Everyone knows about that big impeachment thing going on in Washington, D.C., but there&#8217;s another presidential impeachment looming at &#8230; the University of Florida?
&#8220;The student body president of the University of Florida is facing impeachment calls for alleged misuse of funds to bring Donald Trump Jr. and presidential campaign adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle to campus last month, according to reports,&#8221; the <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/11/13/university-of-florida-student-president-faces-impeachment-after-funding-trump-jr-s-visit/">New York Post</a> reports.
The student president, Michael C. Murphy, was served with a formal <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/6547791-Michael-Murphy-Impeachment-Resolution.html">impeachment resolution</a> on Tuesday, signed by more than 100 students and alumni. The resolution says that in this year&#8217;s fall session, Murphy &#8220;colluded with Trump Victory National Financial Consultant Caroline Wren to expend $50,000 of mandatory student fees to further enrich Donald Trump, Jr., and Kimberly Guilfoyle through the ACCENT Speakers Bureau.&#8221;
&#8220;By using student fees to advance his own expressed political beliefs at the expense of the … Student Government writ large, Mr. Murphy not only endangered students marginalized by the speakers’ white nationalist supporters, but also abused his power to advance a particular political party at the expense of the students he should represent,&#8221; the impeachment resolution states.
President Trump&#8217;s oldest son and girlfriend Guilfoyle visited the Gainesville campus on October 10.
&#8220;Questions have been raised about the legality of the visit, as Murphy agreed to pay the pair $50,000 in publicly funded student activity fees and the law says public funds cannot be used to support political campaigns,&#8221; the <a href="https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2019/11/12/uf-student-president-faces-impeachment-threat-over-trump-jr-visit/">Tampa Bay Times</a> wrote.
&#8220;[A]n email surfaced, as first reported by UF’s independent student newspaper, The Alligator, showing Murphy worked to set up the event with Caroline Wren, national finance consultant for Trump Victory, a fundraising committee for the president’s campaign,&#8221; the paper wrote.
<blockquote>Wren declined to be interviewed for this story, instead releasing a statement that she met Murphy for the first time in the summer, &#8220;when he expressed interest in bringing Donald Trump Jr. to campus.&#8221;
“I followed up with him via my private email in my personal capacity and mistakenly forgot to remove my Trump Victory signature,” she wrote. “After an initial call to discuss a potential visit, University of Florida representatives were connected to Donald Trump Jr’s office.”</blockquote>
Murphy, though, told the student newspaper that because the visit by Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle was not an official campaign stop, it did not violate university rules.
Henry Fair, head of the ACCENT Speakers Bureau, an arm of the student government, also told <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/florida-students-object-as-trump-jr-speaks-on-campus--for-a-50000-fee/2019/10/10/4a123a88-eb82-11e9-85c0-85a098e47b37_story.html?tid=lk_inline_manual_15" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Washington Post</a> last month that “this event is a campus speaking engagement, not a campaign event.”
But the Times quoted one student body senator saying the event was political.
<blockquote>“Public records show that Michael Murphy colluded with a member of the Donald Trump campaign,” student senator Ben Lima said during a student government meeting last week. Lima is leading the impeachment charge.
“If this was not a campaign event, then why was the student body president in communication with the Trump campaign to bring these speakers to campus?” he asked.</blockquote>
Student senators will soon vote on his impeachment. &#8220;If at least two-thirds of the group votes in favor,&#8221; The Times wrote, &#8220;Murphy will be immediately suspended. Then the other half of the senate will take a final vote on whether to permanently remove him from office.&#8221;

Trump Jr. Guilfoyle

Student Body President Faces Impeachment For Bringing Trump Jr. To College Campus

Donald Trump Jr.

Florida

Impeachment

Business owner Irina Vilariño, an immigrant who fled communist Cuba with her family as a young girl, has launched a Republican bid for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 26th District, saying that she was inspired to run after seeing that &#8220;the same policies that wrecked my world in Cuba were beginning to take hold in the Democrat Party.&#8221;
In an exclusive interview with The Daily Wire, Vilariño highlighted the issues that she cares about the most and what she sees in the Democrat Party that reminds her of communist Cuba.
Vilariño, 43, is the co-owner of Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine restaurants, the first of which &#8220;opened in 1984 in Hollywood after her family fled Cuba, and at least a dozen locations are now spread around South Florida,&#8221; The Miami Herald reported.
Members of Vilariño&#8217;s family, including her father, were locked up as political prisoners in communist Cuba and, at just 4-years-old, Vilariño and her family arrived in Florida during the Mariel Boatlift, an event where a large number of Cubans escaped to the U.S. during 1980.
&#8220;My grandparents emigrated to Cuba from Spain to escape socialism. My parents came to the United States from Cuba to escape communism,&#8221; Vilariño said. &#8220;If we don’t fight to preserve our freedoms here, there is no place left in the world for my daughter to go. We must preserve the American Dream. This is the cause that will define the success of our generation, and I urge you to join with me on this mission.&#8221;
Vilariño <a href="https://www.fec.gov/data/elections/house/FL/26/2020/">raised</a> more than three times more than the next highest Republican candidate for the seat, bringing in over $370,000 during the first few months of her candidacy.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Irina is one of us and will fight for us, not the special interests that are looking to advance their own agendas. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/irinaforcongress?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#irinaforcongress</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yovotoporirina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yovotoporirina</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Republican?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Republican</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Woman?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Woman</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hispanic?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hispanic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Latina?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Latina</a> <a href="https://t.co/190Hhp3EhU">https://t.co/190Hhp3EhU</a>
— Irina Vilariño (@irinavilarino) <a href="https://twitter.com/irinavilarino/status/1167922803686830080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 31, 2019</a></blockquote>
Vilariño has made numerous media appearances prior to announcing her run for Congress and was featured at the White House in September 2018 for Hispanic Heritage Month, where she charmed President Donald Trump.
Vilariño is challenging freshman Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL), who has voted with socialist Democratic Reps. <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/M001207-debbie-mucarsel-powell/compare-votes/O000172-alexandria-ocasio-cortez/116">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a> (NY) and <a href="https://projects.propublica.org/represent/members/M001207-debbie-mucarsel-powell/compare-votes/O000173-ilhan-omar/116">Ilhan Omar</a> (MN) 95% of the time while in Congress.
Mucarsel-Powell knocked off Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo in 2018, who was viewed by many Republicans as being weak and ineffective.
&#8220;Vilariño — a party loyalist with a sharp-tongued presence on social media — provides an interesting contrast with Curbelo, who frequently broke with Trump and often kept the president at a distance while representing a district that is both majority-Hispanic and left-leaning,&#8221; The Miami Herald added. &#8220;After Curbelo lost, Trump mocked him during a press conference and blamed his loss on his reluctance to embrace the president.&#8221;
The Daily Wire&#8217;s exclusive interview with Vilariño is featured below:
1. What inspired you to get into politics?
My family and I arrived to the U.S. when I was 4 years of age. My father and uncle had both been political prisoners in Cuba. For much of my adult life, I somewhat felt that politics in the U.S. were on some sort of autopilot. However, during the McCain-Obama election I saw a division and a radicalized rhetoric that started to change the United States. I began to fear that the same policies that wrecked my world in Cuba were beginning to take hold in the Democrat Party here. That is what compelled me to get involved in politics and take a more active role. I believe the best thing that I can bring to the process is perspective. I am an America that loves freedom, and I want to see it preserved for future generations.
2. As a person who fled communist Cuba and who knows firsthand the horrors of communism, do you see any similarities between the Democrat Party and the oppressive regime that you escaped?
The Democrat Party is [not a communist party]; however, the trend toward socialism and repressive policies embraced by the Democrats is a starting point, and I am deeply concerned about it. If there is any similarity, it’s in the smear tactics to scare and silence those that oppose and obstruct their path to power.
3. With the rise of socialism in the Democrat Party, are you also concerned about the Democrats’ continued push to curtail the freedoms of U.S. citizens?
Of course. Even in the name of good policy, any time we look to government to intrude itself, we lose freedom.
4. What do you say to other Latinos who listen to publications like CNN and believe that the president is racist and that enforcing immigration law and securing the border is racist?
Securing the border and embracing a policy of national self-defense is not racist. It is what is expected of any government.
5. Are you a Trump supporter? If so, can you explain what about the president you support?
I am my own person, but I support the President and his policies. I am for any president that promotes American exceptionalism, prosperity and individual liberties. He has done a good job of taking on the Washington establishment and of implementing free market policies that have revitalized our economy.
6. Why should minorities vote Republican and how should the party reach out to them?
To me the Republican Party encompasses the values of the country we aspired to live in when we fled communism: personal accountability, order, respect, justice, and freedom from an encroaching government. We should represent love of family, respect for the individual and the American dream and with that prosperity and stability.
7. Why should younger voters vote Republican and what are you going to do to reach them?
My family and I are a testament to what the individual can accomplish in a country that promotes personal accountability and freedoms versus government intrusion and entitlement. Upward mobility is only possible when we have a transparency and true public servants, not a top-heavy government and bureaucrats.
8. How should the GOP respond to some of the issues, like healthcare and student debt, that Democrats propose addressing with socialist policies?
There is a saying that socialist governments work only so long as there is enough of other people’s money to pay for everything. We are $22 trillion in debt. More free giveaways are going to bankrupt the country and empower our foreign enemies. We need to lower the cost of healthcare and pharmaceuticals. It is abusive that a pill that costs $15 elsewhere costs an American hundreds of dollars.
9. How should Republicans respond to the Democrats becoming the party of identity politics?
By calling it out for what it is. Democrats want to divide us by the color of our skin. Republicans want to unite us by the colors of our flag. All of us should want the best for our country and want only from our country the freedom to pursue our dreams.
10. What do you view as the greatest threat the United States both from a foreign and a domestic standpoint?
Right now, the single biggest threat to our existence is our national debt. We must get serious about cutting up the federal credit card. The very idea that the Democrats want to put us into more debt is one of the most anti-American, un-patriotic policy proposals that I can think of. Our middle class has to continue being the largest economic bloc to ensure our political stability and viability well into the future.
11. If elected, what do you hope to accomplish with respect to policy?
We must stop the over-spending. We need to be honest with our constituents and create awareness of the issues that are threatening our republic, institutionalized corruption being at the forefront. If I can be a part of the leadership team to achieve this, I will feel that my term of service is worthwhile.
12. The Democrat Party, with the help of the media, have really taken control of the narrative surrounding climate change. Many Republicans in your state, Florida, care about addressing climate issues. How does the Republican Party start to win over people who are concerned about the climate?
We are all concerned about our quality of life and about preserving our environment. I believe that we are already in the driver’s seat in many ways on this issue as our Governor Ron DeSantis has taken great steps to outline an aggressive agenda for water preservation, and I will be happy to be an advocate for him in Congress. The environment is a human issue not a political one.
13. A lot of the narrative surrounding the climate has come from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and her proposed “Green New Deal,” which her former chief-of-staff even admitted was about implementing socialism. The “Green New Deal” is a socialist vision that the Democrat Party is trying to sell to America. How do you counter that? What is your vision for America?
The Green New Deal would be an economic wrecking ball for America. It is impractical and subjects our consumers and small businesses to financial penalties beyond their capacity. I will expose these bogus social[ist programs for what they are].
14. What do you believe is the cause of the increasing political polarization in the U.S. and how do you plan on helping to unite the country?
We need to unite the country around universal truths and around our common belief in God and the American Dream. Government will never be able to solve every ill, but people standing together can solve anything. Many on the Left look for any problem in America to demonize our success and prosperity. We need to start looking at our prosperity compared to the rest of the world and think of ways to protect the freedom and free markets that have created more prosperity and opportunity for more people than at any time in the history of the world. Both parties need to do what is right by the country and not by special interests. People need to have a fair chance without have the deck stacked against them.
15. What are your thoughts on Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and the rise of anti-Semitism in the Democrat Party?
This is tragic, and more importantly, my opponent Debbie Murcasel-Powell has done nothing to condemn this new wave of radical anti-Semitism, and she should pay an electoral price for it.
16. In what areas do you think your opponent Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell (D-FL) is weak and has she let your district down?
She has embraced the rise of radical socialism in her own party, been the lap-dog for Nancy Pelosi, and had her campaign funded by Washington insiders and special interests. She represents her party ideology instead of working in unity to bring about positive results for our community and country as a whole.
17. What are the top three issues for voters in your district and how do you plan on addressing those issues? What issues are the most important to you?
My top three issues are the national debt, healthcare, and our environment. The most important, I feel, is the national debt because if we do not address that, there will not be enough financial resources in the world to deal with the other two issues. Strengthening the middle class is a priority. If Americans don’t feel they can make ends meet that allows socialists to tout their entitlement agenda. Once people get on that train it will be too difficult for them to get off of it.
19. What areas of the Republican Party’s platform do you think needs to be addressed, and/or changed?
The Republican Party platform for 2020 is probably in its earliest drafting phase. The last one from 2016 was a great outline of what we hoped to achieve. I am happy that we have been able to deliver on tax cuts and increased funding for our national defenses. However, there is still much work to be done.
20. What do you hope to inspire in other elected officials and future leaders to help make America a better place?
A greater sense of appreciation for this land of the free because of the brave. We can never forget those that gave their lives to free other countries from the peril of socialism and to maintain our independence and freedom. We must above all continue to be a grateful national. With our story as a family and community, I hope to remind Americans what the alternative looks like.
21. How has being a successful business owner prepared you for running for Congress?
It has helped me understand what people are dealing with in their personal lives every day. Another insider deal, another government lobbying team, and another big government idea is not going to help them. What will help them is if we let them keep more of their hard-earned money and keep government out of their way.
22. When you are not working, what do you do for fun?
When you have your own business you don’t get a lot of free time so I value spending time with family. My daughter is my priority. That’s my hobby.

Irina Vilarino

Cuban Business Owner Who Fled Communist Cuba Launches GOP Congressional Bid, Dominates GOP Primary Field In Fundraising

Cuba

Donald Trump

Irina Vilariño

Republican Party

When Francis Scott Key emerged from the hold of the HMS Minden the morning after the bombardment of Fort McHenry, he made an appropriate decision that would impact our history down to today. Seeing “Old Glory” wave atop the battle-tested fort moved him to pen what we know today as the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Since then, the National Anthem stirs our hearts with patriotism, signals the start to ball games, and moves grizzled veterans to tears. It’s also the source of our National Motto, something not everyone thinks is appropriate.
Key felt the weight of the historical moment. It was the War of 1812 — what some call our “Second War for Independence.” The fledgling nation that would become an international superpower faced off for the second time in fifty years against the superpower that would become its eventual ally in freedom. But all was not certain the night Key spent aboard the HMS Minden.
Seeing the “dawn’s early light” against what “so proudly we hailed at twilight’s last gleaming” must have produced confidence that this experiment in democracy might just work. Years later, the nation would grab an oft-forgotten line from the fourth verse of that hymn, adapting, and then adopting, it officially as our National Motto: “And this be our Motto: ‘In God is our trust.’”
Imagine how certain Key must’ve been to write those words? A young nation, having fought for its independence, weathered multiple Constitutional Conventions, and seen the election of at least three presidents, was divided and uncertain over a great many things, but united in the thought that the freedom to do right must be grounded in acknowledging trust in God.
It was wholly appropriate. King George had overstepped. His many “injuries and usurpations” painted an unflattering picture that King George’s government believed it possessed the rights and privileges of citizenship. Our Declaration said otherwise, locating the giver of our freedoms — our “certain unalienable rights” — in the hands of humanity’s Creator.
So it is appropriate for the nation to not only have “In God We Trust” as our motto, but to display it: On coins, bills, and buildings. The state of Georgia displays it on its state flag. Recently, several states have mandated the display of the mottos in the schools, perhaps sensing a need to remind the next generation of its enduring truth. The state of Florida officially adopted “In God We Trust” as the state’s motto.
It should be entirely unsurprising and, therefore, fully appropriate that a state official would cause the motto of both a state and country to be displayed on his department’s vehicles.
That is precisely the thinking of <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/florida-sheriff-god-atheist-complain">Sheriff Wayne Ivey</a> of Brevard County, Florida. His cruisers now include the motto. He joins a growing number of law enforcement vehicles around the country proudly displaying Key’s adapted phrase.
But one group sent a letter to Sheriff Ivey attempting to bully him into reversing his decision. Why? Because the display of the national (and state) motto is, they said, “inappropriate.”
Appropriateness is all they could possibly cite in their vain attempt to question Ivey’s decision because both our history and the law is stacked against them. The Supreme Court of the United States has rejected every challenge to the National Motto sent its way, including one this past June. Every federal appellate court to have heard a challenge to the constitutionality of “In God We Trust” has agreed that the phrase is consistent with our longstanding history and tradition.
That history and tradition, Justice Samuel Alito wrote earlier this year in The American Legion v. AHA, “begun by the First Congress stands out as an example of respect and tolerance for differing views, an honest endeavor to achieve inclusivity and nondiscrimination, and a recognition of the important role that religion plays in the lives of many Americans.”
That seems to be what Francis Scott Key had in mind in Baltimore harbor. Rather than fight against such a history and tradition, perhaps those that find the motto to be “inappropriate” might follow the example of the First Congress in showing “respect and tolerance.”
That seems appropriate to me.
&nbsp;
Jeremy Dys (@JeremyDys) is Special Counsel for Litigation and Communications for First Liberty Institute, a non-profit law firm dedicated to defending religious freedom for all Americans. Read more at <a href="https://firstliberty.org">FirstLiberty.org</a>.

American flag wood

DYS: Display Of National Motto More Appropriate Than Ever

A college in Florida had an interesting idea: build a replica of a segment of the infamous Berlin Wall that separated East and West Germany for 44 years. The wall was scheduled to be destroyed with sledgehammers by students on Friday to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the actual Berlin Wall.
But the professor who organized the project at New College in Florida, Lauren Hansen, apparently has another message she also wants to impart. According to <a href="https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/articles/2019/11/7/remembering-the-berlin-wall">Sarasota Magazine</a>, she wants the fall of the wall to represent “national and international experiences of separating groups of people, cities and countries.”
Hansen stated about the replica wall, “It has become a place where students and faculty from the entire university can come to discuss borders and the divisiveness we encounter today in the U.S. and other parts of the world.”
Sarasota Magazine reported:
<blockquote>The project was organized by professor Lauren Hansen, who is currently teaching a course called The Berlin Wall in German Literature and Film. In January, Hansen led an independent study about the portrayal of the Berlin Wall in German literature, and the idea for the replica wall was created by her small group of students. While other universities have created replica walls in the past, New College students also reenacted historical speeches, presented film screenings, and held graffiti sessions and poster presentation sessions. Creating the wall also turned into a timely project about national and international experiences of separating groups of people, cities and countries, notes Hansen.</blockquote>
The replica stands eight feet tall and 16 feet wide and was placed so that students would be forced to walk around it to get to class. As radio host Rod Thomson <a href="https://therevolutionaryact.com/mangling-truth-berlin-wall/">cogently noted </a>regarding the college&#8217;s project:
<blockquote>Germany was formally divided in 1949 and the wall went up in 1961. The East German communist party never had popular support, distrusted its citizens and ruled with an iron fist. Refugees left East Germany for economic and political reasons, causing a brain drain. In the intervening years, more than 3 million East Germans “voted with their feet” by moving to West Germany.
To equate that wall to our border wall would have meant the West Germans would have put up the Berlin Wall to keep the East Germans out. But it was the East Germans who did so, to stem the flow out of East Berlin. There’s a fundamental difference between a wall that locks people in like a prison wall and the Berlin Wall, and a wall that protects and establishes legal borders, such as movie theaters, sporting events, Disney and national borders.</blockquote>
The New College of Florida states on its <a href="https://news.ncf.edu/news/with-public-event-new-college-students-will-commemorate-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/">website</a>:
<blockquote>New College of Florida has educated intellectually curious students for lives of great achievement since its founding in 1960. As the State of Florida’s designated honors college, New College provides an exceptional education that transforms students’ intellectual curiosity into personal accomplishment. The 110-acre campus on Sarasota Bay is home to more than 800 students and 80 full-time faculty engaged in interdisciplinary research and collaborative learning.</blockquote>

