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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Relatives of Tyre Nichols, George Floyd and Eric Garner — three Black men killed in violent confrontations with police officers — expressed frustration Friday with politicians who have failed to pass police reform legislation or have worked to invalidate laws intended to reduce chances that citizens' encounters with police end in death. Philonise Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, told an audience at a police violence symposium in Memphis that the time has come for Congress to pass a federal law that would ban certain police tactics such as chokeholds and no-knock warrants. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, proposed after Floyd died in Minneapolis in May 2020 after a white police officer pressed his knee to his neck for more than nine minutes, was passed by the House in 2021, but the Senate failed to reach a consensus. “You need to know your politicians ... because these are people that are not applying pressure to help,” Floyd said. Nichols' parents said they are seeking to meet with Lee, who has never vetoed a bill.

Persons: Tyre Nichols, George Floyd, Eric Garner —, —, Philonise Floyd, Floyd, ” Floyd, “ I'm, Nichols, RowVaughn Wells, Rodney Wells, Gwen Carr, Garner, Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon Martin, United, Bill Lee, Republican Donald Trump, Lee, it's, ” Fulton, George Zimmerman, She's, Florida's, Fulton, Ron DeSantis, “, Carr, Eric Garner, Garner's, ”, Weeks, Michael Brown, Andrew Cuomo, “ It's, There's Organizations: George Floyd Justice, House, Senate, National Civil Rights Museum, Black Memphis, City Council, Republican, Tennessee General Assembly, Tennessee Gov, Florida's Republican Gov, Gov Locations: MEMPHIS, Tenn, Memphis, Minneapolis, Black, Tennessee, Florida, New York, Ferguson , Missouri

DeSantis said last week that while Christian Ziegler is innocent until proven guilty, he should resign to avoid becoming a distraction to their party. He also didn't address his wife telling detectives that the couple and the woman had group sex once, more than a year ago. DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern did not return a call and text message Sunday seeking comment on Ziegler’s refusal to resign. The rape accusation against Christian Ziegler became public last week after the Florida Center for Government Accountability, an investigative news organization, obtained a police report and the search warrant affidavits detailing the allegations. Detectives seized Christian Ziegler’s phone on Nov. 2, the affidavits say.

Persons: Christian Ziegler, Bridget Ziegler, ”, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Ziegler, “, ” Christian Ziegler, Jeremy Redfern, Liberty —, Bridget Ziegler “ couldn't, Christian Ziegler’s, Brendan Farrington Organizations: Republican Party, Liberty, Gov, GOP, Sarasota Police, Florida GOP, Walt Disney, Disney, Florida Center, Government, Associated Press Locations: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla, Florida, Sarasota County, Tallahassee , Florida

His wife, Bridget Ziegler, told detectives that the three had engaged in sex once more than a year ago. Christian Ziegler did not immediately respond to a phone message left Saturday seeking comment. The woman told detectives that she and Christian Ziegler have known each other for more than 20 years. In a phone call, the woman told Ziegler that he had sexually assaulted her. Detectives seized Christian Ziegler’s phone on Nov. 2 and accessed his Google account two weeks ago, the affidavits say.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, Christian Ziegler, Ziegler, Derek Byrd, Bridget Ziegler, DeSantis, Donald Trump, “, ” Ziegler, Nikki Fried, ” Fried, Liberty wasn't, Angela Cox, “ couldn’t, Cox, ”, Christian Ziegler’s Organizations: Florida Republican Party, LBGTQ, Police, Republican Party, Sarasota Police, Associated Press, Liberty, Florida GOP, Walt Disney, Disney, Republicans, America, Florida Democratic Party, Florida Center, Government, AP, Google Locations: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla, Florida, Sarasota County, ”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The chairman of Florida's Republican Party is the subject of a rape investigation, though no charges have been filed and his lawyer said he will be exonerated. Still, the investigation into Christian Ziegler comes at a critical time for the Republican Party of Florida: Two Florida Republicans — former President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis — are running for president and the state GOP is working to reelect U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. The Florida Center for Government Accountability was first to publicly report about the investigation into Ziegler, who is married to Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler. The Associated Press asked the Sarasota Police Department for documents related to an investigation into Christian Ziegler.

