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State Senator Threatened Repeatedly After Calling for Epstein Investigation, Calls Capitol Police

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By Tampa Bay Times. Florida Sen. Lauren Book has reached out to Capitol police after receiving an anonymous warning connected to her demand for a state inquiry into Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s handling of accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s lenient work release program, the Miami Herald has learned.

Book, a vocal advocate for child sexual assault survivors, said she also received more than a dozen calls from Bradshaw’s political supporters asking her to back off on her call for an investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement into Bradshaw.

On Monday, Book, a Democrat, wrote a letter to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis asking him to authorize a probe into how Epstein, accused of molesting dozens of underage girls and a registered sex offender, was permitted to leave the Palm Beach County Jail and spend much of his 2008-2009 incarceration in an office in West Palm Beach. . .

“I’ve received countless phone calls saying ‘Little girl you don’t know what you’re getting into,’ and telling me that I should just stop,’’ said Book, a child sexual abuse survivor herself who has worked to pass strict sex offender laws in Florida. . .

The pressure against Book came on the same day that Epstein, 66, was found injured in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, where he is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges brought earlier this month by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. His arrest stemmed from alleged behavior with underage girls dating back more than a decade in New York and Florida. Epstein was taken into custody July 6 after arriving at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport from Paris on his private jet. (Read more from “State Senator Threatened Repeatedly After Calling for Epstein Investigation, Calls Capitol Police” HERE)

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Judge signs protective order over materials feds to turn over to jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein

(Editor’s note: the materials covered by the protective order likely include images of other powerful individuals committing illegal acts)

By ABC News. Federal prosecutors in New York overseeing the case against millionaire Jeffrey Epstein are preparing to hand over highly-sensitive investigative material to the financier’s defense attorneys after a federal judge on Friday granted the government’s request to place a protective order on the documents.

Prosecutors sought the order because, they said in court filings, they intends to produce documents and materials that could … “affect the privacy and confidentiality of individuals…[and that] would impede, if prematurely disclosed, the Government’s ongoing investigation of uncharged individuals.”

When Epstein secured a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in southern Florida in 2008 over a previous investigation, the much-criticized deal also immunized any and all potential co-conspirators, known or unknown, and also included the names of four women who had been suspected by authorities of having facilitated or participated in alleged crimes against children. (Read more from “Judge signs protective order over materials feds to turn over to jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein” HERE)
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Epstein Investigation reveals Pedophile Moved Massive Amounts of Money out of Bank Earlier this Year; Was he Tipped Off?

By Chris Spargo. It was revealed earlier this week that Epstein managed to move money out of the country earlier this year from accounts he had at Deutsche Bank – despite the company severing all ties with the pedophile.

The New York Times reports that even baking officials failed to realize the possible financial crimes being committed by Epstein until after the fact, believing that the company had closed out all his accounts late last year.

Deutsche Bank now wants to make sure that none of the money being moved by Epstein was used to fund or in any way support the sex trafficking of underage females.

Epstein was making transactions as recently as May, and multiple sources said that once executives became aware of this potentially illegal activity it was reported to a federal agency that polices financial crimes. (Read more about the financial revelation from the Epstein investigation HERE)

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High School Principal: ‘I Can’t Say the Holocaust Is a Factual, Historical Event’

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There are some things that are just not up for debate. These aren’t political issues. What happened in Florida didn’t center on MAGA hats, flag burning, or the merits of tax cuts. We actually had a high school principal question whether the Holocaust was a “historical, factual” event. The Palm Beach Post has the story. A mother of a student tried for a year to reason with the school administration to, you know, actually teach kids about this terrible period in human history without the nonsense. She wondered how this was being taught at the school. The emails between the parent and Spanish River High School Principal William Latson were released and, well, it was not very good. Latson has since apologized for the wording in these emails, with the school district’s deputy schools superintendent saying that he was “counseled” on the exchanges, but not formally reprimanded. Now, Latson is not a Holocaust denier, but this nonsensical two sides position he took about this issue is a bit disturbing. There is no ‘two sides argument’ concerning the Holocaust (via Palm Beach Post):

The mother, who asked not to be named to protect her child’s identity, was stunned. Was the principal of one of Palm Beach County’s largest public schools suggesting that the Holocaust was a belief rather than an actual event?

