WEEKLY WRAP: Good news on the storm front as fewer hurricanes are expected this season
Your curated summary of the top news from the previous week, plus a look ahead to coming events. And more.
The Week Ahead and More
There is an increasing chance that we may not have to put up our hurricane shutters this year.
Knock on wood and fingers crossed.
Hurricane experts at Colorado State University have updated their estimates and are confirming that this year’s hurricane season will be “well below normal.”
Why?
Because of a strong El Niño system in the Pacific that is expected to continue to strengthen over the next few months, leading to wind shear over the Atlantic that dampens storm activity.
Updated predictions are for nine named storms, including Tropical Storms Arthur and Bertha, which we’ve already experienced, leaving seven more for the rest of hurricane season, which ends in November.
Four of those storms are predicted to become hurricanes, with one becoming Category 3 or higher, with the likelihood of landfall on the U.S. coast below average.
Speaking of outdoor events…
This week will see a pair of exciting astronomical events, some of which can be experienced here in Florida.
On Aug. 12, the Moon will blot out the Sun, creating a total eclipse. However, the path of totality will be far north of us, crossing Greenland, Iceland and parts of northern Spain, Portugal and Russia.
Still, a partial eclipse will be visible across the northern tier of states where it will appear that the Moon is taking a small bite out of the Sun.
If you happen to be anywhere near this, do remember that you should not mimic Donald Trump, who in 2017 famously stared at a total eclipse without protective eyewear.
Aug. 12 will also be a New Moon, which means the nighttime skies will be dark, making it easier to see the year’s most amazing meteorite shower—the Perseids. Best times to view the shooting stars will be after midnight.
That Was The Week That Was
Americans worried about election integrity
Ahead of the 2026 midterms, Americans are concerned about election integrity and democratic processes, according to a new Gallup Poll.
Their top concerns include political leaders pressuring election officials to change election outcomes (67% are concerned “a great deal” or “a fair amount”), ballots not being properly handled, counted or secured (57%), and voter intimidation near polling places (52%).
Even issues that rank lower on the list remain concerns for substantial shares of Americans, including 40% saying they are concerned about being personally confronted, followed or recorded while voting.
Python Roundup results in
There are now 280 fewer invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades thanks to the annual Florida Python Challenge, the results of which were released last week.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said 907 snake hunters from 30 states, Canada, and Vietnam participated in the annual snake roundup.
The results:
Grand Prize Winner ($10,000): Tom Rahill captured an incredible 96 pythons from Everglades National Park, setting a new milestone for the event.
Longest Python: A massive 16-foot, 5-inch python was removed by Rahm Levinson, also found in Everglades National Park.
Event Scope: Total removals were slightly under the 294 snakes caught in 2025.
Keep in mind: Estimates are that there may be up to 300,000 pythons in Florida, so, really, this is a drop in the bucket.
Will DeSantis’ dummymander backfire?
Gov. Ron DeSantis newly gerrymandered congressional districts had the inevitable consequence of weakening Republican strongholds in some parts of the state.
National Democrats are now targeting three of Tampa Bay’s four Republican-held congressional seats, the Tampa Bay Times reports.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced that it’s adding the seat held by longtime GOP Rep. Gus Bilirakis, Congressional District 12, to its list of “districts in play,” which can attract more dollars to those races.
Bilirakis’ seat is considered likely to remain Republican by ratings services like Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia and Cook Political Report. That’s also true of the two other Republican-held seats Democrats are eyeing: District 13, represented by GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, and an open seat in the new District 16.
But would a surge of Democratic voters be enough to turn these around? That’s the hope.
Trump lawsuit backfires
Donald Trump sued Capital One for “debanking” him. But the bank revealed something truly alarming in court—one of the largest American banks closed his accounts because its anti-money laundering team flagged them.
The bank closed more than 300 Trump Organization accounts in 2021 after a monthslong review by its anti-money laundering team, triggered by transaction patterns that federal banking guidance flags. At least a portion of the suspicious transactions likely occurred during his first term as president, according to Defend Our Courts.
Meme of the Week
Quotable
“Trump’s Reflecting Pool debacle is so unbelievably stupid it would be funny—except American taxpayers are paying for it.”
—Chuck Schumer
Letter of the Week
The law only exists when Trump wants it to. I am exhausted with this administration. They lie, cheat, steal and break the law on a daily basis. We have to hear and read about it on a daily basis. Will there ever be any accountability?
—Anniekid
Onward
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.
August 9. Book Lover’s Day. Need a good book to read? I have a suggestion for you below.
August 10. Lazy Day. A good time to read, of course.
August 11. Today is officially the last day of the Dog Days of Summer. Have you noticed yet how much it’s cooled off? No? Me, neither.
August 12. IBM PC Day marks the 1981 launch of the original IBM personal computer. Some of us are actually old enough to remember a time before computers. It was a dark and primitive era in which our over-protective parents insisted on limiting our slide-rule time.
August 13 is International Left-Handers Day. About 10 to 12 percent of people are southpaws. The Netherlands has the highest percentage of left-handers at 13.2 percent. Nobody knows why.
August 14 is World Lizard Day. Texas has the highest overall reptile and native lizard diversity in the United States, hosting around 45 to 56 native lizard species. However, if including non-native and invasive species introduced through the pet trade (like pythons), Florida ranks first with nearly 60 established lizard species.
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.
How progressive are Florida Democrats? Alex Vindman, Angie Nixon Senate race offers a test
Democratic state officials urge Supreme Court to affirm pause on Trump’s vote-by-mail order
The Florida property tax blast radius nobody is talking about--but we should
Corruption by Any Other Name (Part I)
Corruption by Any Other Name (Part II)
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.
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J.C. Bruce
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Today’s sponsor: The Strange Files
Alexander Strange wants to get to Florida in the worst way. So, he arrives in a coffin. Chilling in its own right but made more so by the prediction of a New Orleans soothsayer that he soon will face death. Little does he know how true that will be. But he’ll find out soon enough at the Devil’s Millhopper.
Book Two of the Strange Files series takes our favorite weird news reporter on a bizarre scavenger hunt all over the Gunshine State. Join him in his journey here: