Two teachers union heads in Florida have been indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges, accused of stealing more than $2 million from union members.
The indictment against Terrie Brady, who was president of Duval Teachers United, and Ruby George, who was executive vice president, was unsealed on Monday.
Brady, 69, and George, 81, could face decades in prison if convicted of the charges, which <a href="https://jaxtoday.org/2025/01/13/teachers-union-fraud-indictment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud, and three counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud.
The indictment accuses the two women of cheating the union out of <a href="https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2025/01/13/florida-teachers-union-execs-terrie-brady-ruby-george-indicted/75914930007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more</a> than $1.2 million each between 2013 and 2022, in part by claiming much more unused vacation time than they had. According to the indictment, they tag-teamed on signing each other&#8217;s union checks for fraudulent vacation time payments and additional bonus payments.
Brady was also charged with two counts of money laundering for allegedly using nearly $44,000 of the money to pay personal American Express credit card debt.
Then, the women filed false documentation to a union auditor, the indictment claimed.
The bombshell charges come after agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service raided the union&#8217;s headquarters in San Marco in September 2023, sparking confusion and speculation. Agents were spotted carrying computers, bags, and boxes of financial documents out of the building.
Brady and George resigned just weeks later after leading the union for 24 years, saying they wanted to spend more time with their families.
Back in 2023, Brady <a href="https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/governor-ron-desantis-takes-aim-teachers-unions/XEPIGBHODZB7PEWRRJNWN2XYCE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a> about Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis trying to impose new financial transparency requirements on the unions.
“We think we’re pretty transparent in the work that we do,” Brady said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Terrie Brady, President of the Duval Teachers United union, put in a rare appearance at the DCPS school board meeting to discuss…not receiving dues for 12 days because of the new Florida law making teacher dues opt in and not mandatory. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MomsForLiberty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MomsForLiberty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Florida?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Florida</a> <a href="https://t.co/71OLVS4MSc">pic.twitter.com/71OLVS4MSc</a>
&mdash; Moms For Liberty &#8211; Duval Co., FL (@DuvalMoms) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuvalMoms/status/1686628447953555456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
DeSantis had accused the unions of being too political and promised better pay for teachers and a cap on the salaries of teachers union officials.
“Having partisan groups basically get special privileges for deductions and all these other stuff, you know, that doesn’t work and so, I think this will be a huge, huge boon for transparency and efficiency in our school system,” DeSantis said at the time.
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Duval Teachers United represents about 13,000 teachers and other school employees in the Jacksonville area. The local union is affiliated with both the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA).
The union <a href="https://jaxtoday.org/2025/01/13/teachers-union-fraud-indictment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brings</a> in about $5 million in revenue a year.
In 2022, Brady received a lifetime achievement award for “a long record of excellent leadership” from the Florida Education Association.
She also chaired the Florida Democratic Party in the 1990s.

Money

Teachers Union Heads Indicted For Fraud, Stealing More Than $2M From Union

Teachers Union Heads Indicted For Fraud, Stealing Millions From Union

Crime

DeSantis

Education

Florida

Fraud

Public Schools

Ron DeSantis

Teachers Unions

U.S.

As Florida seeks to combat misinformation about the state&#8217;s abortion laws, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is drawing fire for defending local TV stations airing false pro-abortion advertisements — and claiming that it is &#8220;dangerous&#8221; for the state to push back on these ads.
In a <a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Response_to_FCC_10-16-24.pdf">letter</a> to FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel obtained by The Daily Wire, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody tore into the agency for defending TV stations that aired an ad falsely claiming a woman in Florida with brain cancer could not get an abortion to save her life. In Florida, the state&#8217;s attorney general pointed out, pro-life laws allow exceptions to save the mother&#8217;s life and to prevent permanent injuries.
&#8220;I am shocked that you would use the power of the FCC to promote such an obvious misstatement of fact, which undermines the mission and credibility of your agency,&#8221; Moody wrote in the Oct. 16 letter.
The controversy comes as Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his administration aggressively push back against the pro-abortion ballot initiative Amendment 4. The initiative would massively expand abortion access in the state, superseding Florida’s law protecting unborn babies with a heartbeat, and would establish a “constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability,” before a baby can survive outside the womb.
DeSantis has argued that the amendment would attract &#8220;abortion tourism,&#8221; and warned that, as is typical with these amendments, its language is crafted to confuse voters.
<div id="attachment_815911" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-815911" class="wp-image-815911 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2179087664-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>(Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
Polling <a href="https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/politics/elections/2024/10/21/poll-abortion-recreational-marijuana-poised-to-pass-in-florida-amendments-statewide-ballot/75770996007/">released</a> Monday by the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab (PORL), shows support for the amendment has dropped to the bare minimum 60% needed to pass — down 9% from June, when campaigning against Amendment 4 picked up, according to PORL faculty director and political science professor Michael Binder.
“Now, just barely reaching the 60% it needs to pass, it looks like the fate of abortion in Florida will come down to turnout on Election Day,&#8221; Binder told the Tallahassee Democrat.
Pro-abortion groups behind the amendment, such as &#8220;Yes On 4 Florida,&#8221; argue that Florida&#8217;s pro-life laws put women&#8217;s lives in danger, but have failed to provide concrete evidence of such claims. The group&#8217;s latest ad, &#8220;Yes on 4 Florida,&#8221; depicts a cancer patient inaccurately claiming that pregnant women diagnosed with cancer cannot get abortions in Florida.
&#8220;Amendment 4 is going to protect women like me,&#8221; states a woman named Caroline, as she describes how she was diagnosed with stage-four brain cancer while pregnant with her second baby. &#8220;We have to vote yes.&#8221;
The state&#8217;s Department of Health previously sent a cease and desist letter to TV stations airing the ad, saying that the “advertisement is not only false; it is dangerous,&#8221; and warning that DOH has the ability to &#8220;institute criminal proceedings in the county court.&#8221;
&#8220;Women faced with pregnancy complications posing a serious risk of death or substantial and irreversible physical impairment may and should seek medical treatment in Florida,” wrote DOH General Counsel John Wilson.
“However, if they are led to believe that such treatment is unavailable under Florida law, such women could foreseeably travel out of state to seek emergency medical care, seek emergency medical care from unlicensed providers in Florida, or not seek emergency medical care at all,&#8221; he added, <a href="https://floridapolitics.com/archives/700182-department-of-health-sends-cease-and-desist-letter-to-tv-station-over-abortion-ad/">according to Florida Politics</a>.
WATCH: 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;Caroline&quot;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7jJiEE_AkPA?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
In Moody&#8217;s letter to Rosenworcel, the Florida attorney general slams the chairwoman for making a statement to the press that is &#8220;wrong, both morally and legally.&#8221;
Rosenworcel had condemned the Florida DOH&#8217;s warning to TV stations, claiming that the move infringed on free speech and that &#8220;threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts with the government’s views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech.&#8221;
&#8220;I write in response to your recent press statement&#8230;in which you suggest that the First Amendment prevents Florida from addressing false speech that jeopardizes the health and safety of women,&#8221; Moody wrote. &#8220;Your press statement is wrong, both morally and legally, and I was disappointed to see you use the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to support an obvious misstatement of fact.&#8221;
Moody accused &#8220;certain pro-abortion activists&#8221; of lying about abortion &#8220;to women in hopes of gaining their support, even when doing so endangers these women by discouraging them from seeking available, lifesaving treatment.&#8221;
After Florida&#8217;s law protecting babies with a heartbeat went into effect, pro-abortion activists falsely claimed that women would be denied treatment in Florida if they had an ectopic pregnancy, which is a &#8220;life threatening condition,&#8221; as Moody wrote.
<div id="attachment_815909" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-scaled.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-815909" class="wp-image-815909 size-full" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-scaled.jpg" alt="" width="2560" height="1707" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-1800x1200.jpg 1800w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/GettyImages-2147780191-1200x800.jpg 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a>(Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)</div>
&#8220;That is, of course, false,&#8221; she wrote. &#8220;Nonetheless, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration was forced to issue an emergency rule to combat this dangerous gamesmanship and ensure that women know that emergency medical care is available to them under Florida law.&#8221;
Moody slammed the FCC chairwoman for calling the Florida DOH&#8217;s letter &#8220;dangerous,&#8221; particularly given &#8220;the patently false nature&#8221; of the pro-abortion ad falsely claiming that women with stage-four brain cancer cannot get an abortion in Florida.
&#8220;Your legal error aside,&#8221; she wrote, &#8220;I am shocked that you would use the power of the FCC to promote such an obvious misstatement of fact, which undermines the mission and credibility of your agency.&#8221;
&#8220;When Floridians vote on Amendment 4 this November, they have the right to know the truth,&#8221; she said. &#8220;Even more important, when women face life threatening conditions, they have the right to know that lifesaving treatment is available to them. I hope that, under your leadership, the FCC can get back to doing its job and not recklessly intrude on our State&#8217;s role in protecting women&#8217;s health.&#8221;
Rosenworcel did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
In September, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-conduct-florida-state-department-investigating-fraudulent-pro-abortion-amendment-petitions">reported</a> that the Florida Department of State is investigating evidence of fraudulent abortion amendment petition gathering related to Amendment 4.
“The Department of State has uncovered evidence of illegal conduct with fraudulent petitions,” the spokesman told The Daily Wire. “We have a duty to seek justice for Florida citizens who were victimized by fraud and safeguard the integrity of Florida’s elections.”
“Our office will continue this investigation and make referrals to [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] as appropriate,” he added.
The abortion amendments are the latest strategy of left-wing activists to circumvent pro-life laws and lawmakers. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in May 2022, pro-abortion groups began ramping up efforts to craft ballot measures that enshrine a “right” to abortion into state constitutions — even in red states — and the efforts have been effective.
In <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-8779f3ee57d4d20d54861a5ed6ba72ff">Michigan</a>, voters legalized abortion up until birth through a November 2022 ballot initiative that prohibits any laws protecting the unborn if a “health care professional” deems the abortion “medically needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health.”
Up to 10 states could have abortion measures on the ballot in 2024, <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/dashboard/ballot-tracker-status-of-abortion-related-state-constitutional-amendment-measures/">according to a KFF ballot tracker</a>. These pro-abortion amendments often receive monetary support from leftist activist groups like Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, or from politicians and celebrities like former President Barack Obama and singer John Legend.
<a href="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2024/10/Response_to_FCC_10-16-24.pdf">READ: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody&#8217;s Letter To FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.</a>

