WEEKLY DEBRIEF: She was fired for a post on Charlie Kirk; now Florida taxpayers owe her nearly half a million dollars
Your curated summary of the top news from the previous week, plus a look ahead to coming events. And more.
That Was The Week That Was
A victory for free speech in Florida
A biologist working for the state who was fired for her social media post about Charlie Kirk will be paid nearly half a million dollars. Florida taxpayers will foot the bill.
Facing a June federal court trial date, Florida Fish and Wildlife Executive Director Roger Young agreed last week to settle a lawsuit filed in September by former FWC biologist Brittney Brown for $485,000.
Brown had reposted to her private Instagram a parody of how a whale might see the world:
“The whales are deeply saddened to learn of the shooting of charlie kirk, haha just kidding, they care exactly as much as charlie kirk cared about children being shot in their classrooms, which is to say, not at all.”
For that, Brown was fired, prompting the lawsuit alleging retaliation and viewpoint discrimination violating her First Amendment rights.
Brown will receive $275,000, $40,000 of which represents back wages. An additional $210,000 is for attorneys’ fees and costs.
Florida Phoenix has all the details here:
Americans express dismay at the state of the economy
It’s the economy, stupid.
And Americans believe the way Donald Trump is managing the nation is stupid, indeed.
According to a new Gallup Poll, confidence in the economy has hit a nearly four-year low, undercutting Trump’s campaign promise to make life in these United States more affordable.
A mere 16 percent of U.S. adults rate the economy “excellent” or “good,” according to the poll. An additional 34 percent rate the economy as “only fair,” while 49 percent say it is “poor.”
Economic confidence has declined steadily in recent months with three out of four Americans saying economic conditions are getting worse.
Vector-borne diseases thrive in South Florida
Concern surrounding vector borne illnesses, pathogens transmitted by blood-feeding bugs, is growing among South Florida residents, according to a report in The Miami Hurricane.
South Florida’s warm, rainy climate and uniquely flat landscape create a near-perfect environment for mosquitoes to thrive year-round. This combination makes the region particularly vulnerable to these diseases that can be spread by insects like mosquitoes, ticks and fleas.
The area is home to nearly 90 species of mosquitoes and certain species, like Aedes aegypti, presenting significant health risks to residents, including diseases like dengue, Zika and yellow fever.
According to Dr. John C. Beier, a professor of public health sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, dengue fever is particularly prevalent in South Florida.
“Dengue is more common,” Beier said. “There are imported cases, a lot from Cuba. There are also locally transmitted cases, about 20 last year.”
Young Republican voters sound off on GOP betrayal: ‘We got screwed’
President Donald Trump and his allies spent more than $30 million to defeat Rep. Thomas Massie in the Kentucky Republican primary election, but there are two takeaways to take heart from:
Even with record-breaking amounts spent to beat him, Trump-critic Massie still got 45 percent of the vote.
Many of those were younger voters with Massie capturing more under-45 voters than his opponent by 30 points.
As one disaffected 28 year old told The Independent: "There’s this sense of entitlement among the establishment on the right. ‘Well, I’m better than the alternative.’ Well, sure, but a stomach flu is preferable to stomach cancer. I’d rather have neither."
Trump shares his classless reaction to Colbert’s last show
Demonstrating once again how little class he has, Donald Trump had this to offer about Stephen Colbert’s final broadcast on The Late Show, a program Trump used his influence to scuttle.
"Colbert is finally finished at CBS," the president wrote on his failing social media platform. "Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk."
For his part, Colbert never mentioned the president (or Trump’s own dismal ratings) by name, but there was this exchange with Paul McCartney who commented on the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, in the same theater where The Late Show was filmed:
“We’d gotten used to a little bit of makeup in England,” McCartney said. “But we went down there, and the girls put makeup on us, and it was like bright orange.”
To which Colbert quipped:
“That’s very popular in certain circles these days.”
“We set a trend,” McCartney said.
