Florida officials promised Thursday to discipline teachers who celebrate the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas sent a memo to school superintendents saying that there would be consequences for employees who celebrate or mock the killing of Kirk, who was gunned down on Wednesday while holding an event at Utah Valley University.
“It has been brought to my attention that some Florida educators have posted despicable comments on social media regarding the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. These few are not a reflection of the great, high-quality teachers who make up the vast majority of Florida&#8217;s educators,” he wrote in the memo. “Nevertheless, I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Teachers are held to a higher standard as public servants and must ensure their conduct does not undermine the trust of the students and families they serve. We will hold teachers who choose to make disgusting comments about the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk accountable.… <a href="https://t.co/KzXCCGkvZm">pic.twitter.com/KzXCCGkvZm</a>
— Anastasios Kamoutsas (@StasiKamoutsas) <a href="https://twitter.com/StasiKamoutsas/status/1966194627578384748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></blockquote>
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While tributes for Kirk poured in following news of his death, many leftists responded by mocking Kirk or celebrating his death. A dean of students at Middle Tennessee State University was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tennessee-university-dean-fired-after-saying-she-had-no-sympathy-for-charlie-kirk?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=Tennessee+University+Dean+Fired+After+Saying+She+Had+%E2%80%98No+Sympathy%E2%80%99+For+Charlie+Kirk">fired</a> Wednesday after she said she had “zero sympathy” for Kirk.
Kamoutsas noted that while teachers have First Amendment rights, comments they make could violate professional codes of conduct that they are required to follow.
“Although educators have First Amendment rights, these rights do not extend without limit into their professional duties,” he wrote in the memo. “An educator&#8217;s personal views that are made public may undermine the trust of the students and families that they serve.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised Kamoutsas for the memo.
“Celebrating the assassination of a 31-year-old father of two young kids is disturbing; that teachers would be among those who do so is completely unacceptable,” he <a href="https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1966210462011576409">said</a>. “Glad [Kamoutsas] is bringing accountability. It is sad that we’ve seen a number of teachers across America celebrate Charlie Kirk’s murder.”
Other individuals across the country have also lost their jobs over posts made about Kirk’s death, including at the University of Mississippi.
&#8220;Yesterday, a University of Mississippi staff member re-shared hurtful, insensitive comments on social media regarding the tragic murder of Charlie Kirk,” University of Mississippi Chancellor Glenn Boyce <a href="https://x.com/OleMiss/status/1966202655706865785">said</a> Thursday. &#8220;These comments run completely counter to our institutional values of civility, fairness, and respecting the dignity of each person. We condemn these actions, and this staff member is no longer employed by the university.”

Governor DeSantis Hold News Conference On Border Security

Florida Pledges To Hold Teachers ‘Accountable’ Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Death

Charlie Kirk

Education

Florida

Ron DeSantis

Fresh off a major legal victory, the Department of Homeland Security is touting the wide variety of illegal aliens convicted on charges related to violence, drugs, and sex crimes currently held in “Alligator Alcatraz.&#8221;
Last week, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca11.92709/gov.uscourts.ca11.92709.42.1.pdf">struck down</a> a federal judge’s order saying that Alligator Alcatraz needed to be shut down. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the ruling over the weekend, saying he was working to open up similar illegal detention centers across the state, including one he dubbed he “Panhandle Pokey.” 
In the meantime, Alligator Alcatraz will remain home to illegal immigrants convicted of drug trafficking, murder, and sexual offenses targeting children. Since its opening, the detention center has been the focus of protests from leftist activists and a lawsuit arguing that Florida and the Trump administration violated federal environmental laws. 
“Despite repeated hoaxes peddled by the media and activist judges, Alligator Alcatraz is still open and housing some of the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, pedophiles, weapon traffickers, and drug dealers until they are swiftly removed from our country,” Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Daily Wire. 
According to the Department of Homeland Security, those currently detained at Alligator Alcatraz include the following: 
<ul>
<li>Abelardo Ocampo, an illegal from Mexico convicted of attempted homicide/second-degree murder and possession of a weapon with intent to harm.  </li>
<li>Eraldo Ariel Perez Perez, an illegal from Guatemala, convicted of sexual battery of a victim (12 years or older) physically helpless to resist.</li>
<li>Efrain Mez-Choc, another illegal from Guatemala convicted of engaging in sex with a child and two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation of a child 12-16 years old. </li>
<li>Alexis Moreda Gallardo, an illegal from Cuba convicted of larceny, fraud impersonation, aggravated assault, and indecent exposure.  </li>
<li>Gustavo Cruz Garcia, an illegal alien from Mexico convicted of prostitution and sex offenses.  </li>
<li>Gersain Lerma Lasprilla, an illegal from Colombia convicted in his home country for the manufacture and trafficking of firearms and ammunition.  </li>
<li>Thallys Roberto Cassimiro DeSouza, an illegal from Brazil convicted of robbery. </li>
<li>David Mota Castillo, an illegal from the Dominican Republic convicted of drug trafficking. </li>
<li>Simeon De La Cruz Paredes, an illegal from the Dominican Republic convicted of smuggling aliens.</li>
<li>Diego Puentes, an illegal from Guatemala convicted of second-degree murder. </li>
</ul>
The Trump administration plans to open similar facilities in other states.
“Innovative state partnerships like Alligator Alcatraz, Louisiana Lock-up, Speedway Slammer, and Cornhusker Clink are expanding detention capability to lock up criminal illegal aliens and turbo charging our efforts to get criminal illegal aliens out of our country,” McLaughlin said. “Fire up the deportation planes.”