US-NEWS-CORONAVIRUS-FLA-CONTRACTORS-OS

‘Wrong, Both Morally And Legally’: Florida AG Slams FCC For Defending Abortion Misinformation

Abortion

The Florida Department of State is investigating evidence of fraudulent abortion amendment petition gathering, a department spokesman told The Daily Wire Friday.
&#8220;The Department of State has uncovered evidence of illegal conduct with fraudulent petitions,&#8221; the spokesman said. &#8220;We have a duty to seek justice for Florida citizens who were victimized by fraud and safeguard the integrity of Florida’s elections.&#8221;
&#8220;Our office will continue this investigation and make referrals to FDLE [Florida Department of Law Enforcement] as appropriate,&#8221; he added.
The news comes after The Tampa Bay Times <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2024/09/04/florida-desantis-abortion-amendment-petition-signatures-fraud/">suggested</a> that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was engaging in &#8220;political interference&#8221; when his deputy secretary of state asked supervisors to review around 36,000 signatures gathered in Hillsborough, Orange, Palm Beach, and Osceola counties.
Activists working with the pro-abortion group Floridians Protecting Freedom have collected almost 1 million signatures as part of an effort to get Amendment 4 on the ballot in November. The radical measure would supersede Florida&#8217;s law protecting unborn babies with a heartbeat, and would establish a “constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability,&#8221; that is, before the baby can survive outside the womb.
“This amendment is written maybe more liberal than New York and California, but you would basically have a cottage industry, where people would be coming into Florida for this purpose,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/06/27/desantis-sneaky-ballot-measure-would-transform-florida-one-most-liberal-abortion-regimes-anywhere-world/">said in late June</a> during a call with Florida faith leaders. “And look, we’re a tourism state, but we want to be family-friendly tourism, not abortion tourism.”
DeSantis and his team are actively fighting the amendment, arguing that its phrasing is purposefully crafted to confuse voters.
“The way they wrote the summary, there are people that are pro-life that poll in favor of this because they think it’s a pro-life amendment,” the governor added. “So, it needs to be very clear to every voter exactly what direction this amendment is going.&#8221;
Floridians Protecting Freedom did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Wire.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This November, Floridians have a choice: protect women’s health or keep a dangerous ban in place. Help ensure safe and accessible healthcare for all. Make your plan to vote YES on Amendment 4 at <a href="https://t.co/2NxuZCJd4M">https://t.co/2NxuZCJd4M</a> ⚖️🏥 <a href="https://t.co/edclwpdNBE">pic.twitter.com/edclwpdNBE</a>
— Yes on 4 Florida (@yes4florida) <a href="https://twitter.com/yes4florida/status/1831318820079714706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2024</a></blockquote>
Left-wing activists have turned to abortion amendments to circumvent pro-life laws and lawmakers. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in May 2022, pro-abortion groups began ramping up efforts to craft ballot measures that enshrine a &#8220;right&#8221; to abortion into state constitutions — even in red states.
The efforts have been effective. In <a href="https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-abortion-8779f3ee57d4d20d54861a5ed6ba72ff">Michigan</a>, voters legalized abortion up until birth through a November 2022 ballot initiative that prohibits any laws protecting the unborn if a &#8220;health care professional&#8221; deems the abortion &#8220;medically needed to protect a patient&#8217;s life or physical or mental health.&#8221;
Up to 10 states could have abortion measures on the ballot in 2024, <a href="https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/dashboard/ballot-tracker-status-of-abortion-related-state-constitutional-amendment-measures/">according to a KFF ballot tracker</a>. These pro-abortion amendments often receive monetary support from leftist activist groups like Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, or from politicians and celebrities like former President Barack Obama and singer John Legend.
This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about the methods of signature gathering for abortion amendments.
When abortion activists <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ohio-abortion-amendment-election-2023-fe3e06747b616507d8ca21ea26485270">successfully</a> pushed Issue 1 in Ohio, pro-life activists <a href="https://www.ccv.org/news/breaking-protect-women-ohio-releases-statement-on-aclus-submission-of-signatures-for-anti-parent-ballot-initiative">accused</a> the ACLU of paying out-of-state signature collectors to misrepresent the ballot amendment&#8217;s implications for parents.
Video taken by pro-life activists also showed a signature collector talking about collecting invalid signatures.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
🚨Pro-abortion petitioner knowingly takes an invalid signature to make more money! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Abortion?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Abortion</a> advocates want to enshrine abortion through all nine months into Ohio law. The first step is collecting signatures, but every signer must be a registered Ohio voter. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/prolife?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#prolife</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/choice?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#choice</a> <a href="https://t.co/I1yx5Yz6SX">pic.twitter.com/I1yx5Yz6SX</a>
— Created Equal (@createdequalorg) <a href="https://twitter.com/createdequalorg/status/1656374041211555854?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 10, 2023</a></blockquote>
&#8220;The ACLU’s extreme anti-parent amendment is so unpopular that it couldn’t even rely on grassroots support to collect signatures,&#8221; Protect Women Ohio press secretary Amy Natoce said in a July 2023 <a href="https://cincinnatirighttolife.org/protect-women-ohio-releases-statement-on-aclus-submission-of-signatures-for-anti-parent-ballot-initiative/">statement</a>.
&#8220;The ACLU paid out-of-state signature collectors to lie to Ohioans about its dangerous amendment that will strip parents of their rights, permit minors to undergo sex change operations without their parents’ knowledge or consent, and allow painful abortion on demand through all nine months. The ACLU’s attempts to hijack Ohio’s constitution to further its own radical agenda would be pathetic if they weren’t so dangerous.”
And in Arkansas, election officials fully rejected <a href="https://arliberty.org/about/">petitions gathered</a> by Arkansans for Limited Government, the pro-abortion group pushing the state&#8217;s abortion petition, arguing that the group did not submit proper documentation about its paid signature gatherers, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/arkansas-supreme-court-abortion-petition-ballot-election/">according to CBS News.</a>
The state Supreme Court upheld this rejection, which stopped the proposal from being on the ballot this November.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WIN IN ARKANSAS: The Secretary of State’s office REJECTED the Arkansas Abortion Amendment.⁰⁰Abortion will NOT be on the ballot in November!⁰⁰In rejecting signatures from unverified, paid signature collectors &amp; in noting what the law requires, Arkansas Secretary of State John… <a href="https://t.co/NBK0sZizzb">pic.twitter.com/NBK0sZizzb</a>
— Kristan Hawkins (@KristanHawkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KristanHawkins/status/1811130512422887571?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 10, 2024</a></blockquote>

