FL CFO Backs Bill to Use Tax Dollars to Pay for Trump's Legal Defense  —  This is just gross.  —  Florida's Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis announced today that he is supporting State Senator Ileana Garcia's bill SB 1740 to create a “Florida Freedom Fighter's Fund” …

U.S. Supreme Court says Texas can't block federal agents from the border  —  The high court's order effectively maintains long-running precedent that the federal government — not individual states — has authority to enforce border security.  —  The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ordered Texas …

The Fall of the House of Dead Bounce Ron  —  I wrote a few days ago that Ron DeSantis's long campaign collapse was likely the most ignominious and vertiginous in the presidential primary era, which dates in stages from the 1960s and early 1970s.  Some skeptics pointed to Jeb! in 2016 or Rudy Giuliani in 2008.

US, British militaries team up again to bomb sites in Yemen used by Iran-backed Houthis  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and British militaries bombed multiple sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Monday night, the second time the two allies have conducted coordinated retaliatory strikes …

The tide turns on Florida book bans  —  For years, Florida has been at the vanguard of removing books from school libraries.  Florida Republicans, including Governor Ron DeSantis (R), insisted that school librarians were seeking to “groom” children with pornographic materials.

Scoop: Israel proposes 2-month fighting pause in Gaza for release of all hostages  —  Israel has given Hamas a proposal through Qatari and Egyptian mediators that includes up to two months of a pause in the fighting as part of a multi-phase deal that would include the release …

How Steve Garvey became a punchline at the first California Senate debate  —  The Republican and former Dodger was an easy target for House Democrats on Thursday night.  —  LOS ANGELES — Steve Garvey was less a heavy hitter on Thursday night's Senate debate stage and more often a punchline.

Fetterman's break from the left excites Republicans  —  The Pennsylvania Democrat is straying from liberal orthodoxy on the border and Israel, giving GOP colleagues hope that he might keep surprising them.  —  Republicans once slammed John Fetterman as a “radical socialist” who was “too dangerous” to get elected.

Norman Jewison, acclaimed director of ‘In the Heat of the Night’ and ‘Moonstruck,’ dead at 97  —  Norman Jewison, the acclaimed and versatile Canadian-born director whose Hollywood films ranged from Doris Day comedies and “Moonstruck” to such social dramas as the Oscar-winning “In the Heat of the Night,” has died at age 97.

Republicans Push To Legalize ‘Property Owners’ Killing Homeless People in Kentucky  —  In Kentucky, politicians are preparing to vote on a law that would authorize the use of force against unhoused people who are found to be camping on private property.  —  Republican politicians in Kentucky …

Ethics Ratings of Nearly All Professions Down in U.S.  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' ratings of nearly all 23 professions measured in Gallup's 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll are lower than they have been in recent years.  Only one profession — labor union leaders — has not declined since 2019 …