Persons: Christian Ziegler, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis —, Sen, Rick Scott, Ziegler, Bridget Ziegler, Mr, ”, Derek Byrd, “, Nikki Fried, “ Ziegler can’t, ” Ziegler, DeSantis, Ron DeSantis, Curt Anderson Organizations: Republican Party, Republican Party of Florida, Florida Republicans, Gov, GOP, U.S, Republicans, U.S . House, Florida Center, Government, Liberty, The Associated Press, Sarasota Police Department, Democratic, Florida GOP, Republican, Sarasota County School Board, Disney Locations: TALLAHASSEE, Fla, Florida, U.S, St . Petersburg , Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida's Republican attorney general will oppose a proposed amendment protecting the right to an abortion if it makes next year's ballot, she told the state Supreme Court when she advised justices Monday that a petition has reached enough signatures to trigger a language review. Attorney General Ashley Moody notified the court of its responsibility and said she will eventually argue the language isn't valid, though she didn't explain why. DeSantis approved last year banning abortion after 15 weeks is being challenged in court. DeSantis, who is running for president, has said he would support a federal abortion ban after 15 weeks. If the amendment makes the ballot and is approved by at least 60% of votes cast, it would protect the right to an abortion up to the point the fetus can survive outside the womb.

Persons: —, Ashley Moody, DeSantis, — DeSantis Organizations: Republican, Republicans Locations: TALLAHASSEE, Fla

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — For nearly a week, families whose lives were upended by a Nashville elementary school shooting took turns sharing dark details to Tennessee lawmakers. Meanwhile, families have waded into the legislative process, uncovering and reliving personally painful details before lawmakers — privately, publicly or both — with mixed results. The inaction this year in Tennessee was markedly different than how Florida reacted five years ago to a massive school shooting. Parents offered similar pleas in Tennessee last month during a brief special legislative session called by Republican Gov. For many parents, it signaled they would likely retell and relive these dark moments for many more months, as they pledged to seek change next legislative session and in the 2024 statehouse elections.

Persons: —, ”, Melissa Alexander, reliving, “, Melissa Brymer, Marjory Stoneman, “ I’ve, Max Schachter, Alex, I’m, Kimberly Mata, Rubio, Lexi, ” Mata, Bill Lee, Jeremy Faison, Sarah Shoop Neumann, audibly, Chris Todd, Becky Hansen, sobbed, Abby McLean, ” McLean, ” Alexander, Paul Weber Organizations: Covenant School, Republican, General Assembly, Democratic, UCLA, Duke University National Center for, Florida's Republican, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Robb Elementary School, Texas Capitol, Texas House, Republican Gov, Capitol, Covenant, House Republicans, Senate, Associated Press Locations: Tenn, Tennessee, United States, Florida, Parkland, Texas, Uvalde, Austin , Texas

It's on the rise," Biden said in the White House's East room, speaking to civil rights leaders including the family of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., gathered for the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington. A 21-year old white gunman shot and killed three Black people at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida, on Saturday. Vice President Kamala Harris, in the East Room, warned that "there are those who are intentionally trying to divide us as a nation." White supremacy "has no place in America," White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters earlier on Monday. "Over the last 60 years this country has come a long way" to battle racism and white supremacy ideology, Stephen Benjamin, director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, said at the briefing.

Persons: Malcom Jackson, Joe Biden, Biden, Martin Luther King Jr, Ryan Christopher Palmeter, T.K, Waters, Kamala Harris, Karine Jean, Pierre, Stephen Benjamin, Benjamin said, Ron DeSantis, Benjamin, Steve Holland, Jarrett Renshaw, Heather Timmons, David Gregorio, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, White, Authorities, FBI, Office, Public, Republican, Thomson Locations: Jacksonville , Florida, U.S, Florida, Washington, America

☆ Twitter is starting to look a lot like Fox News
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk's Twitter is starting to morph into a version of Fox News. Earlier this month, Tucker Carlson announced he would relaunch his show on the platform. Twitter is starting to look a lot like a certain conservative cable giant. Earlier this month, disgraced former Fox News host Tucker Carlson announced he'd be bringing his show to Twitter. Ron DeSantis would be announcing his presidential campaign on Twitter in a conversation with Musk.

☆ Iger hammers Florida 'retaliation' on Disney's earnings call
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Walt Disney Company isn't the only business in Florida that operates within a special district, CEO Bob Iger reminded investors Wednesday. "The case that we filed last month made our position and the facts very clear," he said during an earnings call. Disney's amended lawsuit also noted that Florida's Republican-led Legislature passed legislation last week targeting Walt Disney World's monorail system. He said the company is the largest taxpayer in central Florida, having paid more than $1.1 billion in state and local taxes last year. "So this is plainly a matter of retaliation while the rest of the Florida special districts continue operating basically as they were."

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum in Titusville, May 1, 2023. Ron DeSantis, accusing the Republican leader of doubling down on his "retribution campaign" against the company by signing legislation to void Disney's development deals in Orlando. Disney's amended lawsuit also noted that Florida's Republican-led legislature passed legislation last week targeting Walt Disney World's monorail system. On Friday, the final day of the state's 2023 legislative session, DeSantis signed a bill that included language effectively targeting Disney's development contracts. Linda Stewart, a Democrat representing Florida's 13th Senate district and a staunch critic of DeSantis' actions against Disney, called the feud between DeSantis and Disney "insane" and laid blame with her Republican counterparts.

