Staff Reports
Supreme Court may again influence national elections
The continuing intensity surrounding the she-said-he-said drama involving Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh has continued unabated throughout the week. The lingering question was whether the woman accusing Kavanaugh of sexual assault more than three decades ago would speak with the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Christine Blasey Ford had until 10 a.m. Friday to decide whether to appear. Otherwise, committee chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, pledged to move forward with a committee vote on the nomination swiftly.
In a rare show of discipline, President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans have urged Ford to tell her story, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. So has ABC commentator Cokie Roberts, the daughter of former Democratic Senator Hale Boggs of Louisiana.
A Supreme Court nomination again may hold the key to success, or defeat, in national elections. Few argue that Trump was boosted in 2016 by the specter of having the power to appoint Supreme Court justices after Senate Republicans blocked President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland.
It is playing a pivotal role in determining how the Senate will look in early January when current office holders are again sworn in, or new faces sworn in by Vice-President Mike Pence.
Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson has a lot in common with his party colleague Claire McCaskill of Missouri. Both are running for re-election in a state won by Trump, but there is a difference.
Trump won Missouri by 20 points, while he barely edged Hillary Clinton by less than two points in Florida. McCaskill needs a much more significant percentage of Republican votes than Nelson to win re-election.
Still, Nate Silver’s 538 operation rates Nelson as the “most vulnerable” Senator up for re-election. The three-term Democrat is convinced issues like tying Gov. Rick Scott to the algae spread in South Florida and the devastation from red tide are issues that will help him carry the day (see below).
No matter how Nelson votes on Kavanaugh, he will make either some persuadable voters angry or infuriate the Democratic base. McCaskill may have given him the final nudge that he needs.
Despite the need for Republican votes in a solid red state, she announced this week she would not vote for Kavanaugh’s confirmation. McCaskill has determined that either the blue wave is coming or losing a piece of the base is a higher risk than trying to attract or keep Republicans who may have voted for her in the past.
Nelson is following the lead of Democratic leadership by calling for the FBI to investigate and that both Kavanaugh and Ford should appear before the committee. He also pledged to read the FBI background report on Kavanaugh on Monday.
Committee Democrats are saying Ford should not appear before them until the FBI investigates. The agency said they would not be investigating the matter.
Unless a new bombshell drops over the weekend, the next phase of this ongoing saga is set to begin. The employment status of Senators like Nelson and McCaskill, or perhaps endangered Republican Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada, may hang in the balance.
Rubio swipes at Salt Bae over Maduro
The sight of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro feasting on a lavishly prepared steak dinner by internationally-known restaurateur Nusret Gokce, also known as Salt Bae, sent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio to his Twitter page. In a video, Salt Bae is shown hugging Maduro as he prepared the meal in his Istanbul restaurant.
“I don’t know who this weirdo #Saltbae is, but the guy he is so proud to host is not the President of #Venezuela,” Rubio said. “He is actually the overweight dictator of a nation where 30% of the nation eat only once a day & infants are suffering from malnutrition.”
Salt Bae is a flamboyant chef who uses social media to visualize his craft and help him enlarge his restaurant empire that is worth more than $1.5 billion. Following the backlash from the Maduro posting, he removed the video of the evening from his site, but only after the Miami Herald had already saved it.
Rubio, one of Maduro’s fiercest critics, took it a step further by posting the address and telephone number of a restaurant Salt Bae owns in Miami. That was a bit too much for a conservative writer with the Weekly Standard.
While agreeing with Rubio on nearly all points made regarding Maduro, Ethan Epstein wrote a piece called Senators Shouldn’t Harass their Constituents on Twitter. Epstein concluded the article by calling Rubio’s actions as almost “Maduro-esque.”
Rubio’s spokeswoman noted a difference in media coverage that focuses on Rubio’s words and actions as opposed to media in South Florida pointing out the actions of Maduro.
Forget ‘blue wave.’ Red tide is big issue in Scott/Nelson race
Forget gun control and health care, the prevailing issue in the race between incumbent Bill Nelson and Governor Rick Scott for U.S. Senate has become dead fish and toxic air.
For weeks, Florida’s Gulf Coast has been inundated with a red tide bloom that now stretches from Southwest Florida to Clearwater.
It’s doing some pretty big favors for Nelson.
Scott went from a six-point lead over Nelson in August to a nearly tied race in the latest Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI.)
Among those polled 32 percent blamed state government, which Scott leads as Governor, for the outbreak. Only 13 percent blame the federal government.
Scott has tried to steer the conversation away, pointing out in an onslaught of red tide mitigation announcements this week that the toxic algae bloom is a naturally occurring event that’s been happening since the 1840s.
Still, hordes of protesters booed Scott from a Cuban restaurant in the mostly red city of Venice this week, most carrying signs blaming him for the red tide outbreak.
For his part, Nelson seems not to be riding the proverbial “blue wave” and instead is coasting through his toughest re-election bid to date on a nasty red wave littered with dead fish.
Nelson, Rubio file bill to rename refuge after Reed
On Tuesday, Rubio and Nelson teamed up on a bill that would provide a lasting legacy to a Florida environmental legend. Together, they filed legislation to rename the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge after Nathaniel “Nat” Reed, who died in July at the age of 84.
Reed was a leading voice in South Florida for restoring the Everglades and was a go-to adviser to governors and elected officials. While serving as Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior during the administration of President Richard Nixon, he helped guide the Endangered Species Act through Congress.
In 1967, Reed’s father, Joseph, established the Reed Wilderness Seashore Sanctuary on the northern end of Jupiter Island and had it designated as a national landmark. Two years later, Joseph Reed gave Florida Audubon the portion of land that is the island portion of the Hobe Sound refuge.
“Naming this particular refuge after Nat Reed makes sense because the refuge wouldn’t be there without his family,” Nelson said in announcing the bill from the Senate floor. “Today the refuge provides habitat for dozens of threatened and endangered species.”
Another part of Reed’s legacy was protecting Big Cypress Swamp.
“A well-known and widely respected conservationist who championed Everglades restoration, Nat Reed was instrumental in advocating for state and national environmental policy,” Rubio said. “It is a fitting tribute that the Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, where his passion for nature was first inspired, be named in his honor.”
Rubio criticizes Apple over data collection
Rubio has raised concerns with Apple over an application available on the Mac App Store, which collected users’ browsing histories and stored it on servers in China.
In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Rubio said security researchers notified Apple in mid-August that the Adware Doctor app collected information, but the company did nothing until the reports went public.
“For a company that prides itself on prioritizing user privacy and security, this delayed response is extremely disconcerting,” Rubio said in the letter, which was shared in a news release. “It is also troubling that Apple researchers failed to uncover Adware Doctor’s covert collection and ‘storage’ process.”
Rubio, who sits on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the threat of China storing American users’ data on its servers is as alarming as the country’s “malevolent economic behavior involving the theft of U.S. intellectual property.”
Rubio posed various questions to Cook, including why Apple did immediately conduct an investigation and how the company would ensure the Apple App Store would have adequate security to prevent foreign actors from gaining access to user data.
“When users access the Mac App Store, they do so under the belief and reasonable expectation that the application options presented to them have been thoroughly vetted and approved by Apple,” Rubio said.
Gaetz celebrates Trump declassifying Russia probe docs
To the delight of several Republicans, Trump has ordered the declassification of several documents that played a role in beginning the probe of Russian interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign in the 2016 campaign. Several Freedom Caucus members, including Rep. Matt Gaetz of Fort Walton Beach and former Rep. Ron DeSantis of Marineland, have long called for the release of unredacted FBI and Justice Department documents.
The documents in question are specific pages of the June 2017 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant application related to onetime Trump campaign foreign policy adviser Carter Page. Trump has also ordered the declassification and release of FBI interview reports prepared in connection with all FISA warrant applications involving Page, and all FBI reports of interviews with Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr prepared in connection with the FBI’s Russia investigation.
