TheDrewSteeleShow

Florida Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, warned that some House legislation related to culture war issues could potentially be dead or stalled out in the Senate this week. “Our bill process is not the Republican Party of Florida,” Passidomo said. “We are the legislature. We make the laws, we review the laws.” --------------------- This Week,” Republican presidential candidate former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) refused to say if she would support former President Donald Trump if he won the GOP presidential nomination. --------------- San Francisco has appointed a non-citizen to its elections commission for the first time, even though she cannot vote.

Fulton County, Georgia, District Attorney Fani Willis was defiant on the witness stand on Thursday, but she could face serious consequences for her alleged ethical violations in the prosecution of former President Donald Trump and 18 other co-defendants. In January, one of those co-defendants, Mike Roman, filed a motion alleging that Willis had an improper relationship with fellow prosecutor Nathan Wade. Willis’s response was to tell an Atlanta church that her opponents were “playing the race card.” --------------- The public largely blames President Joe Biden for the failed migration deal in Congress, despite Democrat efforts to Ipsos. The February 9-10 poll asked: “How much, if at all, do you blame each of the following for Congress not passing legislation intended to decrease the numbers of illegal border crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border?” ------------------ The Florida House passed a bill 88-29 that would allow people to use lethal force to kill a bear without a permit or authorization if they feel threatened on private property. The threat of death or serious bodily injury can be to a human, a pet, or to a dwelling. HB 87 is sponsored by Rep. Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe. In the Senate, Sen. Corey Simon, R-Quincy, is carrying a similar bill, SB 632.

The United States faces a “serious national security threat,” according to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Turner (R-OH), who is urging President Biden to declassify all information related to it. “Today, the House Permanent Select committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning a serious national security threat,” Turner wrote. ------------- Russian President Vladimir Putin said President Joe Biden would be better for Russia than Donald Trump, calling him “old school” and “predictable.” Putin expressed his feelings about Biden during an interview with broadcaster Rossiya 1 TV. ---------------------- U.S. District Judge Mark Walker ruled in favor of an embattled 2021 Florida election integrity law that cracked down on ballot harvesting and strictly regulated how ballot drop boxes can be utilized. The judge said Florida’s restrictions do not keep Floridians from voting, according to the Associated Press.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas was impeached by the House Tuesday night in a narrow 214 to 213 vote, becoming the first cabinet official to be impeached in almost a century and a half. William Belknap, Secretary of War to President Ulysses S. Grant, was impeached by the House in 1876, despite resigning before the vote. ---------- Visa, Mastercard, and American Express are implementing a special merchant code to track gun and gun-related purchases in California. CBS News reported that the new merchant code will be used to comply with a “California law that will allow banks to potentially track suspicious gun purchases and report them to law enforcement.” ---------------- A woman in Fort Myers, Florida, was arrested after her baby allegedly overdosed on fentanyl and later regained a pulse with CPR, police said. Fort Myers Police Officers responded on Sunday at 1:34 a.m. to a call about a baby who was not breathing, WINK News reported. Officers met with the caller, the baby’s 38-year-old mother Mary Sinopoli, on the side of the road near Lee Tran Boulevard and Metro Parkway.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) raised the alarm on Monday that the $95 billion Senate bill to fund the Ukraine War contains an “impeachment time bomb” aimed at former President Donald Trump if he wins reelection in November, and called on his Republican colleagues to vote against it.

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) raised the alarm on Monday that the $95 billion Senate bill to fund the Ukraine War contains an “impeachment time bomb” aimed at former President Donald Trump if he wins reelection in November, and called on his Republican colleagues to vote against it. A proposal making its way through the Florida Legislature would rescind state law’s references and commitment to addressing “climate change” in its energy policies. The legislation aims to “streamline” Florida’s energy directives and revise its intent toward “adequate, reliable, and cost-effective supply of energy” while keeping in mind the “health and welfare” of Floridians.

The Kansas City Chiefs amassed a mere 16 yards of total offense in the first quarter, and after a turnover from Isaiah Pacheco, Travis Kelce erupted on the sidelines and slammed into his head coach. A man without a shirt ran out on the field in an attempt to disrupt Super Bowl 58 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The man wearing white pants was quickly taken down by Apex Security operatives and carted off the field after only making it a few yards onto the field. As they have done for the past several Super Bowl broadcasts, the NFL opened the Super Bowl with a performance of the song Lift Every Voice and Sing, the so-called “black national anthem.” But not every voice appreciated the left-wing gesture.