MixCollage-10-Sep-2025-11-54-AM-724

EXCLUSIVE: DHS Reveals The ‘Worst Of The Worst’ Illegals In Alligator Alcatraz

Department of Homeland Security

Illegal Immigation

Trump Administration

President Donald Trump on Friday evening pushed back on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-in-the-nation-florida-to-end-all-vaccine-mandates">Florida&#8217;s plan</a> to eliminate all vaccine mandates, including school requirements.
Trump said Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo&#8217;s plan was a &#8220;tough stance&#8221; and emphasized that some vaccines are &#8220;not controversial&#8221; and should generally be taken to protect children.
&#8220;I think we have to be very careful,&#8221; he told the press from the Oval Office. &#8220;You have some vaccines that are so amazing: the polio vaccine, I happen to think is amazing. A lot of people think that COVID [vaccine] is amazing. You know, there are many people that believe strongly in that.&#8221;
&#8220;You have some vaccines that are so incredible, and I think you have to be very careful when you say that some people don&#8217;t have to be vaccinated,&#8221; the president reiterated. &#8220;It&#8217;s a very tough position.&#8221;
&#8220;Initially, I heard about it yesterday,&#8221; Trump said of the Florida vaccine initiative. &#8220;And it&#8217;s a tough stance. You have vaccines that work &#8212; just pure and simple, they work, they&#8217;re not controversial at all. And I think those vaccines should be used, otherwise some people are going to catch it and they endanger other people. And when you don&#8217;t have controversy at all, I think people should take it.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump pushes back on Florida removing all vaccine mandates, including for schoolchildren. He says some vaccines are a must.
&#8220;I think we have to be careful. You have some vaccines that are so amazing. The Polio vaccine I think is amazing. A lot of people… <a href="https://t.co/PsTGMIBaWl">pic.twitter.com/PsTGMIBaWl</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1964084178720608711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
Dr. Ladapo, alongside Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, announced on Wednesday that the Sunshine State will end all vaccination mandates, including requirements for schools.
“The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the government, is working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law — all of them,” Ladapo said. “Every last one of them.”
Ladapo said the government has no right to tell parents what to put in their children’s bodies, or their own bodies.
“Every last [mandate] is wrong and drips with disdain — and slavery,” he argued. “Who am I, or anyone else … to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body?”
“I don’t have that right,” he continued. “Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God. I don’t have that right. Government does not have that right.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: The Surgeon General of Florida just announced ALL VACCINE MANDATES IN FLORIDA will be ENDED, and the room erupted.
All. Not just COVID. ALL.
JOSEPH LADAPO: &#8220;Every last one is wrong and DRIPS with disdain and slavery! Who am I, or anyone else, to tell YOU what… <a href="https://t.co/Kah5LscGTo">pic.twitter.com/Kah5LscGTo</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1963254999204442607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
Ending vaccine requirements for schoolchildren would be a seismic change — every state in the nation currently has school vaccine requirements. Additionally, liberal states have increasingly nixed religious exemptions for families looking to opt their children out of some requirements.
Gov. DeSantis on Friday seemed to reiterate his support for the plan. During remarks at the second annual State Freedom Caucus Summit, the governor boosted the right to medical freedom and said he didn’t believe the government should coerce people into certain treatment, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-reveals-what-battles-he-wants-to-tackle-next-as-governor?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=Original&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=DeSantis+Reveals+What+Battles+He+Wants+To+Tackle+Next+As+Governor">The Daily Wire</a> reported.
Gov. DeSantis has led the charge on the issue of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/12/desantis-medical-freedom-laws?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">medical freedom</a> in the wake of aggressive COVID policies. In 2023, for example, he signed a set of medical freedom measures into law, which banned mask and vaccine mandates and added new conscience protections for health care providers.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/first-in-the-nation-florida-to-end-all-vaccine-mandates">First In The Nation: Florida To End All Vaccine Mandates</a>

