Adrianarkin

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida Supreme Court told Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday it will not answer his question on whether a Black congressman’s district is unconstitutional, saying it’s too complicated to simply answer in an advisory opinion.

DeSantis has interjected himself into the once-a-decade process of drawing new congressional maps, something highly unusual for a governor to do. The House and Senate have considered maps that largely left Democratic U.S. Rep. Al Lawson’s district intact, but DeSantis is pushing a map that would make his district lean Republican.

After submitting his map, DeSantis asked the Supreme Court if Lawson’s district is unconstitutional. The district runs from Jacksonville to Gadsden County west of Tallahassee, a distance of about 200 miles (about 321 kilometers). DeSantis questioned whether drawing it to contain Black communities so far apart met the state and federal constitutions.

“The scope of the Governor’s request is broad and contains multiple questions that implicate complex federal and state constitutional matters and precedents interpreting the Voting Rights Act of 1965,” it wrote.

The governor’s office accepted the opinion gracefully.

“While we were hopeful the Supreme Court would provide clarity to legal questions surrounding the maps that are under consideration, we agree with the Court’s opinion that there are important issues that must be addressed quickly,” DeSantis spokeswoman Taryn Fenske said in an email.

Lawson praised the decision in a statement emailed to reporters.

“Ron DeSantis wanted the Supreme Court to violate the separation of powers and engage the judicial branch in partisan politics. They wisely and correctly rejected his request. Yes, Ron DeSantis lost today, but more importantly, democracy and the Constitution won,” he said.

Democratic state Rep. Kelly Skidmore, who is on the House congressional redistricting committee, said she was glad the court recognized the separation of powers in the government branches.

“It’s time to set aside this political distraction and get back to work. Floridians expect us to create fair maps that uphold the Florida and U.S. constitutions, and that’s exactly what we plan to do,” she said in an emailed statement.

Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC), the new Charlotte-based bank formed by the $66 billion merger of BB&T Corp. and SunTrust Banks Inc., has committed to a $1 million donation across five years to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. The donation gives Truist membership in the museum’s Corporate Leadership Council. Other members of the council include Ally Financial, American Express, PNC, U.S. Bank, Salesforce and Walmart. Just last month, Walmart made a…

The urban installation will be one of the largest of its kind in the country

Miami city commissioners have backed a move to construct a retractable, ring-like roof covered in solar panels atop the Klipsch Amphitheater at Bayfront Park. The officials waived the city’s competitive bidding requirements to fast-track the project—which they hope will be completed in 18 months and in time for Miami’s February 2020 date to host the Superbowl.

Private entity Florida Power & Light plan to pay for the addition while Bayfront Park Management Trust would be on the hook for maintenance and operation costs. Revenue from power collected by the array will go directly to FPL, who will pay the city just $10 each year in license fees.

FPL also plans to build a large solar canopy next to the Amphitheater and a number of “solar trees” nearby. Combined, the installations will contain nearly 1,700 individual solar panels generating roughly 500 kilowatts of electrical energy.

Florida Power & Light

The retractable roof aims to make a bold architectural statement as well as allow the 10,000-person capacity concert venue to operate during rain showers. Mayor Francis Suarez described the solar ring as an “iconic structure for the city” at Thursday’s public meeting, reported the Miami Herald.

The vote of approval allows the project to move forward without having to wait until the commissioners return from their August recess. The same legislative summer break was partly to blame for the Formula 1’s decision to push back their plan to bring a grand prix race event to downtown Miami in 2020—one year later that originally announced, according to organizers.

• A solar ring and retractable roof will soon hang above a premier Miami concert venue [Miami Herald]
• Solar Ring Approved To Be Built At Bayfront Park [TNM]

This is the newest Sunny Isles Beach icon on “Billionaire’s Beach”

Today marks the grand opening for Pritzker Prize-winning Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron’s long-awaited Jade Signature. It’s been a long journey since the Sunny Isles Beach tower’s 2013 groundbreaking, and now Jade Signature’s 192 residences are more than 95% sold.

