tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68532694611930836002010-05-14T16:20:04.874-07:00Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.comBlogger1269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-68292154779880536612010-05-14T16:09:00.003-07:002010-05-14T16:20:04.880-07:00

Almost overnight, the Florida Republican Party has gone from being Gov. Charlie Crist's PR machine to Charlie Crist's archenemy. Since the lifelong Republican announced last week that he was running for the U.S. Senate with no party affiliation, the Florida GOP has focused on attacking Crist, casting him as a phony and a traitor who all but destroyed the state party. The era of Charlie Crist

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-71241828335439523682010-05-14T16:09:00.001-07:002010-05-14T16:20:03.071-07:00

BEIRUT — Lebanon's pro-Western political parties turned their focus Monday toward crafting a stable coalition government hours after voters, prodded by the Obama administration to embrace moderation, soundly rebuffed efforts by Iran-backed Hezbollah politicians to secure more political power in Beirut. While Monday's results gave the ruling coalition a significant political boost, the fractious

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-76589366793709040212010-05-13T14:57:00.003-07:002010-05-13T15:24:36.118-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- From every angle, a ban on bestiality, long pushed by state prosecutors and animal rights activists, seemed poised to finally become law this year, with Republicans and Democrats in both chambers of the Florida Legislature joining forces to push it through. Yet it failed. The inability to outlaw something so repugnant reveals how difficult it can be to get even the

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-52766965893533019882010-05-13T14:57:00.001-07:002010-05-13T15:24:34.166-07:00

WASHINGTON — Congressional negotiators have agreed to drop amendments to a supplemental appropriations bill that would have banned the release of photos depicting alleged detainee abuse and would have restricted bringing Guantánamo detainees to the United States. The agreement on those issues should speed passage of the bill, which provides $79.9 billion for the Pentagon to fight the wars in

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-23186057278734905072010-05-12T14:57:00.003-07:002010-05-13T15:17:39.960-07:00

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama told Americans Tuesday to brace for "more job loss, more foreclosures, and more pain" in 2009, saying the recession isn't over yet despite some early promise from the government's massive spending on bailouts and economic stimulus. In lengthy remarks delivered at Georgetown University, Obama didn't lay out any new proposals, but sought to justify the steps his

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-79625021616908333722010-05-12T14:57:00.001-07:002010-05-13T15:17:34.921-07:00

Here's a look at some of the bills that passed and failed by the time the Legislature ended its annual session: HEALTH CARE AND HUMAN SERVICES ABORTION -- PASSED -- Most women seeking an abortion must pay for and receive an ultrasound, and have the doctor describe it. The measure exempts women who have been victims of rape or domestic abuse. The bill includes another measure that bans

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-50303919182142529532010-05-11T15:19:00.003-07:002010-05-11T15:29:34.469-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- Miami-Dade's legislative delegation, an experienced, powerful group that delivered state dollars to South Florida for local projects, will face heavy turnover -- and possible loss of clout -- this fall. Ten of the delegation's 25 members won't be returning to their seats next year, as they run for higher office or face term limits. The group includes Anitere Flores, a

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-54305983190762534412010-05-11T15:19:00.001-07:002010-05-11T15:29:31.978-07:00

Gov. Charlie Crist holds an early lead as an independent candidate in the U.S. Senate race, but his edge is a ``proverbial house of cards,'' according to a new poll, because support from Democratic and black voters is unlikely to hold up through the Nov. 2 election. The Mason-Dixon poll released Thursday found Crist receiving 38 percent of the vote, compared to 32 percent for the likely

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-8658315467849631402010-05-09T18:04:00.003-07:002010-05-09T18:16:50.823-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- The Republican Party of Florida released internal records Friday detailing $7.3 million in credit card charges made since 2007. The bulk of the credit card statements were detailed in previous Miami Herald/St. Petersburg Times reports, but the documents included at least $2.5 million in newly disclosed expenses. Among the new charges: $95,296.80 that former party

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-21475793022165614332010-05-09T18:04:00.001-07:002010-05-09T18:16:48.851-07:00

PENSACOLA -- Florida environmental and emergency managers acknowledged Saturday that the state can't protect every stretch of coastline threatened by an uncontrolled undersea gusher spewing a massive oil slick that has spread across the Gulf of Mexico faster than expected. Gov. Charlie Crist, who traveled to the Panhandle to inspect preparations, warned the state could be facing an economic

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-56363570959264933612010-05-08T15:53:00.003-07:002010-05-08T16:14:16.133-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- During debate Thursday, a new Capitol web outfit called the Sunshine State News captured video images of Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, looking at what appeared to be a Girls-Gone-Wild-type of photo on his computer. The image of the scantily attired beach babe foursome was up for about 4 seconds before Bennett closed it, according to the SSN video. Bennett said the image

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-68371593201086599062010-05-08T15:53:00.001-07:002010-05-08T16:14:14.396-07:00

WASHINGTON -- Even before Gov. Charlie Crist announced his independent bid for the U.S. Senate, political analysts began drawing comparisons between the governor's new path and Sen. Joe Lieberman's 2006 race, when the Connecticut Democrat lost the primary, bucked his party and won as an independent. And there are certain parallels. Crist, after all, had ``The Hug,'' his 2009 embrace of

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-16005178761154538402010-05-05T14:48:00.003-07:002010-05-05T15:03:29.795-07:00