In a roughly 20-minute speech, Haley described the debate around abortion as an issue for each state to decide. I believe in compassion, not anger," said Haley, a former governor of South Carolina and the only female candidate in the Republican presidential race. During the speech, Haley spoke of personal experiences, including her own difficulty conceiving. REPUBLICANS AT ODDS OVER ABORTIONOff the campaign trail, some Republicans are criticizing the party's handling of the issue. U.S. Republican presidential candidate and former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley delivers a campaign policy speech on abortion in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. April 25, 2023.

☆ Florida Governor Desantis signs 6-week abortion ban law
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We are proud to support life and family in the state of Florida," DeSantis said in a statement. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found that about 50% of Americans strongly or somewhat oppose a national six-week abortion ban, including 44% of Republicans. The fate of the ban will depend on the outcome of a court challenge to the state's 15-week abortion ban, which abortion providers have argued violates the state constitutional right to privacy. If the Florida Supreme Court rules that the 15-week ban is constitutional, the six-week ban would take effect 30 days later. Patients from across the U.S. Southeast have been traveling to Florida to end their pregnancies since the U.S. Supreme Court gutted federal abortion rights.

☆ Catholic leader accuses Ron DeSantis — who has positioned himself as a defender of the Christian faith — and Florida Republicans of seeking to criminalize 'empathy' with new anti-immigrant crackdown
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski says a Republican immigration bill would criminalize "empathy." Wenski accused Florida Republicans of trying to "demonize" vulnerable people. In a statement issued Thursday, Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski echoed that criticism, accusing Florida Republicans of playing state-level politics with a federal issue. It is not the first time that DeSantis and Florida's Republicans have run afoul of the Catholic Church. In February, the Florida Catholic Conference, which represents the state's bishops, told Insider that it opposes a DeSantis-led push to expand the death penalty.

☆ Florida lawmakers approve 6-week abortion ban, sending bill to DeSantis for signature
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Gabriella Borter | Thomson Reuters | Gabriella Borter Is A Reporter On The U.S. National Affairs Team | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

April 13 (Reuters) - Florida's Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to a six-week abortion ban, setting the stage for abortion access to be drastically curtailed in the state and across the U.S. South. Lawmakers in the Florida House approved the ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy in a 70-40 vote. A Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Wednesday found that about 50% of Americans strongly or somewhat oppose a national six-week abortion ban, including 44% of Republicans. The fate of the ban will depend on the outcome of a court challenge to the state's 15-week abortion ban, which abortion providers have argued violates the state constitutional right to privacy. If the Florida Supreme Court rules that the 15-week ban is constitutional, the six-week ban would take effect 30 days later.

☆ Florida lawmakers approve 6-week abortion ban, sending to Governor Desantis for signature
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Gabriella Borter | Thomson Reuters | Gabriella Borter Is A Reporter On The U.S. National Affairs Team | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 13 (Reuters) - Florida's Republican-led House of Representatives on Thursday gave final approval to a six-week abortion ban, setting the stage for abortion access to be drastically curtailed in the state and across the U.S. South. Lawmakers in the Florida House on Thursday approved the six-week ban with a vote of 70-40. While some 13 states ban abortion at six weeks and earlier, polling has consistently showed that most Americans support legal abortion in most cases. The fate of the ban may depend on the outcome of a court challenge to the state's current 15-week abortion ban, which abortion providers have argued violates the state constitutional right to privacy. The case is pending with the Florida Supreme Court.

Here is a snapshot of pending and passed legislation seeking to restrict or protect access in 2023. KANSAS: Although Kansans voted in favor of state abortion rights on a ballot measure last year, the Republican-led state Senate has passed a prohibition on prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine. The Republican-led state is currently enforcing a total abortion ban, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother. MONTANA: The Republican-led state Senate has passed a bill seeking to overturn a 1999 state Supreme Court ruling that found that the state constitution protected a right to abortion. SOUTH CAROLINA: Despite the fact that the state Supreme Court recently struck down a six-week abortion ban in a 3-2 vote, Republicans have introduced a near-total abortion ban and a six-week ban this year.

Florida currently has a law banning abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is being challenged in court. Republicans in the state House of Representatives and Senate filed concurrent bills last month to restrict the procedure further, starting at six weeks of pregnancy. With Republicans controlling the legislature and governorship in Florida, a six-week ban is likely to become law. The fate of the legislation also depends on how the state supreme court rules in a challenge of the 15-week ban. A six-week ban would restrict abortion access across the U.S. South, where most other states have already banned the procedure at early stages of pregnancy.