Developed by Fortune International Group’s husband-and-wife team Edgardo and Ana Cristina Defortuna, the project draws on the talent of Herzog & de Meuron, Parisian interior design firm PYR led by Pierre Yves-Rochon, and Miami landscape architectural firm Raymond Jungles Inc.

”Ana Cristina and I are thrilled to deliver this monumental building to our buyers, many of whom have eagerly followed the progression of the Jade brand, showing confidence in our vision by purchasing during the pre-construction phase,” President and CEO of Fortune International Group Edgardo Defortuna said in a press release. ”When you have this level of support behind you - from the creative team to the brokers and buyers - anything is possible.”

The building is angled to maximize sunlight, while a three-story underground parking garage buried about 40 feet below sea level connects the building to the garden landscaping and beach beyond. Although the tower looks futuristic, it’s rooted in nature, including a massive centuries-old Kapok tree planted as a focal point at the tower’s entrance.

• Immerse yourself in a VR tour of Jade Signature [Curbed Miami]
• Peek inside Jade Signature’s magical $33M penthouse [Curbed Miami]
• Jade Signature Unveils Sleek Video Rendering of its Sky Villas [Curbed Miami]
• Jade Signature [Official Site]

A top White House aide has resigned after a British tabloid published allegations that he physically abused two ex-wives:

A water warning has been issued for two South Florida beaches due to sanitary problems.

Swimmers are being advised to avoid swimming in the water between Collins Avenue and 93rd Street at Surfside Beach and the area along 21st Street in Collins Park Beach due to high levels of fecal bacteria that could make you sick.

The warnings will be lifted once the health department has consecutive acceptable test results.

Ever wonder where your state gets its tax money? Whether you’re thinking about moving or just want to know more about how your state’s government is funded, there’s a handy guide that breaks it all down.

The Pew Charitable Trusts broke down the mix of tax sources by state for fiscal year 2016, showing what percentage of each state’s tax revenue is supplied by personal income taxes, corporate income taxes, general sales taxes, selective sales taxes, severance taxes, taxes for licenses, property taxes, and “other.”

In 28 of 41 states that impose them, personal income taxes were the great source of tax dollars. The highest share was in Oregon, at 69.6% of the state’s tax money. General sales taxes are the largest source in 17 of the 45 states that collect them, with Texas the most reliant on those taxes at 61.6%.

Percentages for the two largest revenue streams are included in the infographic below — click here for downloadable data for the other percentages. It’s worth noting that these are percentages so it can be a trade off. For example, Oregon, Alaska, Montana, New Hampshire, and Delaware don’t have a general sales tax at all, so the percentages for other taxes will be higher.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers on Monday unveiled a huge $1 trillion-plus spending bill that would fund most government operations through September but denies President Donald Trump money for a border wall and rejects his proposed cuts to popular domestic programs.

The 1,665-page bill agreed to on Sunday is the product of weeks of negotiations. It was made public in the pre-dawn hours Monday and is tentatively scheduled for a House vote on Wednesday.

The catchall spending bill would be the first major piece of bipartisan legislation to advance during Trump’s short tenure in the White House. While losing on the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump won a $15 billion down payment on his request to strengthen the military, though that too fell short of what he requested.

The measure funds the remainder of the 2017 budget year, through Sept. 30, rejecting cuts to popular domestic programs targeted by Trump such as medical research and infrastructure grants.

Successful votes later this week would also clear away any remaining threat of a government shutdown — at least until the Oct. 1 start of the 2018 budget year.

Trump has submitted a partial 2018 budget promising a whopping $54 billion, 10 percent increase for the Pentagon from current levels, financed by cutting to foreign aid and other nondefense programs by an equal amount. Negotiators on the pending measure, however, rejected a smaller $18 billion package of cuts and instead slightly increased funding for domestic programs.

Democrats were quick to praise the deal.

