Amanda Becker Originally published by The 19th When Republican Ron DeSantis won a second four-year term as Florida’s governor last year, he promised that the state was where “woke goes to die.” “We reject woke ideology. We fight the woke in the legislature, we fight the woke in the schools, …
Read More »AP Psychology Effectively Banned in Florida Over Lesson on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity
Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams The Republican-controlled Florida Board of Education on Thursday effectively banned Advanced Placement Psychology by notifying school district superintendents that teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity—key subjects in college-level psychology curricula—is prohibited under the state’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay or Trans” law. That means class schedules …
Read More »VP Harris Speech On Florida Black History Standards: ‘There were no redeeming qualities of slavery’
Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Vice President Kamala Harris returned to Florida on Tuesday, where she continued to hit Gov. Ron DeSantis over the recent controversy about the state’s new African American history standards for K-12 public schools. A day before, DeSantis challenged her to visit him in Tallahassee and have …
Read More »GOP Rep. John James To DeSantis On Attacking Black Republicans: ‘You’ve gone too far’
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 »Voting Rights Group Files Lawsuit Against DeSantis On Felon Voting Eligibility
Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix Calling the current system “a national embarrassment,” the group that pushed for a 2018 constitutional amendment designed to restore voting rights to felons who had completed their sentences has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Gov. Ron DeSantis and other election officials to “realize the …
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 »Campaigning in Texas, DeSantis Reveals 2024 Immigration Platform
Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix Just days before Florida’s newest and most restrictive immigration law takes effect, Gov. Ron DeSantis pledged to allow states and localities to enforce immigration laws if he were elected president, including deporting undocumented people. Strengthening the nations’ border security would be DeSantis’ day one priority if …
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 »Sheriff Files Criminal Charges Over Florida’s Transport Of Migrants From San Antonio To Massachusetts
Uriel J. García, The Texas Tribune The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says it has completed its investigation into the transport of 49 migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last September by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and filed criminal charges with the local district attorney. A statement from the …
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 »Former President Trump Goes After DeSantis On Iowa Campaign Trail
Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch Former President Donald Trump said Thursday in Urbandale he was confident he will continue to hold his lead in Iowa. “There’s no way I can lose Iowa,” Trump told the crowd. “We’re going to have to do some really bad things to lose at this …
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. …
Read More »DeSantis Signs Bill Defunding Diversity Programs At Florida Colleges
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday held an education-related bill signing ceremony on the campus of New College of Florida in Sarasota. Among the bills, DeSantis signed SB 266 which will prevent Florida colleges and universities from spending any state or federal funding on diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The bill …
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