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DeSantis praises Musk’s DOGE team for piercing federal agencies‘ ‘aura of invincibility’ • Florida Phoenix

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floridaphoenix.com – Mitch Perry – 2025-02-06 16:09:00

DeSantis praises Musk’s DOGE team for piercing federal agencies‘ ‘aura of invincibility’

by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
February 6, 2025

While a new poll indicates a growing percentage of Republicans aren’t pleased by all of Elon Musk’s moves to take down certain federal agencies through his “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE), Ron DeSantis is not one of them.

The Florida governor said Thursday that he thinks it’s “great” what the tech billionaire has accomplished with his DOGE team since they began looking at reducing government spending over the past three weeks. Despite its name, the operation is not a federal department and runs outside of normal government channels.

Speaking during the opening day Governor’s Day Luncheon at the Florida State Fair in Tampa, DeSantis specifically praised Musk for exposing what he described as spending excesses at the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D), which was established by Democratic President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to coordinate U.S. foreign aid.

“They’ll talk a big game about what they are accomplishing but, really, I mean, it’s almost like a corrupt scheme to political supporters and trying to promote an ideological agenda,” DeSantis said. “They’re doing a good job of exposing really, really deep corruption into how the federal administrative apparatus actually operates.”

Musk’s focus on U.S.A.I.D. has exposed some examples of government spending he has characterized as dubious, but its supporters say the agency has also provided financial aid to countries around the world for decades to combat human trafficking and diseases, and has funded equipment, medicine, and staffing in countries battling pandemics and disease outbreaks.

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“They’re even funneling it to favorable media outlets to be able to presumably get good coverage,” DeSantis added, a reference to published reports cited by Trump that the agency had paid more than $8 million to Politico. 

But that’s not accurate, according to The Dispatch. They report that only two payments were made by U.S.A.I.D. to the publication in the past year, and that was for subscriptions to E&E, an environmental report published by Politico. The report also says that various other government agencies have purchased subscriptions to Politico publications going back to 2016.

DeSantis went on to blast Congress for amassing trillions in debt, adding that it’s been Republicans who have been in control of the House of Representatives longer than Democrats have over the past 15 years. He said that while it “great to be able to see a lot of the corruption be rooted out,” it is ultimately up to lawmakers in D.C. to do a better job of protecting taxpayer dollars and “defunding corrupt agencies in the first place.”

“DOGE is kind of the first real significant intrusion into the bureaucrat’s aura of invincibility that somehow they can’t be touched, and you’re seeing the apple cart be upended, and so that’s a great sign,” he said.

Wary of Musk

Meanwhile, the percentage of Republicans who want Musk to have “a lot” of influence in the Trump administration has fallen to 26%, according to a The Economist/YouGov poll released this week, down from 47% in a poll taken in November.

The survey also shows that 43% of GOP respondents want Musk to have “a little” influence, while 17% want him to have “none at all.”

Overall, only 13% of surveyed Americans want Musk to have “a lot” of influence on the Trump administration, while 25% say want “a little” and 46% want “none at all.”

That’s substantially down from November, when 34% of surveyed Americans wanted Musk to have “a lot” of influence, 22% wanted him to have “a little,” and 30% said, “None at all.”

Simpson on hand

DeSantis was introduced at the lunch warmly by Agriculture Commission Wilton Simpson, who called him a “dedicated public servant, a family man, and someone who has worked tirelessly to make Florida the best state in the nation.”

That was a remarkable different tone than what the two Republicans engaged in last week, after the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature passed an illegal immigration bill that transferred state power regarding immigration issues from DeSantis to Simpson’s office — a scenario the governor described as “the fox guarding the hen house.” (Among other interests, Simpson operates an egg farm.)

The prompted Simpson to declare that “I’m not the one who opposed and ran against President Trump.”

After the lunch, the Phoenix caught up with Simpson and asked him if it would be a deal-breaker for the Legislature to amend their bill and transfer immigration issues back to the governor as is the case currently.

“The reality is that I have great confidence in the legislative process,” Simpson told the Phoenix on Thursday. “I served 10 years in it and then as Senate President. The Legislature is negotiating this bill with the governor, not me. And so, I have great confidence that the Legislature will work this out properly.”

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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JD Vance goes to the Vatican following remarkable papal rebuke over Trump crackdown on migrants

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www.news4jax.com – Nicole Winfield, Associated Press – 2025-04-19 00:10:00

SUMMARY: U.S. Vice President JD Vance is meeting Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin after a papal rebuke of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Vance, a Catholic convert, has defended these policies through medieval Catholic theology concepts, which Pope Francis directly criticized. The Pope advocates for broader compassion toward migrants, contrasting Vance’s more hierarchical view of care. While in Rome for Easter, Vance attended Good Friday services at St. Peter’s Basilica with his family. He has previously criticized Francis but recently expressed prayers for the Pope’s recovery, highlighting the complex relationship between them on issues of social justice and migration.

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Federal judge extends block on Florida immigration law that led to arrest of a U.S. citizen

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floridaphoenix.com – Jackie Llanos – 2025-04-18 14:36:00

by Jackie Llanos, Florida Phoenix
April 18, 2025

A federal judge brought up the arrest in Leon County of Juan Carlos Lopez-Gomez, a U.S. citizen born in Georgia, during a hearing Friday in which she extended her block of the new Florida immigration law until April 29.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Williams expressed frustration about the arrests of Lopez-Gomez and others, said an attorney representing the immigrants and groups suing the state.

At issue is Williams’ April 4 order temporarily barring enforcement of a law passed during a special session earlier this year making it a first-degree misdemeanor to illegally enter the state as an “unauthorized alien.”

