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Florida Democrats choose Nikki Fried to lead party after ‘horrific November’

Source image: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-democrats-choose-nikki-fried-lead-party-horrific-november

Florida Democrats hoping a change in leadership can turn around statewide election losses, chose former gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried to be their next chair.

Democratic executive committee members elected Fried in a four-way contest with former state Sen. Annette Taddeo, Broward Democratic Party Chairman Rick Hoye and Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida Legislative Committee Chairwoman Carolina Ampudia in an election on Saturday.

Fried acknowledged a “horrific November election” in Florida but assured her supporters she had a “plan for success.”

“You better believe we are going to take it to [Florida Gov.] Ron DeSantis every damn day,” she said.

DESANTIS RACKS UP WINS WHILE TRUMP, POTENTIAL 2024 OPPONENTS TAKE SWIPES AT FLORIDA GOVERNOR

Former Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried was elected as chair of the Florida Democratic Party on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, beating former State Sen. Annette Taddeo, in Orlando, Florida. 

Former Agricultural Commissioner Nikki Fried was elected as chair of the Florida Democratic Party on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, beating former State Sen. Annette Taddeo, in Orlando, Florida.  (Steven Lemongello/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

The election was prompted after former party chair Manny Diaz, a former Miami Mayor, resigned last month.

Following her victory, Fried told an exuberant room they would increase “low dollar donations” in the next election cycle and would launch a major contest against Ron DeSantis, who she also referred to as a “zealous fascist dictator.”

“When we are showing success, when we are showing that we got a plan for success, the donors will be here,” said Fried.

DESANTIS KICKS OFF PRO-POLICE TOUR IN DEMOCRAT-RUN CITIES AS WHITE HOUSE RUMORS SWIRL

Florida Democrats cheer after electing former Agricultural Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried as chair of the state party on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. 

Florida Democrats cheer after electing former Agricultural Commissioner and gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried as chair of the state party on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023, in Orlando, Florida.  (Steven Lemongello/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Christian Ziegler, the newly-elected chair of the Republican Party of Florida, told Politico that Fried will have to start her chairmanship ‘by convincing the 65 percent of Democrats who rejected her just months ago.”

“The losing by Democrats will continue and Florida will better because of it,” Ziegler added.

The Florida Democratic Party congratulated Fried on her victory Saturday and said it looks “forward to working together to elect Democrats up and down the ballot to deliver for Floridians.”

DESANTIS SLIGHTLY EDGES TRUMP AS PREFERRED LEADER OF REPUBLICAN PARTY: POLL

Fried, who formerly served as Florida’s agriculture commissioner, joined the Democratic primary field in the 2022 gubernatorial race. In August, she lost to Charlie Crist, who went on to lose in the general election.

DeSantis won the contest by over 19 points.

The state Democratic Party suffered heavy losses across the state as well.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 20: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves at Prive catering hall on February 20, 2023 in the Staten Island borough of New York City. 

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – FEBRUARY 20: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis waves at Prive catering hall on February 20, 2023 in the Staten Island borough of New York City.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

In 2022, Republicans picked up nine seats in Florida’s state legislature — going from 76 seats to 85. All 120 members were up for election.

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Democrats lost seven of those seats, dropping from 42 seats to 35. Two pickups were from vacancies.

That same election, Democrats lost four seats in the Florida state Senate — falling from 16 to just 12. All 40 seats were up for election.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/florida-democrats-choose-nikki-fried-lead-party-horrific-november

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A look at Donald Trump’s arraignment schedule ahead of Tuesday court appearance

Law enforcement officials have worked out the details of how former President Trump will be escorted to his alleged hush money scandal-related arraignment on Tuesday.

A source told Fox News that Trump is expected to arrive at the 100 Centre Street courthouse in New York City at around 11 a.m. on Tuesday morning. 

The arraignment – which is expected to last 15 to 30 minutes – is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. before Judge Juan Merchan. The security detail will be extensive, with officials expecting to magnetically search everyone in the courthouse twice.

No other business will be done at the courthouse until the arraignment concludes. The entire building will be cleared and inspected to ensure safety.

TRUMP INDICTED AFTER MANHATTAN DA PROBE FOR HUSH MONEY PAYMENTS

Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on Aug. 10, 2022, in New York City. 

