Opinions to go Online

It was encouraging—as well as politically pragmatic—for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to announce that Congresswoman Kathy Castor is now a member of its “Front-line” program for vulnerable House incumbents. As we know, Rep. Castor’s District 14 has been re-drawn to red-leaning and is now seen as one of the most competitive races in the country. It could be pivotal in the Democratic effort to take back the House.

Castor, who grew up in Tampa, has been Tampa Bay’s congressional voice since being elected in 2006. She has prioritized access to health care, environmental protection, economic development and local infrastructure projects. She’s known as a CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program) champion and helped defend and expand the Affordable Care Act. Her office created the Congressional Youth Cabinet that enables public policy discussions.

More than just a former Hillsborough County commissioner and the engaging daughter of a political icon, Castor, 59 (yes, 59!) has become a formidable, non-grandstand player with D.C. seniority and well-earned committee chops. She chaired the House Select Committee on Climate Crisis.

Kathy Castor knows her way around Washington, and she knows Tampa Bay. And “Front-line” has made a wise investment to support her re-election.

*A Florida U.S. Senate win would hype hopes further nationally for Dems, and Alex Vindman’s Florida First Agenda, which prioritizes cost-cutting for families and ending unchecked corruption (including Congressional stock-trading) is well-targeted, as (Marco Rubio replacement) Ashley Moody knows. Vindman, a former Army combat vet, Purple Heart honoree and bi-partisan foreign-policy adviser is also “Hell no” on ill-considered, poorly-conducted forever wars. He’s been a fund-raising success, and polls have him neck and neck with Moody and even Fox News has called the race “competitive.”

Vindman is a straight talker whose military background prevents a partisan “woke” characterization when he opines on cutting costs and crushing corruption. His appeal includes independents, and he’s made more than one populist pitch at The Villages.

He’s also reaching out to the politically potent South Florida Cuban-American demographic. “I’ve talked with many Cuban Floridians, and what the Cuban people want is clear,” stated Vindman. “Regime change, freedom and a fresh start. My family fled communism when I was 4 years old. I hope Raul Castro rots in jail.”

* A president’s approval rating is typically cited as the single most reliable predictor of how his party’s candidates will fare in mid-term elections; 2026 should be no exception.

 

* $o much is monetized these days. Any surprise that a spelling-bee coach can charge $180 an hour?

* Remember when $port$ was an escape from the news?

* Aging update: Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

* Random bumper sticker: “Kick More Ass Than You Sit On.”

* “Democracy not theocracy”: Protest sign at the recent Christian rally on the National Mall.

* For the pun of it:

>Manic-depressive: “Easy glum. Easy glow.”

>Writer’s cramp: Authoritis.

* Non-woke reasoning: “The fact that the Sunshine State gets a mere 11% of its electricity from solar energy, which is produced in-state and not subject to global supply disruptions, represents a colossal failure.”—David Jenkins, president of Conservatives for Responsible Stewardship.

* The Alligator Alcatraz detention facility, which cost the state more than $600 million to build, has been costing the state more than $1 million a day to operate—until it inevitably closes. Florida, however, still a-w-a-i-t-s federal reimbursement. For now, it’s still “on the hook,” as Rick Scott might put it.

* So Publix has changed its open-carry firearms policy in its grocery stores. Good. The question, however, remains unconscionably begged: Why the hell was that ever allowed?

* The Florida Education Association, in conjunction with seven parents, have filed a lawsuit asking the court (Leon County) to find the state’s educational voucher and charter school systems unconstitutional. They argue the current model violates the Florida Constitution’s requirement that the state adequately provide for a “uniform, efficient, safe, secure and high quality system of free public schools.” Stay tuned.

* Since 2019, the budget in Florida has grown more than 26%.

* The Hillsborough County Commission and the Tampa City Council did the right thing by passing the Memorandum of Understanding on the $2.3-billion Rays Tampa stadium deal. The MOU is non-binding; this wasn’t a vote for approval—but for further discussions. Private-sector subsidies and mixed-use development scenarios require detailed analysis. That awaits. Rays CEO Ken Babby summed up the reality: “I think we learned we have a lot more to do.” Bill Carlson would agree.

