WEEKLY WRAP: As Iran war drags on, Bibi's on his way to the White House; Zelenskyy, too
Your curated summary of the top news from the previous week, plus a look ahead to coming events. And more.
The Week Ahead
The leaders of two war-torn regions will be traveling to Washington this coming week to meet — separately, we are told — with President Donald Trump, the White House has announced.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to meet with the president on Tuesday to discuss reviving stalled diplomatic talks with Russia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu will also have a confab with Trump on Tuesday, the first time the two of them have met in person since Trump invited Netanyahu to the Situation Room back in February to pitch the idea of going to war with Iran.
And we all know how well that went.
Expect headlines from both of these gatherings. Photo ops, too, as both Zelenskyy and Netanyahu plan to attend a memorial service for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham — all on the same day.
That Was The Week That Was
Florida leans less Republican for the moment
Larry Sabato, the highly regarded prognosticator of political fortunes at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, has a fascinating update for the Sunshine State.
He’s moved the Florida gubernatorial race from “Safe Republican” to “Likely Republican.”
Why? Because polling suggests that the race is narrowing to single digits.
On August 18, Florida voters will cast their ballots in the Florida primary election, but the likely candidates for governor are already well known.
The frontrunner for the G.O.P. is U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds of Naples, a staunch Trump supporter who has won the president’s endorsement.
The almost certain Democratic nominee will be David Jolly, also a former congressman and a Republican-turned-Democrat.
The most recent poll from the University of North Florida shows Donalds ahead by a mere 5 points over Jolly, while the liberal-leaning Change Research poll shows Jolly ahead by 6 points.
The same Crystal Ball report also shows the gubernatorial races in two other states moving toward the Democratic candidates, as you can see in the chart above. Here’s the national outlook:
While Byron Donalds is the clear frontrunner based on polling that shows him well ahead of his nearest Republican rivals in the governor’s race, there are, in fact, other candidates.
You’ll note a hilarious social media meme later in this report from one of those candidates, Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, who notes that while he was enlisting in the Army, Donalds was busy getting arrested.
Collins has also filed a lawsuit against another rival, James Fishback, who admitted in court last week that within the past seven years he lived in Washington, D.C., and voted there. Florida law requires candidates for governor to have lived in the state for seven years.
The outcome of that suit could determine Fishback’s eligibility to be on the ballot.
Here’s the story from the Orlando Sentinel (it may require a subscription to read), but now you know the gist of it.
BTW, there is no runoff election in Florida’s primary. Donalds’ own internal polling shows him with 53% of the Republican vote. Even if he dropped below 50%, but still had the lead, he’d win.
As Politico reported last week, “Charlie Crist has been a U.S. House member, governor, state attorney general, education commissioner and state senator. He has also lost some pretty big races in Florida — including the most recent, his nearly 20-point defeat to Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022. Now he’s looking for another political reset of sorts, asking voters to elect him as the next mayor of St. Petersburg.”
Crist is a Democrat now, but he’s been all over the map when it comes to party affiliations. He’s also been a Republican and an independent.
Guy just can’t stop running for office. Any office, it seems. If he doesn’t win the mayor’s race, I guess we could look forward to his campaign for the Mosquito Board. Or something.
Here’s the full report:
Should all voters get to vote in Florida’s primaries?
Last week, we posed this question to Tropic Press readers. Under current Florida law, voters registered as having No Party Affiliation are barred from voting in the major political party primary elections. Here are the results:
Meme of the Week
The Republicans are fighting…
Quote of the Week
“Secretary Hegseth, despite your failure to win this war, you are back now before Congress asking for almost $70 billion in additional funding. You’re asking the American people for a blank check, because once again, the Trump administration’s efforts have been an utter and complete failure to win this war to this point.”
—Democratic Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
Letters of the Week
Fear is the driving force behind the climate change deniers and the MAGAS. They are so afraid of what is happening that they go all in denying that there are serious threats to our survival as a species and as a democracy in this country. They can’t handle the scientific truths and obvious dismantling of our constitution so they refuse to acknowledge it. Denial is a very powerful defense mechanism when faced with facts that are frightening and or threatening. As a result they seek reassurance from leaders that assuage their fears with the reality that makes them feel safe. My experience has been that the less educated the person is the more they are in denial.
—Eileen Hoffman
Whoever said “you can’t fix stupid” seems to have predicted the end of the human race and most of the rest of the planet. Between climate change and AI both appear to be accelerating us towards Armageddon. The only hope is that perhaps AI might stop us first in a self preservation move. Reading this week’s news about AI “breaking out and hacking another company’s system alerts me to how little we really know about what is happening behind the curtain that the Wizard of OZ hides behind.
—Alan Margulies
Looking Ahead
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.
July 27. Today is Take Your Houseplants for a Walk Day. Conveniently, it’s also Take Your Pants for a Walk Day. Wearing pants while walking with a shrub is probably better than not.
July 28. Buffalo Soldiers Day celebrates the creation of the first peacetime all-Black Army regiment in 1866. Legend has it they got their nickname from Cheyenne and Comanche warriors who likened the soldiers’ fierce fighting spirit and dark, curly hair to the revered American bison. They trained with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Tampa before heading to Cuba and the charge up San Juan Hill.
July 29. Thunder Moon. It’s July’s full moon, so named because summer—especially here in Florida—brings frequent thunderstorms.
July 30. Paperback Book Day. Take a break from your Kindle or Nook and hold a real book printed on actual paper in your hands. Here’s where you can get some excellent reading material:
July 31. Spider-Man: Brand New Day: The highly anticipated Marvel blockbuster starring Tom Holland hits theaters worldwide.
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.
While Trump obsesses about his ballroom, Americans worry about the cost of living
DeSantis drained the state’s emergency funds for Alligator Alcatraz and other boondoggles
‘An Inconvenient Truth’ 20 years later: Inconveniently, too many people still in denial
Major statewide races tighten up as the countdown to the primary election begins
Florida Democrats can win in November because the state is ‘ready for something better’
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Thanks.
J.C. Bruce
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I don't know why Zelensiy bothers coming here.
He is only abused and belittled.
He and Ukraine deserve better!
Slava Ukraini!!!!!