Southeast
'Show of force': Trump ally kicking off campaign in race to succeed Florida Gov DeSantis
GOP Rep. Byron Donalds formally launches his campaign for Florida governor on Friday with what is being billed as a hometown kickoff rally.
The conservative lawmaker, who has represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District in the southwest part of the state for four years, is currently the only major Republican to jump into the 2026 race to succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Donalds, a staunch supporter and ally of President Donald Trump, announced his candidacy during an appearance on Fox News’ “Hannity” late last month, days after landing the president’s endorsement.
Additionally, two MAGA world rock-stars – Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, and Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and commentator who leads the powerful Turning Point USA youth organization – have recorded videos for Donalds’ campaign kick-off, sources tell Fox News. Conservative commentator Benny Johnson will speak in person at the event.
FIRST ON FOX: LEADING CONSERVATIVE GROUP BACKS DONALDS IN FLORIDA
Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida, during the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2025. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The campaign event, in Bonita Springs, comes as Florida first lady Casey DeSantis has acknowledged she is considering a 2026 gubernatorial run to succeed her husband in Tallahassee.
“I think what you’ll see is a show of force and I think the support and the momentum that Bryon is generating across the state, whether it’s fundraising or grassroots support, will be evident,” veteran Republican strategist and Florida native Stephen Lawson told Fox News.
WHAT BYRON DONALDS TOLD FOX NEWS’ LARA TRUMP
Lawson – who served as an adviser to DeSantis as well as his predecessor in Tallahassee, former governor and current Sen. Rick Scott – emphasized that “with President Trump’s backing, Donalds is the person to beat in this race.”
DeSantis has repeatedly touted his wife’s accomplishments as Florida first lady and framed her as a worthy successor.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife, first lady Casey DeSantis, celebrate his victory over Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rep. Charlie Crist during an election night watch party at the Tampa Convention Center on Nov. 8, 2022 in Tampa, Florida. (Octavio Jones/Getty Images)
Additionally, Casey DeSantis, late last month, stoked speculation when asked by reporters if she would run.
“To quote the late Yogi Berra,” DeSantis said as she reiterated a famous line from the late baseball legend. “If you see a fork in the road, take it.”
The governor then quipped to reporters that “you guys can read into that what you will.”
RON AND CASEY DESANTIS TEE OFF WITH TRUMP AS FLORIDA GOVERNOR’S RACE HEATS UP
When asked this month at the National Review Institute’s Ideas Summit in National Harbor, Maryland, if she might launch a campaign, Casey DeSantis said “we’ll see.”
Sources last month confirmed to Fox News that the governor has been reaching out to donors on behalf of his wife.
Casey DeSantis, Florida’s first lady, during a campaign event for her husband, Gov. Ron DeSantis, in Atlantic, Iowa, on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The next campaign cash filing deadline in the Florida governor’s race comes at midnight Monday, and a source in the congressman’s political orbit predicted to Fox News that Donalds would “easily eclipse” the $1 million DeSantis raised in his first month as a gubernatorial candidate in his successful 2018 campaign to succeed Scott as governor.
“I think he’s going to show a really strong fundraising number,” added another Florida-based Republican strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely.
Donalds has been complimentary of Gov. DeSantis.
“We have a great governor,”Donalds said last month in his “Hannity” interview. “Ron DeSantis has done a tremendous job for our state. But now the job is to keep the best state in the country as the best state in the country. And so that’s going to be the mission at hand.”
Rep. Byron Donalds speaks inside the Capital One arena at an event for President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2025. (REUTERS/Mike Segar)
A GOP strategist who has long worked on Florida races said he thinks Donalds “has been really careful to be kumbaya with the governor and Casey. I think you’ve seen that from his messaging… He wants to build on the conservative record of success in Florida while also forging his own path.”
However, the source added that Donalds will use Friday’s campaign kickoff to “put a marker down to show that this is his race to win.”
An internal poll conducted earlier this month for Donalds’ campaign indicated the congressman edging Casey DeSantis by single digits in a hypothetical GOP primary showdown. However, the survey suggested that Donalds’ lead surged to more than 20 points when respondents were informed that he is supported by Trump, whose sway over the GOP is stronger than ever.
Florida used to be the nation’s top general election battleground state, but it has dramatically swung to the right in the past couple of election cycles. DeSantis won his 2022 re-election by nearly 20 points, and Trump carried the state last November by 13 points.
With Florida now clearly a red state, the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary will be considered the favorite in next year’s general election.