Following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report, which included stunning revelations of the deterioration of President Joe Biden’s mental state, Republican officials are calling to invoke the 25th Amendment. They state that “if ever there were a time to do so, now would be it,” and insist that if the president “is not competent to stand trial, then he is certainly not competent to lead the free world.” ----------------- The Florida House and Senate each passed their own version of the 2024-25 state budget. The House also passed a bill for increased compensation for the governor and other state executives on Thursday. The General Appropriations Act, HB 5001, championed by Rep. Tom Leek, R-Ormond Beach, allocates state funds for various annual expenses. -----------------

President Joe Biden referred to former President Trump as an “existential threat” during a fundraiser in New York City on Wednesday, as anti-Israel protesters blocked Fifth Avenue outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “There is one existential threat: it’s Donald Trump,” Biden told business leaders during his first stop of the day at the Upper West Side home of Larry Linden, the former managing partner of Goldman Sachs. ----------------- After Florida’s Voice reported on a student march that turned into an “activism rally” rally for third graders at Shorecrest Preparatory School, one parent is removing her children for safety reasons. “We no longer felt our kids were safe at the school, you know, with how charged everything was from the teachers and from the administration,” said the parent, who had three children at the school.

The House of Representatives let Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas off the hook for the border crisis created under his watch in a historic 216-214 vote against impeachment. Reps. Ken Buck (R-CO) and Tom McClintock (R-CA) announced before the vote they would vote against impeachment. They were joined by Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) in voting with unified Democrats. -------------- The Monroe County State Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for the arrest of Collier County Commissioner Rick LoCastro. LoCastro issued the statement below following the arrest warrant being issued for him. “Today, I am saddened to share that the Monroe County State Attorney’s office has pressed charges against me for something I did not do. From the outset, let me be clear: the charges against me are false. They have no merit. I have never done anything to harm any person, physically or otherwise.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the shocking decision to recommend Republicans block the advancement of the Senate pro-migration border bill. That first procedural vote was set for Wednesday. It is unknown if Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will forge ahead, although that is likely. ---------------- Sen. Nick DiCeglie, R-St. Petersburg, celebrated the Senate’s passage of his vacation rental bill last week, SB 280. “The importance of this bill is very simple: we’re trying to create a uniform set of regulations for the vacation rental industries,” DiCeglie said. “This is going to create predictability for local governments, for local communities, for folks that want to exercise their property right, in renting their their properties for vacation rentals.”

The much-touted emergency border “shutdown” in the establishment’s Border Act will not be activated unless the president’s homeland security says so, says a clause buried deep in the 280-page bill. The legal loophole can be seen on page 119: ------------ The recent assault of two NYPD officers in Times Squares by a mob of illegal migrants appeared to befuddle a CNN panel for not committing similar crimes in Florida. “[Detectives asked me] why don’t they just stay and steal in Florida?” said John Miller, chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst. “Because there, you go to jail.”

A federal court has dismissed Disney’s lawsuit against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, which claimed his administration violated the company’s First Amendment rights by removing Disney World’s special district status in retaliation for the company attacking the state’s law barring teachers from discussing sexuality with pre-teen minors. -------------------- Florida International University disbanded its Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in light of a new rule approved by the Florida Board of Governors. The university, FIU, is a member of the State University System. “In keeping with State of Florida legislation, the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) has been eliminated,” the school’s webpage says. “FIU remains committed to cultivating an environment of accessibility and equal opportunity, where all are welcomed to learn, earn, and thrive.”

Former President Donald Trump has a towering 35-point lead over his last remaining Republican primary opponent, former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), in South Carolina, according to a Fabrizio, Lee & Associates poll conducted for the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. PAC. The poll, first published by the Messenger on Tuesday, shows Trump garnering 66 percent of support among likely South Carolina Republican primary voters. He more than doubles Haley’s 31 percent. ------------------- Harvard University Chief Diversity Officer Sherri Ann Charleston has been accused of plagiarism in a new complaint, which alleges that Charleston claimed credit for her husband’s work. Harvard has received a complaint claiming that its chief diversity and inclusion officer has plagiarized some of her academic works, lifting large portions of text from without including quotation marks, and even taking credit for a study conducted by her own husband, according to a report by the Washington Free Beacon. ---------------- A Florida bill that would lower the age for purchasing firearms passed 11-5 through its first House committee Tuesday. The legislation amends the law to reduce the minimum age requirement to purchase a firearm from 21 to 18, which applies to purchases from either a federal firearms licensee, also known as an FFL, or a private seller, according to the bill’s analysis.