Berlin Wall near Brandenburg Gate

Professor Organizes Building And Destruction Of Berlin Wall Replica, Hints It’s Partly About Trump

Berlin

trump

wall

There’s more trouble for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
On September 25, a school resource officer who was a deputy from the Broward County Sheriff&#8217;s Office allegedly grabbed a 15-year-old female student by the neck and body-slammed her to the ground at Cross Creek School in Pompano Beach, Florida. On September 27, a BCPS Special Investigative Unit reported the incident involving Willard Miller, 38, to BSO&#8217;s Internal Affairs Division. After the video was examined, Miller no longer worked at the school, and was placed on administrative assignment, as <a href="https://www.firstcoastnews.com/article/news/crime/broward-sheriffs-office-school-deputy-arrested-for-child-abuse/77-8a15062d-d3ca-4d6b-9f21-cf8017cf90dd">First Coast News</a> reports.
One month later, on Oct. 23, the State Attorney&#8217;s Office received the case; Miller was suspended without pay on Oct. 28. Miller, 38, turned himself in to police after video surfaced of the incident; he was arrested on November 5.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
A Broward County deputy assigned as a resource officer has been arrested after body-slamming a student to the ground on Tuesday. <a href="https://t.co/IRCdUJlPxW">pic.twitter.com/IRCdUJlPxW</a>
&mdash; CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1191832603147558912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Broward County Sheriff’s Office has been the subject of withering criticism since the Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 in which a gunman murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others. As <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/02/23/florida-school-shooting-sheriff-got-18-calls-cruzs-violence-threats-guns/366165002/">USA Today</a> reported:
<blockquote>Broward County deputies received at least 18 calls warning them about (the shooter) from 2008 to 2017, including concerns that he &#8220;planned to shoot up the school&#8221; and other threats and acts of violence <a href="https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/2018/02/23/concerned-people-close-nikolas-cruz-called-local-police-explicit-details-his-homicidal-intentions-mo/365975002/" data-t-l="|inline|intext|n/a">before he was accused of killing 17 people at a high school.</a> The warnings, made by concerned people close to (the shooter), came in phone calls to the Broward County Sheriff&#8217;s Office, records show. At least five callers mentioned concern over his access to weapons, according to the documents. None of those warnings led to direct intervention.</blockquote>
Then-Sheriff Scott Israel, who was removed from his post earlier this year and replaced by Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony, is running as a candidate for his old job in the Democratic primary. On Monday Tony <a href="https://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Former-sheriff-Scott-Israel-to-run-against-current-sheriff-in-2020-564489721.html">announced</a> he is running for reelection.
Scott Israel was widely condemned for his actions involving the massacre as well as his actions during the shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport; the <a href="https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/editorials/fl-op-edit-broward-sheriff-scott-israel-20181225-story.html">Sun-Sentinel</a> wrote in December 2018:
<blockquote>… on his two biggest tests — the mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas — Israel came up short.
Worse, the sheriff fails to accept responsibility for what went wrong, suggesting instead that things couldn’t have been done better. If he fails to acknowledge that mistakes were made — not only by individuals, but by his command — how can we expect a better outcome next time?
After the Stoneman Douglas shooting, the sheriff argued that a general can’t be blamed if a single soldier fails to do his job. He was referring to School Resource Officer Scot Peterson, who failed to pursue the shooter after reporting “shots fired.” The commission’s report says Peterson waited 45 minutes to enter the school and warned others to stay away, too.
But Peterson was not alone. While a great many BSO deputies demonstrated bravery that day, far too many showed cowardice, hiding behind trees, cars and walls …
Given Sheriff Israel’s failure to learn from history — and the failure of his command during our community’s most horrific events — we now stand with those who believe he should be removed and replaced.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;</blockquote>

Tropical Storm Gordon forms over Florida Keys

More Trouble For Broward County Sheriff&#8217;s Office: School Resource Officer Allegedly Body-Slams 15-Year-Old Girl

Broward County

Parkland Shooting

Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio mocked President Trump after he announced he would leave New York and make Florida the state of his permanent residence. Cuomo <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/1190059166129426432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1190059166129426432&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dailywire.com%2Fnews%2Fandrew-cuomo-snaps-good-riddance-at-trump-leaving-ny-don-jr-levels-">tweeted,</a>&#8221; Good riddance. It’s not like <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump">@realDonaldTrump</a> paid taxes here anyway&#8230; He’s all yours, Florida.” De Blasio <a href="https://twitter.com/NYCMayor/status/1190118081181487104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1190118081181487104&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thegatewaypundit.com%2F2019%2F11%2Fhateful-idiots-nyc-mayor-de-blasio-and-ny-governor-cuomo-">echoed</a>, “Our deepest condolences to the good people of Florida as Trump attempts to outrun his past (and near future).”
What Cuomo and de Blasio ignore are these salient facts: more people reportedly leave New York City daily than any other city in the nation, and according to the U.S. Census Bureau, between July 2017 and July 2018, New York state lost 48,560 people, the biggest plunge in the U.S. The <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/01/19/why-more-people-are-leaving-new-york-than-any-other-state/">New York Post</a> added, “In 2017, roughly 131 people left the metropolitan area each day, compared with 43 in 2014.”
<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-29/new-york-city-metro-area-exodus-soars-to-277-people-every-day">Bloomberg News</a> wrote in August that according to 2018 Census data, “Scores of people are leaving the New York City area behind every day. New York leads all U.S. metro areas as the largest net loser with 277 people moving every day — more than double the exodus of 132 just one year ago.” Bloomberg added, “Seven cities had on average more than 100 new arrivals every day. Dallas, Phoenix, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas and Austin.”
<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2019/09/05/new-yorkers-are-leaving-the-city-in-droves-heres-why-theyre-moving-and-where-theyre-going/#455da51a41ac">Forbes</a> noted in September 2019:
<blockquote>The costly living expenses, crumbling infrastructure and high tax rates are a big problem for residents. If you live in NYC, you are forced to pay exorbitant taxes. The schools, bridges, tunnels, trains, airports and hospitals are falling apart. Casually walk the streets of NYC and you’ll notice that they are crowded and dirty … The politicians don&#8217;t seem to care. Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, was out of the state—busy with his Don Quixote quest for the presidency of the United States—while New York suffered a major blackout.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/3-reasons-so-many-people-are-getting-the-hell-out-of-the-northeast-2018-10-20">Marketwatch</a> reported in January 2019, “<a href="https://www.gobankingrates.com/retirement/survey-reveals-americans-biggest-money-fears-2017/">Data released by personal finance site GoBankingRates.com</a> reveals that the No. 1 financial fear of people who live in the Northeast is that they will live in debt forever; the Northeast is the only region of the country ranking this factor as No. 1.”
As Kristin Tate wrote in <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/finance/442210-moving-from-new-york-to-florida-saves-much-more-than-just-taxes">The Hill </a>in May 2019 of a fictional character considering whether to move to Florida from New York, his “$100,000 salary would go much further outside the Empire State. After inflation and relative costs, that amount would be equivalent to only $87,000. In Florida, the same $100,000 is worth roughly $101,000. Tally up the totals and it is easy to understand why so many people flee New York for Florida, especially as they enter peak earning years and think about retirement.”
Trump wrote on Twitter, “I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will, but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state. Few have been treated worse. I hated having to make this decision, but in the end it will be best for all concerned.”

Erin Scott/Polaris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

NY Dems Mock Trump For Leaving. Data Shows Trump Is Far From Alone.

Andrew Cuomo

Bill de Blasio

New York

President Donald Trump revealed on Thursday evening that his family will be moving from their longtime home base in New York City and changing their permanent residence to his home in Palm Beach, Florida.
&#8220;1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House, is the place I have come to love and will stay for, hopefully, another 5 years as we MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, but my family and I will be making Palm Beach, Florida, our Permanent Residence,&#8221; Trump wrote in a series of tweets.
&#8220;I cherish New York, and the people of New York, and always will, but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Few have been treated worse.&#8221;
&#8220;I hated having to make this decision, but in the end it will be best for all concerned,&#8221; Trump added. &#8220;As President, I will always be there to help New York and the great people of New York. It will always have a special place in my heart!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&#8230;.New York, and always will, but unfortunately, despite the fact that I pay millions of dollars in city, state and local taxes each year, I have been treated very badly by the political leaders of both the city and state. Few have been treated worse. I hated having to make&#8230;.
&mdash; Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1190079192358105088?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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The president, who is a lifelong resident of New York, filed a &#8220;declaration of domicile,&#8221; in September, listing his primary residence as his Mar-a-Lago resort, according to documents filed with the Palm Beach Country Circuit Court. First Lady Melania Trump also submitted identical court filings.
Prior to the move, Trump&#8217;s permanent residence was 721 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, more commonly referred to as Trump Tower, which he had called home since 1983. The court filings also list the president&#8217;s &#8220;other places of abode&#8221; as 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House&#8217;s address, and the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey.
The moves comes as Trump has been facing mounting scrutiny from both New York State Attorney General Letitia James and a Manhattan district attorney over his tax returns. Before she was even elected as attorney general, James vowed to target both the president and the Trump Organization, which many viewed as a political vendetta. However, it is not clear if the investigation has anything to do with the move.
Despite calling New York home, the president has been deeply unpopular in the increasingly blue state. During the 2016 presidential election cycle, Trump lost the state of New York to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by more than 20 points. Clinton also won New York County with more than 85 percent of the vote.
The president has often butted heads with many of New York&#8217;s far-left lawmakers, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, both progressive Democrats. The duo, who are often even critical of one another, celebrated the news of Trump&#8217;s departure from the state.
&#8220;Good riddance. It&#8217;s not like [Trump] paid taxes here anyway&#8230;,&#8221; Cuomo said in response to the announcement. &#8220;He&#8217;s all yours, Florida.&#8221;
&#8220;Don&#8217;t let the door hit you on the way out or whatever,&#8221; de Blasio said. He later added,&#8221;Our deepest condolences to the good people of Florida as Trump attempts to outrun his past (and near future).&#8221;