A host of congressional contests officially emerged Friday, with Democrats eyeing a second chance to take one of South Florida's Cuban-American Republican seats and Republicans looking to win back two Central Florida seats. Haitian Americans hoping to elect the first Haitian American to Congress failed to reach a consensus candidate to run for the Democratic-leaning seat Kendrick Meek is

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-43807461685838284372010-05-05T14:48:00.001-07:002010-05-05T15:03:27.630-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- In remarkable political theater during the waning hours of the legislative session, House Republicans rammed through a measure Friday to require women seeking an abortion to pay for an ultrasound and hear a doctor give a description of the fetus. The 76-44 vote came after an intense four-hour debate as tempers flared and lawmakers urged young staff members and visitors with

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-18408222279765657222010-05-04T16:24:00.003-07:002010-05-05T15:03:25.374-07:00

For the second straight year, Florida lawmakers have approved strict new rules for pain clinics, this time limiting the number of pills that can be sold to cash-paying patients, curbing advertising and imposing tougher standards for doctors and clinic owners. Lawmakers hope the new rules passed Thursday will cripple South Florida's flourishing pain-clinic industry, the prime source of illegal

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-81084689557476663212010-05-04T16:24:00.001-07:002010-05-05T15:03:23.292-07:00

And you thought Florida's topsy-turvy election year couldn't get crazier. Now comes billionaire real estate investor Jeff Greene of Palm Beach, a Democrat, jumping into Florida's already chaotic U.S. Senate race. ``I am an outsider, the only candidate who isn't a career politician. I've succeeded in the real world of hard work -- the others have only succeeded at running for political

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-53887869521293621272010-05-03T15:38:00.003-07:002010-05-03T15:56:19.208-07:00

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has given the new U.S. commander in Afghanistan 60 days to conduct another review of the American strategy there, the fifth since President Barack Obama took office less than five months ago. The Defense Department announced Monday that Gates has ordered the new U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, and his deputy, Lt

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-54239679612923589902010-05-03T15:38:00.001-07:002010-05-03T15:56:17.317-07:00

From earthquake fundraisers in Miami to business forums in Port-au-Prince, conversations about a homeland in crisis are giving way to a new political possibility in the United States -- or a missed opportunity for the South Florida Haitian American community. Four Haitian Americans, all big names with deep roots in the community, are candidates in a crowded field vying for the congressional

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-87632334506964695122010-05-02T15:33:00.003-07:002010-05-02T15:42:06.055-07:00

Gov. Charlie Crist's announcement Thursday that he'll bolt the Republican Party and run for the U.S. Senate as an independent would have been an unimaginable proposition just a few months ago. After all, Crist was considered a 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate and a potential rising star. Ten months ago, Crist led former House Speaker Marco Rubio by more than 30 percentage points in Senate

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-72923008251378975132010-05-02T15:33:00.001-07:002010-05-02T15:42:04.366-07:00

WASHINGTON -- Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the potential environmental outlook for the Gulf Coast oil spill is "a very grave scenario." He tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that it could take three months before workers attain what he calls the "ultimate solution" to stopping the leak - drilling a relief well more than 3 miles below the ocean floor. Until that's accomplished, he says, "a

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-10392080404612733822010-05-01T17:41:00.003-07:002010-05-01T17:53:17.524-07:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Hundreds of thousands of people still need food and shelter, all schools remain closed, and efforts have intensified to protect children from human trafficking in post-earthquake Haiti. Meantime, a U.N. official addressing the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington, D.C. on Thursday said more than 75 percent of Haiti's capital will have to be rebuilt. ``We

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-17395254576158441852010-05-01T17:41:00.001-07:002010-05-01T17:53:15.717-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida House has passed a bill requiring retailers to track over-the-counter sales of ephedrine, which can be used to manufacture the illegal drug methamphetamine. The bill passed Wednesday requires stores to keep a log of sales of products containing ephedrine, a stimulant used as an ingredient in some diet supplements. The Senate cleared the bill last week, so it

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-38175566964960684362010-04-30T16:19:00.003-07:002010-04-30T16:35:06.266-07:00

TALLAHASSEE -- With the clock ticking Thursday, an explosive bill to require women to get an ultrasound before an abortion gripped the state Senate and led Democrats to halt action in the House. The late-session emergence of the abortion measure and the still unresolved state budget are threatening the future of more than a dozen bills ahead of Friday's planned adjournment. Among

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-71602426617224212652010-04-30T16:19:00.001-07:002010-04-30T16:35:01.204-07:00

Lake Okeechobee, hammered by drought-driven lows over the past decade, brimmed Thursday with more than 15 feet of water. It will continue going up for several more days. Problem is, South Florida's hurricane and rainy seasons are right around the corner. The big lake is rising when it ought to be falling. That's not a good scenario for its aging dike or for aquatic life in the lake and

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6853269461193083600.post-75776357078087718992010-04-29T11:49:00.005-07:002010-04-30T16:34:59.489-07:00

WASHINGTON -- The House on Thursday took up legislation that could set in motion changes in Puerto Rico's 112-year relationship with the United States, including a transition to statehood or independence. The House bill would give the 4 million residents of the island commonwealth a two-step path to expressing how they envision their political future. Initially, eligible voters, including

Albinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02215689654729318707noreply@blogger.com0