President Joe Biden has lashed out at Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as “Donald Trump incarnate,” zeroing in on a potential 2024 GOP presidential contender as he campaigns for Democrats facing uphill fights in next week’s midterm election.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said days after the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Fla. — at an event with student survivors — that he would support banning 18-year-olds from buying assault-style rifles, as well as expanded background checks.
washingtonpost.comSenator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, and Representative Val Demings, a Democrat from Florida, got into a heated debate about voter fraud during the Florida Senate debate. Okay, that we want a federal takeover?
news.yahoo.comSince Reconstruction, voters have elected just seven Black U.S. senators and two Black governors. This year, 16 Black candidates — 13 Democrats and three Republicans — are major party nominees for those offices.
washingtonpost.comU.S. Rep. Charlie Crist has won the Democratic nomination for governor in Florida, putting him in position to challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis this fall in a campaign the Republican incumbent is eyeing as the first step toward a potential White House run.
Rep. Val Demings (D) leads Sen. Marco Rubio (R) by 4 percentage points in Florida’s Senate race, according to a poll released Tuesday. The poll, released by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab, shows Demings with the support of 48 percent of surveyed registered voters who said they would vote in the…
news.yahoo.comDemocrats who will face voters in November seized on the Supreme Court decision, putting abortion rights at the center of their campaigns. The Republicans they are facing largely remained quiet, with some GOP strategists acknowledging that the issue might not be good for their candidates.
washingtonpost.comSenator Chris Murphy, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, Uvalde County Commissioner Ronald (Ronnie) Garza and more appear on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" this Sunday.
cbsnews.comThe Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol insurrection by pro-Trump supporters and right-wing group members shattered the sense of security that many had long felt at the Capitol as rioters forcefully delayed the certification of President Joe Biden’s election victory.
South Floridians, especially those in Miami-Dade, have just won a front-row seat to what is expected to be one of the most heated Senate races in the country in the 2022 midterms — the state’s senior Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Miami vs. Democratic U.S. Rep. Val Demings of Orlando, who just announced her candidacy. or Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell. And that’s just so far.
news.yahoo.comCity agencies in Arlington, Texas, have been cut by up to 8%, with officials bracing for more later this year. AdA bipartisan group of mayors notes that aid should be the easy part. A Republican, Williams has joined Democratic Mayor Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio, to lead the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ lobbying effort for local aid. State and local lobbies tried again in a second round of COVID-19 aid but were left out altogether. AdMayors attributed the rebuff to McConnell blocking state and local aid as leverage against Democrats who opposed Republicans’ provision to shield businesses' immunity from lawsuits related to COVID-19.
Biden is expected to address the National Prayer Breakfast, a Washington tradition that calls on political combatants to set aside their differences for one morning. The breakfast has sparked controversy in the past, particularly when President Donald Trump used last year's installment to slam his political opponents and question their faith. Ad“For so many in our nation, this is a dark, dark time,” Biden told those watching the event. During the 2020 breakfast, Trump singled out Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who had voted to convict the president during his first impeachment trial. The event went entirely virtual this year because of the coronavirus pandemic, with Biden and all other speakers appearing via taped remarks.
This undated image provided by the United States Capitol Police shows U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, of injuries sustained during the riot at the Capitol. One Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, died Thursday night from injuries suffered during the riot. Another disturbing video shows a bloodied police officer screaming for help as he’s crushed by protesters inside the Capitol building. Still, the riot — and Sicknick's death — focused renewed attention on Capitol Police, a force of more than 2,300 officers and civilian employees that protects the Capitol, lawmakers, staff and visitors. Capitol Police turned them down both times, according to senior defense officials and two people familiar with the matter.
Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. The tragedy deepened late Thursday as a Capitol police officer injured in the melee died, the fifth death related to the riot. The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick died from injuries sustained responding to the riot on Wednesday at the Capitol. The procedure allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare the president unfit for office. Black lawmakers, in particular, noted the way the mostly white Trump supporters were treated.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON – Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund on Thursday defended his department's response to the violent breach at the Capitol, saying officers “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions” as they stormed the building. Rioters “actively attacked” Capitol police and other law enforcement officers Wednesday with metal pipes, discharged chemical irritants, and took up other weapons against our officers,'' Sund said in a statement. Capitol Police, who are charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding. Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious" that Capitol police "were not prepared for today.
(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)WASHINGTON – Lawmakers are vowing an investigation into how law enforcement handled Wednesday’s violent breach at the Capitol, questioning whether a lack of preparedness allowed a mob to occupy and vandalize the building. U.S. Capitol Police, who are charged with protecting Congress, turned to other law enforcement for help with the mob that overwhelmed the complex and sent lawmakers into hiding. Both law enforcement and Trump supporters deployed chemical irritants during the hourslong occupation of the complex before it was cleared Wednesday evening. Three other people died after suffering “medical emergencies” related to the breach, said Robert Contee, chief of the city’s Metropolitan Police Department. Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious" that Capitol police "were not prepared for today.