President Donald Trump And First Lady Melania Depart White House For Orlando Rally

President Trump Announces He&#8217;s Leaving New York

New York City

When embattled Broward County, Florida Sheriff Scott Israel was removed from office in January 2019 by new Florida governor Ron DeSantis, Israel claimed that the decision was partisan, that it had nothing to do with his deputies’ disastrous performance during two deadly mass shootings, and that he had provided “amazing leadership” to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office (BSO). Now, the Florida Senate’s special master has <a href="https://wsvn.com/news/local/florida-senate-recommended-to-reinstate-suspended-broward-sheriff-scott-israel/">recommended</a> that Israel be reinstated, even though the Supreme Court of Florida upheld the governor’s decision to remove him in the first place.
But I was the executive officer of the BSO. And Scott Israel is lying. He neglected police work in favor of politics. The bloody massacres at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in 2017 and the Parkland high school in 2018 were the most visible consequences. But another insidious effect was Sheriff Israel’s willingness to shatter the morale of the BSO by appointing political cronies to key posts — including radicals linked with Islamist extremism.
I began my law enforcement career serving with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) when Rudy Giuliani was mayor. Under Giuliani, the direction of law enforcement was set by elected officials, but police policies and procedures were left to experienced, non-political leaders of the police department. That, I understood, was how a successful law enforcement agency should function.
That’s not what I observed while serving as the BSO’s executive officer. Instead, I saw politics permeate every layer of the agency until it completely delegitimized what was once the pride of South Florida’s law enforcement. Instead of the BSO functioning as a performance-directed institution, it acted more like a political campaign. Sheriff Israel surrounded himself with well-connected incompetents, who were unconcerned with the daily threats of crime, disorder, and terrorism. Sheriff Israel dared not fire them even when they made the most egregious mistakes. To do so would have harmed his political ambitions.
Upon taking office in 2013, Sheriff Israel appointed as his chief of staff Lisa Castillo, who had no prior law enforcement experience. In fact, she had no major work achievements in any previous position. Castillo served for a brief period as an intern with Mayor Ed Koch’s administration in New York City. From there, she had short stints in mid-level positions in local government. Despite her limited qualifications, the new sheriff apparently believed Castillo was qualified to serve on a very high level in an agency with a $900 million budget and 6,000 employees — and in a county of approximately 1.9 million residents.
However, Castillo brought something more valuable to Israel than education, experience, or competence: Political influence. Castillo was married to City Commissioner Angelo Castillo of Pembroke Pines, an important voting constituency in Broward County.
Pembroke Pines is also the location of the infamous <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/52481/do-not-be-fooled-by-these-moderates-in-florida">Darul Uloom</a> mosque, which is affiliated with the hardline South Asian Deobandi movement. The mosque’s imam, Shafayat Mohamed, was <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/52481/do-not-be-fooled-by-these-moderates-in-florida">involved</a> with a South African “backer” of Osama bin Laden. Mohamed has been thrown off several Florida nonprofit boards because of his bigoted statements about homosexuals. (The most notorious example was Mohamed’s 2005 article “<a href="http://imgur.com/vg8fGFs">Tsunami: Wrath of God</a>,” in which he claimed that homosexuality caused the 2004 Indonesian tsunami. He also called Christians and Jews “perverted transgressors.”) Worse, the mosque had counted among its members several future terrorists, including “dirty bomber” <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-florida-padilla/u-s-judge-re-sentences-jose-padilla-to-21-years-on-terrorism-charges-idUSKBN0H41TW20140909">Jose Padilla</a>.
None of this stopped Sheriff Israel from establishing deep ties with Darul Uloom, at the urging of Lisa Castillo.
In August 2014, Israel appointed Nezar Hamze as a full-time deputy. Hamze was a regular attendee of Darul Uloom. When he was hired, he was also the regional operations director of the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-FL), and had previously been CAIR-FL’s executive director. CAIR has a <a href="http://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/CAIR_is_HAMAS.pdf">long history</a> of coordination with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. In 2009, the FBI <a href="https://www.investigativeproject.org/1029/fbi-explains-its-cair-cut-off">cut off</a> all collaboration with CAIR after federal prosecutors named the Islamist group as an unindicted coconspirator in the largest terrorism financing case in U.S. history. And in 2014, the United Arab Emirates <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/us-group-cair-named-terrorist-organization-by-united-arab-emirates">designated</a> CAIR as a terrorist organization.
Hamze’s colleagues at CAIR-FL are deeply alarming. CAIR-FL Communications Director Wilfredo Amr Ruiz regularly <a href="https://pjmedia.com/trending/islamist-civil-rights-activist-is-a-not-so-secret-anti-semite/">promotes</a> anti-Semitic conspiracy theories, including canards about Jewish scripture popularized by the Nazis. CAIR-FL Director Hassan Shibly, meanwhile, has <a href="https://www.meforum.org/islamist-watch/blog/december-2017/leading-american-islamist-endorses-violent-antiahm">endorsed</a> a Deobandi organization that advocates the mass murder of Ahmadiyyas, a peaceful Muslim sect despised by Islamists.
The decision to hire the extremist-linked Hamze as a deputy was even more scandalous because he failed almost every step of the vetting process for the job. During his initial pre-employment interview in May 2013, three high-ranking BSO commanders — Major David Holmes, Major Michael DiMaggio, and Major Donn G. Peterson — all agreed not to recommend Hamze.
But Lisa Castillo advised the sheriff to overrule his commanders and to hire Hamze as a BSO deputy anyway. Hamze continued his position with CAIR-FL, despite the clear conflict of interest.
Shortly afterward, Scott Israel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1gcYmzywvg&amp;feature=youtu.be">attended</a> Darul Uloom along with Hamze, telling the congregation that it is important to “surround yourself with like-minded people.” Courting Broward’s growing Muslim voting population appeared to be a priority for both Israel and Castillo. To no one’s surprise, in May 2019, Angelo Castillo announced his candidacy for mayor of Pembroke Pines.
Israel has tried to explain these events as an effort to reach out to diverse audiences. However, Castillo had a remarkably narrow idea of which audiences were considered “diverse.” When staff suggested the sheriff’s office reach out to Jewish and Christian organizations to lecture on post-9/11 security issues, we were met with resistance from Sheriff Israel and his chief of staff. Meanwhile, at the suggestion of Castillo, Israel ordered members of his Community Outreach Unit to participate in prayer sessions at the Darul Uloom mosque on a regular basis.
The rank and file of the BSO, men and women dedicated to their calling, recognized that preventing crime and promoting law and order took a backseat to politics during the Scott Israel regime. The politicization of the agency, the incompetence of the command staff, and the lack of training and experience in dealing with critical incidents created a fatally negative environment that consumed the entire agency. The hiring of Nezar Hamze was only the worst example. It is hardly surprising that morale and training deteriorated, contributing to the disasters at Parkland and Fort Lauderdale.
A wise man once said said: “Experience is the hardest kind of teacher because you take the test first and the lesson second.” Sheriff Israel, his chief of staff Lisa Castillo, and the BSO’s command staff never learned the lesson. They were willing to sacrifice the safety of Floridians in return for short-sighted political advantage. History will not be kind to Scott Israel; he will be remembered as the sheriff whose decisions failed the test of time and whose “amazing leadership” inspired no one.
Russell Di Perna is the former executive officer to the Sheriff of Broward County. He is a retired NYPD officer, and previously served in the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy. He is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University, where he studied political science, and of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, where he pursued Counter-Terrorism Studies.

High School shooting in Parkland

DI PERNA: Sheriff Scott Israel Embraced Extremists to Secure His Own Political Future

Police

Radical Islam

Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Gallardo was receiving an award from City Hall after being named “April 2019 Deputy of the Month.” Gallardo had arrested an El Salvador man who was wanted by Interpol and had a warrant for his arrest for committing a murder.
After Gallardo and other officers received their awards, they took a photo with Tamarac, Florida, Mayor Michelle J. Gomez and several city commissioners. After the photo, Commissioner Mike Gelin took the microphone and called out Gallardo for falsely arresting him four years earlier.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/28/us/broward-county-deputy.html">reported</a> that Gelin told Gallardo: “You probably don’t remember me, but you are the police officer who falsely arrested me four years ago.”
“You lied on the police report,” Gelin continued. “I believe you are a rogue police officer. You are a bad police officer, and you don’t deserve to be here.”
The moment was <a href="https://tamaracfl.new.swagit.com/videos/33371">caught on camera</a>.
“Ms. Gomez quickly grabbed the microphone and told the deputies that city officials appreciated ‘everything that you do for us,’” the Times reported. “It was the first ceremony the city hosted to recognize outstanding deputies.”
Gelin had been arrested by Gallardo in 2015 after filming an encounter between the police officer and two men fighting in the street. Gallardo, a white officer, told Gelin, a black man, to stop filming. Gelin kept recording, and Gallardo arrested him for resisting without violence, according to the Times.
Gallardo’s report of the arrest said Gelin approached him from behind and was arrested after refusing to leave the scene. Gelin said he was in prison for nine hours before the charges were dropped thanks to the video on his phone.
“I was profoundly affected by my wrongful arrest,” Gelin told the Times. “It was a traumatizing experience and I think about it a lot. I had a flashback at the meeting and thought it was the right thing to do to call out the officer.”
“Wrongful arrests have lifelong impacts on people and happen more than people would want to believe,” he added. “I need to be a voice for the people who don’t feel like they have a voice or the courage to express their voice.”
Mayor Gomez called Gelin’s behavior during the awards ceremony “highly inappropriate.”
“This was neither the time nor the forum to air personal grievances,” she wrote in an email to the Times. “This is NOT the way we treat employees or people who work for our city. There are proper channels to follow, but the commissioner chose not to use them.”
The outlet reported that Sheriff Gregory Tony told Gelin he would open an internal investigation into the commissioner’s arrest.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office Deputies Association called Gelin “an insult to law enforcement” in a statement to the Times.
“It is outrageous that Commissioner Gelin acted in an official capacity to berate a deputy who was just recognized for apprehending a known gang member wanted for homicide who has previously been deported,” said union president Jeff Bell.
Gelin said he has received some racist messages since news broke of his remarks, but also told the Times that many members of minority communities have been supportive.

