Barack Obama

Alleged Chicago Bombing Targets Included Obama Campaign HQ, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's House

Nick R. Martin | May 19, 2012, 4:12PM

President Barack Obama meets alone with Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in the Oval Office on his first full day in office on Jan. 21, 2009.

Prosecutors said on Saturday that a trio of protestors arrested this week in Chicago were allegedly planning to target President Obama's campaign headquarters, Mayor Rahm Emanuel's house and some of the city's financial institutions with homemade bombs in a series of attacks timed to coincide with this weekend's NATO summit there.

Court documents posted online by the Chicago Tribune said the three men were anarchists who traveled together from Florida to Chicago to carry out the attacks and hoped to recruit as many as 16 people to help.

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Trayvon Martin

Documents Show Cops Believed Trayvon Martin Killing Was 'Ultimately Avoidable'

Nick R. Martin | May 17, 2012, 8:28PM

Trayvon Martin (left), George Zimmerman (Right)

The killing of Trayvon Martin was "ultimately avoidable" if George Zimmerman had just stayed in his vehicle instead of pursuing the unarmed teen, Florida police investigators concluded in one of a series of reports on the case released late Thursday.

Instead, the Sanford Police Department investigators wrote, Zimmerman confronted the teen, ended up in a struggle and eventually shot him in the chest. In the end, Martin was dead and police were recommending the neighborhood watchman be brought up on a criminal charge of manslaughter.

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George Zimmerman

Donations To George Zimmerman's Defense Fund Slow In Trayvon Martin Case

Nick R. Martin | May 17, 2012, 5:37PM

George Zimmerman talks to his attorney Mark O'Mara during his bond hearing for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester's courtroom in Sanford, Fla. Friday, April 20, 2012.

Donations to George Zimmerman's defense fund have slowed considerably since his attorneys forced him to shut down his old website last month and opened a new one in his name days later.

The man charged with second-degree murder in the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin had managed on his own to raise more than $200,000 in just a few weeks using a crudely built website and a PayPal account.

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White Supremacist Groups

Missouri National Guard Investigates Another Soldier's Alleged Racist Ties

Nick R. Martin | May 17, 2012, 4:50AM

For the second time this year, officials with the Missouri National Guard are investigating whether a white supremacist has been serving in their midst.

In March, officials accused a Missouri guardsman of participating in neo-Nazi activities while also serving in the military's honor guard, which routinely helped pay last respects at funerals for veterans who fought in WWII. The sergeant was fired from the honor guard after former coworkers said he kept a picture of Adolf Hitler in his living room and tried to recruit them to the white supremacist movement.

Now, the military is investigating whether another guardsman, an Iraq War veteran, might have traveled to Florida to train a group of white supremacists who were accused earlier this month of planning to start a race war and arrested as part of a domestic terrorism probe.

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White Supremacist Groups

White Supremacist Leader, Crew Nabbed In Fla. Terror Probe

Nick R. Martin | May 8, 2012, 5:39PM

Accused members of American Front white supremacist group, arrested in Osceola County, Florida. From top left, clockwise: Dustin Perry, Diane Stevens, Christopher Brooks, Richard Stockdale, Jennifer McGowan, Paul Jackson, Mark McGowan, Kent McLellan, Marcus Faella, Patricia Faella. (Osceola County Corrections Department)

The race war, he believed, was coming. So Florida white supremacist leader Marcus Faella instructed his followers over the past two years to prepare for it.

The preparations, according to law enforcement documents made public this week, included stockpiling weapons, experimenting with the creation of ricin and plotting some sort of "disturbance" on Orlando City Hall.

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George Zimmerman

Unearthed: George Zimmerman's MySpace Page

Nick R. Martin | May 2, 2012, 12:11PM

George Zimmerman shown with an unidentified woman in a photo posted to his old MySpace page, with the caption 'me and my G baby.'

This is George Zimmerman's MySpace page. Years before he stood at the center of an international storm over the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin, the Florida man used his page to complain about "mexicans" and celebrate a victory in a criminal case against him.