Former U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Trump Tower on Aug. 10, 2022, in New York City.  (James Devaney/GC Images)

For security reasons, there is not expected to be a “perp walk” or public arrival by the former president. Trump will also likely not be arrested in handcuffs, as his legal team made an arrangement with the DA’s office.

Judge Juan Merchan, who previously oversaw the case and trial of the Trump Organization and its former CFO Allen Weisselberg, is expected to read Trump’s charges and ask him to enter his plea. Trump will be escorted out after.

The details of the indictment have not been released, as they typically remain under seal before the arraignment takes place. The charges are expected to relate to Trump’s 2016 alleged hush money scandal, which the DA’s office has been investigating for five years.

TRUMP TARGETED: A LOOK AT THE INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING THE FORMER PRESIDENT; FROM RUSSIA TO MAR-A-LAGO

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the American Freedom Tour at the Austin Convention Center on May 14, 2022 in Austin, Texas.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during the American Freedom Tour at the Austin Convention Center on May 14, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

If the charges relate to the hush money scandal, prosecutors are expected to argue that the $130,000 sum given to Stormy Daniels and the $150,000 given to former Playboy model Karen McDougal were improper donations to the Trump campaign, which helped his candidacy during the 2016 election.

The former president has expressed his disapproval of the indictment by DA Alvin Bragg, saying it is politically motivated.

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District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference to discuss the charges against Steve Bannon in New York on September 8, 2022. 

District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference to discuss the charges against Steve Bannon in New York on September 8, 2022.  (Alex Kent/AFP via Getty Images))

“This is Political Persecution and Election Interference at the highest level in history,” Trump said in a statement. “From the time I came down the golden escalator at Trump Tower, and even before I was sworn in as your President of the United States, the Radical Left Democrats- the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this Country- have been engaged in a Witch-Hunt to destroy the Make America Great Again movement.”

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House Republicans accuse NIH of ‘stonewalling’ on ‘supercharged monkeypox experiment’

House Republicans are pressing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for answers after the agency funded research experiments they say could result in a “supercharged” monkeypox virus

In a letter to acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., and two subcommittee chairmen are demanding that the agency turn over documents and information regarding a government-funded experiment that reportedly involves swapping monkepox genes with a deadlier version of the virus. The lawmakers want to know whether this project was approved by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) review board tasked with oversight of research involving enhanced pathogens that could potentially cause a pandemic. 

This letter is a follow-up to an October 31, 2022, letter to which Republicans say the NIH never responded. GOP lawmakers accused NIH of “stonewalling” in a press release. 

“Based on the available information, it appears the project is reasonably anticipated to yield a lab-generated monkeypox virus that is 1,000 times more lethal in mice than the monkeypox virus currently circulating in humans and that transmits as efficiently as the monkeypox virus currently circulating in humans. The risk-benefit ratio indicates potentially serious risks without clear civilian practical applications,” the Republicans wrote. 

FORMER CDC DIRECTOR SLAMS GAIN-OF-FUNCTION RESEARCH: ‘PROBABLY CAUSED THE GREATEST PANDEMIC’ IN HISTORY

This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. 

This image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) shows a colorized transmission electron micrograph of monkeypox particles (red) found within an infected cell (blue), cultured in the laboratory that was captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland.  (NIAID via AP, File)

“Accordingly, this experiment would seem to involve risks reasonably anticipated to create, transfer, or use [potential pandemic pathogens] resulting from the enhancement of a pathogen’s transmissibility or virulence in humans. Thus, under the circumstances, we are interested in learning whether this experiment was reviewed under the HHS P3CO framework used to review research proposals posing significant biosafety or biosecurity risks.” 

The project leader is Dr. Bernard Moss, a veteran poxvirus researcher at the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. An article in Science magazine described his efforts to learn the differences between two variants of monkeypox virus: clade 2, the West African variant that caused a global outbreak last year, and clade 1, which is believed to be deadlier and has caused outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo for decades. 

Moss’ research involves swapping the genes of the two variants, one at a time, to discover whether a specific gene in the clade 1 virus makes it deadlier. The Republicans want to know whether these lab experiments could artificially enhance the clade 2 variant. 

AFRICA’S CDC HOPES MPOX VACCINES WILL ARRIVE IN ‘ANOTHER TWO WEEKS,’ AFTER MONTHS OF SEEKING DOSES

This 1997 image provided by the CDC during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire, depicts the dorsal surfaces of the hands of a monkeypox case patient, who was displaying the appearance of the characteristic rash during its recuperative stage. 