Lawman

City Commissioner Calls Out ‘Rogue’ Police Officer At Awards Ceremony

A 6-year-old girl in Florida was arrested after she threw a tantrum in her Florida classroom.
The girl’s grandmother, Meralyn Kirkland, said the girl suffers from sleep apnea and was sleep deprived when she threw the tantrum, and shouldn’t have been arrested. She <a href="https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/florida-grandmother-outraged-after-6-year-old-arrested-for-tantrum/">told</a> NBC affiliate WFLA-TV that she was told of the arrest after the fact.
“What do you mean she was arrested, he said ‘there was an incident and she kicked somebody and she is being charged and she is on her way,&#8217;” Kirkland told the outlet.
She said police officers were not persuaded by her granddaughter’s medical condition.
“She has a medical condition that we are working on getting resolved and he says, ‘what medical condition, she has a sleep disorder, sleep apnea,’ and he says, ‘well I have sleep apnea and I don’t behave like that,” Kirkland told WFLA.
The outlet reported that Kirkland’s granddaughter Kaia, a first grader at Lucious and Emma Nixon Elementary charter school, was handcuffed and taken to the police station in a squad car to be fingerprinted and have her mug shot taken.
“They told us we had to wait a few minutes because Kaia was being fingerprinted, and when she said fingerprinted it hit me like a ton of bricks,” Kirkland told WFLA. “No six-year-old child should be able to tell somebody that they had handcuffs on them and they were riding in the back of a police car and taken to a juvenile center to be fingerprinted, mug shot.”
Kirkland added that Kaia “was charged with battery!” because she kicked a staff member at her school during her tantrum. Kirkland <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/grandmother-outraged-over-6-year-old-girls-arrest">told Click Orlando</a> that Kaia was sent to the head office after throwing a tantrum. Once there, a staff member tried to calm her down by grabbing her wrists, which is when Kaia kicked the staff member.
Kaia said Friday that she “felt sad that my grandma was sad, and I really missed her.&#8221;
The outlet also reported that another child at the school, an 8-year-old, was also arrested that day. Orlando Police Department officials told Click Orlando that department policy dictates school resource officers must seek watch commander approval before arresting children under the age of 12, but this particular officer did not do that in either case. That officer, Dennis Turner, is now <a href="https://www.clickorlando.com/news/orlando-school-resource-officer-under-investigation-after-arresting-elementary-students-report">facing an internal investigation</a> for the arrests.
Kirkland told the outlet that Kaia has an upcoming court date related to her arrest.
Kaia is not the only Florida child whose arrest caused national outrage. In 2017, a 10-year-old boy with autism was arrested after <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/04/21/health/autism-florida-10-year-old-arrested-bn/index.html">an outburst in class</a>. CNN reported at the time that John Haygood, a student at Okeechobee Achievement Academy, was throwing paper balls at students. His paraprofessional told him to take a time out, but he refused, and kicked and punched the paraprofessional instead. In a previous incident, Haygood allegedly threatened to kill the paraprofessional.
Haygood was expelled from the Academy but returned months later to take a test. He was arrested after refusing to take the test and “not being compliant.” The arresting officer told Haygood’s mother that the 10-year-old had an active warrant because the paraprofessional had filed charges. He was arrested.

Handcuffs

6-Year-Old Girl Arrested For ‘Battery’ After Throwing Tantrum

Children

Crime

On Thursday, an American Airlines mechanic was arrested on a charge of sabotage after it was discovered he had allegedly purposely disabled a navigation system on a flight with 150 people in July.
The <a href="https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article234766107.html">Miami Herald</a> reports that Abdul-Majeed Marouf Ahmed Alani, 60, is accused of manipulating the air data module on a plane due to take off from Miami International Airport. The <a href="https://heavy.com/news/2019/09/abdul-majeed-marouf-ahmed-alani/">complaint affidavit</a> stated:
<blockquote>Just prior to taking the departure runway, the flight crew increased power to the engines to pre-position the Target Aircraft for takeoff. The action of powering up the Target Aircraft&#8217;s engine resulted in an error related to the air data module (ADM) system which, in part, records aircraft speed, pitch, and other critical flight data. The takeoff was ordered aborted and the Target Aircraft was directed to return to MIA’s concourse D, gate 48, for maintenance.</blockquote>
The affidavit continued, &#8220;An AA mechanic discovered a loosely connected pitot tube, which connects directly to the ADM. Further inspection revealed the ADM appeared to have been deliberately obstructed with what appeared to be a dark Styrofoam-type material.&#8221;
The aircraft was deemed flyable the next morning.
The Herald reports:
<blockquote>According to the complaint affidavit, Alani glued the foam inside the tube leading from outside the plane to its air data module, a system that reports aircraft speed, pitch and other critical flight data. As a result, if the plane had taken off that day from MIA, the pilots would have had to operate the aircraft manually because the ADM system would not have received any computer data.</blockquote>
The affidavit also states that Alani claimed his actions were triggered by the dispute between the mechanics’ union and American Airlines, which &#8220;had affected him financially.&#8221; The affidavit noted Alani claimed he wanted to cause a delay or cancellation so he could gain overtime work. Alani told federal air marshals that he didn’t want to harm the plane or the passengers.
Federal air marshals watched video footage showing Alani gaining access to the aircraft’s compartment where the navigation system was located, taking seven minutes to finish his work. Three other AA mechanics helped identify Alani.
The complaint affidavit notes that on September 5, &#8220;Alani admitted he accessed the ADM in the Target Aircraft’s forward E&amp;E compartment. He further admitted that he inserted a piece of foam into the ADM’s inlet where the line connects and that he applied super glue to the foam so as to prevent the foam coming off.&#8221;
On Friday morning, American Airlines released this statement:
<blockquote>On July 17, flight 2834 from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, returned to the gate due to a maintenance issue. Passengers boarded a new aircraft which then re-departed for Nassau. At American we have an unwavering commitment to the safety and security of our customers and team members and we are taking this matter very seriously. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was taken out of service, maintenance was performed and after an inspection to ensure it was safe the aircraft was returned to service. American immediately notified federal law enforcement who took over the investigation with our full cooperation.</blockquote>

Florida Airline Mechanic Charged With Sabotaging Plane That Had 150 People On Board

Add “Florida Cat” to the list of hilarious Sunshine State headlines. Police in Collier County, Florida, responded to call from a homeowner who had heard “suspicious noises” in their home. Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/cat-burglar-detained-florida">reported</a> that when police arrived, they discovered the source of the noise — a cat; street name, “Bones.”
A paw-sitive identification was made using Bones’ micro-chip. He was “detained” by police and remanded to his human. The police who responded to the call posted about the incident on Facebook.
“Last night Sgt. Sudano, Cpl. Caceres, Cpl. Nova and Cpl. Henderson responded to a residence on 60th Avenue N.E. in reference to a suspicious incident that was possibly a burglary in progress,” the Collier County Sheriff’s Office said in the post. “Upon arrival it was discovered that a small feline was the culprit behind the disturbing sounds that prompted the call. The ‘cat burglar’ was quickly detained and turned over to Collier County Domestic Animal Services for safekeeping and fur-ther questioning.”
<div class="embed"><iframe width="500" height="771" frameborder="0"></iframe></div>
Police later updated the post to say: “Great news! Our cat burglar was micro-chipped. He has been identified as Bones and our partners at D.A.S. are in the process of contacting his owner!”
A photo of Bones in the back of a squad car accompanied the post.
At this time, Bones has not been charged with any felineys and has hopefully learned his lesson.
Bones is not the only feline to run into trouble with the law. In April, The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46453/seattle-has-been-fining-cat-thousands-dollars-yes-ashe-schow">reported</a> that Miska, a 10-year-old brown tabby had been fined thousands of dollars after neighbors complained about her behavior. Miska’s human, Anna Danieli, was ordered to pay the fines after Miska was accused of “trespassing” and being a “vicious animal at large.” At least 30 complaints had been lodged against Miska, prompting Danieli to file a lawsuit against the four prosecutors allegedly assigned to her case.
At one point, Miska was even sent to “kitty jail” and ordered to be euthanized. Thankfully, it has not come to that, and Danieli paid her “bail” — kenneling fees for her stint in an animal control facility. Danieli said Miska’s troubles are due to a former Regional Animal Services of King County manager who lived in her neighborhood.
“…. of the approximately 20,000 infractions filed by RASKC over a ten-year period, approximately 50 involved cats, and most of these infractions involved Miska,” Danieli’s lawsuit states.
Danieli claims that the RASKC manager encouraged neighbors to report complaints against Miska.

bones

Homeowner Hears ‘Suspicious Noises.’ It Turns Out To Be A Literal Cat Burglar.