A Florida Highway Patrol trooper’s arrest of Lopez-Gomez on Wednesday prompted national attention following Florida Phoenix’s reports that he was set to remain in jail because U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had placed a 48-hour hold on him — even after a Leon County judge determined there had been no probable cause for the arrest.

Lopez-Gomez was released from Leon County jail on Thursday evening. The 20-year-old held his mother in a tight embrace and wept when they reunited.

“We appreciate that the federal courts have seen through this blatantly unconstitutional law, but the reality is that, without enforcement, it seems that local law enforcement and Florida Highway Patrol are continuing to ignore the judge and order,” said Miriam Fahsi Haskell, an attorney for Community Justice Project representing the plaintiffs, in a phone interview with the Phoenix. “The reality is that once a person is arrested under SB 4C and booked into jail, that person risks then having an ICE hold on them.”

Community Justice Project, the ACLU of Florida, Americans for Immigrant Justice, and Florida Legal Services attorneys are representing the plaintiffs: the Florida Immigrant Coalition, Farmworker Association of Florida Inc., and two women without permanent legal status.

David Matthew Costello, lead attorney representing Attorney General James Uthmeier, declined to comment, and a spokesperson for the attorney general’s office did not respond to the Phoenix’s questions. The other defendants are the statewide prosecutor and state attorneys.

Binding?

During the hearing at the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida in Miami, attorneys representing the state argued that law enforcement is not bound by Williams’ order, Fahsi Haskell said. Another hearing is set for April 29.

“The Court enters a [temporary restraining order] prohibiting Defendants and their officers, agents, employees, attorneys, and any person who are in active concert or participation with them from enforcing SB 4-C,” Williams’ order states.

Two other men were with Lopez-Gomez when the trooper stopped the car because the driver was going 78 mph in a 65 mph zone, according to the arrest report. The driver, Estiven Sales-Perez, and another passenger, Ismael Sales-Luis, were also charged with illegal entry as “unauthorized aliens.” The driver was also charged with driving without a license.

ICE has taken custody of Sales-Perez and is holding him in a Tallahassee field office, according to the online detainee locator system.

“Florida Highway Patrol will continue to work willingly with our federal partners to engage in interior enforcement of immigration law,” a spokesperson for the agency wrote in a statement to the Phoenix.

Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried called the arrest a kidnapping.

“Where does the lawlessness of this administration stop? If this can happen to an American-born citizen, it can happen to any of us,” she said in a statement.

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Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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HOPE Florida board agrees to take actions to improve situation amid controversy | Florida

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HOPE Florida board agrees to take actions to improve situation amid controversy | Florida

www.thecentersquare.com – By Tom Joyce | The Center Square contributor – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 13:39:00

(The Center Square) – After weeks of controversy and leadership shake-ups, the HOPE Florida Foundation Board has approved measures it hopes will fix its problems with transparency and legal compliance.

Initially set for Thursday morning, the meeting was rescheduled for the afternoon due to cyberattacks.

Joshua Hay, who chairs the charity’s board and serves as the CEO of Indelible Solutions, led the meeting.

Hay laid out the tasks the board needed to approve. Actions the board approved included reviewing its IRS Form 990 to ensure legal compliance, adopting articles of incorporation, starting an annual budget process, and completing other paperwork necessary to comply with state law.

Hope Florida lacked an annual budget. Hay offered to work with the Department of Children and Families to draft a preliminary budget. He said the organization needs better financial planning to reach operational stability and hire staff in the future.

“As you all know, and as we’ve spoken about, there’s no staff, so a lot of those responsibilities are falling on me,” Hay said during the meeting. “I am helping out to move the Foundation forward, and I will start development of the budget in coordination with the Department.”

Hay said he would work with the Foundation’s lawyers and accountants to ensure the forms, which were prepared quickly over the past few weeks, are accurate. He said he’ll bring the necessary updates back to the board for approval.

Hay also wanted to nominate board members as vice president, treasurer and secretary so they could take on more responsibilities. However, the board members tabled the motion, contending they need more time to review the roles of said positions.

Additionally, the board agreed to meet monthly moving forward, instead of quarterly, to address some of its ongoing problems.

Board member Tina Vidal-Duart suggested that the board delegate tasks to all its members to help it address its ongoing problems at the next meeting, if Hope Florida lacks the funds to hire staff to address those problems.

“It is obviously too much work for one person to handle, and I think all of us would be willing to step up and take on responsibility for some of these things going forward,” Vidal-Duart said during the meeting.

Hay appreciated that suggestion, noting he has had to cancel several business meetings to handle the Foundation’s matters.

Hay wants to hire an executive director soon. He is also working with the Florida Department of Children and Families to possibly add more staff.

The meeting came as Mohammad Jazil, a lawyer the Foundation recently brought in to help fix compliance issues, resigned earlier in the week.

Jazil resigned after state Rep. Alex Andrade, R-Pensacola, urged Hay to fire Jazil.

House members say a $10 million donation from healthcare giant Centene to HOPE Florida was used to fund the opposition to an unsuccessful ballot measure that attempted to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida last year. The $10 million donation was part of a $67 million settlement that Centene reached with the state over Medicaid billing.

Jazil worked on the no side of the marijuana ballot question, according to media reports. He served as legal counsel for Keep Florida Clean.

Amid these controversies, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has defended HOPE Florida and said Republicans maligning it are helping Democrats.

“It’s a private charity. It is not the government. This is why I think first of all, the whole thing that the House leadership is doing is a manufactured fraud. This is a hoax,” DeSantis said, as The Center Square previously reported. “So you know, for some of these Republican leaders to be joining with liberal Democrats and liberal media to manufacture smears against HOPE Florida, against me, against the First Lady. It just shows you they are not on your team. They are not doing what they said that they would do.”

First Lady Casey Harper founded Hope Florida in 2021.

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