This 1997 image provided by the CDC during an investigation into an outbreak of monkeypox, which took place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), formerly Zaire, depicts the dorsal surfaces of the hands of a monkeypox case patient, who was displaying the appearance of the characteristic rash during its recuperative stage.  (CDC via AP, File)

Such research, known as “gain-of-function,” is highly controversial, because it involves extracting viruses from animals to artificially engineer in a laboratory to make them more transmissible and deadly to humans. Proponents say these experiments can help scientists understand the nature of viruses and develop new treatments and vaccines. Skeptics warn that gain-of-function experiments are one lab accident away from causing another global pandemic

Moss did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

FOX NEWS POLL: MAJORITY SAYS BIDEN TRYING TO COVER UP ORIGINS OF COVID-19

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led a letter to acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak demanding answers on a government-funded project involving a manipulated monkeypox virus. 

Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, led a letter to acting NIH Director Lawrence Tabak demanding answers on a government-funded project involving a manipulated monkeypox virus.  (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“Human disease associated with clade 2 or West African monkeypox virus infection is less severe and is associated with less than one percent mortality, whereas clade 1 or Congo Basin monkeypox infection has a 10 percent case fatality rate in unvaccinated persons,” the Republicans wrote. “Because of its significantly greater lethality, clade 1 or Congo Basin clade monkeypox viruses are regulated as select agents by the Federal Select Agents Program. Entities that possess, use, or transfer this agent must comply with the HHS Select Agent and Toxin Regulations unless there is an applicable exemption or exclusion. 

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“Thus,” the letter continues, “under these regulations, it would appear the clade 1 monkeypox virus experiment is a restricted experiment that must be reviewed by the Federal Select Agent Program, and may be further reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‘s (CDC’s) Intragovernmental Select Agents and Toxins Technical Advisory Committee (ISATTAC).” 

The Republicans want NIH officials and employees to testify about Moss’ project and other related matters. They gave NIH an April 13, 2023, deadline to respond to their inquiry. 

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DeSantis targets Biden in swing state Pennsylvania, says Democratic Party ‘dead’ in Florida

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took multiple jabs at President Biden on Saturday during a stump speech in Pennsylvania.

DeSantis, speaking at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference 2023, called Biden a “floundering leader” and said the president’s poor performance contributed to Republican gains. 

“We are in the highest percentage of the vote that any Republican candidate for governor has ever received in the history of the state of Florida,” DeSantis told the audience. “We were able to flip Democrat counties or urban counties like Miami-Dade County. And not only did we flip it, we won it by double digits.”

DISNEY THWARTS DESANTIS’ OVERSIGHT BOARD TAKEOVER USING BIZARRE LEGAL TIE TO KING CHARLES III OF ENGLAND

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference. (Screenshot/)

“It’s been a massive defeat for the Democratic Party,” the Florida governor said. “They did not want to see Florida go red. They threw everything but the kitchen sink to stop us. And yet, we have left the Democratic Party for dead in the state of Florida.”

The Florida governor has been walking a political tightrope for months as he refuses to officially declare his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.

At the same time, he has butted heads with both the Biden administration and former President Donald Trump’s campaign — both of whom view him as a rival for the presidency.

TRUMP ALLIES STEP UP ATTACKS ON DESANTIS AHEAD OF 2024: ‘HE’S NOT READY TO BE PRESIDENT’

In speeches this year, the governor has pitched his numerous conservative policy victories in Florida as a roadmap for the entire nation. 

Sources in DeSantis’ wider orbit have said that any presidential campaign launch would come in the late spring or early summer, after the end of Florida’s current legislative session. 

However, the governor’s recent stops in the early-voting states of Iowa and Nevada and a trip next month to New Hampshire are sparking more 2024 speculation.

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President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touring an area impacted by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, in October 2022.

President Biden and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touring an area impacted by Hurricane Ian in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, in October 2022. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

DeSantis said earlier this week that his state “will not assist” in any extradition request by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg amid what he called “questionable circumstances” while slamming the charges against Trump as “un-American” and a “weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda.” 

The former president and 2024 Republican presidential candidate was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on Thursday after a years-long investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.

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