US-NEWS-HARRIS-DESANTIS-MI

‘Illegal Conduct’: Florida Is Investigating ‘Fraudulent’ Pro-Abortion Amendment Petitions

A Florida &#8220;furry&#8221; convention will bar minors from attending in order to comply with Republican Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; new law prohibiting children at &#8220;adult live performances.&#8221;
Organizers for the Megaplex convention for &#8220;furries&#8221; announced last week that attendees must be 18 or older, citing the new law.
&#8220;After reviewing Florida SB 1438 it has been decided that for legal reasons and protection of our attendees, our venue, and the overall convention, Megaplex 2023 attendees must be 18 years of age at the time of registration pickup,&#8221; convention organizers <a href="https://megaplexcon.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Wednesday in a statement.
Adult live performances are defined in the bill as any show that depicts or simulates nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement, lewd conduct, or prosthetic genitals or breasts.
The Megaplex convention is scheduled for September 15 to 17 at a Hyatt hotel in Orlando.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<a href="https://t.co/qHJQmcpfug">pic.twitter.com/qHJQmcpfug</a>
&mdash; Megaplex (@MegaplexCon) <a href="https://twitter.com/MegaplexCon/status/1661372782528045057?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 24, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Furries&#8221; are an online subculture of people who like anthropomorphic animal characters, often dressing up in animal costumes.
The &#8220;furry&#8221; fandom often has heavy sexual overtones. It grew out of an underground comic book genre that depicted explicit sexual content. A 2011 <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20130308185939/https://sites.google.com/site/anthropomorphicresearch/past-results/international-online-furry-survey-2011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a> of &#8220;furries&#8221; found that about a third of the fandom said sex is an &#8220;important&#8221; part of their &#8220;furry&#8221; participation. The fandom even has a term for sexual activity between furries — &#8220;yiffing,&#8221; supposedly named after the sound foxes make during sex.
However, other &#8220;furries&#8221; insist sex has nothing to do with their interest in the fandom.
The subculture is overwhelmingly male — 84% of those surveyed said they were male. About a quarter of &#8220;furries&#8221; said they felt less than 100% human, and more than half of the &#8220;furries&#8221; surveyed said they would be 0% human if they could.
&#8220;Megaplex has welcomed younger fandom members and their families since its inception and making this change was very difficult,&#8221; the Megaplex convention organizers said in their statement.
&#8220;It is our hope that this change is temporary and that we can welcome members of all ages back next year &#8230; Megaplex has not forgotten about or abandoned our younger fandom members and is looking into options for events and activities to include all age ranges and their family members,&#8221; the organizers said.
DeSantis signed the “Protection of Children Act” earlier this month.
The law punishes “knowingly admitting a child to an adult live performance” with up to a year in prison. Businesses could face a $5,000 fine and then a $10,000 fine for a second offense for knowingly allowing a child into an adult performance.
Critics said the bill could end up barring children from drag shows, but state Representative Randy Fine, a Republican who sponsored a House version of the bill, said the goal is simply protecting children from explicit content.
“We’re not saying they can’t take their kids to a drag show. Our bill says they can’t take their child to adult live entertainment, as we’ve defined in the bill,” Fine <a href="https://www.mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2023/04/25/protection-of-children-act-heads-to-gov--desantis--lgbtq-advocates-head-toward-tallahassee#:~:text=The%20Protection%20of%20Children%20Act,lewd%20exposure%20of%20prosthetic%20breasts." target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “There is a right to parent your child, but there are guardrails. You can’t beat your child with a stick, you can’t choose not to feed them, you can’t say they can’t be educated — you have no right to abuse your child and we think sexualizing children is child abuse.”

