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Two reports released Monday provide a mixed but compelling outlook on the wave of book removals and challenges as the annual Banned Books Week begins for schools, stores and libraries nationwide. The ALA attributed the decline in book challenges in the first eight months of 2024, in part, to the work of anti-censorship activists and “success in courts” against laws that restrict book access. “But, you know, the First Amendment protects the rights of minors as well.”While the ALA’s report shows signs of book challenges abating, objections to certain titles still persist. Like the ALA, PEN said a large portion of the books targeted have racial or LGBTQ themes. It is supported by the ALA, PEN, the Authors Guild, the National Book Foundation and more than a dozen other organizations.

Persons: “, ” Deborah Caldwell, Stone, ” Caldwell, Toni Morrison’s “, Maia Kobabe’s, George M, shouldn’t, abating, Judy Blume, Margaret Atwood, ”, Kasey Meehan Organizations: American Library Association, PEN, Intellectual, Labor, ALA, “, NBC, New College of Florida, Utah State Board of Education, Read, Book Foundation Locations: PEN America, Florida and Iowa, United States, Nassau County , Florida, Utah, Florida

☆ Florida allies back down on $5 million in state funds for Trump's legal bills after DeSantis threatens to veto
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewOne of Florida's highest-profile billionaires will no longer get state funds to help pay his legal fees, as a newly proposed bill from his allies unraveled on Monday. In 2022, the state spent $13.015 million in matching funds given out to candidates, including Gov. The new bill would modify the existing restrictions on releasing state funds to eligible presidential candidates who live in Florida. AdvertisementPayments for candidates' legal fees through the fund would be replenished by voluntary taxpayer donations collected through driver's license registrations. He claimed late last year that he has racked up $100 million in legal fees, The Hill reported.

Persons: —, unraveled, Donald Trump, Florida State Sen, Ileana Garcia, Jimmy Patronis —, Trump, DeSantis, Ron DeSantis, kkc2yyqVK0, Garcia, @JimmyPatronis, Patronis, wieqYQ8Woq — Ileana Garcia, We've, — Donald Trump, that's Organizations: Service, Business, Fighters, state's Department of Financial Services, Florida State, Florida's, Bloomberg, Trump, Florida Republican, Fighters Fund, Free, Sunshine State, White, Gov, Department of Financial Services, Forbes Locations: Florida, New York, Washington, Atlanta, Free State of Florida, Citrus County

☆ Asa Hutchinson drops out of GOP primary, with Trump, Haley and DeSantis remaining
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Asa Hutchinson speaks during the Florida Freedom Summit held at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee, Florida, on Nov. 4, 2023. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday suspended his Republican presidential campaign, a day after finishing a distant sixth place in the GOP's Iowa caucuses. Hutchinson's departure narrows the Republican primary field to just former President Donald Trump, who won Iowa in a landslide; Florida Gov. Hutchinson defended his campaign message of being a principled Republican with experience and telling the truth about the current front-runner. Hutchinson won just .2% of the votes in the Iowa caucuses, or 191 caucusgoers.

Persons: Asa Hutchinson, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Donald J, Trump, Hutchinson, Ryan Binkley, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ramaswamy, Chris Christie Organizations: Arkansas Gov, Florida Freedom Summit, Gaylord, Former Arkansas Gov, Republican, Iowa, Florida Gov, United Nations, South, GOP, Former New Jersey Gov Locations: Florida, Kissimmee , Florida, Iowa, South Carolina, Arkansas

☆ Florida GOP chairman's hunt for a threesome results in sexual assault allegation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

But a recent rape allegation against Christian Ziegler undermines the principles they tout. Christian Ziegler, however, still showed up at the woman's apartment and raped her, the woman told Sarasota police, according to the Post. AdvertisementMeanwhile, the rape allegation against Christian Ziegler is a profound step away from the "pro-family" values his supporters have celebrated him for. An attorney for Christian Ziegler did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent during the weekend. A GOP power coupleFlorida GOP chairman Christian Ziegler greets former president Donald Trump at the Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit.

Persons: Bridget Ziegler, Christian Ziegler, —, Ziegler, Bridget, Bridget Ziegler's, Donald Trump, Joe Burbank, they've, Sen, Rick Scott, Florida's, Scott, John Stemberger, Stemberger, Ziegler's, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Gavin Newsom, Christian Zeigler, Spencer Roach, Roach Organizations: Service, Florida GOP, Liberty, Sarasota Police, Florida Center, Government, Washington Post, GOP, Republican Party of Florida Freedom Summit, Orlando Sentinel, Tribune, Getty Images, Florida Politics, Republican Party, Business, Gov, Central, Board, Disney, Sarasota County School, Republican Party of Sarasota, California Gov, Post, Associated Press Locations: Florida, Sarasota, Sarasota County, Iowa, Central Florida