Today, it remains a small window into the life of a man who has gone into hiding while he awaits trial on a second-degree murder charge. Showing him with a history of relationships with people of multiple races, it also complicates the image critics have painted of him being a racist.

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George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman Hires Ex-IRS Agent To Watch His Money

Nick R. Martin | May 1, 2012, 6:03PM

George Zimmerman

The lawyer for the man accused of killing unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin announced on Tuesday a former IRS agent has been hired to oversee his client's defense fund.

Last week, attorney Mark O'Mara revealed that his client, George Zimmerman, managed to raise more than $200,000 in just a few weeks using a crudely built website and a PayPal account to take donations for his defense in a case that has drawn international attention.

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Trayvon Martin

How George Zimmerman's Prosecutors Missed A $200,000 Opportunity

Nick R. Martin | April 27, 2012, 5:41PM

George Zimmerman (left)

Florida prosecutors said on Friday they were surprised to learn that George Zimmerman had raised more than $200,000 for his own defense in the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

But a week ago, those same prosecutors had a chance to grill Zimmerman and his family about the fund and mostly took a pass.

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George Zimmerman

Zimmerman Raised More Than $200,000 For His Own Defense In Trayvon Martin Killing

Nick R. Martin | April 26, 2012, 9:14PM

George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman raised more than $200,000 to defend himself in the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Attorney Mark O'Mara gave the figure in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, which was set to be broadcast Thursday night.

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George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman Ditches Defense Website In Trayvon Martin Killing Case

Nick R. Martin | April 26, 2012, 12:25PM

George Zimmerman talks to his attorney Mark O'Mara during his bond hearing for the shooting death of Trayvon Martin in Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester's courtroom in Sanford, Fla. Friday, April 20, 2012.

George Zimmerman has abandoned the website he set up just a few weeks ago to raise money for his defense in the killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.

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Trayvon Martin

Far From Routine: Prosecutors Hit With Series Of Surprises At George Zimmerman Hearing

Nick R. Martin | April 20, 2012, 4:18PM

George Zimmerman smiles after a judge rules he would be released on bond during a hearing on April 20, 2012.

Prosecutors in the case against George Zimmerman were not prepared for what hit them on Friday.

Apparently expecting a routine hearing about whether the man accused of killing unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin was too dangerous to be released on bond, they quickly discovered the matter was going to be anything but routine.

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David Rivera

Prosecutors Take Parting Shots At Rep. Rivera As Investigation Ends

Eric Lach | April 19, 2012, 11:50AM

Rep. David Rivera

The Florida State Attorney's Office has released a "close-out" memo detailing the dead ends it hit in its investigation into Republican Rep. David Rivera's finances.

The probe began back in October 2010, but word spread earlier this week that prosecutors had shut down the case because of, among other factors, ambiguities in Florida's campaign finances laws and the statute of limitations preventing prosecution over campaign expenses more than two years old. Still, the close-out memo doesn't offer any apologies from the prosecutors for investigating the freshman congressman.

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David Rivera

Florida Prosecutors Ending Probe Into Rep. Rivera's Finances

Eric Lach | April 18, 2012, 12:10PM

Rep. David Rivera

Florida prosecutors are ending their probe into Rep. David Rivera's personal and campaign finances, after an investigation that had stretched over most of the first-term Republican's time in office.

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Trayvon Martin

Prosecutor Doesn't Buy Zimmerman's Story In Trayvon Martin Killing

Nick R. Martin | April 13, 2012, 10:46AM

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey (left) and murder suspect George Zimmerman (right)

If the fact that she brought a second-degree murder charge against George Zimmerman earlier this week didn't make it clear enough, a Florida special prosecutor released a document late Thursday that makes plain she doesn't buy his story about the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin.

An affidavit made public by special prosecutor Angela Corey said her investigators determined Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated community in Sanford, Fla., was the one who pursued and confronted Martin.

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Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart Takes On 'Mediagasm' Surrounding George Zimmerman Charges

David Taintor | April 13, 2012, 9:58AM

Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart on Thursday took on the "mediagasm" surrounding charges against George Zimmerman -- or, as Stewart dubbed it, "Zimdecision 2012."