Eurofurence 2015

DeSantis Law Forces ‘Furry’ Convention To Bar Children

DeSantis Law Forces 'Furry' Convention To Bar Children

Child Sex Abuse

Drag Queens

Gender

Florida Democrat Andrew Gillum, who lost a close 2018 election to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-poll-shows-desantis-with-commanding-lead-for-2024-gop-nomination/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Governor Ron DeSantis</a> before being found in a motel <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-democrat-andrew-gillum-charged-with-21-felonies-related-to-campaign-that-lost-to-desantis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unconscious with drugs and a male escort</a>, will have to face trial on federal charges including fraud and lying to the FBI.
U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor declined last week to throw out the case against Gillum, calling his claims the charges were brought because he is black “meritless.”
Gillum and an associate were indicted earlier this year on charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and making false statements to FBI agents. Prosecutors say the former Tallahassee mayor used campaign donations for personal expenses during his failed gubernatorial campaign.
According to the federal indictment unsealed in June in the Northern District of Florida, Gillum and public relations executive Sharon Lettman-Hicks allegedly solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign funds in 2017 and then diverted funds for their personal use and gain. Lettman-Hicks allegedly listed Gillum as an employee at her firm and later as an &#8220;independent contractor&#8221; in order to pay him a salary while he ran for governor.
Gillum met with FBI agents posing as developers while he was mayor of Tallahassee and during his campaign for governor, according to prosecutors. His team sought donations from the undercover agents, allegedly suggesting they not be listed as political contributions.
After Gillum lost to DeSantis, he was seen as a rising star in Democratic politics and was hired as a CNN analyst. But in March of 2020, he was found intoxicated and unconscious in a hotel room with two men, including a male escort, and methamphetamine. He went into rehab and later said in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-gillum-comes-out-as-bi-in-return-to-public-life-after-male-escort-scandal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">television interview</a> that he is bisexual.
“I was in Miami last night for a wedding celebration when first responders were called to assist one of my friends,” Gillum said in the statement following the incident. &#8220;While I had too much to drink, I want to be clear that I have never used methamphetamines. I apologize to the people of Florida for the distraction this has caused our movement.”
DeSantis won the 2018 election by a mere four-tenths of a percentage point. On election night, DeSantis was up by 100,000 votes, but then late-counted ballots in Democratic strongholds cut the margin to just 34,000 votes, triggering a recount. DeSantis was finally confirmed as the winner on November 17.
Last month, DeSantis, who went on to become one of the nation’s most popular governors, won re-election with a 19-percentage point victory over Democrat Charlie Crist.

Andrew Gillum

Onetime DeSantis Opponent Andrew Gillum Loses Bid To Toss Corruption Charges

Politics

A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted enforcement of a law known as the &#8220;Stop WOKE Act&#8221; at Florida <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/education" target="_blank" rel="noopener">universities</a>.
Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against the &#8220;Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (W.O.K.E.) Act,&#8221; officially dubbed the Individual Freedom Act. The judge&#8217;s move means that the law cannot be enforced on college campuses for now.
&#8220;This is positively dystopian,&#8221; Walker wrote in his <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flnd.443792/gov.uscourts.flnd.443792.44.0.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">order</a>. &#8220;The law officially bans professors from expressing disfavored viewpoints in university classrooms while permitting unfettered expression of the opposite viewpoints.&#8221;
The <a href="https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2022/7/BillText/er/PDF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">law</a>, which the Florida legislature <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/florida-critical-race-theory-education-stop-woke-act/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> in March, prohibits public K-12 schools and universities from teaching eight concepts that constitute &#8220;discrimination&#8221; and lets parents sue if their children are taught those concepts. It also targets employers who require their workers to partake in woke trainings.
The banned concepts include that a person is &#8220;inherently&#8221; racist or sexist &#8220;whether consciously or unconsciously&#8221; due to his race or sex, that a person &#8220;bears personal responsibility for and must feel guilt&#8221; for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, and that virtues like hard work, fairness, objectivity, and racial colorblindness are racist.
“‘It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen,’ and the powers in charge of Florida’s public university system have declared the State has unfettered authority to muzzle its professors in the name of ‘freedom,’” Walker wrote, quoting George Orwell&#8217;s dystopian novel &#8220;1984.&#8221;
The judge also quoted Orwell&#8217;s remark that, “if liberty means anything at all it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.”
The Act enhances enforcement of the Florida education board&#8217;s June <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2021/06/10/keep-critical-race-theory-out-of-schools-desantis-tells-state-board/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">decision</a> to ban public schools from teaching Critical Race Theory and the 1619 Project, which reframes American history with slavery at the center.
In September, a professor and student at the University of South Florida <a href="https://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/politics-issues/2022-09-07/usf-professor-student-organization-lawsuit-florida-race-based-teaching" target="_blank" rel="noopener">filed</a> a lawsuit against the law. The lawsuit alleged that the law infringes on their First Amendment rights and threatens the professor&#8217;s livelihood.
USF history professor Adriana Novoa and student Sam Rechek celebrated the judge&#8217;s decision Thursday.
“It is a happy day not only for Sam and me, but for the institutions of this country,” Novoa said in a <a href="https://www.thefire.org/news/victory-after-fire-lawsuit-court-halts-enforcement-key-provisions-stop-woke-act-limiting-how" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">statement</a> through the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which is representing the two.
“I hope that the courts will defend the existence of a public education that cannot be manipulated by politicians to push any ideology, now and in the future,” the professor said.
Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers have touted the law, saying it will prevent both students and employees in Florida from harmful, woke classes and trainings.
“In Florida we are taking a stand against the state-sanctioned racism that is Critical Race Theory,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.flgov.com/2021/12/15/governor-desantis-announces-legislative-proposal-to-stop-w-o-k-e-activism-and-critical-race-theory-in-schools-and-corporations/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in December when announcing the bill. “We won’t allow Florida tax dollars to be spent teaching kids to hate our country or to hate each other.&#8221;
DeSantis added at the time that Florida must protect workers against the &#8220;hostile work environment that is created when large corporations force their employees to endure CRT-inspired ‘training’ and indoctrination.&#8221;
DeSantis&#8217; office said they &#8220;strongly disagree&#8221; with Thursday&#8217;s ruling and plan to appeal it.
&#8220;This recent ruling included several victories for our legal team. We expect many more and ultimately to prevail in this litigation,&#8221; Bryan Griffin, press secretary for DeSantis&#8217; office, said in a statement to The Daily Wire.
&#8220;The Stop W.O.K.E. Act protects the open exchange of ideas by prohibiting teachers or employers who hold agency over others from forcing discriminatory concepts on students as part of classroom instruction or on employees as a condition of maintaining employment. An ‘open-minded and critical’ environment necessitates that one is free from discrimination,&#8221; Griffin said.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Holds News Conference With Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo

Federal Judge Suspends ‘Stop WOKE Act’ In Florida

Federal Judge Suspends 'Stop WOKE Act' In Florida

Critical Race Theory

Woke Culture

Wokeness

Scores of colleagues and staff who worked for Florida Democrat gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist in the past issued an open letter to the people of Florida in which they endorsed Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis.
Many if not all of the signers worked for Crist in his previous incarnation as a Republican, when he served as Florida’s governor between 2007-2011. After he ran for the Senate but lost in the GOP primary to Marco Rubio, Crist changed his affiliation to independent to run in the general election again against Rubio, who defeated him again. In December 2012, Crist changed his affiliation yet again, joining the Democratic Party and endorsing Barack Obama for reelection.
The signatories of the letter began by writing, “An Open Letter to Florida: The undersigned represent former colleagues and staff of Charlie Crist. Together, we have known Charlie in virtually all phases of his career and public life. We are well-qualified to endorse in the Florida Governors’ race because we have significant experience in public service to the state of Florida.”
“The choice in November could not be more clear: we unanimously endorse Governor Ron DeSantis for reelection,” they stated bluntly.
“Governor DeSantis has delivered for Florida,” they continued. “He has led our state with courage and conviction. He has demonstrated his ability to lead us through difficult times. We stand with Governor DeSantis because the stakes are too high. We urge Florida to re-elect Ron DeSantis as our Governor.”
The signatories include former Florida Lieutenant Governor Jeff Kottkamp, who was Crist’s running mate when Crist successfully ran for governor in 2006 as a Republican; Charles Bronson, who served under Crist as Commissioner of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Bill McCollum, who was elected Florida’s Attorney General in 2006, and Ken Pruitt, who served as President of the Florida Senate starting in Novemmber 2006, as well as 32 others.
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LETTER: <a href="https://t.co/9I0N2fFmLK">pic.twitter.com/9I0N2fFmLK</a>
&mdash; Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLVoiceNews/status/1584909587328770049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
A <a href="https://business.fau.edu/departments/economics/business-economics-polling/bepi-polls/bepi-polls-2022/florida-governor-race.php">Florida Atlantic University poll</a> conducted between October 12-16 showed DeSantis with an enormous 11-point advantage over Crist. DeSantis had a 56% favorable/38% unfavorable rating while Crist was underwater with a 41% favorable/47% unfavorable rating.
Additionally, the poll found that in a hypothetical match-up between DeSantis and President Biden, DeSantis led 48% to 42%; former President Trump led Biden 45% to 41%.
The significance of the margin of dominance DeSantis is displaying in Florida can be understood by reviewing Florida’s incredibly close gubernatorial elections in the past; in 2010, GOP candidate Rick Scott defeated his Democratic opponent, Alex Sink, 49%-48%.
In 2014, as the incumbent, Scott ran against Crist. Scott eked out a victory over Crist in 2014, 48%-47%.
In 2018, DeSantis squeaked through by a tiny 40,000 votes over Democrat Andrew Gillum in an election in which over 8.2 million votes were cast, a difference of 0.4%.

Scores Of Former Colleagues, Staff Of Charlie Crist Endorse DeSantis

Charlie Crist

Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) recently purchased ad space in Florida, prompting questions about his interest in a 2024 presidential run. 
Newsom&#8217;s re-election campaign bought approximately $105,000 in cable television ads that will air in the Sunshine State on Fox News beginning on July 4, as <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gavin-Newsom-buys-cable-ads-to-run-in-Florida-17269450.php">reported</a> by SF Gate and Medium Buying’s Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/MediumBuying/status/1541539586580664320">account</a>. 
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Newsom for California Governor 2022 has placed ad spending on Fox News in FLORIDA cable zones for July 4th
&mdash; Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) <a href="https://twitter.com/MediumBuying/status/1541539586580664320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Dave Abrams, a spokesperson for Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; campaign, told The Daily Wire, “Gavin Newsom might as well light a pile of cash on fire. Pass the popcorn for his desperate attempt to win back the California refugees who fled the hellhole he created in his state to come to Florida.&#8221; 
“The people of Florida pay no mind to the pathetic smear campaigns from the Democrats and their allies in the corporate media. We’re too busy enjoying the freedom Governor Ron DeSantis has created in the Sunshine State,” Abrams added. 
The two governors are both up for re-election in November and have been sniping at one another in recent months. The DeSantis campaign <a href="https://secure.winred.com/rondesantis/storefront/i-heart-california-white-coffee-mug/details/">provided</a> a link, as well, to mugs it is selling with the slogan, “I [heart] CA but I wish my governor was Ron DeSantis.”
The subject matter of the Newsom ads is unknown, but Nathan Click, one of Newsom’s re-election campaign spokespersons, told SF Gate “stay tuned” when questioned about it. 
The purchase has led many to wonder if Newsom is getting ready for a presidential bid, noting how he has <a href="https://twitter.com/ZavalaA/status/1541537728860368896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1541537728860368896%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gavin-Newsom-buys-cable-ads-to-run-in-Florida-17269450.php">said</a> in the past that he has “subzero interest” in running for the highest office. 
Newsom has elevated himself and his state to a higher position in recent months, differentiating California from states with Republican leadership. Newsom has pushed for California to be a “sanctuary state” for women seeking abortions from out of state and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-criticizes-abbott-for-discussing-evil-and-mental-health-after-mass-shooting">touted</a> gun legislation. 
He has also made a point to speak out against Republicans nationwide. Newsom recently <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1540818132926754816">tweeted</a>, “The GOP’s America: the nation of gun care and health control.” He also <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom">posted</a> on Twitter, “Extremist republicans across the nation are trying to eliminate fundamental American freedoms.”
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The GOP’s America: the nation of gun care and health control.
&mdash; Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1540818132926754816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
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NEW: Extremist republicans across the nation are trying to eliminate fundamental American freedoms.
Time to fight back.
-Voters will now have the chance to amend the state’s constitution to enshrine the right to choose.
-Signed a NEW Exec Order that protects women coming to CA <a href="https://t.co/WhsmKvyPkJ">pic.twitter.com/WhsmKvyPkJ</a>
&mdash; Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom/status/1541594860875960320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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At a press conference following the massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Newsom <a href="https://apnews.com/article/greg-abbott-gavin-newsom-sacramento-california-texas-82dbead26557a047080d5c63ed3ef2f4">called</a> out Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) and <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gavin-Newsom-calls-out-Greg-Abbott-17198996.php">told</a> people not to “give in to the cynicism and all the crap you heard today in that press conference around evil and mental health, [which] completely belies the fact that there’s only one nation on planet Earth that separates itself from all other nations, and that’s the United States of America, in the perversion of a Second Amendment that begins around ‘well-regulated’ gun policy.”
After the Supreme Court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pro-abortion-states-seek-to-become-safe-havens-for-women-seeking-abortions">ruled</a> on Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey last week, Newsom <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/newsom-california-democratic-lawmakers-claim-true-pro-life-agenda-in-budget-announcement">said</a> the high court “want[s] to strip women of their liberty and let Republican states replace it with mandated birth,” saying that the justices want to go back to a time period “when women were not treated as equal citizens under the law.”
Newsom’s team did not respond to a request for comment at the time of this publication.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/author/mary-margaret-olohan">Mary Margaret Olohan</a> contributed to this report.

