Jon King, Michigan Advance On Friday, U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Twp.) joined a growing chorus of Black Republican lawmakers to call out Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for his state’s new Black history education standards. DeSantis, who is seeking the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, slammed both Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) …
Read More »Sen. Scott Calls For End Of DOJ ‘weaponization,’ Criticizes Florida Black History Curriculum
Robin Opsahl, Florida Phoenix U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, campaigning in Iowa, said if elected president, he would take on the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice. Scott focused on law enforcement Thursday after a federal grand jury added three new felony charges against former President Donald Trump. At a campaign event in …
Read More »VP Kamala Harris On Florida’s Rewriting Of Black History Standards; ‘What is going on?’
Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix Outraged at the new Black history standards in Florida, Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday blasted what she called revisionist history promoted in the state’s African American history standards approved this week by top education officials. Just two days after the State Board of Education approved …
Read More »House Dems Slam ‘Racist Tropes’ in New Florida K-12 History Curriculum
Four Black Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday joined the growing chorus of critics opposing “racist tropes” in Florida’s new K-12 history curriculum, which includes teaching middle school students “the resurrection of one of the greatest lies America has ever told itself, that slavery benefited the enslaved.” …
Read More »VP Harris Slams DeSantis Over Florida’s New African American History Standards
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a scathing keynote address at Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.’s national convention, criticizing the DeSantis administration in Florida for adopting new African American history standards. The state Board of Education’s recent decision on the standards has drawn criticism, with opponents arguing that they rewrite and …
Read More »Florida Supreme Court Will Hear Abortion Arguments In September
Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix The Florida Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments for Sept. 8 in a test of whether the justices will respect their 1989 ruling finding protection for abortion access in the Florida Constitution’s Privacy Clause. In an order posted Friday, the court said arguments would begin at …
Read More »Federal Judge Blocks Florida GOP’s ‘Clear and Brazen Attack’ on Voter Registration Efforts
Jake Johnson, Common Dreams A federal judge on Monday blocked a provision of a recently enacted Florida law that the ACLU characterized as a “clear and brazen attack on civic participation in our democracy.” S.B. 7050, which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law in May, would have imposed $50,000 …
Read More »With Florida’s Immigration Law Set To Start July 1, Critics Say It Will Impact Non-Immigrants As Well
Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Florida’s sweeping anti-immigration bill is set to go into effect this Saturday, and critics of the law warned Wednesday that it will impact far more than the undocumented immigrant population. “Floridians will see higher costs for our groceries due to worker shortages, longer waits at restaurants, …
Read More »Federal Judge Blocks Enforcement Of Florida’s Anti-Drag Law; Vagueness Cited
Michael Moline, Florida Phoenix A federal judge has blocked enforcement of a new state law designed to protect children from drag queens, ruling that its attempted regulation of “adult live performances” is unconstitutionally vague. U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell issued a 24-page ruling Friday enjoining Florida Department of Business and …
Read More »Florida Sues U.S. Department of Education Over University Accreditation Process
Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix In his latest move against the Biden administration, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that Florida has sued the U.S. Department of Education for attempting to block its plan to find another accreditation authority for state colleges and universities. Florida filed a 41-page complaint in the U.S. …
Read More »DeSantis Anti-Immigrant Law Sparks Mass Worker Exodus in Florida
Kenny Stancil, Common Dreams A new Florida law cracking down on undocumented immigrants, signed last month by far-right Gov. Ron DeSantis and set to take effect on July 1, has pushed thousands of workers to flee the state. Now even some capitalists who otherwise support DeSantis and the state’s GOP-controlled …
Read More »Judge Blocks Florida’s Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix A federal judge in Tallahassee has blocked a state ban on the administration of gender-affirming therapies, including puberty blockers, hormone therapies, or surgery, for any patient under the age of 18. The order also addresses legislation recently signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis (SB 254) that codifies …
Read More »NAACP Travel Advisory On Florida Provokes Strong Reactions
Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix May 22, 2023 Over the weekend, when the NAACP issued a travel advisory on Florida that is “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals,” several Black lawmakers across the state — both Democrats and Republicans — quickly spoke up on Monday. “In …
Read More »Travel Advisory: Understanding the Controversy Surrounding Florida and its Impact on African Americans
In a recent development, the national NAACP Board of Directors has taken a significant step by issuing a formal travel advisory against visiting Florida. The advisory claims that the state has become “hostile toward African Americans” under the leadership of Governor Ron DeSantis. This decision comes at a time when …
Read More »DeSantis Signs ‘Most Extreme Slate of Anti-Trans Laws in Modern History’
Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a bundle of bills targeting transgender people that one activist condemned as “the most extreme slate of anti-trans laws in modern history.” Surrounded by children at Cambridge Christian School in Tampa, DeSantis—a likely 2024 Republican presidential candidate—signed H.B. …
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