Republicans blasted President Joe Biden after the U.S. military announced three American troops were killed and 25 injured in a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday. “Joe Biden emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end. He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded, sadly as I’ve predicted would happen for months,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said in a statement. ---------------------- Former President Donald Trump’s legal team plans to appeal the $83.3 million decision in the defamation lawsuit from E. Jean Carroll due to an alleged “insane” conflict of interest with the presiding judge. As Breitbart News reported Friday, a jury awarded “an additional $83.3 million to former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who says former President Donald Trump damaged her reputation by calling her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.” ----------------- The My Hollywood Pride street festival event on Jan. 28 will include a Drag Queen Story Hour for kids, “teen chat,” “banned books” from the Hollywood Branch Library, and more. My Hollywood Pride Street Festival is “open to all with entertainment, food, and lots of activities for adults and kids alike.”

Republicans blasted President Joe Biden after the U.S. military announced three American troops were killed and 25 injured in a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday. “Joe Biden emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end. He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded, sadly as I’ve predicted would happen for months,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said in a statement. ---------------------- Former President Donald Trump’s legal team plans to appeal the $83.3 million decision in the defamation lawsuit from E. Jean Carroll due to an alleged “insane” conflict of interest with the presiding judge. As Breitbart News reported Friday, a jury awarded “an additional $83.3 million to former advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, who says former President Donald Trump damaged her reputation by calling her a liar after she accused him of sexual assault.” ----------------- The My Hollywood Pride street festival event on Jan. 28 will include a Drag Queen Story Hour for kids, “teen chat,” “banned books” from the Hollywood Branch Library, and more. My Hollywood Pride Street Festival is “open to all with entertainment, food, and lots of activities for adults and kids alike.”

Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) has called for the Biden administration to secure the southern border now that he faces a tough reelection battle after doing nothing for years. Pro-migration Republican senators are trying to revive the border giveaway plan amid GOP splits, establishment finger-pointing, and growing public opposition. The establishment backlash on Thursday morning came after the Wednesday admission by Republican Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell that GOP voters and swing voters are increasingly alarmed by President Joe Biden’s ruthless pro-migration economic policy. --------------- A flag hanging in a Fort Myers classroom violates the Stop Woke Act and promotes "woke indoctrination," the Lee GOP claims and is planning a protest at an upcoming Lee County School Board meeting.

Jeff DeWit, chair of the Arizona Republican Party who is at the center of controversial leaked audio allegedly attempting to “bribe” Kari Lake into backing down — which even alludes to veiled threats from “powerful people” — is resigning from his position, citing an ultimatum from Lake’s team, which is threatening to release more audio of private conversations. ------------------ Apple has announced a 2028 release date for its much-anticipated electric vehicle, codenamed Project Titan, which has been developing since 2015. -------------- A bill that would enact term limits for county commissioners is moving forward to the next House committee stop after passing through the Ethics, Elections & Open Government Subcommittee by a vote of 9-6 on Wednesday. The bill, HB 57, would limit county commissioners to a maximum time served of 12 years.

Former President Donald Trump seeks to end it on Tuesday and formally become the Republican Party’s presumptive presidential nominee for the third straight election as New Hampshire primary voters decide between Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Haley, the last remaining challenger to Trump in the GOP primary, is showing sheer desperation in her flailing presidential bid as she tries to project a pathway beyond New Hampshire into her home state of South Carolina and further out on Super Tuesday. Polls ahead of New Hampshire’s primary show Trump far eclipsing majority support in the Granite State and Haley trailing well into double digits. ---------------------- A bill that would ensure protection and preservation for all historical monuments and memorials in Florida passed through a Senate committee Monday. Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, filed the bill, SB 1122, entitled the “Historical Monuments and Memorials Protection Act.” Reps. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, and Webster Barnaby, R-Deltona, filed a similar bill in the House, HB 395. “Accurate history belongs to all Floridians in perpetuity,” Martin said. “And accurate and factual history belongs to all Floridians and future generations.”