Sir Keir Starmer visit to Washington DC

Trump Pushes Back On Florida Plan To End All School Vax Mandates

Donald Trump

Health

Politics

U.S.

Vaccine Mandate

Vaccines

IRVING, Texas — Republican Governor Ron DeSantis said Friday night that he planned to remain on “offense” in Florida as he pressed conservative lawmakers gathered from across the country to govern boldly. 
DeSantis, whose time as governor has been punctuated by major conservative victories from education to illegal immigration, said he hopes to push Florida to have greater medical freedom and to eliminate property taxes. He made the remarks during a keynote address at the second annual State Freedom Caucus Summit at the Omni Las Colinas Hotel just outside Dallas.
“I didn&#8217;t get in there to be mushy on policy,” DeSantis said. “I knew what I believed.  I told people what I was going to do. And my view was, I&#8217;m sitting at the desk the first day I was governor, I looked around the office, no decorations yet, it was empty, and I said, you know, I don&#8217;t know what SOB’s going to succeed me in this office, but they are not going to have anything to do.”
DeSantis was a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, a coalition of House Republicans who have fought to reign in federal spending and to advance conservative policies at the federal level. The State Freedom Caucus Network was founded in 2021 with the goal of creating state level organizations of conservative lawmakers and equipping them with “the high-level staff, strategy, and community conservatives need to take ground across the country.”
On the lines of medical freedom, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo announced that the state would seek to end all vaccine mandates, including requirements for schools. DeSantis said Friday that he didn&#8217;t believe government should coerce people into certain treatment. He also said people couldn&#8217;t truly have private property if they effectively had to pay &#8220;rent&#8221; to the government for it.
During his speech, DeSantis highlighted his record on fighting lockdowns during COVID, battles to protect parental rights in education, elimination of DEI at public universities, and fights with Disney.
“ I think woke ideology is toxic whether it&#8217;s being imposed by a government agency, or whether it&#8217;s being imposed by a multinational corporation. I think it&#8217;s wrong,” DeSantis said.
The Florida governor also celebrated the Thursday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/court-allows-floridas-alligator-alcatraz-to-remain-open-for-business?author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Court+Allows+Florida’s+Alligator+Alcatraz+To+Remain+‘Open+For+Business’">decision</a> from the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals that blocked a lower court’s order to shut down the Everglades-based illegal alien detention center known as Alligator Alcatraz.
“Every time I get out of bed in the morning, I get sued by the Left,” DeSantis said. “You can&#8217;t be worried about getting sued, you know that&#8217;s what they&#8217;re gonna do, and they go to liberal judges, and we know based on the judge, we have no chance at the trial court, and so we know we&#8217;ll just win on appeal.”
He said that Florida would be partnering with the Trump administration to establish other illegal alien detention centers.
DeSantis said that Florida’s massive shift to the Right under his leadership showed the impact of governing conservatively, saying that “people respond to results.”
“It&#8217;s not always easy,” he said. “None of this is cost free, but it&#8217;s worth it. And what we are doing in these states by showing that conservative policies that built this country, that our Founding Fathers believed in, we show that those work, that people vote with their feet &#8212; that is the best possible evidence we can produce to show people this is the way forward, not just us, for our kids and our grandkids.”