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Trayvon Martin

Prosecutor Charges George Zimmerman With 2nd-Degree Murder In Trayvon Martin Killing

Nick R. Martin | April 11, 2012, 6:12PM

Florida special prosecutor Angela Corey speaks at a news conference announcing a second-degree murder charge against George Zimmerman in the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Updated: April 11, 2012, 10:17 PM

A special prosecutor in Florida on Wednesday charged George Zimmerman with second-degree murder for the killing of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in a case that has stoked racial tensions and drawn calls for justice from seemingly every corner of the nation.

At a news conference in Florida, prosecutor Angela Corey said Zimmerman was in custody, though she declined to say where. She said the decisions to charge Zimmerman and which specific charge to bring were not easy.

"It is the search for justice for Trayvon that brought us here to this moment," Corey said. "I can tell you that we did not come to this decision lightly."

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George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman To Be Charged In Trayvon Martin Killing: Reports

Nick R. Martin | April 11, 2012, 2:31PM

Trayvon Martin (left), George Zimmerman (Right)

Updated: April 11, 2012, 3:28 PM

George Zimmerman, the Florida man accused of killing unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin will face charges brought by a special prosecutor investigating the matter, according to multiple reports.

Citing unnamed sources, NBC News, the AP and the Washington Post have reported that Zimmerman will be charged. It's still unclear what those charges will be or when they will be announced by prosecutor Angela Corey.

Corey has scheduled to hold a news conference for 6 p.m., ET.

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George Zimmerman

George Zimmerman Is Apparently Talking To Sean Hannity But Not His Own Attorneys

Nick R. Martin | April 10, 2012, 6:29PM

George Zimmerman has gone rogue.

The man accused of killing unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin has been dodging his defense team, trying to talk directly to the people debating whether to prosecute him and apparently having off-the-record conversations with conservative talk jock Sean Hannity.

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Trayvon Martin

A Guide To The Night George Zimmerman Killed Trayvon Martin

Nick R. Martin | March 31, 2012, 9:23AM

Trayvon Martin (left), George Zimmerman (Right)

The killing of unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman has reopened old racial wounds and ignited calls for justice from across the nation.

But as often happens when a local case captures national attention, the hard facts of the killing seem to have been drowned out amid the rumors, shouts and political rhetoric.

The debate has its place, no doubt. But to try to more clearly present what actually happened on the night of Feb. 26 in Sanford, Fla., TPM has put together a guide to the events that reportedly took place before, during and immediately after the killing.

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Florida

DOJ: Florida Voting Restrictions May Discriminate Intentionally

Ryan J. Reilly | March 20, 2012, 2:30PM

Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL)

New Florida laws that place harsh restrictions on third-party voter registration groups and limit the early voting period may have been passed with a discriminatory intent, lawyers with the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division suggested in a court filing on Tuesday.

DOJ told the court that the federal government's position was that Florida "has not met its burden of proof" in demonstrating that "the proposed voting changes neither have the purpose nor will have the effect of denying or abridging the right to vote on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group." It singled out the provisions of Florida's new voting law that place restrictions on third-party voter registration groups, shorten the early voting period and make voters who move to a different county cast provisional ballots.

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voting

Breaking: DOJ Opposes Florida Laws On Voter Registration Groups, Early Voting

Ryan J. Reilly | March 2, 2012, 11:45PM

Rock The Vote volunteers gather in New York City on November 4, 2008.

The Justice Department objected late Friday to new provisions of Florida election law which place strict regulations on third-party voter registration groups and cut down on the early voting period. DOJ alleged in a court filing that Florida was unable to prove the new provisions were not discriminatory under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.

"As to the third-party voter registration and early voting changes enacted... respectively, the United States' position is that the State has not met its burden, on behalf of its covered counties, that the two sets of proposed voting changes are entitled to preclearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act," according to a court filing.

Florida had begun the preclearance process with DOJ but subsequently sued the government after federal lawyers asked for additional information about how some provisions of the state's new election law would be enforced.

Non-partisan groups like the League of Women Voters have ended their voter registration efforts in the state because of the law, which forces individuals conducting voter registration drives to get permission from the state and turn in voter registration cards within 48 hours of a voter filling them out. The League of Women Voters, the Brennan Center, and Rock The Vote are also fighting that provision of the law in court and an initial hearing was held earlier this week.

