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BULLETIN BOARD

Ignoring Public’s Concerns, House Committee Passes Bill Targeting ‘Harmful’ Books At Schools

Banned books in a library display with a banner above that says "Read Banned Books"

As the public overwhelmingly spoke out against a bill targeting books deemed “harmful to children” in public school libraries, one Democrat allied with Republicans to advance the legislation through its final committee stop.

With a 16-5 vote, the House Education and Employment Committee OK’d HB 1119 sponsored by Rep. Doug Bankson. The bill is now ready for the House floor.

Rep. Kim Daniels, a Jacksonville Democrat who has a history of siding with Republicans on social issues, voted in favor of the bill.

Become a Trained Witness: When ICE Shows Up, Document It Right

Image of an ICE agent. Text: Become a Trained Witness. When ICE shows up, document it right.

When ICE activity in a community starts to look like intimidation — questionable stops, aggressive tactics, people terrified to leave their homes — the helplessness is real. Marching, mutual aid, and contacting elected officials still matter. They build solidarity, keep pressure on leaders, and remind targeted neighbors they aren’t alone.

But there’s another approach that matters in moments like this: credible witness video and testimony. If you want a street-level role that’s legal, non-violent, and useful, don’t just shoot video — become a trained witness. More impact. More accountability.

This Is America, Just Not the America You Knew

Closeup of a hand with the word "listen" written on the palm. Civil rights protestors are in the background.

I understand why you are feeling afraid right now. But I need you to understand something just as clearly: this is what Black America has been living with for generations at the hands of local police.

We need to talk about how policing works in this country for Black people, how the story gets written before the body hits the ground.

Psycho Pete’s Living Guide to Boycotting the Big Orange Menace

Image from the civil rights movement boycotts with the text: A protest where the protesters do not buy a product or give money to a company.

No fire. No bullets. Just attention, dollars, and clicks. A million tiny refusals that snowball into a boycott big enough to make the machine choke.

When brands become liabilities, the market corrects itself. Trump, Musk, Thiel, Zuck — their empires can be voided like bad transactions.

But it starts with us. With starving the beast.

This is the boycott: a living list of collaborators and profiteers — banks, telecoms, gas stations, grocery chains — every company cashing in on the collapse.

Trump Plans To Cut FEMA Workforce In Half, Court Filing Alleges

NOAA image of Hurricane Milton approaching Florida

In filing on Tuesday night, the organizations said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, could eliminate more than 10,000 positions in the months ahead.

The court filing said that FEMA management was directed to plan for a 50 percent staffing cut and that a spreadsheet attached to the email called for a 15 percent cut for “Permanent Fulltime” staff, a 41 percent for “Disaster Fulltime” staff and an 85 percent cut in“Surge Workforce.”

Bob Butterworth Backs José Javier Rodríguez’s Bid for Attorney General

Jose Rodriguez, Democratic candidate for Attorney General of Florida

ormer Sen. José Javier Rodríguez’s bid for Attorney General now has the backing of a man who once held the job — in addition to other major government posts.

Bob Butterworth, a fellow Democrat who served as Attorney General under four Governors from 1987 to 2002, said Rodríguez “has demonstrated a thoughtful and steady approach to the law, with a clear focus on protecting Floridians and upholding the responsibilities of the Attorney General’s office.”

Government by AI? Trump Administration Plans to Write Regulations Using Artificial Intelligence

Faceless robot riffling through papers

The Trump administration is planning to use artificial intelligence to write federal transportation regulations, according to U.S. Department of Transportation records and interviews with six agency staffers.
Gregory Zerzan, the agency’s general counsel, said at that meeting that President Donald Trump is “very excited about this initiative.” Zerzan seemed to suggest that the DOT was at the vanguard of a broader federal effort, calling the department the “point of the spear” and “the first agency that is fully enabled to use AI to draft rules.”

Zerzan appeared interested mainly in the quantity of regulations that AI could produce, not their quality. “We don’t need the perfect rule on XYZ. We don’t even need a very good rule on XYZ,” he said, according to the meeting notes. “We want good enough.” Zerzan added, “We’re flooding the zone.”

The Democrats’ Long-Awaited Spine

ICE agent assaulting a civilian

The Senate Democratic Caucus met late Sunday and agreed to block $64.4 billion in funding for the Department of Homeland Security (which includes $10 billion for ICE) unless several key conditions are attached to restrain ICE thuggery and mayhem. The long-delayed show of Democratic spine came after the latest ICE murder, of VA intensive care nurse Alex Pretti.

Detailed language on the conditions is to be finalized today.

Is Trump Going to Let Venezuela Starve?

Map of Venezuela with pushpin in the center of the country

Venezuela is in an underreported hunger crisis that is getting worse by the day, and the Trump administration’s de facto alliance with the unelected and unpopular Chavismo government is only adding to the risks of a disaster. Francisco Rodríguez, the respected Venezuelan economist who has sounded the alarm, warns: “Food stocks are running dangerously low. You need an emergency plan for Venezuela. You need to get the World Food Program and other humanitarian organizations in there right away.”