“Now we know where it started!” Colbert said. “Thanks a lot, Paul McCartney!”
Meme of the Week
Quotable
“Trump is trying to commandeer nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds to bankroll a slush fund for January 6 cop-beaters and aggrieved MAGA foot soldiers. This massive abuse of public money also has glaring constitutional defects: only Congress has the power to appropriate federal dollars, and we didn’t appropriate a cent for the J6 millionaire trust fund.”
—U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin
Letter of the Week
Trump is trying to kill us by hiring incompetent boobs, and does anyone want to take bets on when he bankrupts America?
—Janet Robinson
Onward thru the Fog
When I’m not writing this newsletter, I also scribble a current events column for Florida Weekly. You should check it out. Here are some snippets, from there and elsewhere, to help guide your week ahead.
May 24. Indianapolis 500. Personally, I think watching automobiles driving in circles is about as interesting as observing grown men and women rolling little balls into holes in the ground. But to each his or her or their own. You can catch the race on FOX.
May 25. Memorial Day honors U.S. military personnel who died while serving our country. It’s also a great time to buy a new mattress if all the ads are to be believed.
May 26 is Sally Ride Day. I’ll have more on that later this week. It’s also National Paper Airplane Day and World Dracula Day.
May 27 is National Flip Flop Day. This isn’t about how some politicians change their minds as often as they change their Depends. We’re talking about the footwear celebrated by Jimmy Buffett’s immortal lyrics: “I blew out my flip flop.”
May 28. It’s National Hamburger Day, celebrating the start of the summer grilling season, which we don’t actually recognize down here in Florida since it is grilling season year-round. In case you are wondering, the very best hamburger made in America can be found in Longview, Texas, at a burger joint named Jucys.
May 29 is National Alligator Day. If you're an alligator, every day is Munch on a Human Day if you don't watch your step in the Everglades. That said, if attacked, you can try calling for help, and a Skunk Ape may come to the rescue. Oddly, there is no National Skunk Ape Day.
Last Week’s Tropic Press headlines
In case you missed it, here are some of the stories that headlined Tropic Press this past week. Click on the headlines to read the stories.
Stephen Colbert and Thomas Massie refused to knuckle under to a tyrant
Grassroots efforts could provide victory margin in Florida midterms
I just took the test to enter this year’s Florida Python Challenge. Check out my score...
Trump announces brazen $1.7 billion ‘settlement’ through his new Ministry of Grift
Trump continues to pressure Cuba with indictment announcement today
Thanks for your support
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed if you are a rational person living in the Free State of Florida, but there are plenty of smart, reasonable people just like you here. The purpose of this newsletter and the Tropic Press website is to provide a source of news and commentary that shines a light through this irrational fog.
Thank you for your support as a subscriber. It is invaluable. This is especially so for those of you who have chosen to upgrade to paid subscriptions. Your contributions are making this possible.
J.C. Bruce
Share Tropic Press!
As this newsletter was written, Tropic Press was reaching more than 700,000 subscribers in Florida and elsewhere. But there are literally millions of Florida Democrats and independents we are not reaching yet.
That’s a problem you can help solve.
With mid-term elections on the horizon, the more people we reach, the more effective we can be in helping turn our state and this country around. You can play a vital role in that effort by sharing this newsletter with friends.
If you are reading this as an email, simply forward it. Or you can use the link below. Thanks.
First, thank you for publishing my comment from last week.
I think it's sad that Brown can be fired for exercising her 1st Amendment rights. It is ridiculous that we taxpayers are on the hook, but she shouldn't have been fired in the first place. Look at all the slop on X. With that logic, most of our Congress critters should be fired as well as the liar in chief. I would rather spend money on this than on Alligator Alcatraz. 1st Amendment rights are for all, not just some.
Concerning the biologist that was fired. My question is if I'm helping pay her settlement for this illegal firing, does the person who fired her still have a job? I certainly hope not.