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Florida

FL Lawmaker Resigns After Sending 'Sexxxy Mama' Texts To Federal Prosecutor

Jillian Rayfield | February 25, 2012, 10:00AM

A Florida state Rep. has resigned after admitting to sexting a female, married federal prosecutor with messages like "Sexxxy mama?"

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Corrections Corporation of America

Cash-4-Prisons: Corrections Corporation of America Offers To Buy State Facilities

Ryan J. Reilly | February 14, 2012, 12:40PM

Attention states with a corrections budget crunch: the Corrections Corporation of America is here to help. The Huffington Post reports that the for-profit prisons giant sent letters to 48 states offering to buy up their prisons in exchange for a 20-year management contract and the guarantee that the facilities would be at least 90 percent full.

The letter came from Harley Lappin, the former head of the federal Bureau of Prisons who resigned last spring following a drunk driving incident. Lappin wrote that they believed the offer comes at a "timely and helpful juncture and hope you will share our belief in the benefits of the purchase-and-manage model."

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Rick Scott

Pee Deal: Florida Attorney General Punks Daily Show Correspondent

David Taintor | December 8, 2011, 5:22PM

Urine luck, Jon Stewart!

The Daily Show crew on Thursday got a taste of its own medicine. The crank news team is in Florida, putting pressure on Gov. Rick Scott to put his urine where his mouth is and submit to the same drug test welfare applicants were until recently required to take.

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Drug Testing

Daily Show Hijacks Rick Scott Presser: Prove You're Not On Drugs By Peeing In This Cup

Jillian Rayfield | December 7, 2011, 5:05PM

Governor Rick Scott (R-FL)

Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi interrupted a press conference by Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) to ask him to prove to the state taxpayers that he's not on drugs by peeing in a cup.

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Miami

Report: Miami's Federal Prison Plagued By Strippers Posing As 'Legal Assistants'

Jillian Rayfield | November 30, 2011, 9:30AM

(Hugo Silveirinha Felix / Shutterstock)

The Miami Federal Detention Center is reportedly plagued by women posing as paralegals who instead strip for incarcerated drug lords, according to several people interviewed by the Miami New-Times.

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Florida

Three Accused In $1 Million Toilet Paper Scam

David Taintor | November 29, 2011, 11:44AM

That's a lot of money down the toilet.

The Miami Herald reports that three people in south Florida allegedly conned elderly customers into buying more than 70 years-worth of toilet paper in a $1 million scam involving dozens across the country.

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Larry Klayman

Judicial Watch Founder In Trouble With The FL Bar

Jillian Rayfield | November 4, 2011, 5:26AM

Conservative, birther and serial lawsuit filer Larry Klayman is in financial trouble.

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Cuba

NPR Reports Additional Inconsistencies Found In Marco Rubio's Family History

Jillian Rayfield | October 25, 2011, 2:20PM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

There may be even more inconsistencies in Marco Rubio's version of his family history, which he's recently been accused of "embellishing" for political gain.

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Florida

Judge Orders Injunction On Florida's Welfare Drug Testing Law

David Taintor | October 24, 2011, 3:51PM

A U.S. district judge on Monday ordered an injunction on a Florida law requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test before receiving state benefits.

An ACLU lawsuit filed in September claimed the Florida law violates the Fourth Amendment by requiring welfare applicants to submit to a "suspicionless" drug test. The suit was filed on behalf of Luis Lebron, a 35-year-old Orlando resident and Navy veteran who applied for welfare benefits but refused to take the drug test.

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Occupy Wall Street

Latest Right-Wing OWS Theory: The Muslim Brotherhood Is Behind Occupy Orlando

Jillian Rayfield | October 24, 2011, 5:15AM

In a development that should surprise no one, some on the right-wing are accusing the Occupy Wall Street movement of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

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Marco Rubio

Rubio Denies 'Outrageous' Story Claiming He Embellished Family History

Jillian Rayfield | October 21, 2011, 10:45AM

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL)

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) called it "outrageous" that people are questioning the story of his family history, after the Washington Post published a story suggesting that his parents came to the United States before Fidel Castro took power, contrary to what Rubio has claimed in the past.

