WEEKLY DEBRIEF: Trump hopes little green men will distract from Iran and the Epstein Files
Your curated summary of the top stories from the previous week, a look ahead to coming events, and more
That Was The Week That Was
With the war in Iran wrecking the economy and his popularity in the toilet, Donald Trump found a new way to distract Americans from his disastrous presidency:
Martians.
Well, maybe not exactly Martians because we really don’t know who was in those flying saucers. Or, for that matter, if there were really any flying saucers at all. But UFOs, yes, that’s just the ticket for the Master of Disaster to steal our fleeting attention.
While ordering the Pentagon to begin releasing their voluminous records of unidentified flying objects—now called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena in bureaucrat-speak —Trump advised the public to “have fun” with them and “decide for themselves” what they mean.
There have been numerous reports from perfectly credible people—from astronauts to fighter pilots—of unexplained lights and objects in the sky over the years.
That, of course, doesn’t mean they were piloted by little green men. But it doesn’t mean they weren’t, either.
That’s the essence of what “unexplained” means.
Simply put: For a number of these reports, the answer is: We don’t know.
Which is good science. Bad science is making stuff up.
But it is transparently clear that this is convenient for the Grifter-in-Chief. Have fun, indeed. Anything to distract from wars and gas prices and, of course, the Epstein Files.
(I’ll have more on Florida and UFOs tomorrow.)
In other news…
Florida teachers for the third consecutive year are ranked last in terms of pay
For the third year in a row, the paychecks that Florida teachers receive ranked lowest in the nation, according to the National Education Association. The average Florida teacher salary was about $56,600 compared with a national average of about $74,400.
“When public dollars are diverted away from public schools, and teachers can’t afford to stay in the profession, it’s students who lose,” Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar. told PBS station WLRN. “Public schools have been forced to cut essential services, lay off teachers and staff, and increase class sizes, all of which put students last.”
The FEA represents Florida’s largest teachers’ union representing more than 120,000 members.
And speaking of unions, DeSantis signs bill aimed at hobbling teachers’ organizations
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation that makes it more challenging for teachers’ unions to continue operating.
Under the bill, which takes effect July 1, at least 50 percent of the members of a union or prospective bargaining unit must participate in certification or recertification votes, and 50 percent of them must approve for the union to remain intact.
The move was decried by Florida Education Association President Andrew Spar, who called the signing of the bill “yet another entry in a long line of betrayals of working Floridians by Gov. DeSantis in favor of out-of-state, billionaire-backed, special interest groups.”
Getting rich while writing the budget
A handful of state legislators were able to split $100,000 from lobbyists by sponsoring legislation for a European startup company that makes lightbulbs that can sense when an elderly person falls down.
And that’s just one example of how legislators line their pockets.
Independent journalist Jason Garcia offers a detailed examination of how this comes together—and you thought your representatives in Tallahassee were working for you!
Lawsuits filed to block Florida’s gerrymandered congressional districts
At least three lawsuits have now been filed to thwart Gov. Ron DeSantis’s hastily redrawn congressional maps designed to cut in half the number of Democrats representing Florida in Congress.
Groups involved in the lawsuits include Common Cause Florida, the League of Women Voters of Florida, Equal Ground Education Fund, and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC).
Florida has 28 congressional districts. Currently, 20 of those seats are held by Republicans. DeSantis’ map reduces Democrats’ share to four. And the groups filing suits to stop the implementation of this redistricting claim it is unconstitutional.
Ironically, DeSantis agrees that his map “breaks” the state Constitution. His argument is that the Fair Districts amendments that prohibit partisan gerrymandering are no longer valid.
Meme of the Week
Quotable
“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”
— Mark Twain
Letter of the Week
In a make-believe world, Trump ideas sound acceptable. In reality, Trump has little concern for the details and responsibilities that accompany ambitious sounding ideas. Could it be that Trump's many bankruptcy filings in the real world were also caused by poor planning?
— Robert Kain
Pun of the Week
After 24 hours of watching the Earth turn, scientists decided to call it a day.
Looking Ahead
This week, the Florida Legislature will reconvene on May 12 through May 19 to finalize the state budget, a task they failed to complete during the regular session earlier this year.
Not to beat it to death, but they also failed to name the flamingo the state bird—perhaps the easiest item on the legislative agenda.
Also this week…
May 10. Happy Mother’s Day. What do surveys show moms want today? A day off.
May 11. Salvador Dali, the Spanish surrealist painter, was born on this day in 1904. His museum in St. Petersburg is a must-see if you are visiting the Tampa Bay area.
May 12. Limerick Day. As in…
In a swamp where the waters are deep,
"Alligator Alcatraz" prisoners weep.
With a toothy-jawed guard,
And a life truly hard,
There’s no escaping that slithery keep.
May 13. National Frog Jumping Day, which celebrates Mark Twain’s famous short story, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Florida has 27 native species of frogs and toads, several of which are on the endangered list.
May 14. Dance Like a Chicken Day. The Chicken Dance was composed in the 1950s by a Swiss accordion player who originally called it The Duck Dance.
May 15. Endangered Species Day. There are 136 federally endangered and threatened animal and plant species in Florida, including the Florida panther, the West Indian manatee, the Red-cockaded woodpecker, Kemp’s Ridley Turtle, and the Florida Bonneted Bat. Interestingly, Florida list of endangered plants vastly exceeds those of the federal government, with 448 plant species considered endangered and 118 threatened.
May 16. Armed Forces Day honors the men and women currently serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard and the Space Force. It is one of three major holidays honoring service members, the other two being Memorial Day (May 25) and Veterans Day (Nov. 11).
News You Can Use
Candidate listings and related filings can be found online at:
Florida Department of State Candidate Tracking System
(A big thank you to Sandy Parker for this contribution)
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 the headlines to see the articles.
Feds and Florida discuss shutting down Alligator Alcatraz
Publix appears to reverse course on open-carry guns in its grocery stores
Marco Rubio’s feeble reassurance on gas prices fails the reality test
Volunteer efforts are closing the gap to ensure Democrats are on the Legislature ballot
Trump burns the dollar and the rest of us pay for it
Lawsuit challenging DeSantis’ unlawful gerrymander has now been filed
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