Thinking Latson simply had expressed himself poorly, she wrote back, asking him to clarify his comments. “The Holocaust is a factual, historical event,” she wrote. “It is not a right or a belief.”

She expected a chastened response. Instead, the veteran principal doubled down.

“Not everyone believes the Holocaust happened,” he wrote, according to email records obtained by The Palm Beach Post through a public records request. “And you have your thoughts, but we are a public school and not all of our parents have the same beliefs.”

(Read more from “High School Principal: ‘I Can’t Say the Holocaust Is a Factual, Historical Event'” HERE)

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‘Stomp on Jesus’ Professor Running for Elected Office

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By Breitbart. A Florida professor who instructed his students to “stomp on Jesus” for a class assignment is running for an elected position.

Deandre Poole, 32, is running in 2020 to become the Palm Beach County supervisor of elections, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported.

He is running for the position vacated by Susan Bucher, who was suspended and later asked to resign by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018 for failing to report the election results on time.

Poole gained infamy as a professor at Florida Atlantic University in 2013 when he asked his students to write J-E-S-U-S on a sheet of paper and step on it. . .

The assignment not only backfired on him at school, it also caused a university-wide investigation and attention from then-Gov. Rick Scott. (Read more from “‘Stomp on Jesus’ Professor Running for Elected Office” HERE)

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FAU Instructor Who Taught ‘Stomp on Jesus’ Lesson Is a South Florida Candidate in 2020 Election

By The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Deandre Poole, who was the object of intense scrutiny for a Florida Atlantic University class exercise that became known as “stomp on Jesus,” is running in the 2020 election to become Palm Beach County supervisor of elections. . .

Poole, 32, has never run for office before. He said his involvement in Palm Beach County politics, community activism and grassroots organizing “are the kind of skills that this office needs.” . . .

Few students actually stepped on the paper. One upset student complained to the media, and conservative outlets picked up on the controversy. . .

“It was an exercise that was misinterpreted. If I could do it over again, I would have made it my point to be more vocal and to do more interviews about it,” he said. “Looking back, that was one of the areas that I could have improved on.” (Read more from “FAU Instructor Who Taught ‘Stomp on Jesus’ Lesson Is a South Florida Candidate in 2020 Election” HERE)

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Woman Stabs Herself Because She Was ‘Tired of Living in Trump’s Country’

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By Fox News. A Florida woman who stabbed herself three times in the stomach with a kitchen knife reportedly told responding officers it was all because of President Trump.

The Palmetto woman, whose name was redacted from a police report posted by the Smoking Gun, was found covered in blood standing outside her apartment on Sunday. When police asked what was wrong, she reportedly lifted up her shirt to show three stab wounds.

“I’m tired of living in Trump’s country. I’m tired of Trump being president,” she reportedly told the police. . .

The unidentified woman was transported to Blake Medical Center, where she was reportedly under a trauma alert. The police report notes the woman had a history of hurting herself and had been “Baker Acted” before. (Read more from “Woman Stabs Herself Because She Was ‘Tired of Living in Trump’s Country'” HERE)

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Woman Stabs Self 3 Times

By The Smoking Gun. Cops found the 46-year-old woman standing outside her residence in Palmetto Sunday, according to a police report. She had blood all over her legs, hands, and face, a cop noted.

When asked what was wrong, the woman lifted her shirt to reveal “three stab wounds on [her] stomach that were still bleeding.” She then told the patrolman she had “stabbed herself because she does not want to live in Trump’s country.” . . .

After evaluating the woman, a cop concluded that there was a “substantial likelihood” that she “will cause bodily harm to herself and/or others.” As a result, the officer appears to have recommended that the woman be involuntarily admitted to a mental health treatment facility (per the state’s Baker Act). (Read more from “Woman Stabs Self 3 Times” HERE)

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State Bans Disturbing Childlike Sex Dolls

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By The Hill. Florida has banned childlike sex dolls that are “eerily similar to real human children.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed a bill on Thursday banning people in the state from owning the dolls. The measure had been unanimously approved by the Florida legislature.