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Florida

FL GOPer's Bill Would Let Death Row Inmates Choose Death By Firing Squad

Jillian Rayfield | October 12, 2011, 2:03PM

FL State Rep. Brad Drake (R)

Florida State Rep. Brad Drake (R) is pushing a bill that would eliminate execution by lethal injection for death row inmates -- and replace it with execution by firing squad.

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Rick Scott

Rick Scott's Odd Defense Of Much Maligned Welfare Drug Testing Program

David Taintor | September 29, 2011, 12:11PM

Governor Rick Scott (R-FL)

If Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) wants to defend the merit of his state's welfare drug testing law, this might not be the best way to do it.

On CNBC's Squawk Box Thursday morning, Scott posed a hypothetical scenario, where he thinks welfare benefits can be fairly handed out. If "there are two parents, one uses drugs, one doesn't, you can go give the money to the one who doesn't use drugs," Scott said.

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Florida

Florida Senator Files Bill To Repeal Welfare Drug Testing Law

David Taintor | September 23, 2011, 5:55AM

Count Florida state Sen. Arthenia Joyner (D) as another opponent of a state law requiring welfare applicants to take a drug test.

This week, the senator filed a bill to repeal the law, saying the legislation "kicks people when they're down."

"This is not what America is supposed to be about," Joyner told TPM. The law is an "assault on poor people," she said, who need help and have swallowed their pride and asked for assistance. "And we denigrate them," she said.

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Florida

FL Poll: Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Drug Testing Welfare Applicants

David Taintor | September 21, 2011, 2:25PM

Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL)

Florida Gov. Rick Scott has had a tumultuous first term, often coming under fire for his conservative policies.

But a new Quinnipiac poll shows Florida voters overwhelmingly support at least one of the governor's initiatives: a law that requires welfare applicants to pass a drug test.

Voters support the law 71 percent to 27 percent, according to the poll. And while voters are split on partisan lines, both genders support the law equally, more or less. Republicans support the law 90 percent to 8 percent, while democrats are split 49 percent to 50 percent.

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Florida

Would You Like A High Capacity Magazine With That? FL Co Gives Away AK-47s To New Customers

Jillian Rayfield | September 16, 2011, 12:31PM

AK-47s

A Florida company called Merchant Service is offering potential clients a voucher for a free AK-47 for opening an account with them, as part of their "No Merchant Victims" campaign.

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Florida

Judge Blocks Florida Law That Restricts Doctors From Asking Patients About Guns

David Taintor | September 15, 2011, 6:10AM

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a Florida law that restricts doctors -- namely pediatricians -- from asking their patients about guns.

"At issue in this litigation is a law directed at maintaining patients' privacy rights regarding firearm ownership within the context of the doctor-patient relationship," the ruling reads. "In effect, however, the law curtails practitioners' ability to inquire about whether patients own firearms and burdens their ability to deliver a firearm safety message to patients, under certain circumstances."

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Nikki Haley

Nikki Haley 'So Wants' To Drug Test People Applying For Jobless Benefits

David Taintor | September 9, 2011, 2:32PM

Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC)

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) doesn't want Florida to have all the fun of drug testing suspicion-less citizens before receiving state benefits.

"I so want drug testing," Haley said on Thursday, according to the Associated Press. "It's something I've been wanting since the first day I walked into office."

And now Haley is trying to make that dream come true, pushing for people applying for jobless benefits to first pass a drug test before receiving any aid, the AP reports.

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Florida

Florida ACLU Files Suit Against State's Welfare Drug Testing Law

David Taintor | September 7, 2011, 2:37PM

The Florida ACLU has filed suit against a state law requiring welfare applicants to first pass a drug test before receiving benefits.

The suit claims the Florida law violates the Fourth Amendment by requiring welfare applicants to submit to "suspicionless drug testing." It's filed on behalf of Luis Lebron, a 35 year-old Orlando resident and Navy veteran, who applied for the benefits but refused to take the drug test, according to an ACLU release.

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