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Trump Officials Exempt Oil And Gas Drilling In The Gulf Of America From Endangered Species Rules

Montage of Florida endangered species animals

The Trump administration on Tuesday exempted oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of America from the Endangered Species Act after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said environmentalists’ lawsuits threatened to hobble domestic energy supplies as the U.S. wages war against Iran.

Critics said the move by the government’s Endangered Species Committee could doom a rare whale species and harm other marine life. Nicknamed the “God Squad” by groups who say it can decide a species’ fate, the committee comprises several Trump administration officials and is chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

This Fall, Florida Students Will Be Forced to Take “Anti-Communist” Classes

DeSantis speaking in front of a "Free State of Florida" banner

Beginning in the fall of 2026, all Florida middle and high school students will be required to take a yearly social studies class on the history of communism. The curriculum has already received the stamp of approval from the conservative Heritage Foundation (the group behind Project 2025), a right-wing nonprofit organization called the National Association of Scholars (NAS) and a NAS spinoff called the Civics Alliance, and it follows on the heels of the state’s 2022 imposition of Victims of Communism Day, which is now held every November 7 to mark the start of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution in Russia. The annual commemoration requires schools to provide a minimum of 45 minutes of instruction on “the horrors of communism” and the “destructiveness of Marxism-Leninism.” Programming is also expected to inculcate “an appreciation for the founding principles of the American republic.” What these principles are is not specified.

‘Deliberate Attack’: Sociology’s Removal From Florida General Education Draws Criticism

Students and teacher in a classroom setting

In 2024, the board removed sociology from a list of six “state core” classes students could use to fulfill their social science requirement. Earlier this year, Florida began requiring the use of a new state-approved textbook in sociology courses. The new version omits topics on race, gender and sexuality present in an earlier, much longer version of the text.

“What we have are nonacademics trying to control a curriculum and impose it on academics, which just feels bizarre and even surreal,” Levenson said about the series of decisions.

The motion to remove sociology from general education wasn’t listed on the meeting agenda and wasn’t open for public comment. Rather, it was a surprise vote initiated by Ray Rodrigues, the State University System chancellor.

AI Data Centers: Big Tech’s Impact on Electric Bills, Water, and More

Silhouette of electrical transmission lines over a photo of a sprawling data center

Residential electricy prices jumped 7.1 percent in 2025—more than double the inflation rate—and topped 20 percent in some states, according to federal data. The AI data center rush isn’t the only factor driving up prices—others include inflation and an aging power grid—but it’s a significant one.   

That’s because hyperscale data centers demand a nearly unimaginable amount of energy. The International Energy Agency says a typical hyperscale data center might use 100 megawatts (MW), as much electricity as 100,000 households.

Florida Tops The Nation In Ice Arrests This Year, Report Says

ICE arresting and leading away an immigrant

ICE agents in Florida have made more immigration arrests so far this year than counterparts in any other part of the country, outpacing even places with announced “surges,” new data shows.

The Miami Field Office for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Office — which covers Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands — is credited with about 120 arrests per day in 2026 or 9,880 total as of March 10.

Luna Hosts Russian Lawmakers To Mixed Gop Reactions, Outrage From Others

Anna Paulina Luna

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) hosted a delegation of sanctioned Russian officials in Washington, D.C., Thursday, drawing mixed reactions from GOP colleagues and condemnation from Ukraine advocacy groups and the Russian opposition in exile. 

Luna is putting herself forward as a facilitator of dialogue between the U.S. and Russia in pursuit of peace in Ukraine. But she is harshly criticized by Kyiv’s supporters and critics of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who say she is serving to legitimize war-stained figures. 

Luna provided the Russian lawmakers with a private tour of the U.S. Capitol Thursday evening.

Florida Sheriffs Rebel Against Trump’s, Desantis’ Mass Deportation Efforts

Sheriff Grady Judd

Florida’s Republican sheriffs want President Donald Trump to end mass deportations of undocumented immigrants who haven’t committed crimes, a striking shift from law enforcement in the nation’s most aggressive anti-undocumented immigration state. 

“While Congress sits on their hands and does nothing about this, we are on the ground floor with this day in and day out — looking in the eyes of these folks that, yes, came here inappropriately. But some came here inappropriately only to do better for themselves and their family,” Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Monday during a State Immigration Enforcement Council meeting.

Donald Trump’s Immigration Policies Polling Underwater In Florida, With ICE Rated Far Worse

ICE arresting and leading away an immigrant

A UNF poll shows most Democrats and independents see work by ICE agents in a negative light.

More Florida voters disapprove of President Donald Trump’s handling of immigration than support it.

That’s according to a poll from the University of North Florida’s Public Opinion Research Lab. That showed 49% of likely Midterm voters disapprove of the administration’s immigration policies, while 48% approve. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received the worst marks, with 55% offering a poor assessment of the federal agency, including 48% who strongly disapprove. Only 42% approve of ICE’s work.

Ban On Local Government ‘Net-Zero’ Policies Clears Legislature On Final Vote

Palm Tree in standing water against a blue sky

The Florida Senate has voted final approval of an amended tax bill (HB 1217) to ban local governments in Florida from using net-zero policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — the primary driver of climate change.

The vote was 24-12, with Miami Republican Alexis Alexis Calatayud joining all the Democrats in opposing the bill. The House had already approved the bill, which will head to the governor’s desk. If signed into law by DeSantis, it would go into effect on July 1.

Post-FSU Shooting Package Arming Professors Clears Both Chambers

Guns for sale

The Florida House gave final approval Thursday, the second-to-last-day of the scheduled regular legislative session, to a package formulated in the aftermath of the shootings at Florida State University last year that would arm professors.

The House approval followed the Senate’s Wednesday.

Republicans Deliver Bill To Kill DEI In Cities, Counties To Desantis

Marchers at St Petersburg PRIDE carrying balloons that spell out LOVE

One of the most contentious pieces of legislation this session — one that would ban local governments from supporting parades, festivals and other activities promoting diversity, equality and inclusion — is headed to the desk of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The vote broke down mostly along party lines, with a handful of Republicans breaking with their colleagues to vote with Democrats against the bill, including Rep. Paula Stark of St. Cloud and Rep. Hillary Cassel of Hollywood.

DeSantis has been a driving force behind the move to dismantle DEI policies in Florida for the last several years, including bans on such efforts at the state’s universities and agencies.

Florida Senate Passes Own Version Of Anti-Voting SAVE America Act

VOTE sign

Florida lawmakers are poised to approve sweeping new restrictions that would require voters to prove their citizenship status, as well as remove student ID as an acceptable form of voter identification.

In a 27-12 vote, the state Senate on Thursday passed its own version of the SAVE America Act, a piece of national anti-voting legislation pushed by President Donald Trump. 

The state House, which approved the legislation last month, must now approve the amended version of the bill. After that, it will head to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for signature.