Florida
Florida one step closer to putting Trump’s name on Palm Beach International Airport
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Florida lawmakers are one step closer to renaming Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump.
The Republican-led Florida House voted 81-30 in support of the name change to “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.” A similar bill moved to the Senate floor after it cleared the state’s Rules Committee.
The legislation was filed by State Rep. Meg Weinberger and would give Florida control over renaming major airports, including the name change at Palm Beach International.
Attorneys for Trump recently filed to trademark “Donald J. Trump International Airport” and “DJT,” according to new filings with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Usually, having a trademark allows the holder to license its use for a fee, but Trump’s trademark attorney said that isn’t what is happening.
WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA – JANUARY 19: U.S. President Donald Trump (L) talks with reporters as U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (R) looks on at Palm Beach International Airport on January 19, 2026 in West Palm Beach, Florida. President Trump attended this year’s college football national championship game at Hard Rock Stadium between the Indiana Hoosiers and the Miami Hurricanes. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Michael Santucci, of Fort Lauderdale-based 500Law, told USA TODAY the president is “protecting his legal rights to prevent bad actors from misusing the most infringed trademark in the world.”
“To be clear, the president and his family will not receive any royalty, licensing fee, or financial consideration whatsoever from the proposed airport renaming,” Santucci told USA TODAY. “The Trump Organization is, and always has been, willing to provide this right to his hometown county at no charge.”
Santucci told the outlet that Trump is honored by the potential airport renaming.
The name change would be subject to approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as an agreement between Palm Beach County and the trademark holder authorizing the commercial use of the name.
Trump regularly travels from Washington, D.C., to spend the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago Golf Club. Trump and Air Force One land at Palm Beach International for those weekend trips.
In January, President Trump attended a ceremony at Mar-a-Lago, where the segment of Southern Boulevard between Kirk Road and South Ocean Boulevard — covering the highly visible route from Palm Beach International Airport to Mar-a-Lago, was renamed “President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.”
I love the people of Florida, I love the entire Palm Beach area. I’ve been here for a long time and I want to thank you all for being here. I’ll remember this amazing gesture for the rest of my life,” he said.
There is also a proposal before Congress to rename D.C.’s Dulles Airport “Donald J. Trump International Airport.”
In a Truth Social post this week, Trump said he did not suggest renaming New York’s Penn Station after himself, after reports that union officials and politicians suggested the change.
In December, a unanimous vote by the board formally changed the name of the Kennedy Center to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Florida
FBI says suspects tried to rob Offset outside a Florida casino when he was shot in the leg
The rapper Offset was ambushed by a “large group” of people who tried to rob him outside a Florida casino last week when he was shot in the leg, the FBI said Tuesday.
Federal investigators said that they are still searching for the suspects who assaulted Offset last Monday night outside of Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, just north of Miami. Throughout the assault, a single shot was fired into Offset’s leg before an unsuccessful attempt to remove the rapper’s watch, the statement said. Offset, who rose to fame as part of the influential hip-hop trio Migos, was hospitalized for a couple of days, but swiftly returned to the stage at a performance at a music festival at the University of Arkansas on Saturday.
The suspects fled the scene in two Chevrolet SUVs that went in separate directions: A black Suburban that fled towards Hollywood, Florida, and a Tahoe that fled southbound towards Miami.
Following the shooting, officers detained two people, but law enforcement hasn’t shared evidence to directly tying either one to the shooting.
One of the people detained was rapper Lil Tjay, born Tione Jayden Merritt. He was arrested in connection with an altercation that occurred before the shooting, the Seminole Police Department in Florida said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license. His lawyer, Dawn M. Florio, told The Associated Press last week that Lil Tjay did not have a gun and was not charged with any weapons or gun-related crimes. He was swiftly released after posting bond.
Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, launched his career with Migos, one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time. The Atlanta trio is celebrated for their rapid-fire triplet flow, an often-imitated delivery that changed the trajectory of trap.
The group had several multiplatinum selling singles, including “Bad and Boujee,” which went No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Stir Fry,” and “Narcos.” Migos released four full-length albums across their career.
More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.
Florida
Florida teenager charged with sexually assaulting and killing stepsister Anna Kepner on cruise ship
A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the 6 November death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival cruise ship, the US justice department said Monday.
Timothy Hudson was initially charged in February and subsequently indicted on 10 March. But the breadth of the case was not known until a seal was lifted Friday, weeks after US district judge Beth Bloom in Miami said he would be prosecuted as an adult at the request of the government.
Anna Kepner, Hudson’s stepsister, had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship with her family. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with two other teens, including the younger stepbrother.
The cause of Kepner’s death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.
Email and voicemail messages seeking comment from Hudson’s attorneys about the charges were not immediately returned Monday. Hudson, whose name was disclosed through his signature on documents filed in federal court, has remained free in the care of an uncle since his arrest in February.
Kepner’s father, Christopher Kepner, released a statement, saying the family was placing “trust in the justice system to pursue the truth with care and integrity”.
“At the same time, we are deeply troubled that, despite the seriousness of the charges, he has not been taken into custody,” Kepner said. “The situation is deeply painful and complex for the entire family.”
In a written statement, US attorney Jason Reding Quiñones said, “Our hearts go out to the victim’s family during this unimaginable loss. A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging serious offenses that allegedly occurred aboard a vessel in international waters.”
Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian school in Titusville, Florida, about 40 miles (65 kilometres) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul”.
Teens are rarely prosecuted in federal court. Hudson pleaded not guilty when he was initially charged in February, though the proceedings were not public because of his age – and neither were court documents. He was seen at the courthouse wearing a ball cap and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face.
A judge on 6 February said Hudson must wear an electronic tether while living with an uncle. The order was changed to allow him to join his father for a few days recently at a landscaping business, newly unsealed court records show.
Prosecutors objected to Hudson’s release, citing dangerousness, and asked a judge Monday to revisit that order now that he has been charged as an adult. Defense lawyers were given a week to respond.
“He committed these crimes against a victim with whom he had no apparent relational strife, and whom he was being raised to view as a sibling,” assistant US attorney Alejandra López said in a court filing.
Florida
16-year-old from Florida charged with sexually assaulting, killing stepsister on Carnival Cruise ship
MIAMI – A 16-year-old boy has been charged with murder and aggravated sexual abuse in Florida in the death of his 18-year-old stepsister on a Carnival Cruise ship, the U.S. Justice Department said Monday.
The teen, identified by the government as T.H., was initially charged as a juvenile on Feb. 2, but the case was sealed until U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom ordered that he would be prosecuted as an adult, the department said.
An email and voicemail seeking comment from T.H.’s lawyer about the indictment were not immediately returned.
Anna Kepner had been traveling on the Carnival Horizon ship in November with her family. Before the ship was scheduled to return to Florida, her body was found concealed under a bed in a room she was sharing with two other teens, including the younger stepbrother.
The cause of Kepner’s Nov. 6 death was determined to be mechanical asphyxia, which is when an object or physical force stops someone from breathing.
Kepner was a high school cheerleader at Temple Christian School in Titusville, Florida, some 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Orlando. At her memorial service in November, family members encouraged people to wear bright colors instead of the traditional black “in honor of Anna’s bright and beautiful soul.”
Teens prosecuted in federal court are extremely rare. T.H. was seen at the Miami courthouse on Feb. 6, wearing a ball cap and a hoodie pulled tightly around his face. But his status at that time was not fully known because his age barred public disclosures by his lawyer, the government or the court.
Experts believe the case is in federal court, and not a state court where teens are commonly prosecuted, because Kepner died in international waters.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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