Florida
Feds should call off their turf-war bid to control Florida Trump-assassination case
In the second attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump this summer, the Biden-Harris Justice Department has rushed to charge Ryan Wesley Routh in a two-count criminal complaint alleging federal firearms offenses.
These are obviously not the main crimes here: This appears to be a case of attempted murder of a major-party presidential candidate.
Naturally, we have the makings of a prosecutorial turf war.
Attempted murder is a state crime — a very serious one in the state of Florida, where murder is a capital offense. From a public-interest perspective, the case should be charged as attempted murder.
But it appears that the feds have rushed to lodge federal charges against Routh in hopes of getting the upper hand over their state counterparts.
Assassination attempts are rare; ambitious prosecutors are not. And ambitious federal prosecutors always want to control the criminal cases of great national consequence.
Yet that is not always the best thing for the case.
There is little doubt that both federal and state authorities have charges they can and should bring against the would-be assailant.
In the first instance, prosecution should proceed in the system in which the most straightforward, appropriately severe charges can be brought.
In this instance, that is the state of Florida.
Moreover, in 2022, Biden-Harris Attorney General Merrick Garland speciously claimed that Trump’s status as a Republican candidate running against the Biden-Harris ticket required appointment of a special counsel — because it was supposedly inappropriate for the DOJ to become embroiled in prosecutions involving the likely Republican nominee.
This was a political calculation. There was no need for a special counsel in DOJ’s investigation of Trump, which had been going on for nearly two years with no special counsel appointment — two years during which Garland failed to appoint a special counsel to investigate Hunter Biden and the Biden family influence-peddling scheme, as to which there was a patent conflict of interest.
Nevertheless, having made this decision, the Biden-Harris administration and its Justice Department should be stuck with it.
Garland claimed DOJ should stay out of Trump-related cases, and that a special counsel was necessary to insulate it from claims of politicized prosecution.
In light of those representations, then, the department should defer to Florida prosecutors.
More to the point, Florida should have primacy for legal reasons.
Attempted murder is a very straightforward charge in the state, carrying a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.
By contrast, the Justice Department may only charge murder or attempted murder if Congress has provided some jurisdictional basis for doing so.
As I’ve elsewhere elaborated, federal law clearly makes it a crime to attempt to assassinate a president, a president-elect or a presidential candidate who has apparently prevailed in the election (i.e., one who appears to have won the majority of state electoral votes but whose victory has not yet been ratified by Congress).
But the relevant statute does not cover major party candidates for president prior to the election.
Similarly, federal law provides for murder and attempted murder charges to be brought when the victim is a federal officer or employee, a visiting foreign dignitary, or a member of their families.
But again, those statutes don’t cover candidates for the presidency.
I suspect this is why the feds rushed to charge firearms offenses.
These, undoubtedly, are crimes over which the federal government has jurisdiction, provided that there is evidence that the gun in question has traveled in interstate commerce.
The feds were quick to point out that the gun allegedly recovered from Routh is not manufactured in Florida, creating the inference of interstate shipment.
That is fine as far as it goes. Criminals who attempt to influence elections by violent means should be hit hard with the full array of federal and state crimes.
But that said, this is an attempted murder case. Florida has the simplest criminal laws for that, and thus the best chance of prevailing at trial on the most fitting charges.
And with the Biden-Harris DOJ’s record of claiming it should not participate directly in cases involving Trump that could influence the election, federal prosecutors should make way for their state counterparts to bring the first case against the would-be assassin.
Andrew C. McCarthy is a former federal prosecutor.
A Florida tattoo shop is facing backlash following a social media post from the shop that said active-duty military members and veterans are not welcome at the company, prompting online criticism.
A June 23 post from Revival Tattoo Collective in Largo, Florida, read, “People all in their feelings because I expressed my opinion of the military and law enforcement. My opinion is that the military is a bunch of war criminals and law enforcement kills babies and unarmed citizens in the street. If you don’t like my opinion cool, but you’re not going to change it. Call me short, post records from 20 years ago, threaten the health dept, use homophobic slurs. That only proves my point and shows the true character of our military. Thanks for showing your true colors.”
The post added, “Once again for the slow ones the military. Pretty simple if you are ex military or currently serving just don’t come to the shop. You will be turned away.”
The shop was founded by Brady Martinson, who is described on the website as “a tattooist and sign painter — script, blackletter, and custom typography on skin. He treats every word as architecture: measured, weighted, and built to live a lifetime.”
A few of the replies to the controversial post appeared to agree with the sentiment, with one woman saying, “The military preys on underprivileged youth by luring them in with promises to pay for college and makes it sound like it’s their only opportunity to get ahead in life. ACAB.”
ACAB is an abbreviation for “all cops are b—-ds.”