☆ Ron DeSantis will spend up to $4 billion on school vouchers for Florida families to challenge 'woke' public schools
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Ethan Dodd | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ron DeSantis is waging a war against 'woke' public schools. On Monday, the governor signed universal school vouchers into law, which both conservatives and liberals expect to hurt public schools. Public school enrollment has only dropped a few percentage points, from 89.6% to 87.2%, since Republican Gov. Now, however, DeSantis' move to broaden the voucher program to all Florida families could meaningfully threaten funding for public schools. Spar fears universal vouchers "will literally siphon money away" from public schools because it's all under the same education budget.

Some 65% of respondents - including 46% of Republicans and 68% of independents - said they were less likely to vote for a presidential candidate in 2024 who supports laws banning or severely restricting abortion access. DeSantis last year signed a Florida law banning abortions after 15 weeks, saying the measure would protect "the rights of unborn children." The online Reuters/Ipsos poll had a credibility interval of between around two and four percentage points. The Reuters/Ipsos poll found 61% of respondents nationwide, including 66% of independents, prefer a candidate who opposes allowing medical treatment for minors related to gender identity. Reuters GraphicsThe Reuters/Ipsos poll found that nationwide, women were more likely than men to oppose severe abortion restrictions and permitless concealed guns.

☆ DeSantis' hand-picked Walt Disney World oversight board meets for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Dawn Chmielewski | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Octavio JonesMarch 8 (Reuters) - A new board controlling Walt Disney World's special taxing district in Florida will meet for the first time on Wednesday, as Governor Ron DeSantis' hand-picked group gets ready to end the entertainment giant's "corporate kingdom." Nothing in the language of the legislation creating the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District gives the board of supervisors authority to direct Walt Disney Co's (DIS.N) content. "The District board members are now in place and will be examining all of the needed actions to get back on track," Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor, said on Tuesday. Legislators in Florida passed a bill in February giving DeSantis effective control over a board that oversees municipal services and development in a special district that encompasses Walt Disney World resort. “Shameful to see Disney continue to use children as pawns to advance their WOKE political agenda,” Ziegler tweeted.

☆ Miami's popular Republican Mayor Suarez weighs GOP challenge to Trump for White House in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Brian Schwartz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Miami's popular Republican Mayor Francis Suarez has been privately holding court with wealthy political financiers as he considers challenging former President Donald Trump for the GOP nomination in 2024, according to party fundraisers and donors familiar with the matter. Since late last year, Suarez has been privately laying the groundwork for a possible run for the White House. If Suarez enters the presidential primary, he follows another popular mayor who made a longshot run for the White House. The apparent feud between DeSantis and Suarez could come to a head if both run for president in 2024. The Miami mayor will be back in New York in April holding similar meetings, the fundraisers said.

☆ Book bans and restrictions are a losing issue for Republicans
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Polling says books bans are popular with most GOP respondents, but it could backfire in 2024. But the issue could come back to haunt the GOP in the 2024 general election, with book bans remain unpopular with the general electorate. Independents don't like book bans. According to YouGov polling, 67% of respondents who voted for President Donald Trump in 2020 said they approved of banning books. "Did you ever think when you were teaching, you'd be worrying about book burning and banning books all because it doesn't fit someone's political agenda?"

☆ Missouri bill aims to outdo Florida's 'Don't Say Gay' by banning school staff from discussing sexual orientation with students
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Missouri bill would stop school staff talking to children about LGBTQ issues without parental consent. It goes further than Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, introduced last year. The bill is similar to Florida's Parental Rights in Education Act, dubbed the "Don't Say Gay" bill by critics. Moon said at the the hearing that he only meant to ban talking about LGBTQ relationships, according to the Missouri Independent. But he was challenged by other lawmakers, who said the bill does more far than that, the report said.

☆ Who is Rep. Byron Donalds — ultra-conservatives' latest pick for House Speaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida is the far-right faction's latest choice for House Speaker. The 44-year-old is a second-term lawmaker and one of only five Black Republicans in Congress. Donalds graduated from Florida State University with a degree in financing and marketing. After an unsuccessful 2012 Congressional bid, Donalds was elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2016. One of only five Black Republicans in Congress, Donalds expressed excitement about the number of Black Republicans running for Congress in 2022.

☆ Judge who denied teenager an abortion, citing her school grades, reappointed by Florida Gov DeSantis
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Ron DeSantis reappointed a judge who denied a teen an abortion partly over her grades. Judge Jared Smith talked about her grades and said she had "less than average" intelligence in his ruling. He later lost re-election, but has now been appointed to the Sixth District Court of Appeal. Ron DeSantis has reappointed a judge who lost his re-election after denying a teenager an abortion, citing her school grades. The teenager successfully appealed Smith's ruling, with the Second District Court ruling 2-1 in her favor, Insider previously reported.

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