April 30, 2021 - The Florida Capital Star

Florida’s Transgender Athlete Ban Resurrected

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Grant Holcomb

Florida Republicans resurrected a ban on transgender women from competing in women’s sports and attached it to a bill related to charter schools. Last week, Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-22) said her bill, which would’ve banned transgendered athletes from women’s sports, was unlikely to move forward due to constitutional requirements to balance the budget.

However, Stargel did not resurrect the bill, but Rep. Kaylee Tuck (R-55), added the ban as an amendment to SB 1028. Stargel did voice her support for Tuck’s amendment.

Commentary: The Peculiar Institution of Higher Education

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Nothing is now stranger than the contemporary college campus.

Not too long ago, Americans used to idolize their universities. Indeed, in science, math, engineering, medicine and business, these meritocratic departments and schools often still remain the world’s top-ranked.

Jobless Claims Fall to 553,000, Hit New Pandemic Low

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

The number of Americans filing new unemployment claims dropped to 553,000 last week as the economy continues to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, according to the Department of Labor.

The Bureau of Labor and Statistics figure released Thursday represented a decrease in the number of new jobless claims compared to the week ending April 17, when 566,000 new jobless claims were reported. That number was revised up from the 547,000 jobless claims initially reported last week.

Coca-Cola Faces Challenge to Race-Based Hiring Quota

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

The massive soda company Coca-Cola is facing a challenge to its internal efforts to force diversity on law firms that are contracted to work for it, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

In January, Coca-Cola announced an initiative that would target law firms contracted to work on behalf of the company, wherein all firms would be hit with a 30 percent reduction in their overall payment unless 30 percent of that firm’s workforce was “diverse.” Of those 30 percent, 15 percent had to be black.

Republican Governors Are Signing Pro-Life Laws All Across the Country

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Republican governors across the U.S. are ramping up pro-life legislation as President Joe Biden continues to expand abortion access.

The newest pro-life laws have been signed this week in Arizona, Oklahoma, Montana, and Idaho.

Republicans Push Back After Biden Lays Out Democratic Agenda

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 The Center Square

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and other Republicans are speaking out against President Joe Biden’s agenda, which has become increasingly more wide-ranging and expensive since he took office.

Biden addressed Congress and the nation Wednesday night, when he laid out a litany of aggressive gun control, taxes and spending proposals. He also spoke on the historic nature of his vice president’s race and gender, police reform, and the war in Afghanistan.

‘No More’: Ted Cruz Stops Accepting Corporate PAC Contributions

April 30, 2021April 30, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz vowed to no longer accept campaign contributions from corporate political action committees and urged his colleagues to do the same.

Corporations have consistently attacked conservative values while expecting Republicans to grant them political favors, Sen. Ted Cruz wrote in a Wall Street Journal editorial Wednesday evening. The Texas senator said “woke CEOs” like Republicans until any sign of controversy is sparked online, causing them to run away.

Teachers Unions’ Donations to Democrats Increased Amid Pandemic, School Closures

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

The largest U.S. teachers unions increased contributions to mainly Democratic politicians in 2020 amid a heated national debate over when to reopen schools during the pandemic.

The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) political action committee (PAC) donated $1.6 million to candidates while the National Education Association’s (NEA) PAC contributed $371,000 to candidates, according to Federal Election Commission data analyzed by Roll Call. The contributions represented a 3,456% increase for the AFT and a 38% increase for the NEA compared to the organizations’ 2019 donations given over the same period.

Commentary: Will Republicans Run as American First in 2022?

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff

Republican leaders are salivating over their prospects for retaking Congress in 2022. Populists need to be even more fired up about the primaries. Getting involved now is the only way to ensure an America-first victory. Some quality candidates are already in the fight.

There’s a reason Democrats in Congress and even Joe Biden immediately glommed onto hyperpartisan issues from the get-go. They saw the red wave in down-ballot races in 2020, and they know another tide is coming in 2022.

Twitter Blasted for Letting ‘Uncle Tim’ Trend After Scott Rebuttal

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

The term “Uncle Tim,” a play on the racist term “Uncle Tom” often used to deride African Americans perceived as working against their own racial interests, trended on Twitter Wednesday night after Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) gave his rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s joint address to Congress.

Country music star John Rich of “Big and Rich” blasted the microblogging site’s CEO Jack Dorsey over the trend:

Report: Former Florida Governor Crist Considering Run Against DeSantis

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Peter D'Abrosca

Rumors are swirling that Florida’s 44th Governor, then a Republican, might enter the 2022 gubernatorial race, this time as a Democrat.

“U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist has opened a political committee named ‘Friends of Charlie Crist,’ which would allow him to start raising money for a 2022 state-level election,” one recent report said.

Florida State University Failed to Disclose Foreign Relationships, USDOE Opens Inquiry

April 30, 2021April 29, 2021 Grant Holcomb

Florida State University (FSU) failed to disclose foreign relationships, gifts, or contracts among university entities and now faces a U.S. Department of Education (DOE) inquiry.

In a letter obtained by the Florida Capital Star to FSU President John Thrasher on January 15, the DOE notified the university of an inquiry into potential violations of Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965.