IMG_20250905_220456

DeSantis Reveals What Battles He Wants To Tackle Next As Governor

Freedom Caucus

General

Texas

A federal appeals court issued a ruling on Thursday allowing an illegal alien detention center in Florida dubbed Alligator Alcatraz to remain “open for business” while a lawsuit against the state and the Trump administration makes its way through court.
An Obama-appointed federal district court judge <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/obama-appointed-judge-orders-alligator-alcatraz-to-shut-down-within-60-days">issued</a> a temporary restraining order last month ordering Florida and the Trump administration to stop placing illegal aliens in the facility. The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked that judge’s order in a 2-1 decision on Thursday.
The judges <a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca11.92709/gov.uscourts.ca11.92709.42.1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ruled</a> that a lawsuit brought by environmental groups and an American Indian tribe “failed to state a viable claim” that Florida and the Department of Homeland Security violated federal environmental laws.
“Given that the federal government has an undisputed and wide-reaching interest in combatting illegal immigration, and that illegal immigration is a matter of national security and public safety, we think the injunction issued below goes against the public interest,” the majority wrote in the court’s decision.
Both the Department of Homeland Security and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the ruling.
“Today’s order is a win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense,” the Department of Homeland Security posted on X. “This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility. It has and will always be about open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal aliens from our communities, full stop.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
HUGE VICTORY FOR ALLIGATOR ALCATRAZ. Today’s order is a win for the American people, the rule of law and common sense. This lawsuit was never about the environmental impacts of turning a developed airport into a detention facility. It has and will always be about open-borders…
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) <a href="https://twitter.com/DHSgov/status/1963695670923026455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“The mission continues on immigration enforcement. The media was giddy that somehow Alligator Alcatraz was ‘shutting down.’ And we told them that wasn’t true,” DeSantis <a href="https://x.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1963688691542401406">said</a> in a video message. “There have been illegal aliens continuing to be there and being removed and returned to their home country. But they ran with the narrative because some leftist judge ruled, implausibly, that somehow Florida wasn’t allowed to use our own property to help the federal government in this important mission.”
“So Alligator Alcatraz is, in fact, like we’ve always said, open for business. The mission continues and we’re going to continue leading the way when it comes to immigration enforcement,” DeSantis added.
The Trump administration has partnered with states across the country to open up similar detention centers with names like the Cornhusker Clink in Nebraska and the Speedway Slammer in Indiana.

Protesters rally against “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida, Everglades

Court Allows Florida’s Alligator Alcatraz To Remain ‘Open For Business’

Courts

Illegal Immigration

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Florida’s surgeon general, alongside GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis, announced on Wednesday that the Sunshine State will end all vaccination mandates, including requirements for schools.
“The Florida Department of Health, in partnership with the government, is working to end all vaccine mandates in Florida law — all of them,” Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo told a room of supporters. “Every last one of them.”
Ladapo went on to say that the government has no right to tell parents what to put in their children’s bodies, or their own bodies, sparking loud applause.
“Every last [mandate] is wrong and drips with disdain — and slavery,” he argued. “Who am I, or anyone else … to tell you what you should put in your body? Who am I to tell you what your child should put in [their] body?”
“I don’t have that right,” he continued. “Your body is a gift from God. What you put into your body is because of your relationship with your body and your God. I don’t have that right. Government does not have that right.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
🚨 MAJOR BREAKING: The Surgeon General of Florida just announced ALL VACCINE MANDATES IN FLORIDA will be ENDED, and the room erupted.
All. Not just COVID. ALL.
JOSEPH LADAPO: &#8220;Every last one is wrong and DRIPS with disdain and slavery! Who am I, or anyone else, to tell YOU what… <a href="https://t.co/Kah5LscGTo">pic.twitter.com/Kah5LscGTo</a>
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href="https://twitter.com/EricLDaugh/status/1963254999204442607?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2025</a></blockquote>
Ending vaccine requirements for schoolchildren would be a seismic change — every state in the nation currently has school vaccine requirements. Additionally, liberal states have increasingly nixed religious exemptions for families looking to opt their children out of some requirements.
An attorney from New York, who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teen-takes-on-new-york-over-vax-mandate-and-wins">won a major vaccine case</a> in the state, told The Daily Wire that since the state did away with religious exemptions, it has also largely eliminated medical exemptions, despite the government’s claims to still accept them.
“The problem really is these New York State Department of Health regulations that were issued in 2019, that led to hundreds of children who had longstanding medical exemptions suddenly getting them revoked,” attorney Sujata Gibson <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/teen-takes-on-new-york-over-vax-mandate-and-wins">said</a>. “Many, many families have had to move out of town, get vaccinated against medical advice — some children have been severely harmed by that.”
It’s unclear how vaccine requirements will be peeled back in the state, but Ladapo does oversee the Florida Department of Health. He also noted that this vision will be possible with the help of state lawmakers, who Ladapo said will “have to make decisions” on these matters.
Gov. DeSantis has led the charge on the issue of <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/05/12/desantis-medical-freedom-laws?utm_source=chatgpt.com">medical freedom</a> in the wake of the aggressive COVID policies. In 2023, for example, he signed a set of medical freedom measures into law, which banned mask and vaccine mandates and added new conscience protections for health care providers. He flanked Ladapo during the announcement to end all vaccination requirements on Wednesday.
Federally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has moved to effectively make COVID vaccine mandates illegal by ending “emergency use authorization” for the vaccines.
“We saw the heavy-handed government with the vaccine mandates with the COVID vaccine, no longer is that possible given the landscape that we’ve created,” FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary <a href="https://x.com/SecKennedy/status/1962895599835009184">said</a>. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/desantis-removes-woke-crosswalk-sparks-backlash-from-the-left?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=DeSantis+Removes+Woke+Crosswalk%2C+Sparks+Backlash+From+The+Left">DeSantis Removes Woke Crosswalk, Sparks Backlash From The Left</a>