“This agreement is a good agreement for the American people, and takes the threat of a government shutdown off the table,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., a key force in the talks. “The bill ensures taxpayer dollars aren’t used to fund an ineffective border wall, excludes poison pill riders, and increases investments in programs that the middle class relies on, like medical research, education and infrastructure.”

Trump said at nearly every campaign stop last year that Mexico would pay for the 2,000-mile (3218.54-kilometer) border wall, a claim Mexican leaders have repeatedly rejected. The administration sought some $1.4 billion in U.S. taxpayer dollars for the wall and related costs in the spending bill, but Trump later relented and said the issue could wait until September.

Trump, however, obtained $1.5 billion for border security measures such as 5,000 additional detention beds, an upgrade in border infrastructure and technologies such as surveillance.

The measure is assured of winning bipartisan support in votes this week; the House and Senate have until midnight Friday to pass the measure to avert a government shutdown. It’s unclear, however, how much support the measure will receive from GOP conservatives and how warmly it will be received by the White House.

Democrats played a strong hand in the talks since their votes are needed to pass the bill, even though Republicans control both the White House and Congress.

As a result, the measure doesn’t look much different than the deal that could have been struck on President Barack Obama’s watch last year.

But Republicans are eager to move on to other issues such as overhauling the tax code and reviving their moribund effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act,

President Barack Obama’s health care law.

“The omnibus (spending bill) is in sharp contrast to President Trump’s dangerous plans to steal billions from lifesaving research, instead increasing funding for the NIH (National Institutes of Health) by $2 billion,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said in a statement that nonetheless fell short of endorsing the bill outright.

While the measure would peacefully end a battle over the current budget year, the upcoming cycle is sure to be even more difficult. Republicans have yet to reveal their budget plans, and battles between Trump and Congress over annual agency budgets could grind this summer’s round of spending bills to a halt.

Among the final issues resolved was a Democratic request to help the cash-strapped government of Puerto Rico with its Medicaid burden, a top Pelosi priority.

The California Democrat and others in her party came up short of the $500 million or so they had sought but won $295 million for the island, more than Republicans had initially offered.

Democrats were successful in repelling many conservative policy “riders” that sought to overturn dozens of Obama-issued regulations. Such moves carry less urgency for Republicans now that Trump controls the regulatory apparatus.

House Republicans succeeded in funding a private school vouchers program for students in Washington, D.C.’s troubled school system through 2019.

GOP leaders demurred from trying to use the must-do spending bill to “defund” Planned Parenthood. The White House also backed away from language to take away grants from “sanctuary cities” that do not share information about people’s immigration status with federal authorities. Trump’s request for additional immigration agents was denied and the IRS budget would be frozen at $11.6 billion.

Democrats praised a $2 billion funding increase for the National Institutes of Health — a rejection of the steep cuts proposed by Trump — as well as additional funding to combat opioid abuse, fund Pell Grants for summer school, and additional transit funding. Senate forces, led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and several Appalachia region Democrats, won a provision to extend health care for 22,000 retired Appalachian coal miners and their families, financed in part by changes to welfare.

For instance, the measure contains a $2 billion disaster aid fund, $407 million to combat Western wildfires, and additional grants for transit projects, along with $100 million in emergency funding to fight the nation’s opioid crisis.

The bill increases Amtrak’s budget by $105 million to $1.5 billion, awards the FBI with a 3 percent budget increase, and maintains funding for an Obama-founded grant program for transportation grants at $500 million. It also provides $85 million to replace Tomahawk missiles fired in Trump’s Syria assault and adds $50 million for new fencing around the White House. It also taps $68 million to reimburse New York City and other local governments for unexpected costs involved in protecting Trump Tower and other properties.

Lesser-known spaces across the Magic City

Miami isn't exactly overflowing with green space, ranking 52nd last year nationally in Park Score, which studies all sorts of various factors in analyzing parkability across the United States.

However, the parks we do have usually offer some sensational views, considering our proximity to various bodies of water, and a wide-array of outdoor activities suitable for all different types of people.

