Florida
Florida-bred Mensa Part of Strong Casse Entry in Victoria – FTBOA
BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Mensa looks to rebound from an off the board finish last out in the $247,000 Kentucky Juvenile when he faces five rivals, including strong stablemate Into Diamonds, in the CA$125,000 Victoria at Woodbine Sunday. Trained by Mark Casse for the five-and-a-half-furlong contest on the synthetic main track, Mensa is the 5-2 second choice in the program behind favored Into Diamonds at 2-1.
Mensa was purchased by current owner Resolute Racing for $740,000 out of the Fasig-Tipton Digital Sale on April 29 after he won a four-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight by three lengths at Gulfstream Park in his career debut on April 12.
He was unable to repeat his debut effort in his next start for the new owners however, fading to sixth after setting the pace in the five-furlong Kentucky Juvenile won by West Memorial at Churchill Downs on May 2.
Mensa is out of Lady Halite, by Medaglia d’Oro and was bred in Florida by Beth Bayer. Bayer sold him for $135,000 to D.J. Stable through her consignment at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale. A half-brother to multiple stakes-winning Florida-bred Recruiter and stakes-placed Florida-bred Miss Sayley, Mensa currently has earnings of $47,000 in his two starts.
Mensa will be ridden by Patrick Husbands from post two.
Into Diamonds enters the Victoria after winning a five-and-a-half-furlong maiden special weight by a neck on the Keeneland turf on April 25.
The son of Into Mischief out of Diamond Sparkles, by War Front is owned by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber, for who he earned $45,260 in his lone start.
Sahin Civaci will ride Into Diamonds from post six.
Another who comes into the Victoria off a maiden special weight victory in his debut is Your Valentino for trainer Alex McPherson.
The chestnut son of Tapiture has the benefit of his victory coming over the Woodbine synthetic, having won by a head after five furlongs on May 31.
Your Valentino is owned by Katie E. O’Connor and will be ridden from post five by Daisuke Fukumoto. They are 7-2 on the morning line.
Rounding out the field are Sol de Verano with jockey Fraser Aebly, Shadow Factor and rider Emma-Jayne Wilson and Ryan Munger will pilot Empower.
Florida-breds have won the Victoria 16 times starting with Bright Object in 1964 and Ring Francis in 1966, both bred by Ocala Stud Farms Inc. Big Drink of Water was the most recent Florida-bred winner of the Victoria in 2018 preceded by Conquest Whiplash (2013), Madam Diaries (2010), Olredlgetcha (2009), Southern Exchange (2008), Flamenco (2004), El Ruller (2002), Expected Ruler (2001), Erlton (1998), Torgan (1997), Gomtuu (1995), Dances With Fire (1992), Honey’s Answer (1984) and Solo Guy (1980).
Florida
Florida college Republicans group chat reveals racist texts: ‘Avoid the coloreds like the plague’
It only took three weeks for a group chat for conservative students at Florida International University (FIU) to become a place where participants eagerly used racist slurs, prompting widespread condemnation from community leaders.
Abel Alexander Carvajal, secretary of Miami-Dade county’s Republican party and a student at FIU’s College of Law, reportedly started the chat after the killing of Charlie Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, in September 2025.
But on Wednesday, the Miami Herald published leaked WhatsApp conversations in which the college Republicans made racist, sexist, antisemitic and homophobic comments, including variations of the N-word used more than 400 times. Knowledge of the chat’s existence was revealed on the same day that Republican lawmakers in Florida pushed forward a bill to rename a one-mile stretch of road alongside FIU in honor of Kirk.
William Bejerano, who the Herald noted once tried to start an anti-abortion group at Miami Dade College, was the most prolific user of the N-word. Using the slur, Bejerano called for dozens of acts of extreme violence against Black people, including crucifying, beheading and dissecting.
Dariel Gonzalez, then the College Republicans’ recruitment chair, who has recently applied to become a GOP committee member, responded to the calls for violence by saying: “How edgy.” He repeatedly used “colored” to describe Black people, including writing: “Ew you had colored professors?!” and “Avoid the coloreds like the plague,” according to the Herald.
Carvajal, who was appointed to a two-year role on the city of Hialeah’s planning and zoning board earlier this year, confirmed to the paper that the group chat was his doing, but he denied knowledge of the problematic comments until the publication contacted him about its logs last week.
“It’s been five months since this was sent and this is the first time I’ve seen this message,” Carvajal told the Herald.
“I guess to an extent, I bear some responsibility, cause I created a chat. But if I had seen this at the moment, I would have removed [Bejerano] from the chat. I probably would have even blocked his number.”
The Herald found that Carvajal had deleted 14 messages sent by other participants in the chat and 42 of his own messages before the publication obtained the chat’s logs.