The law “prohibits a person from knowingly having in his or her possession, custody, or control an obscene, childlike sex doll.”

Democratic state Sen. Lauren Book, who introduced the bill, and other supporters argue that owning the dolls encourages “child predators.”

“These are anatomically correct, lifelike silicone dolls that are eerily similar to real human children made for the sole purpose of sexual gratification,” she said in a statement. “Just as viewing child pornography lowers the inhibitions of child predators, so do these childlike sex dolls that have no place in the state of Florida.” (Read more from “State Bans Disturbing Childlike Sex Dolls” HERE)

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Outlawing Child Sex Dolls

By Orlando Weekly. On Thursday Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law legislation that bans the sale or possession of child-like sex dolls after it unanimously passed the Florida Legislature.

SB 160, sponsored by state Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, “prohibits a person from knowingly having in his or her possession, custody, or control an obscene, child-like sex doll.” State Rep. Michael Gottlieb, D-Plantation, filed a companion measure in the Florida House. . .

A legislative analysis found that many child-like sex dolls are imported from China, Japan and Hong Kong, the Associated Press reports. (Read more from “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Outlawing Child Sex Dolls” HERE)

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Governor Signs Bill Allowing Armed School Teachers for Classroom Defense

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Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Wednesday that’ll let more Florida teachers carry guns in school, the latest response to last year’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

DeSantis signed the bill in private and issued no statement. The Republican-led Florida House of Representatives voted to send the bill to the governor last week, while the GOP-controlled state Senate passed the measure the week before.

The new law expands an existing school “guardian” program and allows any teacher to volunteer to carry a weapon if his or her school district approves. Would-be volunteers must undergo at least 144 hours of police-style training, psychiatric evaluation and drug screening. Under a previous law, passed immediately after the February 2018 Parkland shooting, only teachers who had another role at school, such as sports coach, were eligible to carry weapons on campus. . .

The bill was opposed by most Democrats and teachers’ unions, which argued that the introduction of more weapons in schools would place children at risk, increase the dangers of mistaken shootings and lead to more violence against African-American students because of inherent biases. Supporters of the bill said arming teachers is the best way to protect children from future school shooters. Republicans emphasized that the program is voluntary, and that law enforcement in some rural districts could be 15 minutes or more from a school if a shooter attacks.

It’s unclear how many Florida school districts in the state will approve of expanding the “guardian” program. Currently, 25 of the state’s 67 school districts take part in the program, but boards in some of Florida’s most populous counties have already opted out, preferring to use trained police officers for school security. (Read more from “Governor Signs Bill Allowing Armed School Teachers for Classroom Defense” HERE)

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Two 14-Year-Old Girls Arrested for Conspiracy to Murder Nine Other Students

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On Thursday, two 14-year-old girls from Florida were arrested on conspiracy to murder charges after a teacher found a folder that outlined plans to kill nine other students.

According to WTSP, affidavits state that on Wednesday, a teacher at Avon Park Middle School saw the two girls acting “hysterical” as they searched for a folder. The teacher claimed one of the girls said that they would be arrested if the folder was found by someone else; the teacher said the other girl responded, “I’m just going to tell them it’s a prank if they call me or if they find it.”

According to the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, the teacher found the folder, which was labeled “private info,” “do not open,” and “project 11/9.” The eight sheets of paper inside the folder allegedly adumbrated a scheme to murder the other students whose full names or initials were listed, and the word “guns” was also printed there. The teacher then notified the school resource officer and other school officials.

The Daily Mail reports that an incident report stated that the papers “described how the juvenile suspects would obtain firearms to kill the victims and dispose of their remains, ‘specifically burning and burying their bodies.’”