Syringe and Coronavirus vaccine

First In The Nation: Florida To End All Vaccine Mandates

News

Public Schools

MixCollage-25-Aug-2025-03-41-PM-5276

Why Millions Want This Deadly Trucker Back On American Roads

Airplane crash

Canada

India

Karmelo Anthony

Matt Walsh

Opinion

Trucks

A petition for clemency for the illegal immigrant truck driver charged with killing three people while making an illegal U-turn is gaining traction online, leading to outrage from people who believe the opposite approach is warranted.
Harjinder Singh entered the country illegally in 2018.
More than 2.5 million people have signed the change.org petition directed toward Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Board of Executive Clemency, urging them to consider that the accused has no criminal history and simply made a “terrible mistake.”
But DeSantis had already made it clear that he was taking the case seriously as he sent Florida’s new lieutenant governor, Jay Collins, to California last week to extradite Singh. “Fleeing to a sanctuary state will not prevent him from facing justice in Florida, and we will make sure of that. He will be held accountable for his criminal actions,” the governor said at the time, per <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-state-line-wont-protect-criminal-illegals-sends-chuck-norris-deputy-nab-fugitive-trucker">Fox News</a>.
Singh, 28, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and was recently denied bail as he awaits trial. California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom is also catching heat because the state issued Singh a commercial driver’s license despite him not being in the country legally. California is one of 19 states to issue licenses to illegal immigrants.
<a href="https://get.dailywire.com/subscribe/plus/?utm_campaign=summer&amp;utm_content=editorialsummersale&amp;utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener">End of Summer Sale – Get 40% off New DailyWire+ Annual Memberships</a>
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said last week that he had launched an investigation into the accident, calling it a “preventable tragedy,” as The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/preventable-tragedy-duffy-blames-multiple-states-as-illegal-alien-faces-charges-in-florida-crash">reported</a>.
“If states had followed the rules, this driver would never have been behind the wheel and three precious lives would still be with us,” Duffy said. “This crash was a preventable tragedy directly caused by reckless decisions and compounded by despicable failures.”
The online petition for clemency is being blasted online, with many commenters weighing in on the situation.
“They’d rather defend an illegal truck driver than protect American lives. I guarantee you, I know what their political ideologies are. Pure clown world,” one commenter <a href="https://x.com/CajunCombatVet/status/1959772678682022005">wrote</a>.
“It shouldn’t matter if 50 million sign it. We don’t impose justice by popular opinion. We have laws for a reason. 3 people lost their lives. Is there any justice for them?” another person <a href="https://x.com/pattydavid/status/1959804241448484996">agreed</a>.

MixCollage-20-Aug-2025-07-58-AM-812

Clemency Petition For Illegal Immigrant Trucker Accused Of Killing 3 Sparks Furious Backlash