As Dixville Notch goes, so goes New Hampshire? That’s what former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will be hoping after the tiny village near the Canadian border carried on its five-decade-old tradition of midnight voting early Tuesday. All six eligible voters in the precinct — four registered Republicans and two undeclared voters — pulled the lever for Haley, 52, who is desperate for a shock victory in the Granite State to halt what many observers see as former President Donald Trump’s unstoppable march to the GOP nomination. -------------------------- Self-professed Catholic President Joe Biden marked the fifty-first anniversary of the Supreme Court’s now-defunct 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by pledging to fight for the supposed “right” to kill unborn babies via abortion. ------------------- A bill requiring a person identifies on their drivers license by their biological sex rather than their gender passed its first committee assignment on Monday. The legislation also requires Health care insurers provide a de-transition treatment option for people who have participated in sex-reassignment surgery.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, one of the two remaining challengers to former President Donald Trump, dropped out of the presidential race on Sunday, before the New Hampshire primary, and endorsed Trump. In a video DeSantis released from Florida on Sunday afternoon, he endorsed Trump over the last challenger—former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley—saying that while he has disagreements with Trump he thinks Trump is better than Haley and certainly better than Democrat President Joe Biden. ---------------- A male-born transgender golfer is one more step closer to winning membership as a Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) competitor after winning a woman’s tournament in Florida. Hailey Davidson, 30, won the NXXT Women’s Classic on Jan. 17 at the Mission Inn Resort and Club, near Orlando, Florida, with a one-over-73 score and finishing the three-round event at a +4, the New York Post reported. -------------- A bill sponsored by Reps. Taylor Yarkosky, R-Montverde, and Douglas Bankson, R-Apopka, creating offenses for lewd and lascivious grooming passed its first committee assignment on Friday. The legislation, HB 1135, passed the House Criminal Justice Subcommittee by a vote of 15-2. Reps. Michelle Rayner, D-St. Petersburg, and Lavon Bray Davis, D-Ocoee, voted against it. Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, filed the senate version of the bill, SB 1238.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) once again rejected a deal to fund Biden’s continued border operations coupled with tens of billions in foreign aid on Wednesday. Johnson had shot down a deal on Saturday, tweeting “absolutely not” after details emerged of a draft deal crafted by Senate negotiators. ----------------- LGBTQ activists flooded a committee on Wednesday, demanding the board vote down a bill that would ban the display of political flags on government buildings. The legislation, HB 901, was sponsored by Rep. David Borerro, R-Sweetwater and Rep. Randy Fine, R-Melbourne Beach. It passed the House Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law and Government Operations by a vote of 9-5.

The overwhelming majority of Americans said on Tuesday they are unlikely to consider buying an electric vehicle (EV). The poll comes as EVs strand drivers at their homes and off the sides of roads amid a winter freeze sweeping the United States -------------- A Never Trumper who served in the Trump Department of Homeland Security is claiming that former President Donald Trump would assemble his own mercenary force if re-elected, according to a report.

The Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating process for Republicans as former President Donald Trump looks to pull off the greatest comeback in modern political history by retaking the Oval Office while fending off challenges from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. ------------------ Sixty-eight percent of Iowan caucusgoers do not believe President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election, while 30 percent think he did, a CNN entrance poll found Monday evening. The poll also asked respondents if former President Donald Trump is fit for the presidency, even if convicted of a crime. Sixty-four percent said he was, while 34 percent said “no.” The top issue for Republican caucusgoers was immigration (40 percent), followed by the economy (35 percent), foreign policy (11 percent), and abortion (11 percent) ---------------- MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said on her network’s election night coverage that she believed former President Donald Trump would be both the Republican presidential nominee and convicted of crimes.

The final poll from a definitive pollster before the Iowa caucuses on Monday shows former President Donald Trump way out in front of the GOP pack with all the momentum the day before the first votes are cast in the contest. In second place is former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and down in third place is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. -------------------- A tense exchange between Commissioners Joe Carolla and Miguel Gabela Thursday nearly ended in blows at the conclusion of the City of Miami Commission meeting. “A lot of nasty hateful people. That all they know to do is hate,” Carolla said. “The 8th street boys and Mr. Gabela,” he said before Gabela interjected. ------------ Heading into the 2024 Legislative Session, Florida Republican Senate President-Designate Ben Albritton told Florida’s Voice he is looking into helping the citrus industry recovery as part of the state’s budget. On Florida’s Voice with Brendon Leslie, Albritton said the citrus industry has been “pummeled by citrus greening over the last 15 or 17 years.” He said this year, the industry is expecting around 20 million citrus production boxes, when about 16-17 years ago, it produced 242 million boxes.