* One takeaway from the Julio Foolio trial and sentencing. Gang culture is an insidious societal malady that preys on people of color. Maybe BLM campaigns should be more inclusive.

* That was then: During the bombing of Baghdad back in 1991, President George H.W. Bush groused: “I learn more from CNN than I do from the C.I.A.”

* “If only I had a little humility, I’d be perfect.”—The late Ted Turner.

* “A.I. is better at rational thinking than it is at emotional depth. The last job that A.I. will get is stand-up comedian.”—Netflix founder Reed Hastings.

* Ironic that Johnny Damon, a former Ray, is now a prominent spokesperson for the effort to bring a MLB team to Orlando, which is still the Rays’ defacto Plan B if the Tampa stadium deal falls through. BTW, Orlando is where Damon grew up and where he still lives.

* “The reason Orlando is the place is we have 80 million visitors.”—Attorney John Morgan.

* When MLB labor talks are in session, the players side has typically relied on a majority vote among a group of 38 players to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement. (A salary-cap scenario could still loom.) That player group: 30 team representatives (the Rays is pitcher Drew Rasmussen) plus another eight who are part of a group inside the MLB Players Association known as the executive committee. Among the eight: Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Cedric Mullins.

* The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the U.S. is tri-hosting along with Mexico and Canada, requires, of course, a lot of preparation, including, most notably, security. Among the biggest concerns for any major global event: the potential for an increase in human trafficking.

* Speaking of the World Cup, FIFA is banning fans from bringing pre-revolution Iranian flags into stadiums hosting WC matches in the U.S. Iran has two games scheduled in Los Angeles and one in Seattle.

* BTW, the World Cup final will take place July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Headliners for the half-time show: Madonna, Colombian singer-songwriter Shakira and K-pop super group BTS.

* Congrats to the University of Tampa. Its men’s lacrosse team won the Division II national championship.

* The NFL is increasingly looking like an IFL with nine regular-season 2026 games slated for foreign venues: Paris, Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Munich, Madrid, Mexico City and London (3).

* The University of Texas has the largest athletic budget in all of college sports, generating more than $270 million annually.

* Another $ign of the times in major college sports: The University of Florida’s men’s basketball roster is expected to cost roughly $25 million in 2026-27. $eriously.

 

 

* The two countries ties have reached “the highest level in history.” That was Chinese President Xi Jinping, in reference to China’s relationship with, uh, Russia.

* Speaking of China, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also Trump’s national security adviser, is now free to travel there. He had been sanctioned and banned from entering the country since 2020 after accusing Xi Jinping of “crimes against humanity.” China came up with a diplomatic workaround: The sanctions were imposed on Sen. Rubio—not Secretary Rubio. Whatever.

* “It’s hard to see how this ends up as anything other than a huge symbolic show to satisfy the anxieties of the Cuban-American constituency ahead of the mid-terms.”—Orlando J. Perez, political science professor at the University of North Texas, on the indictment of Raul Castro.

* Rubio’s Vatican Visit: Did the Pope hear his Faustian-tradeoff confession? Is self-aggrandizing hypocrisy a mortal sin?

* “He’s MAGA all the way. He’s ‘Make Argentina Great Again.’”—Donald Trump, in reference to Argentina President Javier Milei, arguably Trump’s closest ally in the Western Hemisphere.

* “One of the two most relevant politicians on planet Earth: One is Trump, the other is me.”—Javier Milei.

* “We’re witnessing one of the most concrete, tangible and very public expressions of mutual recognition in this new phase of bilateral relations. This flight marks the transition from dialogue to action.” That was Felix Plasencia, the new Venezuelan ambassador to the U.S., on the resumption of direct flights between the U.S. and Venezuela. It had been seven years.

* “President Trump is the most transparent president of all time,” opaquely opined WH spokesperson Davis Ingle.

