One more day until Tampa picks its next mayor

TAMPA — The race to become Tampa’s next mayor, a battle that stirred to life 15 months ago, will finally cross the finish line Tuesday evening when polls close on the runoff contest between Jane Castor and David Straz.

There have been just three face-to-face encounters between the two candidates in the seven weeks since the primary — a big change from past Tampa mayoral runoffs, when debates were much more frequent.

Early on, Castor, a former police chief, said she was open to as many forums as possible. But Straz declined, saying voters were tired of them.

Instead, the retired banker, who finished nearly 33 points behind Castor in the primary election, spent millions attacking her record leading the Tampa Police Department, and attempting to tie her to what he says is a corrupt, good-old-boy network that runs Florida’s third-largest city.



https://www.tampabay.com/news/tns/one-more-day-until-tampa-picks-its-next-mayor-20190422/

Tweet of the Day

Ro Khanna runs to Twitter to call Mayor Pete "Intellectually Dishonest"

Governor signs bill making voting more convenient in Kansas

Governor Laura Kelly has signed a new bill she says makes voting more convenient in Kansas.

“Over the past decade, we have seen countless efforts aimed at making voting more difficult in this state,” Governor Kelly said in a press release. “I hope this will be the first of many laws that help ensure that every voice is heard in our democratic process and that every vote is counted.”

The new law amends the law concerning advance ballots, signature requirements and polling places. Her office says it will expand and improve voting opportunities.

House Substitute for Senate Bill 130 will give county election officials the discretion to allow all registered voters to cast their ballot at any polling place in their county on election day.

It also requires county election officers to attempt to contact each voter who submitted an advance voting ballot without a signature or with a signature that does not match the signature on file.

The voter will be allowed to correct their signature before the commencement of the final tallying of votes in that county.


https://www.kwch.com/content/news/Governor-signs-bill-making-voting-more-convenient-in-Kansas-508638921.html

End of Mueller shifts focus to existing probes

But he did refer 14 instances of potential criminal activity to law enforcement in other districts that fell outside his original mandate to investigate Russian meddling.

Only two of those are revealed in the report: the evidence that precipitated Cohen’s first guilty plea in August as well as the case involving former Obama White House counsel Gregory Craig, who pleaded not guilty to violating foreign lobbying laws last week. It is unclear whether the other 12 unknown matters will ultimately yield criminal charges.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan are still investigating Cohen’s payments to women who claimed they had affairs with Trump before the election, which authorities say amount to campaign finance violations. Cohen has claimed publicly that Trump directed him to make the payments and paid him back while in office. Trump has denied wrongdoing.

Some of the ongoing investigations and criminal cases could present political problems for a White House seeking to move on after Mueller.

The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan had gathered more evidence in the hush money probe through interviews with members of Trump’s inner circle, such as Hope Hicks, that implicated him in federal crimes. Federal prosecutors in New York are also said to be investigating Trump’s inaugural committee.



https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/439795-end-of-mueller-shifts-focus-to-existing-probes

Tweet of the Day

Florida Officer Under Investigation After Video Shows Him Slamming Black Teen's Head Into Ground

A Broward County sheriff’s deputy has been placed on “restrictive administrative assignment” as outrage grew over the weekend about a video that shows a white officer banging the head of a black teenager to the ground and punching him. The video shows how one officer appears to push the teenager who was doused in pepper spray before another deputy pins him down and slams his head to the ground more than once before punching him in the head. Deputy Christopher Krickovich was ordered to surrender his gun and badge while the investigation into the Thursday incident is complete.

The video spread like wildfire on social media over the weekend, with numerous celebrities, including LeBron James, sharing it. “So wrong!! Hurts me to my soul!!” James tweeted.

“To think that could be my sons. Scary times man.” CNN commentator Keith Boykin tweeted, “This is police brutality.” Many of the social media posts regarding the video are accompanied by a hashtag, #JusticeForLucca.

Authorities have vowed they will carry out a thorough investigation. “I wanted to assure you that this incident is being conducted under a thorough investigation,” Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a video statement Friday. “We will look at this as a fact finding measure to ensure that we hold folks accountable.” The mayor of Broward County called for the firing of the deputy seen in the video. “The behavior of these Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies was outrageous and unacceptable,” Broward Mayor Mark Bogen said in a statement. “The officer who jumped on the student, punched the student and banged his head to the ground should be fired immediately.”


https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/04/florida-officer-viral-video-broward-punching-head-justiceforlucca.html

HAPPY EASTER!!

Analysts Now Predicting An Unprecedented Opening Weekend For Avengers: Endgame

We’re now one week out from the release of Avengers: Endgame, and it feels like the box office projections just keep getting higher.

Near the start of this month, THR forecast a domestic opening in the range of $200-$250 million. Shortly afterwards, Deadline suggested that the Avengers: Infinity War sequel has “a good shot” at passing $260 million, and may even approach the $300 million mark. And now, ComicBook.com has spoken to three box office analysts, whose estimates are at least as generous.
Boxoffice chief analyst Shawn Robbins, for instance, said that a $300 million domestic opening could end up being “very probable,” though he admits that Endgame’s record-breaking projections bring us into untested waters.

Comedian known for playing president on TV wins Ukrainian election

Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky, who plays president on a popular television show, has defeated incumbent President Petro Poroshenko with more than 70% of the vote to win Ukraine's presidential election, according to exit polls.

The big picture: This was Ukraine's first presidential election without a clear pro-Kremlin candidate, reflecting a shift for a country that has been increasingly drawn toward the West since the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. Zelensky, who lacked any sort of a formal campaign, has promised that as a fresh face on the political scene, he can shepherd lasting structural change that career politicians cannot.


https://www.axios.com/ukraine-election-comedian-zelensky-wins-f0c03bcf-bc6f-40ee-b0ed-f02e2c8d94e9.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic