Staff Reports
Last Call – A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Last Call is taking a short break from the presidential campaign trail to celebrate National Truck Driver Appreciation Week.
Now through Sept. 21 is the official block of time to commend the critical contributions of professional truck drivers to Florida’s economy, safety and quality of life.
“Truck drivers are the backbone of our daily lives and economy,” said Alix Miller, President and CEO of Florida Trucking Association. “From disaster relief to keeping our hospitals and grocery shelves stocked, these dedicated professionals ensure Florida keeps moving forward. This week, we invite all Floridians to join us in saying ‘thank you’ for their vital service.”
There’s more than one way to get involved in the festivities. A simple way to show your support: If you see a trucker fueling up at your local service station, walk by and say “thank you.” If an in-person opportunity doesn’t present itself, FTA suggests posting thank yous to social media using #ThankATrucker.
National Truck Driver Appreciation Week is also a good time to practice something you should be doing all year round — driving safely around large trucks.
Evening Reads
—“North Carolina man charged in Donald Trump incident may have waited near his golf course for nearly 12 hours” via Josh Gerstein of POLITICO
—”In Ukraine, Trump’s would-be ‘assassin’ talked much and did little” via Mac William Bishop of Rolling Stone
—”Gov. Ron DeSantis promises Florida will independently investigate Trump assassination attempt” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—”Trump seeks to rally support after possible second assassination attempt” via Hannah Knowles of The Washington Post
—”Trump, outrage and the modern era of political violence” via Peter Baker of The New York Times
—”How to read political polls in 2024” via Nathaniel Rakich of FiveThirtyEight
—”Alaska, Alaska, Alaska” via Nate Silver of the Silver Bulletin
—”Look what she made him do” via Megan Garber of The Atlantic
—”The new follow-up to ChatGPT is scarily good at deception” via Sigal Samuel of Vox
—”How greed, gluttony led to downfall of Red Lobster” via The New York Times
Quote of the Day
“I remember playing with him when he was President and thinking, ‘You know what? That is definitely a vulnerability because if you get into those bushes, you’ve got those three holes that would be exposed within a few hundred yards.’”
— Gov. Ron DeSantis, on security vulnerabilities at the golf course where Donald Trump was nearly shot.
Put it on the Tab
Look to your left, then look to your right. If you see one of these people at your happy hour haunt, flag down the bartender and put one of these on your tab. Recipes included, just in case the Cocktail Codex fell into the well.
Order the Governor a Hindsight 20/20 for his take on the ‘vulnerability’ at the golf course where Trump’s would-be assassin was camping out.
DeSantis can follow that up with an Old Fashioned Cartel since his latest argument against the pot amendment is unlikely to gain much traction.
Mike Waltz gets a Sugar Cookie for raising questions about whether the Secret Service’s ‘cookie-cutter’ protective approach works.
Breakthrough Insights
Tune In
Falcons-Eagles meet on Monday Night Football
Although it doesn’t directly involve a Florida team, tonight’s Monday Night Football matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN) will impact the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers (2-0) are tied for the AFC South division lead with the New Orleans Saints. Atlanta (0-1) could pull to within a game of the top spot after two weeks if the Falcons can upset the Eagles in the City of Brotherly Love.
Atlanta opened the season with an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, another Pennsylvania team. In the game, quarterback Kirk Cousins was intercepted twice, while former Florida Gator Kyle Pitts scored the only touchdown for Atlanta on a 12-yard reception.
The Falcons will face an Eagles team without wide receiver A.J. Brown, who has a hamstring injury.
Philadelphia (1-0) opened the season with a 34-29 win over the Green Bay Packers in a game played in Brazil, and NFL first. The Eagles traveled back from South America after the Friday game. In the offseason, Philadelphia added a big name when they signed running back Saquon Barkley in free agency. Barkley ran for 109 yards and a touchdown in his Eagles debut.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson, with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
