Legislature has written climate change out of the law

You probably think Ron DeSantis and the yahoos, grifters, simps, dolts, and dunderheads who populate the Florida Legislature are collectively incapable of solving even one of the bazillion issues facing this state.

Well, we can now stop worrying about the planet: Your bought-and-paid-for Legislature has delivered a bill that amends Florida statutes to delete all references to climate change. Thanks to them, climate change is gone. Erased. Kaputt. Ya no es. C’est fini.

Genius!

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THOUSANDS Of Israelis Take To The Streets To Demand Netanyahu's Ouster

Israelis are demanding immediate elections to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his failure to secure the release of hostages. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian discuss on The Young Turks.

Abortion Becomes ‘Front And Center’ In Florida

The Florida Supreme Court last week issued explosive decisions that rolled back decades of legal precedents and set in motion a dramatic restriction on abortion while paving the way for an electoral clash over abortion rights in November.....Read More

Israeli military blames mistaken identity in aid workers’ deaths; dismisses two officers

Top left to right: Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom of Australia, Damian Soból of Poland, and Jacob Flickinger of the U.S. and Canada. Bottom left to right: John Chapman of Britain, James Henderson of Britain and James Kirby of Britain.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday dismissed two officers after finding that a fatal strike this week killing seven workers with the charity group World Central Kitchen (WCK) should not have occurred.

A preliminary investigation carried out by the Israeli Joint Chiefs of Staff found that the IDF mistakenly thought a convoy carrying the workers — who had communicated their movements to the military — were armed Hamas fighters and not from WCK.

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Ybor Life

7th Ave

Rep. Maxwell Frost Calls Out 'Right-Wing Leaders' Restricting Freedom With Abortion Bans

Chris Cano for DNC Delegate

Matt Gaetz Dodges Interview During Cancelled Trump Rally

NO MORE EXCUSES: Immunity claims won’t stop Trump hush money trial, judge rules

Donald Trump was successful last month in obtaining a 30-day delay in his hush money case, but his bid for a longer delay has been denied. Barring any further changes, the trial will begin on April 15th.....Read More

Elections law caused ‘dramatic decrease’ in voter registrations by community groups, official says

A Florida elections supervisor testified Wednesday that new restrictions on voter-registration organizations, including vastly increased fines for violations of the law, has produced a “dramatic” decrease in their efforts to sign up new voters.....Read More

2024 Local Candidates (Updated 4/3/2024)

Gathered here is a list of all the 2024 local candidates who have currently filed with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections office as of 4/3/2024.

Candidate names link to that candidate's campaign website. Where a campaign website doesn't exist, the link is to the candidate's Facebook page.

Candidate names for Judicial seats link to their campaign website or to their official Hillsborough County Judicial website.

What you need to know about six issues on Florida’s November 2024 ballot

With the state Supreme Court this week signing off on ballot initiatives about abortion rights and the recreational use of marijuana, Floridians in November will vote on six proposed constitutional amendments. Passage of each proposal would require support from at least 60 percent of voters. Here are brief descriptions of the six issues.....Read More

Democrats argue against criminalization of unhoused people in Supreme Court brief

A host of Democratic legislators have filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in opposition to subjecting unhoused people to criminal penalties. 

Led by Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), 18 Democrats argue that arresting or fining people who have no other choice than sleeping outside is unconstitutional and will trap unhoused people in a cycle of poverty.

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Tampa Riverfest 2024

Riverfest is a public, two-day, FREE event that is held the first weekend in May each year.  The festival spans the entire length of the Riverwalk including several parks and features family-friendly activities and events showcasing Tampa's cultural institutions, local musicians and restaurants.

Story and Schedule HERE

MAJORING IN SOLIDARITY

Join us on Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET for a livestream discussion with graduate workers who are taking on greed and winning.

Biden administration asks Republicans to extend popular broadband discount program

President Joe Biden’s administration on Tuesday called on Republicans in Congress to extend funding for the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program, a consumer broadband rebate program used by more than 23 million households.

Members of Congress in January introduced bipartisan legislation that would add a $7 billion extension to the Affordable Connectivity Program. Without an extension, it’s expected to run out of funding this month.

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Explosive Atlantic hurricane season predicted for 2024, AccuWeather experts warn

A super-charged hurricane season could spawn a near-record number of storms in the Atlantic this year, and forecasters may even run out of names for storms amid a frenzy of tropical systems.....Read More

Law enforcement seeing alarming trend of criminals packing more bullets

After an officer-involved shooting in St. Petersburg law enforcement agencies are calling attention to an alarming trend of criminals packing more bullets.

Hillsborough County School Board votes to place property tax increase on November ballot

Hillsborough County School Board votes to place property tax increase on November ballot

ACLU against Lakeland facial recognition cameras

The facial recognition system in downtown Lakeland is meant to deter crime, but the ACLU argues it violates people's privacy.

Migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can sue charter flight company

Lawyers representing migrants flown to Martha’s Vineyard nearly two years ago by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can sue the charter flight company that transported them to the island off the Massachusetts coast, according to a ruling Monday by a federal judge in Boston.....Read More

US considers major new weapons sale to Israel

The Biden administration is mulling a major new arms sale to Israel amid calls to stop sending weapons to the ally as civilian casualties in Gaza mount, The Hill confirmed Monday. 

The U.S. government is considering selling Israel up to 50 new F-15 fighter jets, 30 AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles, as well as Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, equipment that can alter dumb bombs into precision-guided weapons, Politico first reported.

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Florida Supreme Court upholds state’s 15-week ban on most abortions, paving way for 6-week ban

The Florida Supreme Court on Monday upheld the state’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which means a subsequently passed six-week ban can soon take effect.....Read More

Supreme Court allows voters to weigh in on marijuana legalization

The 5-2 decision on Monday could open up a recreational marijuana market.

Eight years after Florida voters approved medical marijuana, they will have a chance to weigh in on recreational adult use.

The Florida Supreme Court gave its approval Monday to the Adult Personal Use of Marijuana citizen initiative, which could expand the current retail model beyond medical necessity, allowing visitors to the state and residents without qualifying conditions access to the product.

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Florida politicos react to Supreme Court ruling putting abortion on 2024 ballot

The Florida Supreme Court’s major ruling Monday will allow voters to weigh in on whether to amend the state’s constitution to protect abortion rights until the point of viability.....Read More

AT&T says a data breach leaked millions of customers' information online. Were you affected?

The theft of sensitive information belonging to millions of AT&T's current and former customers has been recently discovered online, the telecommunications giant said over the weekend.

In a Saturday announcement addressing the data breach, AT&T said that a dataset found on the “dark web” contains information including some Social Security numbers and passcodes for about 7.6 million current account holders and 65.4 million former account holders.

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Pat Kemp to seek Democratic nomination in CD 15, hopes to challenge Laurel Lee

Hillsborough County Commissioner Pat Kemp has filed to run for Republican U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee’s seat in Florida’s 15th Congressional District.....Read More