California

Crime

illegal immigrant

Truckers

After Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a <a href="https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/memorandum/Governors_Safe_Roads.htm">directive</a> on July 1 ordering all governors to comply with federal standards for “consistent and recognizable traffic control devices including crosswalk and intersection markings, and orderly use of the right‑of‑way that is kept free from distractions,” Florida GOP Governor Ron DeSantis did exactly that, ordering the state to paint over a rainbow-colored crosswalk in Orlando memorializing the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, and enraging critics who contended it was an attack on gay rights.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called the removal “callous” and “a cruel political act,” adding, “This crosswalk not only enhanced safety and visibility for the large number of pedestrians visiting the memorial, it also served as a visual reminder of Orlando’s commitment to honor the 49 lives taken.”
State Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith argued, “They did this in the middle of the night because they were scared of the resistance because they know what they did was wrong.”
“The state transportation agency had been notifying cities around Florida in recent months that they must remove rainbow-colored crosswalks and intersections or they could face the withholding of transportation funds,” the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/florida-lgbtq-pulse-nightclub-desantis-329ebed5d628400afb066d2772c3855a">noted</a>.
DeSantis issued a blunt and succinct reply to his critics: “We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
We will not allow our state roads to be commandeered for political purposes. <a href="https://t.co/AXY1qxsZNW">https://t.co/AXY1qxsZNW</a>
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1958583393714667572?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Some community members then <a href="https://x.com/jeremy_rodrigue/status/1958670495483592732?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1958670495483592732%7Ctwgr%5E7ac4c6e18c02c61f96b81df762f6b17dcf98525c%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newsweek.com%2Fflorida-locals-ron-desantis-pulse-rainbow-crosswalk-2117628">rechalked</a> the rainbow colors onto the crosswalk.
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But DeSantis had plenty of support online, as Twitchy<a href="https://twitchy.com/justmindy/2025/08/22/desantis-painted-over-pride-intersection-carlos-smith-big-mad-n2417681"> documented</a>. Some comments included:
<blockquote>
Good on DeSantis. This should have never been on the sidewalk to begin with. Stop painting sidewalks, crosswalks and roads for any group cause. All it does is make people more irritated with you.
Painting a sidewalk in rainbow colors has nothing to do with the people who were murdered there. People can mourn them in private or go to the cemetery. This is like marking a spot for one group of people. Also, the Governor can do what he thinks is best for all his citizens.
Painting a sidewalk in rainbow colors has nothing to do with the people who were murdered there. People can mourn them in private or go to the cemetery. This is like marking a spot for one group of people. Also, the Governor can do what he thinks is best for all his citizens.
DeSantis doesn’t play! Florida just painted over the rainbow crosswalk in Orlando and the left is LOSING it.  One senator is literally on-scene crying about a sidewalk… Meanwhile, real Floridians are cheering. 🌴🇺🇸  Common sense &gt; woke symbolism.
</blockquote>

US-NEWS-FLA-RAINBOW-CROSSWALKS-EDITORIAL-OS

DeSantis Removes Woke Crosswalk, Sparks Backlash From The Left

LGBT

Mass Shooting

Pulse Nightclub

Rainbow crosswalks

Social Issues

Florida federal Judge Kathleen Williams has issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to shutter Alligator Alcatraz within the next two months — and will prevent President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration and the state of Florida from placing any more detainees on the premises effective immediately.
Williams, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, ordered the immigration detention center shut down within 60 days, and the state has been ordered to begin removing equipment from the facility as soon as possible.
Fox News National Correspondent Bill Melugin shared details late on Thursday: &#8220;BREAKING: Florida federal judge Kathleen Williams (Obama appointee) is ordering Florida to shut down Alligator Alcatraz within 60 days and is blocking the state &amp; the Trump admin from bringing any new detainees into the facility from this point forward.&#8221;
&#8220;She is also demanding that the state start removing all generators, gas, sewage, etc from Alligator Alcatraz. This is a temporary restraining order (TRO), meaning the merits of the underlying case will continue to be litigated while judge Williams orders Alligator Alcatraz to shut down,&#8221; Melugin added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
BREAKING: Florida federal judge Kathleen Williams (Obama appointee) is ordering Florida to shut down Alligator Alcatraz within 60 days and is blocking the state &amp; the Trump admin from bringing any new detainees into the facility from this point forward.
She is also demanding…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) <a href="https://twitter.com/BillMelugin_/status/1958708763428626770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Jeremy Redfern, communications director for Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, noted that another judge in the same district had refused even to hear a case pertaining to Alligator Alcatraz because it was not the proper venue.
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&#8220;Just this week, a judge in the same district as Judge Williams refused to hear a case because the Southern District of Florida was the improper venue for suits about Alligator Alcatraz. Once again, she oversteps her authority, and we will appeal this unlawful decision,&#8221; he explained.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Just this week, a judge in the same district as Judge Williams refused to hear a case because the Southern District of Florida was the improper venue for suits about Alligator Alcatraz.
Once again, she oversteps her authority, and we will appeal this unlawful decision. <a href="https://t.co/IkbEcqNiVx">https://t.co/IkbEcqNiVx</a>
— Jeremy Redfern (@JeremyRedfernFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyRedfernFL/status/1958721257773404453?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Fox News journalist Danamarie McNicholl said that she spoke with Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) within moments of the ruling, and he made it clear that the state would be fighting back.
&#8220;FOX EXCLUSIVE: I spoke with @GovRonDeSantis seconds after the ruling was issued. &#8216;We knew this judge was not giving us a fair shake. We totally expected an adverse ruling. We also knew we were going to immediately appeal,'&#8221; she posted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
FOX EXCLUSIVE: I spoke with <a href="https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GovRonDeSantis</a> seconds after the ruling was issued.
“We knew this judge was not giving us a fair shake. We totally expected an adverse ruling. We also knew we were going to immediately appeal.” <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/mSnM52lT5i">https://t.co/mSnM52lT5i</a>
— Danamarie McNicholl (@Danamariemctv) <a href="https://twitter.com/Danamariemctv/status/1958719317781995643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 22, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-MIGRATION-RIGHTS-PROTEST