A years-old joke suggesting Floridians are dumb enough to shoot bullets at hurricanes has resurfaced as Dorian approaches the Southeastern United States. Take a look:
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">PSA: Florida Residents Reminded Not To Open Fire on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HurricaneDorian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HurricaneDorian</a> <a href="https://t.co/HenIFJSr0e">pic.twitter.com/HenIFJSr0e</a>
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) <a href="https://twitter.com/Breaking911/status/1167192404992151552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
Obviously, the reason behind not firing guns into a hurricane is rather simple: the strong wind gusts could fling the bullets anywhere, potentially killing or injuring somebody else. According to <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/36308-rifle-hurricane-bullet-ar-15">Inverse</a>, the helpful graphic actually originated in 2017 by the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence during Hurricane Florence.
&#8220;If you shoot <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/28068-60-minutes-remington-700-trigger-recall">any bullet</a> into a hurricane, it will travel fast enough to kill someone, but its trajectory will be blown way off course, making it nearly impossible to predict where it will land,&#8221; noted Inverse. &#8220;It will, inevitably, hit something or someone. As with any time you <a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/31220-firing-gun-air-kill-st-louis-cardinals-brewers-baseball-stadium">shoot blindly into the air</a>, you never know where your bullet might come to a rest.&#8221;
&#8220;The AR-15 typically fires a bullet that&#8217;s 5.56 mm in diameter and 45 mm long,&#8221; continued Inverse. &#8220;According to Federal Premium Ammunition&#8217;s <a href="https://www.federalpremium.com/ballistics-calculator" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ballistic calculator</a>, after traveling 500 yards the bullet&#8217;s velocity would fall to 1,152 fps — or 785 mph. This is still really freaking fast. Plus it would be delivering 147 foot-pounds of energy, which is a combination of velocity and energy that creates more than enough power to break the skin and cause serious injury or death.&#8221;
Since not firing a bullet into a speeding hurricane should be a universal idea with no need for a warning, people on social media responded to the graphic in jest while making political statements about President Trump.
&#8220;They&#8217;re for same ppl for whom shampoo instructions are printed at back of shampoo bottles,&#8221; said one user.
&#8220;No one could have predicted that the country that elected Donald Trump president would also be the country that has to warn its residents not to open fire on a hurricane,&#8221; said another user.
&#8220;This country blows, we can&#8217;t even shoot hurricanes anymore? What&#8217;s the point of ANY of this?!?!&#8221;
The warning comes shortly after <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/51051/report-claims-trump-suggested-sending-nukes-ashe-schow">Axios reported</a> that President Trump himself casually floated to White House advisors the idea of potentially derailing hurricanes by way of nuclear weapons, a conversation he vehemently denies happening.
&#8220;Trump said, &#8216;I got it. I got it. Why don&#8217;t we nuke them?&#8217; according to one source who was there,&#8221; Axios reported earlier this week. &#8220;&#8216;They start forming off the coast of Africa, as they&#8217;re moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can&#8217;t we do that?&#8217; the source added, paraphrasing the president&#8217;s remarks.
The source also told Axios that Trump&#8217;s alleged suggestion was apparently so absurd to the people hearing it that they literally fell silent.
&#8220;You could hear a gnat fart in that meeting. People were astonished. After the meeting ended, we thought, &#8216;What the f&#8212;? What do we do with this?'&#8221; the source said.
&#8220;Alarm bells weren&#8217;t going off when I heard about it, but I did think somebody is going to use this to feed into &#8216;the president is crazy&#8217; narrative,&#8221; another anonymous source told Axios.
Trump denounced the story shortly after the publication denouncing it as &#8220;fake news.&#8221;
&#8220;The story by Axios that President Trump wanted to blow up large hurricanes with nuclear weapons prior to reaching shore is ridiculous,&#8221; he tweeted. &#8220;I never said this. Just more FAKE NEWS!&#8221;

DOMINICAN REP-WEATHER-STORM-DORIAN

Joke About Floridians Shooting At Hurricanes Resurfaces As Dorian Approaches

Guns

Hurricane Dorian is sweeping toward Florida right now and the forecasts are ominous.
&#8220;Dorian is a Category 2 hurricane and is forecast to intensify into a powerful Category 4, posing a prolonged danger that may last days to Florida and the southeastern United States over Labor Day weekend,&#8221; <a href="https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2019-08-30-hurricane-dorian-florida-southeast-bahamas-forecast">The Weather Channel</a> reports.
&#8220;As the exact track of Hurricane Dorian is becoming more certain, with a strike along the central Florida Atlantic coast the most probable outcome, the tropical cyclone is likely to unleash torrential rain and raise the risk of flooding after landfall next week,&#8221; <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/hurricane-dorian-to-unload-feet-of-rain-trigger-major-flooding-in-southeastern-us-following-landfall/523054">Accuweather</a> notes. &#8220;Following major impact to lives and property due to high winds and coastal flooding, heavy rain and inland flooding may be Dorian&#8217;s second wind over the southeastern United States.&#8221;
President Donald Trump — whose Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach is currently in the crosshairs of most computer models for the path of the storm — warned on Twitter that Dorian could be an &#8220;absolute monster.&#8221;
&#8220;All indications are it’s going to hit very hard and it’s going to be very big,&#8221; Trump said in a video, comparing the coming storm to the historic Hurricane Andrew, which destroyed thousands of homes south of Miami in 1992 when it made landfall with winds above 165 miles per hour.
But &#8220;Trump Derangement Syndrome&#8221; has prompted some people to express their desire that the hurricane directly hit Trump&#8217;s resort.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell — who called Trump a &#8220;motherf***er&#8221; just days before he was inaugurated — said precisely that.
&#8220;I’m rooting for a direct hit on Mar-a-Lago!&#8221; she wrote on Twitter (she later deleted the tweet).
Others have also gleefully piled on, hoping for the destruction of Trump&#8217;s resort.
But actor Allen Covert, who has starred in and written several movies with Adam Sandler, including &#8220;Happy Gilmore&#8221; and &#8220;Anger Management,&#8221; took aim at all those haters.
&#8220;My family lives about 10 miles from Mar-a-Lago so all of you people cheering the fact that Dorian might wipe it out can kindly go f[***] yourselves. You have sunk so low in your hatred that you have become worse than what you hate,&#8221; the actor wrote on Twitter.
Others expressed disgust at Campbell&#8217;s tweet.
&#8220;One thing is evident from the comments. Anti-Trumpers are NOT the kind, loving, wonderful people they pretend to be,&#8221; wrote one person on Twitter.
&#8220;If there’s any question as to how vile, violent, and intolerant the Left is, simply read the tweets, it will tell you exactly who they are,&#8221; wrote another.
But Canadians, as everyone knows, are generally the most polite people in the world — and one resident of Ontario took to Twitter to apologize on his country&#8217;s behalf.
&#8220;On behalf of Canada, I&#8217;d like to apologize to all our American brothers &amp; sisters for the remarks of our once &amp; very brief PM, Kim Campbell. She was useless then &amp; now she&#8217;s less than that, wishing Hurricane Dorian to hit Mar-a-lago. She&#8217;s just an ass, she doesn&#8217;t represent&#8221; Canada, wrote Brian E. Reid.
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">On behalf of Canada, I&#8217;d like to apologize to all our American brothers &amp; sisters for the remarks of our once &amp; very brief PM, Kim Campbell. She was useless then &amp; now she&#8217;s less than that, wishing Hurricane Dorian to hit Mar-a-lago. She&#8217;s just an ass, she doesn&#8217;t represent [Canada}.
— Brian E. Reid (@realBrianReid) <a href="https://twitter.com/realBrianReid/status/1167276438673866752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>

Hurricane Dorian

Actor Fires Back At People Hoping Dorian Will Destroy Trump’s Florida Resort

Canada

Mar-a-Lago

As multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein comes back into the news based on new charges of sex trafficking dozens of minors, a sheriff’s office in Florida is looking into how it treated the former inmate.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/captain-at-jail-where-epstein-served-time-in-2008-ordered-that-his-cell-door-be-left-unlocked/2019/07/19/93e38934-a972-11e9-86dd-d7f0e60391e9_story.html">reported</a> that while Epstein was incarcerated — I use the term loosely — in 2008, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s office treated him like a “client” rather than an inmate. For starters, Capt. Mark Chamberlain wrote in a memo that Epstein was “poorly versed in jail routine” since he was a first-time offender. Chamberlain added that “his adjustment to incarceration will most likely be atypical.”
And atypical, it was.
Chamberlain allowed Epstein’s cell door to “be left unlocked” and allowed him “liberal access to the attorney room where a TV will be installed.”
Epstein was already known to have had a lenient jail sentence in a minimum-security prison for the crimes of which he was accused, thanks to a generous plea deal <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/49429/breaking-labor-secretary-alex-acosta-resigns-amid-ashe-schow">orchestrated in part</a> by President Donald Trump’s former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta. He spent 12 hours a day, six days a week on a work release program. His job? Working for a nonprofit foundation that he himself had founded.
Now, thanks to an Internal Affairs investigation, we learned that not only was Epstein allowed out on a work release program, but that he was accompanied by sheriff’s deputies that he paid for who acted more as security guards than prison officials. From the Post:
<blockquote>Epstein paid $128,136 for the deputies to watch him, according to the records. One deputy wrote that he sought clarification of his duties and was told his job was to “provide security” for Epstein.
The deputies who monitored him were required to wear suits and to “greet inmate Epstein upon his arrival,” documents show. In internal reports about the work-release program, the deputies often describe Epstein as “the client” or “Mr. Epstein.” Two deputies refer to him as “Jeffrey.”
In 464 such reports, only rarely is he “Inmate Epstein.”</blockquote>
Epstein was also allowed to return to his Palm Beach estate at least nine times — once for four hours without supervision. Chief Deputy Mike Gauger told a team of documentary filmmakers that Epstein was not given special treatment because of his wealth and connections (including Trump and former President Bill Clinton), but also said that his wealth and connections demanded “special precautions.”
“I’m just saddened that some people thought it was corruption, that he was given all these privileges because of his wealth,” Gauger said, according to the Post. “He was made to jump through additional hoops and meet additional requirements because of his wealth.”
Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw announced the internal affairs investigation on Friday, saying that “All aspects of the matter will be fully investigated to ensure total transparency and accountability.”
CNN <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/07/20/us/epstein-palm-beach-sheriff-internal-investigation/index.html">reported</a> that Bradshaw aims to “determine if any actions taken by the deputies assigned to monitor Epstein during his work release program violated any agency rules and regulations, during the time he was on PBSO work release program.”

Was Jeffrey Epstein Treated Like A Wealthy ‘Client’ In Florida Prison? Sheriff’s Office Wants To Know.