FILE - In this March 16, 2020, file photo, the entrance to the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World is closed in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Squeezed by limits on attendance at its theme parks and other restrictions due to the pandemic, The Walt Disney Co. said Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2020, it planned to lay off 28,000 workers in its parks division in California and Florida. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
FILE - In this Nov. 8, 2019, file photo, then-Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., reacts as she speaks at a town hall event at the Culinary Workers Union in Las Vegas. Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden has chosen Harris as his running mate. In choosing Harris, Biden embraced a former rival from the Democratic primary who is familiar with the unique rigor of a national campaign. A woman has never served as president or vice president in the United States. Harris launched her presidential campaign in early 2019 with the slogan “Kamala Harris For the People,” a reference to her courtroom work. Some Biden confidants said Harris’ debate attack did irritate the former vice president, who had a friendly relationship with her.
Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.
Whitmer sent word to Bidens team that while she was flattered, she no longer wanted to be considered for the running mate slot, according to a high-ranking Democrat familiar with the process. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and Florida Rep. Val Demings impressed Bidens team with their leadership during the police brutality protests. The public disclosure of Dodds comments angered some of the highest-ranking women on Bidens campaign team. Eleni Kounalakis, who organized a call with Bidens vetting team about two weeks ago to assuage any doubts about whether the senator was the right choice for the ticket. The call ended with Bidens vetting team telling the Harris supporters that they had all recommended her as one of the top candidates for the job.
But the recent college graduate had long heard stories from his grandfather recounting the days of oppression in Cuba under Fidel Castro. Even for some young Cubans, the congresswoman's remarks are troubling and a reminder that Castro still stirs strong passions. The Pew Research Center estimates that nearly a third of Floridas Hispanic voters have roots in Cuba. Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Cuban American, has called the congresswoman a Castro sympathizer." But his real worry is that Republicans would use Bass' remarks as distraction from what he called the more important goal of electing Biden.
FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2019, file photo, Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., gives her opening statement during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington. Demings is among the women Joe Biden is considering for his vice presidential running mate. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)ORLANDO, Fla. Val Demings has already been vice president. We created an environment of inclusion, Hartley said, recalling how she and Demings invited white students to join. In sixth grade, she was part of a group of black students bused to a predominantly white school 15 miles from home as part of desegregation. Being the first Blacks to integrate Loretta Elementary School wasnt always the best, most fun experience, Demings said. One lady called my district office and said, Well, why is she trying to dress like a white woman?" Demings said.
WASHINGTON Democrat Joe Biden said Monday that he is getting extensive briefings from lawyers vetting candidates for vice president and plans to have personal discussions with his final choices for running mate. The presumptive presidential nominee said on MSNBCs The ReidOut that he is getting a "two-hour vetting report" on his VP contenders. Biden has been under some pressure to choose a Black woman as his vice presidential candidate in a nod to the constituency's role as the most dependable Democratic base of voters. He would not commit Monday to selecting a Black woman when asked on MSNBC, saying only, "I am not committed to naming any but the people I have named, and among them there are four Black women. So, that decision is underway right now.Among the Black women Biden is believed to be considering are California Sen. Kamala Harris, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Florida Rep. Val Demings, California Rep. Karen Bass and former Obama administration official Susan Rice.
FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. Multiple polls suggest that a majority of voters, including many Republicans, simply don't believe what Trump says about the pandemic. Meanwhile, Trump also refused to say whether he would accept the results of the general election. Scott Walker, the former Wisconsin governor and a Trump ally, tells us that he sees no clear strategy coming from the Trump campaign. ___2020 Watch runs every Monday and provides a look at the week ahead in the 2020 election.
Harris wouldn't comment on her vice presidential prospects, saying her top priority is for Biden to pick someone who will help defeat President Donald Trump. Brian Brokaw, who managed her 2010 campaign for attorney general, said its easier for Harris to be herself outside the scrutiny of a presidential campaign. We need people who are going to be in these offices that will be true champions for the causes of the oppressed, McBride said of Harris' vice presidential prospects. He suggested Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is white, would be a better vice presidential nominee. But DeJear, Harris' Iowa campaign chairwoman, said the vice presidency could provide an opportunity for Harris to drill down on reforming the criminal justice system.
But following the outrage over the police killing of George Floyd last month, many Democratic strategists say there's growing consensus that the pick should be a Black woman. Like it or not, I think the question is starting to become, Well, why not a Black woman? said Karen Finney, a spokesperson for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign. Finney, who was one of 200 Black women who signed a letter to Biden encouraging him to select a Black woman for his ticket, warned that the former vice president could face a backlash if he chose a white woman. Gretchen Whitmer, said last month that she had opening conversations with Bidens team about potentially serving as vice president. Heitkamp said she's long believed Biden should choose a Black woman, in part because of the current political climate, but also because Black women are some of the Democratic Party's most loyal voters.