Some of the greatest outdoor spaces that do exist are the least obvious, a collection of parks, gardens and green spaces. Keep in mind, we tried to stay away from the well known--places like like South Pointe Park in Miami Beach, David T. Kennedy Park in Coconut Grove, and the bustling Museum Park in downtown Miami--and instead hone in on treasures that require more digging.

Here now are 20 such places littered throughout Miami.

Other recent maps include Moonlight's Miami filming locations, Miami's nine hottest developments under construction, and 18 things to do in Miami with kids.

A Colorado study found that children and young adults with cancer were more likely to live near an oil and gas well. The study looked at hundreds of cases and discovered that subjects aged 5 to 24 with acute lymphocytic leukemia were over four times as likely to live among......

While you might have the right to remain silent, you certainly don't have a right to lie to the police. State laws can vary when it comes to false statements, but lying during federal investigation is a felony carrying a potential five year prison sentence. And that's just your standard,......

The civil rights leader Malcolm X was killed Feb. 21, 1965, at a rally in New York City. Hear from a witness and visit the site of the assassination — in the past, present and in 360 video.

Prosecutors won’t refer to a former Tea Party activist as a “terrorist” during his trial on a variety of charges connected to a plot to attack a Muslim community hyped by right-wing media as a terrorism training camp. Robert Doggart, a Christian National Church minister and failed ...

NEW YORK (AP) — In an emotional speech by turns tearful, defiant and humorous, Meryl Streep doubled down on her harsh criticism of President Donald Trump, and spoke of having become a target since she first took him on in her Golden Globes speech in January.

Addressing a cheering audience at a fundraising gala for the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBT group, Streep referred to Trump’s tweet after her Globes speech, in which he called the celebrated actress “overrated.”

“Yes, I am the most overrated, over-decorated and currently, I am the most over-berated actress … of my generation,” she said to laughs.

She noted that she wished she could simply stay home “and load the dishwasher” rather than take a podium to speak out — but that “the weight of all these honors” she’s received in her career compelled her to speak out.

“It’s terrifying to put the target on your forehead,” she said. “And it sets you up for all sorts of attacks and armies of brownshirts and bots and worse, and the only way you can do it is if you feel you have to. You have to! You don’t have an option. You have to.”

Streep did not elaborate on the type of attacks she may have been subjected to since her Globes speech, or from whom. The Associated Press reached out to her publicist for details. The term “brownshirts” was first used to describe an early Nazi militia.

Streep was receiving the group’s National Ally for Equality Award, and was the huge draw of the evening. Introduced by filmmaker Ken Burns, she took the stage to a thunderous ovation. After a humorous defense of her remarks in her Globes speech that football and martial arts weren’t arts, which had drawn some criticism — she clarified that she indeed likes football, too — the actress praised the organization for defending LGBT rights, and spoke about two teachers — one transgender, one gay — who had influenced her childhood in suburban New Jersey.

She then spoke about how early cultures had always put men at the top, but at some point in the 20th century, women, people of color and other minorities began achieving their deserved rights. Progress was fast, and so now, “We shouldn’t be surprised that fundamentalists, of all stripes, everywhere, are exercised and fuming,” she said.

Turning to Trump, she said: “But if we live through this precarious moment — if his catastrophic instinct to retaliate doesn’t lead us to nuclear winter — we will have much to thank this president for. Because he will have woken us up to how fragile freedom really is.”

The country has now learned, she said, “how the authority of the executive, in the hands of a self-dealer, can be wielded against the people, and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The whip of the executive can, through a Twitter feed, lash and intimidate, punish and humiliate, delegitimize the press and all of the imagined enemies with spasmodic regularity and easily provoked predictability.”

At the end, Streep made a passionate call for religious liberty — the right, as she said,” to live our lives with God or without Her.”

“All of us have the human right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” she said.

“If you think people were mad,” she closed, “when they thought the government was coming after their guns, wait until you see when they try to take away our happiness.”