38E3B8B9-2A60-4954-81F7-F3DA0B91FFB3_1_201_a

Newsom Buys Ad Space In Florida, DeSantis Campaign Responds

Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom Buys Ad Space In Florida, DeSantis Campaign Responds

California

Gavin Newsom

Marvel Studios is speaking out against Florida’s controversial HB 1557 “Parental Rights In Education Bill,” which critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill despite the measure not including that word in the text.
Marvel&#8217;s statement against the bill, which passed the Florida senate Tuesday, echoes what other entertainment corporations including Disney have said publicly about the bill.
“We strongly denounce any and ALL legislation that infringes on the basic human rights of the LGBTQIA+ community,” the company <a href="https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/status/1503849785974919168">shared</a> on its official Twitter page. “Marvel Studios stands for hope, inclusivity and strength; and we proudly stand with the community.”
The statement continued, “Today, we pledge to continue our strong commitment as allies who promote the values of equality, acceptance and respect.”
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<a href="https://t.co/hZHGc10Bzh">pic.twitter.com/hZHGc10Bzh</a>
&mdash; Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarvelStudios/status/1503849785974919168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 15, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The bill is being called discriminatory and dangerous, however many critics and even news outlets are <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-67-of-americans-say-disney-is-wrong-to-oppose-florida-bill-banning-k-3-instruction-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity/">misrepresenting</a> the provisions within the text. In reality, HB 1557 bans teachers from discussing topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity with students in elementary school from kindergarten until after third grade. It does not ban students from discussing those topics.
Ron DeSantis has <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/11/nation/florida-dont-say-gay-bill-heads-governors-desk-amid-wave-anti-lgbtq-bills-nationwide/">signaled</a> that he supports the bill. 
Meanwhile, Disney, which has a large presence in Florida, faced backlash from the bill’s critics for taking so long to denounce its contents. A leaked memo from the company essentially said they were staying out of it. 
The memo said Disney would “unequivocally stand in support of our LGBTQ+ employees,” but “corporate statements do very little to change outcomes or minds.”
“Instead, they are often weaponized by one side or the other to further divide and inflame,” the letter continued. “Simply put, they can be counterproductive and undermine more effective ways to achieve change.”
However, Disney’s attempt to remain neutral didn’t last long. Under mounting pressure, Disney CEO Bob Chapek told shareholders that he called Governor DeSantis (R) to express the company’s “disappointment and concern” over HB 1557.
Chapek said if the bill becomes law it “could be used to unfairly target gay, lesbian, non-binary and transgender kids and families.”
Meanwhile, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-undeterred-by-disney-criticism-of-florida-parental-rights-bill">reported</a> that spokeswoman Christina Pushaw confirmed Disney had contacted the governor’s office to speak with DeSantis, saying that this is “the first time we have heard from Disney regarding HB 1557.”
“The governor did take the call from Mr. Chapek,” she said. “The governor’s position has not changed. No in-person meeting has been scheduled yet.”
“Disney is known as a family-friendly company that creates wholesome entertainment for kids,” she continued. “The same Florida parents who take their families to Disney also support parental rights in education, because they do not want their young children exposed to inappropriate content about sex and gender theory at school. We expect Mr. Chapek will carefully consider their concerns.”
An <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-poll-67-of-americans-say-disney-is-wrong-to-oppose-florida-bill-banning-k-3-instruction-on-sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity">exclusive Daily Wire poll</a> found that 63% of Disney’s consumers supported the measures in the bill.
Enter for the chance to hang out with Gina Carano at the premiere of her new Daily Wire movie, Terror on the Prairie! Two lucky Daily Wire members will be given the complete red carpet treatment &#8211; free airfare, hotel, premiere car service, and exclusive merch. Daily Wire members can click<a href="http://www.dailywire.com/redcarpet"> here</a> to enter for a chance to win. If you’re not a Daily Wire member yet, click<a href="http://dailywire.com/subscribe"> here</a> to join us so you can win this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“Say Gay” Sign

Marvel Denounces Florida’s So-Called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill; Promise To ‘Proudly Stand With The Community’

Disney

Marvel

Speaking on CNN on Monday morning, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, called for universal masking, even though she admitted that breakthrough cases among people vaccinated for COVID are “still very rare.” Implicitly prompted by CNN’s Jim Sciutto to attack Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis, who announced he wants parents, not schools, to make the decision about whether their children should be masked in schools, she said, “Teachers are very scared about this.”
Sciutto asked, “For folks at home, who want their children to go back to school, regardless of where they stand on masks personally, from your perspective, does requiring masks for students make it more likely that schools open and stay open?”
“So I would say this Jim: schools are going to be open,” Weingarten began. “I think last week we got thrown a curveball because of the Delta variant and of the new data that showed Provincetown, Massachusetts, that showed even if you’re vaccinated you can transmit. I think a lot of people took a deep breath and said, ‘Oh my God, what does this mean?’”
The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/08/01/masking-kids-and-closing-schools-is-irrational-child-abuse/">reported</a> on Sunday, “A study out of the UK released last week proved — once again — what we’ve known for more than a year: <a href="https://nypost.com/2021/07/22/kids-are-at-low-covid-risk-in-schools-but-masking-could-do-long-term-damage/">Kids transmit the coronavirus</a> at a much lower rate than do adults. Epidemiologist Shamez Ladhani, who led the study, found that children ‘aren’t taking [the virus] home and then transferring it to the community. These kids have very little capacity to infect household members.’”
Last week, The New York Times tweeted, “Breaking News: The Delta variant is as contagious as chickenpox and may be spread by vaccinated people as easily as the unvaccinated, an internal C.D.C. report said.”
The Deputy Director of Strategic Communications &amp; Engagement for the White House slammed the Times in all caps on Twitter, acknowledging, “VACCINATED PEOPLE DO NOT TRANSMIT THE VIRUS AT THE SAME RATE AS UNVACCINATED PEOPLE AND IF YOU FAIL TO INCLUDE THAT CONTEXT YOU&#8217;RE DOING IT WRONG.”
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VACCINATED PEOPLE DO NOT TRANSMIT THE VIRUS AT THE SAME RATE AS UNVACCINATED PEOPLE AND IF YOU FAIL TO INCLUDE THAT CONTEXT YOU&#39;RE DOING IT WRONG. <a href="https://t.co/gBkDbJ21xX">https://t.co/gBkDbJ21xX</a>
&mdash; Ben Wakana (@benwakana46) <a href="https://twitter.com/benwakana46/status/1421182153224818694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 30, 2021</a></blockquote>
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“But I think the news you showed today from Axios and others that breakthrough cases are still very rare and if you get breakthrough cases when you’re vaccinated you’re not going to get nearly as sick, you’re not gonna die; schools will be open,” Weingarten admitted on CNN. “They need to be open; we need to make sure that they are safe and healthy. We’ve launched our $5 million campaign to do back to school for all. So let’s just be really clear about that.”
Sciutto acknowledged, “The data is for the vaccinated they’re very safe from hospitalization and death.” He reiterated Weingarten’s claim: “The reason for masks, right, is the vaccinated can still spread this, right?”
“Exactly,” Weingarten responded,
“I imagine you see the benefit of students masking going forward as the school year opens,” Sciutto stated.
“Exactly. Exactly,” Weingarten answered. ‘So that’s why the next question, about will they stay open, that’s where we worry, because when you have lots of kids, particularly every child under 12 has not been vaccinated.”
Sciutto, “Yeah.”
“We see the Delta variant being very transmissible,” Weingarten said. “And so that’s why what masks do, is mask stop transmission. So universal masking is going to be very helpful to keep kids safe. To keep the unvaccinated safe, and to keep schools open. Because you saw from some of your reporting already that you’re already seeing some quarantining in places that thought they were going to open today. So school opening is really important; we need to be in school; we need everybody to be safe; we need to focus on accelerated learning and we need to focus on the emotional and social well-being of kids. So that’s why I come down to where the APA and the CDC recommends, which is, as much as  — I’m asthmatic, I hate these things, but we have to wear them to keep us safe and to keep our kids in schools.”
Sciutto seized the opportunity to continue the media’s attacks on DeSantis: “The vaccination rate among teachers is quite high, I believe your team was telling us about 90%. How are teachers reacting to this, particularly in communities where, a place like Florida, right, where they’re allowing choice, in effect, they’re allowing parents to decide as opposed to school districts.”
“So I was in Florida on Saturday, and by the way, Saturday Florida had, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, I don’t remember exactly, it had the highest level of cases of COVID, I think, ever, and so teachers are very scared about this,” Weingarten claimed. “I was with two groups of teachers on Saturday, one in Jacksonville, one in Polk County, again, we’re very serious about reopening schools, safe and welcoming environments for all. All educators want that. But they’re scared that we’re not going to be able to keep everybody safe. And they want us to have masking.”
What Weingarten and Sciutto ignore is that COVID spreads more successfully when people are inside; in the heat of the Florida summer, more people are inside in the air conditioning. While Weingarten and Sciutto targeted Florida, they ignored the leftist haven California. As The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/01/us/covid-santa-monica-icu.html?action=click&amp;module=Spotlight&amp;pgtype=Homepage">noted</a> on Sunday: &#8220;Covid-19 is surging once more, at Saint John’s and in the world around it, driven by vaccine resisters and the virus’s hyper-contagious Delta variant. In California, new infections are appearing at a rate <a class="css-1g7m0tk" title="" href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/california-covid-cases.html">not seen since February</a>.&#8221;
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AFT’s <a href="https://twitter.com/rweingarten?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rweingarten</a> says “universal masking” is needed to keep schools open: 
“We see the Delta variant be very transmissible. And so that’s why what masks do is masks stop transmission. So universal masking is going to be very helpful to keep kids safe.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mjH0Fg9IPB">pic.twitter.com/mjH0Fg9IPB</a>
&mdash; Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) <a href="https://twitter.com/tomselliott/status/1422204074435481607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Randi Weingarten

