Several Tampa Bay area elected officials weighed in on criminal justice reform; they spoke about solutions to problems like disparate sentencing of convicted criminals and restoration of voting rights to felons who have served their sentences. It happened in a forum at the Tampa Tiger Bay Club on Friday July 19. Members asked questions of… Read more »
Blog & Station Updates
Deadline to Sign Up For the Affordable Health Care Act is December 15; Premiums Expected to Remain Flat or Decline Slightly
Are probiotics a key to slow spread of Florida’s devastating coral disease?
Legal Advice for Veterans on Appeals, Spousal Benefits, Burn Pits, Blue Water, Upgrading “Bad Papers”, Veterans Courts and the New Form System
Sea Shepherd founder: “no whales will be killed in international waters” this year
Author of "American Prison" Discusses Conditions For Prisoners in the U.S.
Read MoreWhat has the Florida Legislature done in the last 2 days?
Read MoreFaith groups ask for affordable housing and criminal justice reform
Read MoreChris Wilson’s Unforgettable Story on Life Elsewhere
Read MorePublisher: Florida Department of Corrections bans books based on ideology
Read MoreNationwide prisoner strike includes Florida
Read MoreFormer inmate describes prisoner abuse inside Lowell in Florida
Read MoreChris King says his 'bold and progressive' plan as governor now includes abolishing the death penalty and legalizing recreati...
Read MoreESPN's Jemele Hill's message to some news consumers: 'Your emotions are not facts'
Read MoreBob Gualtieri takes the heat in sometimes contentious immigration debate
Read MoreTampa 'Town Hall For Our Lives' strictly a Democratic affair
Read More
Noor Salman was found not guilty; hear from her attorney
Noor Salman is the widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter and on Friday she was found not guilty of helping in the attack; on WMNF’s MidPoint we had an extended conversation with one of her defense attorneys, Linda Moreno. In 2016 Omar Mateen shot up the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, killing 49 people. Then months… Read more »
Activists say Noor Salman is innocent in Pulse shooting
The wife of the man who killed 49 people in 2016 at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando goes on trial next week. Noor Salman is charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization and obstruction of justice. But her supporters deny that, saying she was abused by her husband and not mentally fit to… Read more »
Tampa protesters mock Jeff Sessions with signs & chants
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was in Tampa Wednesday for a meeting of leaders trying to deal with the opioid addiction crisis; but outside the building where Sessions was meeting, forty protesters criticized his positions on racism, private prisons and even his opposition to the legal use of cannabis as an alternative to opioids. One… Read more »
Supporters of Leonard Peltier will rally Tuesday in Tampa
Here’s an update the situation of Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who has been in jail for decades — he’s now in the U.S. Penitentiary, Coleman, north of Tampa; two events are planned for Peltier supporters this week in the Tampa Bay area. There’s a rally on Tuesday in Tampa and a meet & greet… Read more »
Federal court strikes down Florida’s ex-felons voting ban
Federal judge knocks down Florida’s voting ban for ex-felons By GARY FINEOUT, Associated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — In a ruling that could have reverberations on this year’s crucial elections, a federal judge on Thursday ruled that Florida’s current ban on former felons voting is unconstitutional and needs to be changed as soon as possible. U.S…. Read more »
Update on Florida prisoner strike
We bring you an update on the prisoner strike in Florida that began on MLK Day; it’s difficult to find out how many prisoners are taking part or to talk with the striking prisoners because most feel they need to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The strike is what the prisoners are calling a… Read more »
Some Florida prisoners are on strike to protest conditions
A number of prisoners in Florida have gone on strike; the work stoppage began yesterday, on MLK Day, in what they’re calling a “nonviolent protest of conditions” known as Operation PUSH. Panagioti Tsolkas is an organizer with the Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons. Listen: “It’s a basic request for dignity and the base level human rights, which… Read more »
- Civil Liberties
- Civil Rights
- Criminal Justice
- Drugs
- Economy
- Law Enforcement
- National Politics
- State Government
- State Politics
- Voting Rights
MidPoint for Thursday, Jan 4 – State Sen. Darryl Rouson and Marijuana Policy Project’s Morgan Fox
With the announcement by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions that he is rescinding an Obama-era policy that had discouraged federal prosecutors from bringing charges of marijuana-related crimes in states that have legalized sales of the drug, MidPoint spoke with Morgan Fox from the Marijuana Policy Project. We followed that up with a discussion with St. Petersburg… Read more »
NOT REAL NEWS: A look at what didn’t happen this week
By The Associated Press A roundup of some of the most popular, but completely untrue, headlines of the week. None of these stories are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out; here are the real facts: NOT REAL: Evidence points to Antifa behind deadly Amtrak derailment… Read more »
Florida Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform backs several state bills
Nearly 100,000 people are incarcerated in Florida, costing state taxpayers more than 2.3 billion dollars a year; those numbers are from the website of the Florida Campaign for Criminal Justice Reform, a nonpartisan group that’s trying to reduce the number of people caught up in the justice system. WMNF News interviewed Raymer Maguire, the ACLU… Read more »
- Civil Liberties
- Criminal Justice
- Justice System
- National Government
- National Politics
- Women's Rights
MidPoint for Thursday, Nov. 30 – Sexual harassment in Congress and the death of Dusharn Weems
While titans like Harvey Weinstein, Matt Later, Charlie Rose and Kevin Spacey have seen their careers blown up following revelations about their sexually harassing men or women, it’s not exactly the same thing for politicians. Judge Roy Moore, Congressman John Conyers and Minnesota Senator Al Franken have all been accused of improprieties, but they’ll still… Read more »
New video of suspect in Tampa murders
Tampa Police have released a new video of a person they’re now calling a suspect in a string of murders; the video taken moments before a man was shot and killed before dawn Tuesday appears to be the same person seen in the first murder more than a month ago. Since October 9, four people… Read more »
Pioneering professor on challenging sexual assault using the law
On MidPoint we air a recent speech by pioneering feminist law professor, Catharine MacKinnon of the University of Michigan, on social change through legal intervention; MacKinnon spoke Thursday at Stetson University College of Law in Gulfport, Florida. There are several instances of rape and sexual assault in the news: from Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, to President… Read more »
