A new member of Congress may attract protesters when she speaks Saturday in Tampa at an event raising funds for humanitarian aid to Yemen. Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar was criticized by some recently for suggesting on Twitter that American politicians support Israel because of campaign donations they get from the American Israel Political Action Committee… Read more »
President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un will meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, next Wednesday and Thursday for their second summit. To find out more about U.S.-North Korea relations, WMNF spoke with Jim Walsh, a senior research associate at the MIT security studies program in Massachusetts. “Well, this is the second summit between the President… Read more »
There is a national movement to have the results of presidential elections better reflect who actually got more votes; it’s called the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. Several states have passed laws to instruct their presidential Electors to vote for the person who gets the most votes across the entire country. So far, states representing… Read more »
Last Friday President Donald Trump declared a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border in order to access disaster funds to build a wall between the two countries; now, local groups are planning a rally Tuesday called Block The Wall Tampa. WMNF interviewed PJ Plastino, a member of the Tampa Bay DSA (Democratic Socialists of America)… Read more »
Dear WMNF listener-supporter, I am writing today as the president of the 15-member board of directors of the Nathan B. Stubblefield Foundation Inc., which holds the broadcast license for WMNF 88.5 FM and sets policy for the station. Our board members and I have been reading the reactions of some of you to the news… Read more »
Protests slam Trump’s emergency declaration for border wall NEW YORK (AP) — Protesters converged in cities around the country Monday to decry President Donald Trump’s declaration of a national emergency to fund his planned U.S.-Mexico border wall. Organized by the liberal group MoveOn and others, the demonstrations took the occasion of Presidents Day to assail… Read more »
AP FACT CHECK: Trump declares emergency with faulty claims By CALVIN WOODWARD, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday declared a national emergency at the southern border while acknowledging that rapid construction of a wall is not a necessity, but rather his preference. In justifying the extraordinary step, he brushed aside his administration’s… Read more »
The seven candidates for Tampa Mayor whose names will be on the ballot spoke Friday at Tampa Tiger Bay Club. They are: former Hillsborough County Commissioner Ed Turanchik, City Council member Mike Suarez, David Straz, Topher Morrison, Dick Greco, Jr., City Council member Harry Cohen and former Police Chief Jane Castor. There’s also a write-in… Read more »
Christopher Castellani – Leading Men “I always think, less is more, when it comes to writing about sex.” Says Christopher Castellani, when the subject of physical intimacy comes up. And, erotic descriptions of gay sex do come up, in Leading Men, Castellani’s sumptuous new novel. The author gently leads the reader through exquisitely realized scenarios… Read more »
Amalia Andrade – You Always Change The Love Of Your Life – (For Another Love Or Another Life) A broken heart can feel like the end of the world, but bestselling author and illustrator Amalia Andrade knows this simply isn’t true. Change is not a defeat or a surrender, but rather a promise. Because if… Read more »
President Donald Trump made a campaign promise to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal between the U.S., Mexico and Canada; the new agreement still has to be finalized and ratified by Congress. To find out how the new trade deal might impact Florida agriculture and migrant farmworkers WMNF spoke with Patty Lovera, the food and water… Read more »
According to a new report from the United Way, there are nearly three-and-a-half million households in Florida that could not afford basic needs like housing, child care, food, transportation, health care, and technology in 2016. That’s about 46 percent of households statewide. In the West Central Florida area, a similar number – 43 percent –… Read more »
AP Explains: How immigration detention works By ASTRID GALVAN, Associated Press PHOENIX (AP) — A new proposal by Democrats in negotiations for a funding bill to avert another government shutdown would cap the number of people the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is allowed to hold in detention. They say they want ICE to focus… Read more »
Parents question whether shooting drills traumatize kids By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Long before an ex-student opened fire on his former classmates in Parkland, Florida, many school districts conducted regular shooting drills — exercises that sometimes included simulated gunfire and blood and often happened with no warning that the attack wasn’t real…. Read more »
Chris Wilson – The Master Plan – My Journey From Life In Prison To A Life Of Purpose Chris Wilson grew up in a tough Washington, D.C., neighborhood, he was so afraid for his life, he wouldn’t leave the house without a gun. One night, defending himself, he killed a man. At eighteen, he was… Read more »
FAKE 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 stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked these out. Here are the real… Read more »
The Green New Deal is the Progressive Green Dream. What exactly does it address? The Green New Deal, spurred on by last October’s Special Report on Global Warming, has three goals, as outlined by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Ed Markey: (1) to create millions of good, high-wage jobs in the United States; (2) to provide… Read more »
An environmental nonprofit is accusing the City of Tampa of dozens of spills and other violations at its main wastewater treatment plant. But the city “categorically denies” the allegations. The Florida director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility – PEER – Jerrel Phillips, says the state Department of Environmental Protection has slapped Tampa with noncompliance… Read more »
Smoke it? A medical pot idea tough for the Florida Legislature to swallow. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis wants the Legislature to rescind a ban on smokable medical marijuana, but it might not be so easy. DeSantis wants a new law by mid-March that will end a ban on smokable medical marijuana… Read more »
The nonprofit group EarthJustice has put out a report on its more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration. It’s called “Two Years of Overrulling Trump” and outlines efforts for EarthJustice to push back against weakening environmental regulations. On WMNF’s MidPoint Monday, host Seán Kinane interviewed David Baron, managing attorney with EarthJustice’s Washington, D.C. office. Listen… Read more »
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s untruths on Russia probe, wall, jobs By HOPE YEN, CALVIN WOODWARD and ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is glossing over the facts when it comes to the Russia investigation and his economic performance. The president suggests the 34 charges issued or guilty pleas achieved by special counsel… Read more »
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Firefighters say dozens of animals are dead following a fire at a central Florida animal sanctuary. Orange County Fire Rescue officials posted on Twitter that the fire broke out early Monday at Second Chance Wildlife Sanctuary near Orlando. In a series of tweets, fire officials said the owner of the animal… Read more »
Some of the best parenting advice that Hillary Frank ever received did not come from parenting experts, but from friends and podcast listeners who acted on a whim, often in moments of desperation. These “weird parenting wins” were born of moments when the expert advice wasn’t working, and instead of freaking out, these parents had… Read more »
Courts turn away hundreds of immigrants, blame shutdown By JENNIFER KAY and ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON, Associated Press MIAMI (AP) — The already backlogged immigration courts faced more hurdles Thursday when hundreds of immigrants arrived with government-issued notices to appear in court for hearings that were never scheduled. U.S. immigration officials blamed the government shutdown and the… Read more »
A new bill in the Florida Legislature could affect how science and other subjects are taught; well-established scientific concepts like evolution and human-caused climate change might have to be ‘balanced’ with ideas that haven’t withstood scientific scrutiny. One critic of the bill, Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando), is a newly-elected state representative in House District 47. “This… Read more »