WATCH: Teachers’ Union Prez Calls For ‘Universal Masking,’ Attacks DeSantis

Masking

Washington Post reporter Hannah Dreier was slammed by people from across the political spectrum over the weekend as she was accused of &#8220;lying&#8221; about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis&#8217; (R) response to the condo building collapsing in Miami last week.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a saying in emergency management: The first 24 hours are the only 24 hours,&#8221; Dreier wrote on Twitter. &#8220;FEMA was ready to deploy to the condo collapse almost immediately, and included the crisis in its daily briefing, but didn&#8217;t get permission from Gov. DeSantis to get on the ground for a full day.&#8221;
Numerous <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-democrats-push-back-on-false-claims-from-media-about-desantis-response-to-building-collapse">Democrats came to DeSantis&#8217; defense</a>, and Dreier&#8217;s claims were debunked as DeSantis signed an emergency declaration less than an hour after Miami-Dade County Mayor Danielle Levine Cava, a Democrat, signed a local order declaring a state of emergency. DeSantis signed the declaration on the same day that the incident happened.
Despite facing widespread criticism over her claims, which were <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/wapo-reporter-accused-peddling-false-info-desantis-fema">debunked</a>, Dreier did not issue any kind of retraction, correction, or delete her original false claims.
The following are some of the responses that Dreier received in response to her debunked claims:
Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat politician who recently served as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management, slammed Dreier, writing on Twitter: &#8220;FEMA’s mantra is ‘locally executed, state managed, and federal supported.&#8217; As the former director in FL who voted for Biden this tweet below is 100% Malarkey. FEMA would have deployed the federally funded USAR teams, which are located in @MiamiDadeCounty. They were already there.&#8221;
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FEMA’s mantra is “locally executed, state managed, and federal supported.” As the former director in FL who voted for Biden this tweet below is 100% Malarkey. FEMA would have deployed the federally funded USAR teams, which are located in <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiDadeCounty?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MiamiDadeCounty</a>. They were already there. <a href="https://t.co/Czj0GYY9yV">https://t.co/Czj0GYY9yV</a>
&mdash; Jared Moskowitz (@JaredEMoskowitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredEMoskowitz/status/1409312771297136641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Richard Grenell, former Acting Director of National Intelligence: &#8220;There’s a saying in America: The Washington Post will always politicize every issue to help Democrats. You have a sickness. This isn’t remotely true.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/status/1409174444971495424
Kurt Schlichter, retired U.S. Army Colonel: &#8220;I did disaster assistance for years in the Guard. FEMA is a clearing house for major resources when there’s a widespread catastrophe. It’s not a fire department. The fire department is the fire department, and it was deployed instantly. WAPO is lying about @RonDeSantisFL. Again.&#8221;
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I did disaster assistance for years in the Guard. FEMA is a clearing house for major resources when there’s a widespread catastrophe. It’s not a fire department. The fire department is the fire department, and it was deployed instantly.
WAPO is lying about @RonDeSantisFL. Again. <a href="https://t.co/285j5J1kTf">https://t.co/285j5J1kTf</a>
&mdash; Kurt Schlichter (@KurtSchlichter) <a href="https://twitter.com/KurtSchlichter/status/1409150398166835201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Christina Pushaw, Press Secretary for DeSantis: &#8220;Hannah Dreier can shut down her DMs so people cannot send her any more documents &amp; facts to correct her false narrative about #surfside / FEMA / @GovRonDeSantis … but she can’t just retract her lies? Is this journalistic ethics?&#8221;
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Hannah Dreier can shut down her DMs so people cannot send her any more documents &amp; facts to correct her false narrative about <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/surfside?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#surfside</a> / FEMA / <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> … but she can’t just retract her lies? Is this journalistic ethics? <a href="https://t.co/u0vbYIfQak">pic.twitter.com/u0vbYIfQak</a>
&mdash; Christina Pushaw 🐊 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1409298958455803911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Jay Caruso, Washington Examiner Managing Editor: &#8220;This is absurd. Miami-Dade has some of the best emergency response and management people in the country and were on the scene immediately. This is another framing around the myth that FEMA acts as first responders. Just absolutely lazy reporting…at best.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/JayCaruso/status/1409163595783540741
Arthur Schwartz, political strategist: &#8220;WaPo reporters know that Biden or Harris don’t stand a chance against DeSantis in 2024 so they’re trying to dirty him up by standing on the graves of the victims of this tragedy. Disgusting. Victims’ families should be outraged.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1409152334257700868
Schwartz added: &#8220;Where’s your correction on the disgusting smear that you attacked Ron DeSantis with? You’re a garbage human being and Exhibit A in the case against the media.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/ArthurSchwartz/status/1409197441115643905
Steven Law, CEO of Senate Leadership Fund: &#8220;Media ghouls churn up the fake news agitprop—because Ron DeSantis.&#8221;
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Media ghouls churn up the fake news agitprop—because Ron DeSantis. <a href="https://t.co/imxN0SAsM1">https://t.co/imxN0SAsM1</a>
&mdash; Steven Law (@LawAmericanX) <a href="https://twitter.com/LawAmericanX/status/1409344351877091335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Luke Thompson, political strategist: &#8220;At this rate maybe Hannah can declare a candidacy against Matt Gaetz too. This has as much integrity as the Rebekah Jones nonsense.&#8221;
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At this rate maybe Hannah can declare a candidacy against Matt Gaetz too. This has as much integrity as the Rebekah Jones nonsense. <a href="https://t.co/LLEag5c7m9">https://t.co/LLEag5c7m9</a>