WTSP adds, “Also included in the folder were hand-written notes describing the clothing the girls would wear during the killing spree, such as gloves, and how they would look. ‘NO NAILS’ and ‘No Hair Showing from the moment we put on our clothes.’” (Read more from “Two 14-Year-Old Girls Arrested for Conspiracy to Murder Nine Other Students” HERE)

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Shock Video: Inmate Punches Public Defender in Head During Court Hearing

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By Fox News. A Florida public defender was taken to the hospital after an inmate approached her from behind and punched her in the head during a bond hearing at the Broward County courthouse on Wednesday.

Assistant public defender Julie Chase was standing next to a female when William Green — who was in court for one count of touch or strike battery — walked up to the attorney from behind and punched her in the head, WSVN reported.

A video showed Chase falling to the floor next to the courtroom podium after Green swung his left fist. Courtroom bailiffs rushed in and appeared to tackle the inmate to the ground as Chase got up and walked away from the scene. . .

It’s unclear why the inmate attacked Chase.

Broward Judge Jackie Powell was looking through documents pertaining to Walker’s case when the incident occurred. Powell looked at the monitor and asked, “What happened?” to which another public defender suggested a recess. (Read more from “Shock Video: Inmate Punches Public Defender in Head During Court Hearing” HERE)

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Public Defender Punched by Inmate in Broward Courthouse

By Miami News 7. [William] Green was already facing a charge of touch or strike battery after he allegedly punched an employee of Florida Medical Center while being held under Florida’s Baker Act law.

“If he did something in the hospital, that’s where they’re supposed to keep him to give him injection or medication, restrain him,” Sharon Green, William Green’s mother, said.

Howard Finkelstein, Chase’s boss, agrees with Green’s mother.

“Had the officer followed the law and allowed Mr. Green to continue treatment for his psychosis, the incident would not have occurred,” Finkelstein wrote in a letter to Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony. “Mentally ill persons who commit minor criminal offenses in Baker Act facilities should not be arrested and transported to the jail. What happened today should not have happened and should never happen again.”

According to the arrest report, Green was admitted to the hospital “due to his severe violent history.” (Read more from “Public Defender Punched by Inmate in Broward Courthouse” HERE)

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Student Shoots, Kills Herself in School After Asking to Use the Bathroom

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A Florida high school student committed suicide early Wednesday morning in her school’s auditorium after asking permission to use the bathroom, officials said.

The 17-year-old junior, who was not identified, reportedly asked her teacher at Lake Mary High School near Orlando if she could be excused to use the restroom around 7:45 a.m. About five minutes later, the teacher said she heard a gunshot come from the auditorium. . .

Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said during a press conference that there were no staff or students in the auditorium when the shooting took place. After hearing the gunshot, the school’s nurse attempted to revive the young woman. It’s not known how the student got access to the handgun.

Lemma highlighted the community’s mental health resources and encouraged those experiencing depressive or suicidal thoughts to get in touch.

“What a horrible tragedy,” he said, according to My13 News. “We want to remind the public if there are signs of depression…there are services, love, guidance and faith.” (Read more from “Student Shoots, Kills Herself in School After Asking to Use the Bathroom” HERE)

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School Hires Combat Vets With Semiautomatic Rifles to Protect Students From Active Shooters

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A school in Florida is taking school safety so seriously that it has hired two combat veterans armed with semiautomatic rifles to patrol and guard the campus against potential threats, according to The New York Times.

Manatee School for the Arts in Palmetto, Florida, hired the school guardians to comply with state legislation requiring schools to have at least one “safe-school” officer. Principal Bill Jones said they have good reason to go above and beyond the minimum requirements.

“We’re not looking for a fair fight,” Jones said of potential active shooter situations. “We’re looking at an overwhelming advantage.”

One of the guards has 15 years of infantry experience, and the second veteran guardian will start working later in February. Jones wanted combat veterans who can be trusted to react quickly and correctly under fire. . .

“Assault rifles, whether you are for them or against them, are prolific in our society,” Chief Scott Tyler said in December to the Herald-Tribune. “So why would we not want the school guardian to have parity with that potential threat?” (Read more from “Florida School Hires Combat Vets With Semiautomatic Rifles to Protect Students From Active Shooters” HERE)

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