☆ North Dakota Governor Burgum exits 2024 presidential race
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( James Oliphant | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Republican presidential candidate and Governor of North Dakota Doug Burgum speaks during the party's Florida Freedom Summit in Kissimmee, Florida, U.S., November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Octavio Jones Acquire Licensing RightsDec 4 - Doug Burgum, the governor of North Dakota who struggled to find his footing in the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, ended his campaign on Monday. Burgum, 67, was a successful software executive and investor before his political career and largely self financed his candidacy. While not a frequent critic of Trump’s, Burgum did reject Trump’s false claim that the 2020 election was fraudulent, saying Biden was the rightful victor. In Reuters/Ipsos polling, he lagged far behind more viable contenders such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, not to mention Trump, the frontrunner for the nomination.

Persons: North Dakota Doug Burgum, Octavio Jones, Doug Burgum, Burgum, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Trump’s, Biden, Trump's, Ron DeSantis, Trump, James Oliphant, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool Organizations: Florida Freedom Summit, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: North Dakota, Florida, Kissimmee , Florida, U.S, America

The rally in the Cuban American stronghold of Hialeah is aimed in part at boosting Trump's support among Hispanics in Florida, campaign spokesman Steven Cheung said. Trump's support among Hispanics, the fastest-growing ethnic and racial group in the U.S. electorate, swelled during his 2020 campaign. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll in September 38% of Hispanic respondents said they would vote for Biden, while 36% picked Trump. The Biden campaign isn't sitting on its hands. "It's a political persecution just like Venezuela and Nicaragua,' said Fabio Andrade, a Colombian-American businessman who helps organize Hispanic voters as part of a “Republican Amigos” club.

Persons: Donald Trump, Octavio Jones, Steven Cheung, Christian Ziegler, Hillary Clinton, Democrat Joe Biden, Ron DeSantis, DeSantis, Biden, Trump, George W, Bush, Ziegler, isn't, Fabio Andrade, Nathan Layne, James Oliphant, Jason Lange, Jarrett Renshaw, Ross Colvin, Grant McCool Organizations: U.S, Republican, Florida Freedom Summit, Gaylord, Convention, REUTERS, Miami, Trump, Republican Party of Florida, Dade, Democrat, Republicans, The New York Times, Siena College, Reuters, Pew Research, Biden, Amigos, Thomson Locations: Florida, Kissimmee , Florida, U.S, Cuban, Hialeah, Miami, Dade, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Colombian, American

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the party's Florida Freedom Summit held at the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida, U.S., November 4, 2023. In an interview, Ramaswamy said he would formally introduce a pledge on Tuesday in Miami, on the eve of the third Republican primary date, laying out non-interventionist foreign policy principles. Ramaswamy's introduction of the pledge comes after weeks of sparring with fellow Republican presidential contender Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the UN, over foreign policy. Ramaswamy has said Haley, who ranks third in most Republican primary polls, risks dragging America into a bloody conflict thanks to her aggressive foreign policy stances. According to polling and analysis website FiveThirtyEight, Ramaswamy has the support of 5% of Republican primary voters, while Trump is the lead with roughly 58% support.

Persons: Vivek Ramaswamy, Octavio Jones, Ramaswamy, Joe Biden, Nikki Haley, Haley, Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Chris Christie, Trump, Gram Slattery, Leslie Adler Organizations: Summit, Gaylord, Convention, REUTERS, Rights, Republican, Reuters, Democratic, UN, Republican Party, New, Thomson Locations: Florida, Kissimmee , Florida, U.S, Miami, Ukraine, Israel, New Jersey

☆ Trump's free speech defense may fall short in election subversion trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Andrew Goudsward | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Trump’s defense lawyers, in a flurry of legal motions, have argued that the case by Special Counsel Jack Smith "attempts to criminalize core political speech and political advocacy." At trial, legal experts say Trump will likely not be allowed to argue to a jury that his conduct was protected by his First Amendment right to free speech because such legal questions are resolved by the judge. Those claims complement his political case as an anti-establishment crusader whose movement is opposed by powerful foes seeking to silence him. Criminal defendants can use the defense to argue they sought legal opinions and did not intend to break the law. Three former Trump lawyers have already pleaded guilty in Georgia, including Kenneth Chesebro, who drafted memos crafting the fake elector scheme.