Obama-Appointed Judge Orders Alligator Alcatraz To Shut Down Within 60 Days

Alligator

Barack Obama

illegal alien

illegal immigrants

Immigration

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Thursday that the State Department was not going to issue any additional work visas for commercial truck drivers, at least for the time being.
&#8220;Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers,&#8221; he said in a post on X. &#8220;The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Effective immediately we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio/status/1958644528253948015?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Rubio&#8217;s announcement comes after an accident involving an immigrant from India — who received a work permit under former President Joe Biden and a commercial driver&#8217;s license from the state of California — resulted in the deaths of three American citizens in Florida.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/illegal-given-commercial-drivers-license-by-californias-newsom-charged-in-fatal-semi-truck-crash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harjinder Singh</a>, who entered the United States illegally in 2018, was granted a commercial driver’s license in California. He made an illegal turn from the outside lane at a spot marked “Official Use Only,” and his truck crushed a minivan that had been driving in the inside lane. Singh has since been arrested for vehicular homicide and was slapped with an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainer.
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The tragedy that unfolded in Florida also sparked a battle between Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin and the X account run by Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gavin-newsom-tangles-with-dhs-over-illegal-accused-of-killing-three-americans-with-semi-truck" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gavin Newsom&#8217;s</a> (D-CA) Press Office when McLaughlin argued that three American citizens would still be alive if not for the license granted to Singh in California.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
3 innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California DMV issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine.
How many more innocent people have to die before <a href="https://twitter.com/GavinNewsom?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GavinNewsom</a> stops playing games with the safety of the… <a href="https://t.co/chT7ln1TTZ">pic.twitter.com/chT7ln1TTZ</a>
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1957433382230507868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Newsom’s press office responded to McLaughlin with a graphic, saying that California does not issue commercial licenses to immigrants who do not have legal status and blaming Trump for that because Singh entered the country illegally in 2018.
“Hey, genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements — YOU issued him a work permit (EAD). As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless. p.s. @grok, who was President in 2018?”
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Hey, genius: the federal government (TRUMP ADMIN) already confirmed that this guy meets federal and state immigration requirements &#8212; YOU issued him a work permit (EAD).
As usual, the Trump Administration is either lying or clueless.
p.s. <a href="https://twitter.com/grok?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@grok</a>, who was President in 2018? <a href="https://t.co/OHVnC3zS20">https://t.co/OHVnC3zS20</a> <a href="https://t.co/raF7hFWGkb">pic.twitter.com/raF7hFWGkb</a>
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovPressOffice/status/1957460210110300656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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McLaughlin pushed back, however, noting that the Trump administration had denied Singh&#8217;s request for a work visa and that he was not able to get one until former President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration took over.
&#8220;False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020. It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021. The state of California issues Commercial Drivers Licenses. There is no national CDL,&#8221; McLaughlin wrote, concluding her post, &#8220;Sincerely, Genius.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
False. Harjinder Singh is in the United States illegally and his work authorization was rejected under the Trump Administration on September 14, 2020. It was later approved under the Biden Administration June 9, 2021.
The state of California issues Commercial Drivers Licenses.… <a href="https://t.co/4YSs3qIj2B">https://t.co/4YSs3qIj2B</a>
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) <a href="https://twitter.com/TriciaOhio/status/1957503043710181746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Marco Rubio