“I commend President Trump for his decision to declassify numerous documents, including several redacted pages of the Carter Page FISA application and important messages relating to the Russia investigation,” Gaetz said in a statement. “My colleagues in Congress and I have requested these documents for months, but have faced lengthy and unnecessary delays, redactions, and refusals from officials at the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
Gaetz, who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, added that he looks “forward to the forthcoming release of these documents, and reviewing them closely.”
Additionally, Trump has ordered the DOJ and the FBI to release all text messages related to the Russia investigation — in unredacted form — of former FBI Director James Comey, former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok, former FBI attorney Lisa Page and Ohr.
The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff of California, called Trump’s action “a clear abuse of power.”
Soderberg ads target pre-existing health conditions
Florida’s 6th Congressional District Democratic nominee Nancy Soderberg has released two new TV ads with a focus on health care differences between her and her Republican opponent, Mike Waltz. The seat was left vacant by DeSantis, the GOP nominee for Governor.
The first ad, “Hung Up,” talks about difficulties in receiving health insurance. After giving a brief biography focusing on her diplomatic career, Soderberg then gets into one of the hottest issues surrounding health care, one that she has focused upon during the campaign.
“I helped start the conversation to bring peace to Northern Ireland, and I was one of the first to say ‘let’s get bin Laden,’ but when I called insurance companies looking for health coverage, they hung up on me because I have a pre-existing condition,” Soderberg said.
To view “Hung up,” click on the image below:
She has shared with voters that she has diabetes.
“Everyone here in Florida deserves health insurance we can afford. That’s why I’m running for Congress,” Soderberg says.
The second ad, “Unavailable,” depicts Waltz as likely to “gut protections for pre-existing conditions.” The video shows individuals calling his office only to be directed to an answering machine.
To view “Unavailable,” click on the image below:
Soderberg, who has raised over $2 million in this race, has the resources to deploy thanks to her primary being much less costly than the three-way GOP race, which left Waltz with only $286K banked on Aug. 8. And she clearly sees room to move independent voters on the real differences in health care plans between Waltz and her.
The most recent poll released this week shows Waltz with a five-point lead.
Veteran says Bilirakis ‘addressing real issues’ in new ad
Veterans have been a prime focus of Republican Rep. Gus Bilirakis during his years in Congress, and his campaign is no different. He has launched a new ad starring former military members who talk about his efforts.
The ad, titled “Fighting for Warriors,” features a veteran named Bryan A. praising Bilirakis’ efforts to ensure veterans obtain the best medical care. He said Bilirakis “is addressing the real issues we’re facing.”
To view “Fighting for Warriors,” click on the image below:
The six-term incumbent from Palm Harbor has had little difficulty defending his seat in past elections. This year he faces Democrat Chris Hunter, a former FBI agent and federal prosecutor who easily won a three-way Democratic primary with almost two-thirds of the vote.
District 12 is rated “safe Republican” by most political handicappers, including University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato and his “Crystal Ball.” Trump won the district by 19 points two years ago.
F. Rooney calls to stop China higher education theft
Technology theft has become a growing problem in the U.S. thanks to vigorous activities by foreign powers in recent years. Naples Republican Francis Rooney has introduced a bill to stop international intelligence services from using college exchange programs to steal technology, recruit agents and spread propaganda.
The Stop Higher Education Espionage and Theft (SHEET) Act would allow the FBI to designate foreign intelligence threats to higher education, require stricter reporting rules by universities which receive foreign gifts, and protect civil liberties by allowing designations to be appealed similar to Foreign Terrorist Organization designations.
“Geopolitical adversaries like China are stealing American technology and exploiting our universities’ open research and development environment,” Rooney said in a news release. “One glaring example, Confucius Institutes, are used as a front by the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate American campuses to gather information and steal American technologies. We must stop foreign intelligence from exploiting our higher education for technology theft.”
Rooney, who serves as the vice chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, has six co-sponsors for the bill, despite still being in his first term. He has also reeled in five co-sponsors including Gaetz and fellow Republicans Neal Dunn, Matt Gaetz, and Dan Webster.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz has introduced companion legislation in that chamber.
Deutch blasts refugee cap
The Trump administration has revealed a plan that continues to reduce the number of refugees coming into the U.S. That has not set well with Democratic Rep. Ted Deutch of Boca Raton.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced 30,000 refugees is the new maximum for 2019. This year, 45,000 refugees were allowed to enter.