Persons: Donald Trump, Octavio Jones, Jack Smith, Trump, Democrat Joe Biden, Trump . Trump, Jonathan Turley, Mike Pence, “ He’s, ”, Ty Cobb, “, Arthur Engoron, Mr Kise, Engoron, Christopher Kise, Tanya Chutkan, Kristy Parker, ” Trump, William Barr, Kenneth Chesebro, Andrew Goudsward, Scott Malone, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: U.S, Republican, Florida Freedom Summit, Gaylord, Convention, REUTERS, Rights, Democrat, Trump ., George Washington University, Trump, Protect Democracy, Capitol, Prosecutors, Thomson Locations: Florida, Kissimmee , Florida, U.S, Washington, New York, Georgia

KISSIMMEE, Fla. (AP) — For Sat PMs—Former President Donald Trump is expanding his support in Florida as he seeks to bury the presidential ambitions of Gov. Ron DeSantis in their shared home state. DeSantis is still a powerful governor who enacted policies long sought by conservatives and moved a traditional swing state increasingly to the right. Scott, Fine and four U.S. House members who already declared support for Trump are also scheduled to speak. Trump has refused to take a similar pledge required for candidates to participate in national GOP debates.

Persons: Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Sen, Rick Scott, Randy Fine, He'd, DeSantis, Trump, ”, Alex Conant, Florida Sen, Marco Rubio, “, ” Trump, Nikki Haley, Trump's, Newsmax, “ Donald Trump, “ Ron DeSantis, Steven Cheung, Trump . Rubio, Joe Gruters, __, Jill Colvin Organizations: Gov, Trump, U.S, Republicans, Florida Republicans, Republican, Florida Freedom Summit, GOP, Scott, . House, Des Moines, South, United Nations, PAC, Florida, DeSantis, Associated Press Locations: KISSIMMEE, Fla, Florida, Israel, DeSantis, Orlando, Miami, Hialeah, Iowa, South Carolina, Republican Florida, __ Barrow, Atlanta, New York

Ron DeSantis, Florida’s most prominent politicians, have circled each other on the campaign trail, with Mr. Trump consistently ridiculing Mr. DeSantis and the governor only recently beginning to fire back. It was the rare occasion where Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis were set to share the same stage, albeit hours apart. Yet Mr. DeSantis, who faces a vast polling gap behind Mr. Trump, did not directly attack the former president, whose manhood he questioned this week. Even as the rivalry between Mr. Trump and Mr. DeSantis has defined the presidential primary contest for months, the former president’s grip on the party has not loosened. Mr. DeSantis, long considered his foremost challenger, has been losing ground.

Persons: Donald J, Ron DeSantis, Trump, DeSantis Organizations: Trump, Gov, Mr, Florida Freedom, Republican Locations: Florida, Kissimmee

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Top officials at a Florida school district ordered the removal of all books and material containing LBGTQ+ characters and themes from classrooms and campus libraries, saying that was needed to conform to a state law backed by Gov. The district later backed off a bit, allowing some exceptions for high school libraries. Political Cartoons View All 1185 ImagesThe school district did not respond to calls Wednesday from the AP seeking comment. But the group says Florida Department of Education officials are to blame for any district confusion or overreach. The school district issued a statement to Popular Information this week clarifying some of the superintendent and attorney's remarks, saying some material with LGBTQ+ themes or characters would still be available in high school libraries.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, “, Mark Vianello, Michael McKinley, ”, Read, McKinley Organizations: —, Gov, Charlotte, Florida Parental, Florida, Read, Associated Press, DeSantis, Republican, Walt Disney Co, Florida Department of Education, Vianello Locations: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla, Florida, Fort Myers, Sarasota

☆ Fact check: Ron DeSantis on Amanda Gorman poem being pulled from a Florida elementary school library
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Kate Grise | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Ron DeSantis said Friday that he “had nothing to do with” a poem recently being moved from an elementary school library to a middle school library. “This is some book of poems. I had nothing to do with any of this, but it was a book of poems that was in an elementary school library and the school, or the school district determined that was more appropriate to be in the middle school library. So, they moved it from the elementary school library to the middle school library. The poem in question – Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” which she wrote for Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration – was removed from the elementary school section of a Miami-Dade County K-8 public school to the middle school section of the school’s media center, CNN reported last week.

Persons: Ron DeSantis, “, Amanda Gorman’s, Joe Biden’s, DeSantis Organizations: CNN, Florida Gov, Republican, Florida Parent, Association Homeschool Convention, Dade, HB, Miami, Florida, Read Locations: Miami, Dade County, Orlando .

☆ A Florida parent tried to get Amanda Gorman's inaugural poem banned from school — and confused her with Oprah
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-24 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida parent tried to get Amanda Gorman's poetry banned, complaining it could "indoctrinate students." Gorman said she is "gutted," but the school told Insider the poem isn't bannedGorman slammed the situation on Twitter, repeating claims that the school banned the book. "Because of one parent's complaint, my inaugural poem, 'The Hill We Climb,' has been banned from an elementary school in Miami-Dade County." The organization, along with Penguin Randomhouse, filed a lawsuit against a Florida school district over the book bans, the Miami Herald reported. "I wrote 'The Hill We Climb' to that all young people could see themselves in a historical moment.

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