Jeffrey Epstein

Rush Limbaugh has long pointed to Donald Trump&#8217;s unmatched ability to draw massive crowds and inspire overwhelming enthusiasm at his rallies as evidence of not only his strong connection with many Americans but his strong chances of winning in November. It proved true in 2016, and Limbaugh suggests Trump supporters have very good reason to feel optimistic about 2020.
On his radio program Wednesday, Limbaugh spent some time analyzing the stunning campaign launch of Trump Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida, for which many supporters waited in line for dozens of hours to attend. Over the last 24 hours, the current Democratic frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, said Limbaugh, has been hit with some troubling developments: Trump&#8217;s blockbuster rally, his opponent-crushing fundraising numbers, and polls showing the president &#8220;surging&#8221; in key states.
&#8220;Imagine if you&#8217;re Joe Biden last night,&#8221; said Rush (transcript via <a href="https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/06/19/imagine-being-a-biden-adviser-this-morning/">RushLimbaugh.com</a>). &#8220;You&#8217;re Joe Biden last night, and your advisers come in, and they say, &#8216;Joe, don&#8217;t sweat it, don&#8217;t sweat anything that happened last night. What happened last night doesn&#8217;t mean anything, Joe. The debates are the only thing that matter, Joe, and you&#8217;re gonna wipe the floor with this guy, Joe. You&#8217;re gonna wipe the floor about him in the debates, and you got the big money behind you, Joe. You got fundraisers, you&#8217;re setting records all over. Joe, don&#8217;t sweat this stuff last night.'&#8221;
But then came a tweet from Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel early Wednesday morning: &#8220;Donald Trump has raised a record-breaking $24.8 million in less than 24 hours for his reelection,&#8221; she announced. &#8220;The enthusiasm across the country for this president is unmatched, unlike anything we have ever seen.&#8221;
<div class="embed tweet">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@realDonaldTrump</a> has raised a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his re-election. The enthusiasm across the country for this President is unmatched and unlike anything we&#8217;ve ever seen! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/trump2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#trump2020</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KeepAmericaGreat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KeepAmericaGreat</a>
&#8212; Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPChairwoman/status/1141304398963990528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
</div>
As <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48600/president-trump-hauls-24-million-24-hours-re-emily-zanotti">The Daily Wire</a> noted, Trump&#8217;s single day fundraising number is more &#8220;than all of the Democratic 2020 contenders raised in the first quarter of 2019.&#8221; Thus far, the current Democratic fundraising leader, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, has raised $18 million total, about three-quarters of what Trump raised in a day. In second place, with just $12 million, is California Sen. Kamala Harris.
Then there&#8217;s the polling data, for which Limbaugh turned to a piece from the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48538/here-he-comes-trump-surging-battleground-states-hank-berrien">The Daily Wire</a> providing details from a new poll showing Trump &#8220;surging in battleground states.&#8221; A few highlights from the report (formatting adjusted):
<blockquote>
The Firehouse-Optimus poll, conducted from June 11-13, shows Trump with a tremendous surge in Pennsylvania; Biden had an eight-point lead in March that has narrowed to a scant one-point lead. The Trump &#8220;base&#8221; in Pennsylvania has a huge lead over the Democratic &#8220;base.&#8221; Trump&#8217;s stands at 42%, dwarfing the Democrats&#8217;, which is at 24%. &#8230; Since March, Biden&#8217;s lead over Trump in Wisconsin has shrunk from 12 percentage points to six. The Trump &#8220;base&#8221; in Wisconsin, according to the poll, rests at 37%; the Democratic &#8220;base&#8221; stands at 32%. Trump&#8217;s approval rating has risen from 41% to 44% since March. In Michigan, where the Trump &#8220;base&#8221; is 39% and the Democratic base rests at 32%, Trump and Biden were tied in March; Biden now holds a slim three-point lead, leaving them in a statistical dead heat.
</blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/48443/limbaugh-check-out-medias-despicable-handling-james-barrett">Limbaugh: Check Out The Media&#8217;s &#8216;Despicable&#8217; Handling Of Sarah Sanders&#8217; Departure</a>
Limbaugh also cites a former chairman of the Democratic National Committee Eddie Rendell telling Fox News that he&#8217;s warning his Democrat pals to &#8220;ignore these polls that show us beating Trump in a landslide,&#8221; because he&#8217;s &#8220;seen those before.&#8221; The polls are effectively meaningless at this point, he suggested, as the 2016 election cycle demonstrated.
As an example of the media reaction to Trump&#8217;s massive rally, Rush provided a clip of CNN&#8217;s Chris Cuomo nervously admitting that &#8220;size does matter&#8221; and asking Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar &#8220;one simple question&#8221;: &#8220;Why don&#8217;t the Democrats pack stadiums the way this president does?&#8221;
<div class="embed video fluid-video"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen frameborder="0" height="372" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7lMp3oG6cjA" width="661"></iframe></div>

Limbaugh: After Trump&#8217;s Blockbuster Rally In Florida, Biden Wakes Up To Some More Bad News

Bernie Sanders

Joe Biden

Kamala Harris

Ronna Romney McDaniel

Trump Administration

As Donald Trump was inside the Amway Center announcing his decision to run for re-election, Florida Democrats were holding their own rally outside, dedicating themselves to two-to-six more years of principled &#8220;resistance.&#8221;
But if Florida Democrats thought they were going to make waves by gathering for a mass demonstration in Orlando Tuesday night, they were sorely mistaken. Although media photos seem to show a relatively robust turnout for the opposition rally, social media snaps showed a pretty anemic response to the president&#8217;s 2020 declaration.
In fact, it looks like only a handful of people braved the inclement weather to join the protest.
Keynote speaker, Orange County, Florida&#8217;s Democratic party chairman Wes Hodge didn&#8217;t exactly deliver his remarks to a sold-out crowd.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Getting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DampForDemocracy?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DampForDemocracy</a> at today&#8217;s <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithLoveRally?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithLoveRally</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Orlando?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Orlando</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/FlaDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FlaDems</a> are mobilizing like never before to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DumpTrump2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DumpTrump2020</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlipFloridaBlue?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlipFloridaBlue</a> <a href="https://t.co/ixUtbzGf6W">pic.twitter.com/ixUtbzGf6W</a>
&#8212; Wes Hodge (@AgentWes) <a href="https://twitter.com/AgentWes/status/1141176511078309888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
Things didn&#8217;t get better for Hodge when the weather cleared up, though.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We are having a great time drying out down here at the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithLoveRally?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithLoveRally</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/citybeautiful?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@citybeautiful</a>! Thank you <a href="https://twitter.com/OrlandoPolice?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OrlandoPolice</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/OrangeCoSheriff?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OrangeCoSheriff</a> for doing a phenomenal job keeping everyone safe this afternoon. Come down and join us <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefeatTrumpFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefeatTrumpFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/6YXpPsN1up">pic.twitter.com/6YXpPsN1up</a>
&#8212; Wes Hodge (@AgentWes) <a href="https://twitter.com/AgentWes/status/1141068063493775360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
At full capacity, the crowd did seem to extend almost five people deep from the stage, though the group&#8217;s extensive preparations &#8212; a massive stage and sound system, designated line areas, and what appear to be first aid and merchandise tents &#8212; could probably be considered overkill.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
We&#8217;re making our voices heard in Orlando at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithLoveRally?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithLoveRally</a> where unity is strong and the resolve to bring justice and equality back to the Oval Office is clear. <a href="https://t.co/nnN30aVwDr">pic.twitter.com/nnN30aVwDr</a>
&#8212; 1199SEIUFlorida (@1199SEIUFlorida) <a href="https://twitter.com/1199SEIUFlorida/status/1141142987424129025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
At one point, though, it seems like there were more people on stage than in the audience.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
&#8220;We know that love wins because love has already won by you being here today&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithLoveRally?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithLoveRally</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefeatTrumpFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefeatTrumpFL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/flapol?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#flapol</a> <a href="https://t.co/IuzivDDkeK">pic.twitter.com/IuzivDDkeK</a>
&#8212; Florida Democrats (@FlaDems) <a href="https://twitter.com/FlaDems/status/1141108328183083008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
They did, however, have one of those &#8220;Baby Trump&#8221; balloons.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
It was awesome. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithLoveRally?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithLoveRally</a>. Great energy and positive peeps <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Orlandostrong?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Orlandostrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/CMvPIwkdLJ">pic.twitter.com/CMvPIwkdLJ</a>
&#8212; Jaybird (@Jaybird_79) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jaybird_79/status/1141185540496285696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Baby Trump, fun music, and it comes with a gay bar.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DefeatTrumpFL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DefeatTrumpFL</a> is lit <a href="https://t.co/3kEddol7hh">pic.twitter.com/3kEddol7hh</a>
&#8212; Alex Morash (@AlexMorash) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexMorash/status/1141121515741745153?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Baby Trump. Drag queens. Mariachi band. OUR community.
Welcome to Orlando, 45. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrumpRallyOrlando?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrumpRallyOrlando</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WinWithLove?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WinWithLove</a> <a href="https://t.co/qHjFwuLyxU">pic.twitter.com/qHjFwuLyxU</a>
&#8212; Brandon Wolf (@bjoewolf) <a href="https://twitter.com/bjoewolf/status/1141137884168314880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 19, 2019</a></blockquote>
Somehow, it&#8217;s unlikely &#8220;45&#8221; noticed much. The campaign managed to pack Amway, though there wasn&#8217;t the expected sold-out crowd outside watching the monitors, likely because the pouring rain made doing something you could do from home somewhat less fun. That said, more people seemed to gather for the simulcast of the speech inside the arena than gathered for the protest outside.
Ironically, making fun of the turnout for that event was a popular pastime on the &#8220;counter rally&#8221; hashtag.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Ooooh&#8230;such a BIG crowd for 45. Probably the biggest crowd that has ever gather for a rally in Orlando&#8230;ever! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/winwithlove?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#winwithlove</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/winwithloverally?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#winwithloverally</a> <a href="https://t.co/2SQXrQvlSq">pic.twitter.com/2SQXrQvlSq</a>
&#8212; happymountain (@happymountain4) <a href="https://twitter.com/happymountain4/status/1141130692639768576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2019</a></blockquote>
Trump has little to worry about, it seems, though. The campaign is reporting sunnier polling numbers this week than the ones that leaked from March, and collected a reported $24 million in just over 24 hours &#8212; much more than any of Trump&#8217;s prospective competitors did in the entire first quarter of 2019.