“Our proposal of resettling up to 30,000 refugees under a new ceiling reflects the United States’ long-standing record as the most generous nation in the world for protection-based immigration and assistance,” Pompeo said in a tweet.
That is not nearly enough for Deutch, who tweeted the dwindling number of individuals trying to enter the country over the past few years.
According to Deutch, 110,000 refugees were absorbed in 2015 with next year’s total only one-third of that amount.
“We are turning our backs on tens of thousands of people who are counting on us to honor our American values to save their lives,” he tweeted. “This is not who we are.”
Diaz-Balart touts Irma Crop Block Grants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will award Florida $4.35 million through its Specialty Crop Block Grant program, according to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. In a news release, the Miami Republican said Florida’s agriculture industry was still reeling from the damage caused by Hurricane Irma as well as various maladies affecting the citrus industry, such as citrus greening.
“This money is essential. Beyond citrus, this funding will go a long way toward getting our state’s premier agricultural sector back on its feet,” Diaz-Balart said.
He went on to thank Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue for recognizing Florida’s agricultural workers.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service allocated over $72 million for the program for the 2018 fiscal year, of which Florida received the second-most, after California, which received over $22 million. Florida received over $3.7 million last year.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture funded the program. Diaz-Balart sits on the House Appropriations Committee along with three other Floridians: Republicans Tom Rooney of Okeechobee and John Rutherford of Jacksonville, along with Democrat Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston.
Polls point to closer than expected race in CD 27
If any district in America epitomized the opportunity for a blue wave in November, it was Florida’s District 27, where Democrats were favored to win a Democrat-leaning district held for nearly three decades by now-retiring popular Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. The money and excitement were all with Democrats during the primary season with the GOP struggling to keep up.
Now, with two internal polls obtained by POLITICO, Republicans have a little hope they could actually hold the seat. Republican candidate Maria Elvira Salazar holds a nine-point lead over Democrat Donna Shalala in a Salazar campaign poll, while Shalala is up by four according to a poll commissioned by her campaign.
The Salazar poll, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, are not buying into the narrative that the seat will ultimately go Democratic just because the district went big for Hillary Clinton two years ago. The analysis says that Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen “outperformed the presidential race by 30 points in 2016.”
While the Salazar poll was just a head-to-head matchup with Shalala, the Democratic poll also included independent candidate Mayra Joli, whom POLITICO described as “Trump-loving.” Joli has eight percent in the Shalala poll, likely leaving more room for the Republican if that support fades nearer Election Day.
Internal polls are not reliable indicators of how a race stands, but assuming each of these holds the most favorable view for their candidate, they do point to a close race. It is indeed much closer than Democrats expected with some already in panic mode.
“Donna’s campaign changed in April. It went from active mode to sleep mode. And she hasn’t woken up,” said Grant Stern, a longtime critic of Shalala’s and a Miami-Dade County Democratic Executive Committee member, echoing the sentiment of party insiders. “Donna needs to rescue this campaign.”
Ros-Lehtinen has endorsed Salazar.
On this day in the headlines
September 21, 2001 — Before a joint session of Congress, President George W. Bush declared a “war on terror,” highlighting the country’s resolve following the devastating terror attack on September 11. Bush issued an ultimatum to Taliban leaders in Afghanistan to turn over terrorists who are training in their country or face the consequences.
The President has broad, bipartisan support in Congress. Democratic Sen. Bob Graham said after the speech that a crisis could bring out the highest character in presidents and “clearly, George Bush arrived in that group of presidents.”
September 21, 2013 — The road to overhauling America’s immigration system became even more difficult with the resignations of two Texas Republicans from a bipartisan group seeking to forge a compromise. Reps. John Carter and Sam Johnson said, “any measure depending on (President Barack Obama’s) enforcement will not be faithfully executed.”
The final Republican in the group, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami, could not be reached for comment. His chief of staff, Cesar Gonzalez, said Diaz-Balart would try to find “other avenues” to get their ideas into a bill the House could consider.