He also participated in some of the racist discussions. While referring to a Black student who allegedly left FIU’s College Republicans after a member of the group “called her a [N-word]”, the Floridian reported that Carvajal wrote: “Why didn’t miggress leave?” Elsewhere in the chat, the publication reported that Carvajal used “Miggress”, “Migglet” and “Migger” to refer to Black women, Black children and Black people, in general.
At one point, Gonzalez wrote: “You can fuck all the [K-word, a slur for Jewish people] you want. Just don’t marry them and procreate.”
Ian Valdes, the Turning Point USA FIU chapter president, responded, “I would def not marry a Jew,” before changing the group chat’s name from “Uber [R-word slur for disabled people] Yapping” to “Gooning in Agartha”. “Gooning” is a gen-Z slang term for male masturbation, while “Agartha” is a mythical white civilization promoted by Heinrich Himmler, one of the most powerful leaders in Nazi Germany next to Hitler.
Gonzalez reportedly described Agartha to the group chat as “Nazi heaven sort of”.
Kevin Cooper, the first Jewish chair of the Miami Dade Republican party, condemned the group chat in a statement published to X and called for Carvajal’s resignation.
“The majority of our board voted to request Carvajal’s resignation. We have commenced removal proceedings and look forward to resolution from the Republican Party of Florida,” he wrote.
That call was echoed by Juan Porras, a Republican state representative and Miami-Dade GOP state committee member, who said in a statement: “Leadership carries responsibility. When someone in a leadership role engages in this kind of behavior, it damages the trust placed in our party by voters across Florida. For that reason, I am asking the Miami Dade Republican party secretary to step down from this position.”
In a joint statement, Florida Republican state senators Alexis Calatayud, Ileana Garcia and Ana Maria Rodriguez denounced the chats and called for the expulsion from party leadership of its participants.
“The individuals in the group chat have exposed how profoundly misaligned their beliefs are to the views of the Republican party of Florida,” their statement said. “We call for the immediate expulsion of the individuals disseminating from any level of leadership of the Miami-Dade Republican Party … We will not tolerate bigotry or discrimination.”
Multiple leaked group chats from young Republicans have created controversy in recent years.
Last year, Politico published messages from a group chat of more than 100 conservatives across the country in which users also made racist and antisemitic comments. In 2022, a Young Republican group chat from North Dakota was revealed as a cesspool of homophobic and antisemitic rhetoric.
Florida
Federal judge blocks DeSantis executive order declaring CAIR a 'terrorist organization'
Florida
Gas prices rise in South Florida amid U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, as the stock market also reports a dip
Four days into the Iranian conflict, gas prices are rising at many stations in South Florida.
“I’ve traveled all over the United States,” says Stacey Williams. CBS Miami spoke to him as he was gassing up on the turnpike. He paid $66 for 20 gallons of diesel to fill his pickup truck. Williams has noted the fluctuations in fuel as he drives to locations for his work on turbines. He just spent three weeks at the Turkey Point Nuclear Power Plant south of Miami.
“The salary we get paid per hour does not add up to what we pay for gas, housing, and food,” he says.
Mitchell Gershon is also dealing with the higher gas prices. He has to fill three vehicles constantly for his business—Thrifty Gypsy, a pop-up store at musical venues. He’s back and forth from Orlando to Miami and says fuel is costing him 20% more. When asked how he handles these fluctuations, he said, “Have a little backup cash so you are ready for it.”
The rise in oil prices contributed to a drop in the stock market on Tuesday, which means some retirement accounts dipped, too. CBS Miami talked to Chad NeSmith, director of investments at Tobias Financial Advisors in Plantation, for perspective on the drop.
“We are seeing most of the pullback today. Yesterday was a shock,” he says. He’s not expecting runaway oil prices but says investors should stay in the loop: “Pay attention to your portfolio. Stick to your goals. Have a plan because these things are completely unpredictable.”
That unpredictability has Williams adjusting his budget. “You just cut back, cut corners, all you can do,” he says.
-
World1 week agoExclusive: DeepSeek withholds latest AI model from US chipmakers including Nvidia, sources say
-
Wisconsin4 days agoSetting sail on iceboats across a frozen lake in Wisconsin
-
Massachusetts1 week agoMother and daughter injured in Taunton house explosion
-
Maryland5 days agoAM showers Sunday in Maryland
-
Massachusetts3 days agoMassachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks
-
Florida5 days agoFlorida man rescued after being stuck in shoulder-deep mud for days
-
Denver, CO1 week ago10 acres charred, 5 injured in Thornton grass fire, evacuation orders lifted
-
Oregon6 days ago2026 OSAA Oregon Wrestling State Championship Results And Brackets – FloWrestling