&mdash; Luke Thompson (@ltthompso) <a href="https://twitter.com/ltthompso/status/1409272650220908549?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Mike Cernovich, political commentator: &#8220;FEMA is not a first responder. There’s nothing they can do initially, which is why they are on scene usually post-72 hours. Do you not know this or are you being deliberately dishonest?&#8221;
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FEMA is not a first responder. There’s nothing they can do initially, which is why they are on scene usually post-72 hours.
Do you not know this or are you being deliberately dishonest? <a href="https://t.co/EdkzEb0gOH">https://t.co/EdkzEb0gOH</a>
&mdash; Cernovich (@Cernovich) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1409204896914575363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Stephen Miller, political commentator: &#8220;Washington Post reporter spreading demonstrably false information. Has been corrected several times. Refuses to admit and correct. As I stated earlier, this is no longer a news organization.&#8221;
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Washington Post reporter spreading demonstrably false information. Has been corrected several times. Refuses to admit and correct. 
As I stated earlier, this is no longer a news organization. <a href="https://t.co/HtNNf7kHKe">https://t.co/HtNNf7kHKe</a>
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1409166323477671936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Giancarlo Sopo, conservative media strategist: &#8220;This is nonsense. Emergency responders were on the ground in Surfside within minutes of the condo collapse and Gov. DeSantis declared it an emergency on the same day. As the mayor of the city has said, they do not have a resource problem.&#8221;
https://twitter.com/GiancarloSopo/status/1409162217375817728
AG, a popular right-wing Twitter account: &#8220;Multiple people have pointed out to Hannah that this take is nonsense and ignores how the process works, but she has refused to correct thus far. It’s been over a day. The tweet has over 7k retweets despite being indisputably wrong and she hasn’t engaged any of the hundreds of people that have pointed it out or reached out to her. At some point one has to assume the reporter is intentionally spreading misinformation.&#8221;
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Multiple people have pointed out to Hannah that this take is nonsense and ignores how the process works, but she has refused to correct thus far. <a href="https://t.co/Xqz6StGJpF">https://t.co/Xqz6StGJpF</a> <a href="https://t.co/zFXyzhxJ6Y">https://t.co/zFXyzhxJ6Y</a>
&mdash; AG (@AGHamilton29) <a href="https://twitter.com/AGHamilton29/status/1409160421714673667?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Javier E. David, Yahoo News reporter: &#8220;People really need to STOP making DeSantis the story when he’s clearly not.&#8221;
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People really need to STOP making DeSantis the story when he’s clearly not
&mdash; Javier E. David (@TeflonGeek) <a href="https://twitter.com/TeflonGeek/status/1409162804230250499?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Christina Sommers, author: &#8220;What you wrote appears to be false. Why not retract the story and delete this tweet?&#8221;
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What you wrote appears to be false. Why not retract the story and delete this tweet?
&mdash; Christina Hoff Sommers (@CHSommers) <a href="https://twitter.com/CHSommers/status/1409333530145046534?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Dozens Presumed Missing After Residential Building In Miami Area Partially Collapses

WaPo Reporter Hannah Dreier Blasted For ‘Lying’ About DeSantis Tragedy Response: ‘You Have A Sickness’

Miami

Surfside

Washington Post

Nine people have died following the partial collapse of a 12-story residential condo building in Miami-Dade County, according to figures provided by officials early Sunday. Over 150 people remain unaccounted for. 
According to <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-miami-surfside-condo-building-collapse-02507acd6f14d31ccfe8c42662b76532">The Associated Press</a>, one person died in the hospital, although it’s unclear when they were rescued from the building site. Remains from eight other people have been recovered as well.
Miami Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said that current search and rescue efforts involve canines, cameras, and sonar. She noted that the four recently recovered bodies were found as a result of rescuers digging a long, twenty-foot-wide trench into the pile of rubble. &#8220;We&#8217;re meeting, constantly, with the family members, giving them the updates first, so they don&#8217;t hear it on the news, so that they can talk with us, ask questions,&#8221; she said. 

&#8220;They&#8217;re receiving multiple briefings every day,&#8221; added Levine Cava.
Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, said in a Sunday morning presser that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has already registered “a number of families for individual assistance” and expressed thanks to the search and rescue teams on site.
“If you look at that rubble now, you see folks on top, you see major machinery, and they’re working around the clock like they have been in the wee hours of the morning, and so I want to thank all the search and rescue teams for their tireless efforts. They stepped up to the plate, and they have not stopped this whole time,” said DeSantis.
“Helping serve this community is our top priority,” FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EFsEYn2cMM">press conference</a> Sunday, “and I want you to know that we are here to support with whatever the federal government can bring to assist as long as we need to.”
According to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/27/us/building-collapse-miami-beach">The New York Times</a>, hundreds of rescue officials have been working around the clock to find any survivors who may still be inside the rubble. Levine Cava said Sunday that, at any given time, there are between six to eight squads on top of the rubble actively searching for survivors.
But extracting any remaining survivors on-site, according to Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett, will not be a matter of receiving more resources, but of getting a stroke of luck.
“We don’t have a resource problem, we’ve had a luck problem. We just need to start to get a little more lucky right now,” Burkett told ABC News on Sunday morning.
DeSantis, who visited the site of the collapse Thursday, had said he hoped more people would be rescued. “We’ll hope for the best in terms of additional recoveries, although we are bracing for some bad news just given the destruction that we’re seeing,” he said.

Residential Building In Miami Partially Collapsed

Death Toll Rises In Weekend After Condo Collapse, Over 150 People Still Missing

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