* Among those not surprised by no breakthroughs in the recent U.S.-China summit: Jonathan Czin, former director for China at the National Security Council during the Biden Administration. He said that China was “working backward from our midterm elections.” China sees them as leverage. Trump might have too.

* “Trump wants his face on everything but accountability.”—Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

* “Retribution is not a Christian value.”—Indiana Republican state Senator Travis Holdman.

* Big turnout at the “Rededicate 250” Christian rally, a daylong prayer fest, on the National Mall. Trump and SOD Pete Hegseth addressed the Christian-nationalism-support gathering via video. The optics were dominated by MAGA caps and declarations of Trump allegiance. What would Jesus say? Maybe “What the, oops, OMG, can’t I choose my own celebrants?”

* Trump’s Triumphal vanity arch plans keep moving forward as if there weren’t enough reminders of his Washington imprint on America.

* For the record: “FDT8647” is no longer a valid vanity license plate in New Jersey. Previously rejected plates (2015-22) included: “FJBIDEN,” “FB1DN,” “FKTRUMP” and “FPUTN”.

 

* “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.”—Theodore Roosevelt.

* “God grant that men of principle be our principal men.”—Thomas Jefferson.

* “Our people have fought and fallen together in defense of the values we cherish.”—British King Charles.

* “(Venezuela is) not a colony, but a free country.”—Venezuela’s acting President Delcy Rodriguez.

* “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.”—Oscar Wilde.

* “Nothing is more the mark of a mean and petty spirit than to love riches.”—Cicero.

* “Exposure to sniper attack is an unavoidable part of every active president’s position.”—President John F. Kennedy, as recalled by his WH counselor Ted Sorensen.

* “Most economists will acknowledge that technological progress can cause some adjustment problems in the short run. What is rarely noted is that the short run can be a lifetime.”—Oxford economist Carl Benedikt Frey.

* “For too long, Black employees in the tech industry have faced barriers that limit opportunity.”—Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, after Google settled a racial discrimination lawsuit.

* “Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt.”—Herbert Hoover.

* “Logic will get you from A to Z; imagination will get you everywhere.”—Albert Einstein.

* “The Florida GOP’s mid-decade redistricting gambit reveals a troubling truth about American democracy: Voters oppose partisan gerrymandering in principle but tolerate it in practice when their side benefits.”—University of Florida political science Professor Daniel A. Smith.

* “I love St. Petersburg. It’s a wonderful city. … But I think that the dynamics of baseball need to be in Tampa.”—Wade Boggs.

* “Money doesn’t win eleck back on and say, ‘this was a pivotal moment in Tampa’s history.’”—Tampa City Council member Alan Clendenin, on council’s approval of $35 million for Ybor Harbor, a re-development project in a largely industrial zone between Ybor City and the Channel District.

* “A city doesn’t become strong by accident. It becomes strong because people invest in it—their time, their work and their lives. And our responsibility is to match that investment.”—Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

* “We could not be more fired up to have this home that we’ve waited on for our entire lives.”—USF CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins, on the progress of USF’s new on-campus stadium scheduled to debut in September 2027.tions. People win elections.”—Bob Buckhorn.

As we know, Gov. Ron DeSantis is the lamest of ducks, so he’s prioritizing his legacy with the signing of bills that will do just that. The anti-DEI bill that he penned will empower Big Tallahassee Government to bar local governments from supporting police programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion programs. This comes after recent legislation that limited how race can be taught in K-12 schools and preventing higher education institutions from spending federal dollars on DEI initiatives. “With DEI the disfavored groups, number one obviously, would be white males,” noted DeSantis.

What this governor–and too many Republican legislators–still don’t get is that racism didn’t end with the legal termination of slavery or with Reconstruction. It became a pernicious societal legacy that America became inured to.

Promoting DEI programs is not unfair favoritism or counterproductive tokenism but proactive, truly affirmative actions. Moreover, schools should teach racial history and reality–not disingenuously-labeled “theory.”