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Southeast
Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’
MAHA eyes SNAP, school lunch restrictions for junk food
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the Trump administration’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ initiative, detailing new efforts to restrict ultra-processed foods in school lunches and limiting SNAP benefit purchases.
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An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.
The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”
“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.
Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.
The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”
Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.
They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.
The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)
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The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”
“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”
Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”
Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)
“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.
It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.
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Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
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Southeast
Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges
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A federal prosecutor acknowledged Thursday that the decision to charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia two years after a routine traffic stop was “extraordinary” while defending the human smuggling case as legally justified.
Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flash point in the national immigration debate since last March, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.”
The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S.
After returning in June, Abrego Garcia was taken into federal custody in Nashville and detained on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.
He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, are accompanied by Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, right, of We Are Casa, as they leave the federal courthouse, Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
A 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Abrego Garcia was accused in court records of repeated domestic violence against his wife, who alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse in protective order filings. She later withdrew the protective order request and has defended her husband publicly.
The Department of Homeland Security has also said he was living in the U.S. illegally and has alleged ties to MS-13, disputing portrayals of him as simply a “Maryland man.” His attorneys have denied the gang allegations.
Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera footage from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding shows a calm exchange with officers. While officers discussed suspicions of smuggling among themselves — noting there were nine passengers in the vehicle — Abrego Garcia was issued only a warning.
TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES
A woman holds a sign in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. District Court in Nashville. (Getty Images )
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who was acting U.S. attorney in April 2025, testified Thursday that his decision to charge Abrego Garcia was based on the evidence.
“I had previously prosecuted several human smuggling cases,” McGuire said, noting that after seeing video of the traffic stop, “I was immediately struck by how similar what was being depicted in the body cam was to those investigations.”
McGuire said Abrego Garcia’s vehicle belonged to someone with “a human smuggling background” and added that the route was “suspicious.”
“It was a large number of individuals traveling in one SUV with a driver who spoke for the group. No one had luggage… the car had Texas plates… the route was suspicious,” McGuire said.
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Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrived at the federal courthouse, Thursday, for a hearing on whether the charges against him should be dismissed. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
During cross-examination, McGuire acknowledged that the timing of the charges, coming so long after the traffic stop, was “extraordinary.”
He said he had not previously been aware of the traffic stop but reiterated that nobody in the Trump administration, including the White House or the Department of Justice, pressured him to seek the indictment.
When asked about whether he might have felt pressure to prosecute the case, McGuire said, “I’m not going to do something that is wrong to keep my job.”
DHS OFFICIAL RIPS KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FOR ‘MAKING TIKTOKS’ WHILE AGENCY FACES GAG ORDER
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, and his brother Cesar Abrego Garcia, center, arrive at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
McGuire also said timing factored into charging Abrego Garcia since he was being held in El Salvador, and he did not want the indictment to go public before all senior officials were briefed on the matter.
“I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a controversial matter,” McGuire said.
U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw did not make a ruling Thursday and said he would wait to receive post-hearing briefs from attorneys by March 5 before determining whether another hearing is necessary.
Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution “may be vindictive” and that prior statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”
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Thursday’s court appearance came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from re-arresting Abrego Garcia into federal immigration custody on Feb. 17.
Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Southeast
GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’
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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced a bill to authorize the death penalty as a potential punishment for the sexual abuse of children.
“We have zero mercy for child rapists. Those who prey on our most vulnerable deserve the harshest consequence we can deliver,” Mace said in a statement.
The proposal is aptly called the “Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act.”
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announces she will run for South Carolina governor during a press conference at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, on Aug. 4, 2025. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
“No predator should be allowed to walk away from the most unthinkable crimes against children,” Mace noted.
“This bill is simple. Rape a child and you don’t get a second chance, you get the death penalty. We will never apologize for protecting America’s children,” Mace added.
The bill would put capital punishment on the table as an option to punish those who sexually abuse children.
REP NANCY MACE SLAPS DOWN EARLY RETIREMENT RUMOR: ‘BIG FAT NO FROM ME’
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., attends the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“INTRODUCING: The Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act to amend Title 18 to authorize the death penalty for aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact offenses against children. It will also amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to authorize the death penalty for the rape of a child,” she said in a post on X.
“We’ve spent months fighting to expose Jeffrey Epstein’s network of powerful predators. We’ve demanded accountability and pushed for transparency. Now we’re making sure anyone who rapes a child faces the ultimate consequence,” she noted.
Mace has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021.
NANCY MACE CLAIMS NANCY PELOSI ‘WAS A MORE EFFECTIVE HOUSE SPEAKER THAN ANY REPUBLICAN THIS CENTURY’
She is one of the candidates currently running in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary.
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