Streep, 67, received a record 20th Oscar nomination in January.

Fresh off a $40M buyout amid sexual harassment allegations

Fox News founder Roger Ailes, who resigned from the company in July over sexual harassment allegations, just plopped a huge chunk of his $40 million payout on this incredible oceanfront Palm Beach mansion, per Daily Mail, which also reports the home could help protect his money in accordance with Florida law:

And the breathtaking modern-style beachfront house could become a way for Ailes to shield a part of his personal fortune from future sexual harassment lawsuits like those already brought by at least two former Fox News anchorwomen, Gretchen Carlson and Andrea Tantaros.

In Florida, courts cannot force the sale of someone's home to pay off judgments, and troubled tycoons have routinely used the state's law to invest in real estate.

...

The purchase has been very hush-hush on the island,' said a law source in Miami. 'He's been looking for real estate in South Florida very aggressively because he is worried about getting hit with a huge judgment.

Purchased for $36 million, the 10,156-square-foot home has six bedrooms, ten bathrooms, and was built in 2015.

It listed for $42 million in March.

Thanks to a new medication, a Broward teenager battling a deadly brain-eating amoeba is expected to make a full recovery.

Sixteen-year-old Sebastian DeLeon contracted Naegleria fowleri, a rare brain-eating amoeba, while swimming in a South Florida waterway, earlier this month.

The rare amoeba is so deadly that it has a 97 percent death rate.

However, thanks to the team of doctors and physicians at Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando, a breakthrough medication saved his life.

“I have treated amoeba cases in the past, and they are all so heartbreaking, so this is a story that we need to tell about Sebastian de Leon,” said a tearful Dr. Humberto Liriano of Florida Hospital for Children.

Liriano wept as he spoke about DeLeon in a news conference.

The patient’s mother, Brunilda Gonzalez, expressed her gratitude to the medical team. “We’re so thankful that God has given us the miracle through this medical team and this hospital, for having our son get better and having him full of life,” she said.

According to DeLeon’s family, by the time their son realized his symptoms, which included a severe headache, he was on vacation at an Orlando theme park with his family.

His family then rushed him to Florida Hospital for Children where he was put into a medically-induced coma as doctors worked around the clock treating him for this rare infection.

“All efforts, team efforts in our hospital worked together to seek the newly approved drug at a manufacturer that is actually located here in Orlando,” said Dr. Liriano. “Within 12 minutes, the medication arrived.”

But most people with the infection are not so lucky.

Just last week, 11-year-old Hannah Collins from South Carolina passed away after picking up the deadly infection while swimming in a river, and three years ago, in Southwest Florida, 12-year-old Zachary Reyna passed away from the brain-eating amoeba.

“We watched and waited for Sebastian while he was in this coma, and we decided, the team and I, that it was time to wake him up,” said Liriano. “We woke him up, and we decided to take the breathing tube out, and within an hour, he spoke,” he said in tears.

Doctors then removed the teen’s breathing tube and saw that the medication worked.

“Since then, he’s done tremendously well. We are very optimistic. He’s walking, he’s speaking. I saw him this morning. He’s ready to go home.”

Doctors believe DeLeon will make a full recovery.

According to health officials, the rare-brain eating amoeba is found in warm fresh water and enters the brain through the nose. Officials recommend, when swimming in such waters, to either cover your nose or to just swim with your head above the water.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A white nationalist group's rally outside the California state Capitol building turned violent as fighting broke out with a larger group of counter protesters, leaving 10 people injured with stab wounds, cuts and bruises.

Florida Hospital Tampa will offer tomosynthesis, or 3-D mammography, breast screening technology for patients Sept. 1. Breast tomosynthesis helpss radiologists identify and characterize individual breast structure in one millimeter slices without the confusion of overlapping tissue, leading to a clearer image for diagnosis, according to a written statement. The images are combined to create a 3-D reconstruction of the breast. The technology also increases the rate of detection by 30 percent to…