But many of the replies were negative.
One person wrote, “This kind of thinking is disappointing and immature. Judging an entire group by the actions of a few is the same type of prejudice I’m sure you claim to oppose. (IE: Against a race, the lgbtq community, etc…) There are good and bad people in every profession and every walk of life.”
They added, “I’ve served alongside people of every background imaginable and some of the most selfless, compassionate individuals I’ve met wear a uniform. Reducing millions of military members and law enforcement officers to the worst examples among them isn’t being “woke” or smart — it’s just bias. If you are going to reject stereotypes, you should reject them consistently. Heal yourself and break this never-ending cycle of conflict among humans.”
Another person replied, “Lmao it must be so peaceful being this ignorant.”
“I don’t agree with your opinion, but that doesn’t mean I won’t fight for your right to say it. Please keep in mind that the First Amendment merely proyects [sic] you from being punished by the government for your speech. It does not protect you from the consequences of what you say,” another commentator wrote.
One person replied to the post with a gif that said, “Stop breaking the law a–hole.”
Another posted a reply saying, “I’ll go and just wont tell you till after lmao,” and Revival Tattoo Collective responded to the post with, “No you won’t.”
In a statement to Fox News Digital, a spokesperson for the shop said, “Yeah I’m booked up I can’t take any clients military or civilian. Thanks for your interest on my opinion.”
Archive photos show a sea of green in Florida. What usually causes harmful algal blooms along the Sunshine State’s coasts?
Harmful algal blooms — out-of-control colonies of microscopic algae — are a “growing problem” in every “U.S. coastal and Great Lakes state,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
They affect the “health of people and marine ecosystems,” and can also have a detrimental effect on the economy, according to NOAA, especially in coastal communities that are particularly dependent on fishing and tourism.
Climate change, along with increases in nutrient pollution, could cause harmful algal blooms (HABs) to occur more frequently, according to the agency.
Harmful algal blooms can “produce toxic or harmful effects on people, fish, shellfish, marine mammals and birds,” NOAA’s website states. Human illnesses caused by HABs are rare, but they can be “debilitating or even fatal.”
Sea of green? Aerial photos show toxic algae blooms, including in Florida waters
What are harmful algal blooms composed of?
Harmful algal blooms can be caused by a range of organisms, NOAA states, including “toxic and noxious phytoplankton, cyanobacteria, benthic algae, and macroalgae.”
Some HABs can make wildlife-killing toxins that negatively affect fish, mammals and birds, and can also cause human sickness or death in “extreme cases.” Other blooms, while nontoxic, can consume “all of the oxygen in the water as they decay, clog the gills of fish and invertebrates, or smother corals and submerged aquatic vegetation.” Additionally, some algae can discolor water, pile up on beaches or contaminate drinking water.
What usually causes harmful algal blooms along Florida’s coasts?
In the Gulf of Mexico, especially along the west coast of Florida, HABs are most often caused by Karenia brevis, which can turn the surface of the ocean a deep red.
Although there’s no way to predict exactly when a Karenia brevis overgrowth might occur, scientists can forecast the movement of a “red tide” when it does crop up by using wind and water data, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
They can last “as little as a few weeks or longer than a year,” and how long a bloom persists in “nearshore Florida waters” depends on a variety of factors, including nutrients, salinity and sunlight, reads the FWC’s website.
Sarah Perkel is a South Florida Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network’s Florida Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
EA Sports released its official team ratings for College Football 27, and the Florida Gators checked in at No. 19 with an 84 overall rating.
Jon Sumrall’s team was granted an 84 offensive rating and a 83 defensive rating, indicating balance on both sides of the ball. Florida is one of 10 SEC programs to crack the top 25. Oregon leads the field with an overall rating of 91. The Ducks are followed by Ohio State (90), Indiana (90), Notre Dame (89) and Texas (89). UF joins nine other SEC teams rated inside the top 25.
The rating continues a major thrust of positive sentiment around Sumrall and the Gators. During this offseason, Florida has been pegged as a CFB playoff dark horse, an SEC wild card and one of sport’s biggest sleepers. The valuation is likely fueled by the Orange and Blue’s transfer portal additions and the retention of key pieces, including junior running back Jadan Baugh, who notched Second-Team All-SEC honors last season.
Sumrall’s cultural reset in Gainesville has started a buzz around college football that has continued to grow louder by the month. Despite a massive roster overhaul and the departure of a five-star quarterback, the Gators have seen a jolt in their national perception.
To reestablish a championship standard, UF will have to navigate an arduous nine-game conference schedule. The Gators face No. 17-rated Missouri (85) in Week 5, No. 5-rated Texas (89) in Week 7, No. 9-rated Georgia (87) in Week 8 and No. 10-rated Oklahoma (87) in Week 9.
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
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