The Florida Democrats Held A &#8216;Counter-Rally&#8217; Tuesday Night. Sort Of.

Democratic Party

A Florida woman&#8217;s false claim of rape eventually ended with the death of her neighbor, Australia&#8217;s 9News <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-news-florida-woman-brittany-sorey-charged-after-rape-lie-leads-to-neighbour-death/8b2030ae-104a-40fa-b97c-5fe96e56022a">reported</a> this week.
Brittany Sorey told authorities that a Hispanic man forced his way inside her Largo-area apartment and raped her at threat of a box cutter, though she would later confess that the entire encounter was fabricated.
&#8220;She alleged a man of Hispanic appearance forced his way in and used a broken broom handle and a box cutter to &#8216;vaginally penetrate her&#8217; according to a police report,&#8221; relayed 9News. Sorey, 30, later reiterated the lie when pressed by detectives.
Sorey made the claim of rape when she and her husband Gerald were behind in their rent and had been notified that they were to be evicted. After reporting the fake attack, Sorey, her husband, and her five children vacated the premises and a male friend moved into the apartment.
Then, when a former neighbor knocked on the door of the new tenant, looking for money he was owed from the Sorey family, the accuser stuck to her fake-rape claim and things turned deadly:
<blockquote>
On May 10, the friend was at the apartment when a neighbour who Sorey allegedly owes money to started banging on the front door, unaware Sorey and her husband had moved out.
Sorey&#8217;s friend then called her to tell her what was happening and she told him the person knocking on the door sounded like the man who sexually assaulted her, according to a police report.
The friend then exited the apartment to try and take a photo of the man banging on the front door when the neighbour reportedly attacked him.
During the confrontation, the friend killed the neighbour, claiming self-defence.
</blockquote>
During the investigation into Sorey&#8217;s neighbor&#8217;s death, the women finally admitted that her story of rape was a hoax; she&#8217;s since been charged with making a false report to police.
Last month, a false accusation of sexual assault from a 16-year-old girl in Utah resulted in the death of a 62-year-old man named Michael Fife. As previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/47107/man-falsely-accused-sexual-assault-teen-girl-amanda-prestigiacomo">reported</a> by The Daily Wire, the unnamed teen told her 17-year-old brother that Fife sexually assaulted her on Cache Valley Transit District (CVTD) bus. The brother then tracked down Fife and physically attacked him when he got off the bus; wounds from the altercation left him dead. But according to the Logan Police Department, reviewed surveillance footage from the bus revealed that the alleged assault never happened.
&#8220;On April 23, 2019, at approximately 3:30 pm a 16-year-old female reported being sexually assaulted by a 62-year-old male while on the CVTD bus. The man was later identified as Michael Fife. The female immediately called her 17-year-old brother and told him of the sexual assault. Minutes later, the female&#8217;s 17-year-old brother located Mr. Fife getting off the bus near 300 South 100 West, in Logan,&#8221; a press release from the Logan City Police Department said. &#8220;The brother ran towards Mr. Fife and assaulted him. Mr. Fife fell to the sidewalk and suffered head injuries. Mr. Fife was left unconscious, lying on the sidewalk, while his assailant fled the scene on foot.&#8221;
The press release noted that &#8220;Logan Police detectives reviewed the video footage of the alleged sexual assault. The video showed Mr. Fife walking past the girl, but no sexual assault occurred.&#8221;
Fife passed from his injuries on April 27.

Fake Rape Claim Ends With Murder Of Accuser&#8217;s Ex-Neighbor

Rape

As The Daily Wire&#8217;s Frank Camp previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46718/florida-legislature-passes-bill-allowing-teachers-frank-camp">reported</a>, the Florida state legislature recently passed high-profile legislation prescribing a process by which more teachers will be able to lawfully carry firearms in school, if they so choose:
<blockquote>
The Florida legislation lays out a set of rules by which public school boards, teachers, charter schools, and law enforcement authorities must abide before any such program can take shape.
The following are some of the requirements stated in the legislation:
<ul>
<li>A school board must vote &#8220;by a majority to implement a guardian program,&#8221; giving them ultimate authority in the matter.</li>
<li>Once a school board has voted in the affirmative, the county sheriff must set up its own guardian program, or allow the school board to &#8220;contract with another sheriff&#8217;s office that has established a guardian program.&#8221; &#8230;</li>
<li>Guardians have no law enforcement authority aside from stopping or hindering a school shooting.</li>
<li>Guardians must have a valid concealed carry license, and complete 144 hours of training, including a psychological evaluation and diversity training.</li>
<li>Guardians &#8220;must submit to and pass an initial drug test and subsequent random drug tests,&#8221; and &#8220;successfully complete ongoing training, weapon inspection, and firearm qualification on at least an annual basis.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
Now, as Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-gov-desantis-signs-bill-letting-more-teachers-carry-guns-in-school">reports</a>, <a href="https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/04/15/in-florida-ron-desantis-accelerates-conservative-agenda/">conservative rising star</a> Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the bill into law yesterday:
<blockquote>
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Wednesday that&#8217;ll let more Florida teachers carry guns in school, the latest response to last year&#8217;s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
DeSantis signed the bill in private and issued no statement. The Republican-led Florida House of Representatives voted to send the bill to the governor last week, while the GOP-controlled state Senate passed the measure the week before.
The new law expands an existing school &#8220;guardian&#8221; program and allows any teacher to volunteer to carry a weapon if his or her school district approves. Would-be volunteers must undergo at least 144 hours of police-style training, psychiatric evaluation and drug screening. Under a previous law, passed immediately after the February 2018 Parkland shooting, only teachers who had another role at school, such as sports coach, were eligible to carry weapons on campus.
</blockquote>
The bill faced stiff opposition from Democrats and teacher unions, as Fox News notes. But as NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/wake-parkland-shooting-safety-commission-backs-recommendation-arm-teachers-florida-n954281">reported</a> in January, a safety commission established in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting affirmatively recommended arming teachers as one policy prescription to deter future school shootings:
<blockquote>
The commission investigating a shooting massacre at a Florida high school unanimously approved its initial findings and recommendations Wednesday, including a controversial proposal that teachers who volunteer and undergo training be allowed to carry guns.
The 15-member Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission&#8217;s 446-page report details what members believe happened before, during and after the Feb. 14 shooting attack that left 14 students and three staff members dead and 17 wounded.
</blockquote>
Many teachers in Florida seem willing and eager to arm themselves. Last week, Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-florida/florida-teachers-can-arm-themselves-under-new-gun-bill-idUSKCN1S74GZ">reported</a> that, &#8220;in anticipation of passage, school employees in 40 of Florida&#8217;s 67 counties already enrolled in or planned to take the 144-hour course.&#8221;
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/46912/shooting-reported-colorado-stem-school-ryan-saavedra">reported</a>, the most recent tragic school shooting in America occurred this past Tuesday in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Florida Governor Signs Law Allowing More Teachers To Carry Weapons In School

Gun Laws

Gun-Free Zones

High School

Ron DeSantis

Second Amendment

&#8220;Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile&#8221; is a Netflix original crime biopic about serial killer Ted Bundy. It is directed by Joe Berlinger, who also created the documentary series &#8220;Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.&#8221; Rather than focusing on the grotesque nature of Bundy&#8217;s crimes, as one might expect from the title, the film centers around Bundy&#8217;s relationships and the impact his various trials had on them. 
In 1969, divorced single-mother Elizabeth &#8220;Liz&#8221; Kendall (Lily Collins) meets aspiring law student Ted Bundy (Zac Efron). They share some tender moments before she brings him home, expecting him to run when he discovers she has a daughter. Instead, Ted seems to tenderly care for her and her child. 
The movie jumps to 1975 when Ted is pulled over by the Utah Highway Patrol and goes on trial for the first time, charged with multiple murders. Soon, Bundy is transferred to Colorado, where he is accused of even more grotesque crimes. Liz stands by Ted, but the horrific reality of the situation drives her to alcoholism. Liz tries to move on, but frequent letters and phone calls from Bundy keep her connected.
In 1978, Bundy is arrested in Florida, and the shocking and famous trial for the murders and assaults of the Florida State University Chi Omega sorority house begins. As Bundy battles the prosecution and the court, the public watches with some openly cheering for the accused murderer. Meanwhile, Liz watches with bated breath, even as more gruesome evidence comes to light. 
Berlinger chooses to skip over whole portions of the serial killer&#8217;s story, focusing instead on some key moments of his criminal life. His troubles in Utah, his escape from the Colorado authorities, and finally his trial in Florida. In-between, the director uses Bundy&#8217;s relationship with Kendall as a bridge.
Casting Zac Efron in anything other than Disney television films and trashy comedies is always a risk, but in this case, it paid off. Efron turns in an excellent performance as Bundy. While he doesn&#8217;t look much like Bundy, he nails his speech, his walk, and his mannerisms. One of the most chilling scenes is when Bundy interrupts Florida authorities reading his indictment; Efron handles the moment with skill and nuance. 
Lily Collins does a satisfactory job as Kendall. While her portrayal is a bit muted at times, she manages to make you feel her growing grief and shock in discovering the man she loves is in fact one of the most prolific serial killers in the world.
Jim Parson delivers a short but excellent performance as Florida Prosecutor Larry Simpson. As he prosecutes the case, he expertly conveys his growing frustration at Ted&#8217;s courtroom antics and his drive to see justice for the victims. His opening and closing statements contain the gravitas of a prosecutor who knows he is tasked with taking down one of the most evil men in American history. 
The title, &#8220;Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,&#8221; prepares viewers for a horror film replete with torture and gore, but this turns out to be a false expectation. While the film does contain some tense scenes, the movie instead unsettlingly draws you in with Bundy&#8217;s charm to the point where you start to feel empathy for him, though Berlinger makes clear the killer shows no empathy for his victims.
Check out the trailer below:
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</div>

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