‘Effective Immediately’: State Department Halts Worker Visas For Commercial Truck Drivers

'Effective Immediately': State Department Halts Worker Visas For Commercial Truck Drivers

Executive

State Department

Traffic

The Democratic Party is in a &#8220;deep political hole&#8221; with voter registration, according to an analysis <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/20/us/politics/democratic-party-voter-registration-crisis.html">published</a> by The New York Times on Wednesday.
Between 2020 and 2024, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in all 30 states that track party affiliation when Americans register to vote, and the Times acknowledged the losses were &#8220;often by a lot.&#8221; In those 30 states, plus the District of Columbia, Democrats shed 2.1 million voters between 2020 and 2024. Republicans, meanwhile, gained 2.4 million voters.
&#8220;That four-year swing toward the Republicans adds up to 4.5 million voters, a deep political hole that could take years for Democrats to climb out from,&#8221; the Times wrote.
The major shift toward the GOP included vital swing states, such as Arizona and Pennsylvania, but Democrats also lost ground in the deep blue states of California, New York, and Massachusetts. In states where Republican voter registration was already blowing past that of the Democrats — such as Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Oklahoma — GOP gains continued to grow.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
New York Times: &#8220;The Democratic Party is hemorrhaging voters long before they even go to the polls.
Of the 30 states that track voter registration by political party, Democrats lost ground to Republicans in every single one between the 2020 and 2024 elections — and often by a… <a href="https://t.co/gx94qL9EVP">pic.twitter.com/gx94qL9EVP</a>
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomBevanRCP/status/1958153504842801375?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
&nbsp;
While Democrats still outnumber Republicans by party registration nationwide, more newly registered voters across the country chose the Republican Party over the Democratic Party for the first time since 2018. The Times also noted that the Democrats&#8217; voter registration numbers are helped by massive blue states like California and New York allowing people to register by party, while the largest Republican state, Texas, and many of the deep-red southern states do not.
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Decision Desk HQ&#8217;s director of data science, Michael Pruser, told the Times that there &#8220;seems to be no end&#8221; to the voter registration crisis for Democrats.
&#8220;There is no silver lining or cavalry coming across the hill. This is month after month, year after year,&#8221; he said.
In recent years, Democrats &#8220;fell asleep at the switch,&#8221; according to longtime Democratic strategist Maria Cardona. Even Tom Bonier, one of the party&#8217;s top voter registration experts, admitted to the Times that he &#8220;was wrong&#8221; after downplaying the Democrats&#8217; registration issues last year.
“Clearly, in retrospect, we can say the Democratic Party had dug itself in too deep a hole in the preceding four years for the Harris campaign to dig itself out in the last few months,” Bonier said.
Republicans, meanwhile, adjusted their strategy following President Donald Trump&#8217;s 2020 election defeat and <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/republicans-ballot-harvesting-fraud-claims-rcna151952">hit the gas</a> on voter registration and ballot harvesting strategies in 2024.
“We don’t like drop boxes, to be clear,” a Republican National Committee official said in May of 2024. “We’re still going to use drop boxes if we have to, if they’re available. Same thing with harvesting: Where it’s a practice that Democrats are partaking in, we’re going to partake in it, too.”
Republicans also benefited from the efforts of activist Scott Presler, who dedicated himself from 2021 to 2024 to registering Republicans in the all-important swing state of Pennsylvania. In the summer of 2024, voter registration in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — a competitive suburb of Philadelphia — shifted to a GOP advantage for the first time since 2007, according to the Times. Trump went on to win Bucks County in the 2024 election, becoming the first Republican presidential candidate to do so in the 21st century.
In Pennsylvania, Democrats held an advantage of more than 517,000 registered voters in 2020, but that lead has now <a href="https://x.com/ScottPresler/status/1954912806911844834">fallen to fewer</a> than 54,000. Much of that shift comes from Democrats switching their party affiliation to Republicans. From 2020 to 2025, around 314,000 registered Democrats flipped to registered Republicans, while just over 160,000 registered Republicans became registered Democrats.
Democrats are also losing support among young voters, who are shifting to the GOP. Last year, Republicans registered nearly twice as many voters under 35 as Democrats did in key states such as Nevada, the Times reported.

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