Social Policy

Kat Stacks Supports Dream Act! Supergroupie Tweet-Chatting With Undocumented Youth

Transformed by her time behind bars, Kat Stacks (née Andrea Herrera) has apparently become a social activist. Freed three weeks ago from a Louisiana immigration detention center after being locked up for over 24 months, the Miami-Dade resident, Venezuelan native, notorious supergroupie, and forme ... More >>

Brazilian Couple Pleads Guilty to Smuggling People More Than 10,000 Miles to South Florida

How do you know when your immigration system is truly messed up? When people pay $16,000 to be smuggled more than 10,000 miles just to end up in jail and on the wrong side of an STD joke in South Florida.That's exactly what happened to some poor Brazilian bastards who posed as tourists in order to t ... More >>

Floridians Divided On Same-Sex Marriage, Aren't Down With Legalized Pot, New Poll Finds

Florida voters have pulled a Charlie Crist-esque turnaround on gay marriage one month after several states passed LGBT equality measures. But Sunshine State voters still can't get behind another big winner in November's elections -- the marijuana legalization measures in Colorado and Washington.That ... More >>

Strictly Ballroom

Sorry Bill O'Reilly, Marco Rubio Is Not The GOP's Golden Ticket to Attracting Hispanic Voters

Despite winning the majority of white voters, the Republican Party had their asses handed to them by minority voters last Tuesday. The beat-down has left the GOP in a race to figure out how, at the very least, to get more of the Hispanic vote.Bill O'Reilly has a novel idea. No, it has nothing to do ... More >>

New York City Plans Ban on All Large Sodas and Sugary Drinks; Miami Should Be Next

In a monumental strike against the obesity epidemic, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced plans for a city-wide ban on all sugary soft drinks larger than 16 ounces during an interview in the Governor's Room at City Hall yesterday.The proposed ban would affect most enterprises that pedd ... More >>

Poll: Charlie Crist Would Beat Rick Scott 48-34 in Hypothetical 2014 Governor Race

It's actually kind of hilarious how far Republican candidates try to flee from any connection to Charlie Crist considering that the former Governor remains modestly popular among Floridians who are not true believers in the Conservative moment. In fact, he's a lot more popular than our current, stri ... More >>

Luther Campbell Fighting To Stay On the High School Football Field

For decades, former 2 Live Crew frontman and current Miami New Times columnist Luther Campbell has been imparting his life wisdom on scores of young African American boys playing little league football in Liberty City. For the past three years, he's been a volunteer coach at Miami Central and Miami ... More >>

Miami community development expert Cecilia "C.C." Holloman's legacy is empty coffers

Poll: Obama Will Crush Any Republican in Latino Vote, Unless Marco Rubio Is VP Nominee

​A new poll, commissioned by Fox News Latino, suggests that whichever Republican candidate emerges as the presidential nominee has very little hope of capturing the Hispanic vote. Seventy-three percent of Latino voters say they approve of Obama's job performance, and in head-to-head match ups ... More >>

Rick Scott Still Wants To Drug Test State Workers As Miami Court Hears Challenge

​Never before has America seen a governor so obsessed with forcing other people to pee in cups as our own Rick Scott. Two of the first orders he issued after taking office required welfare recipients and all state employees to urinate into cups -- all to make sure drug fiends aren't secretly infil ... More >>

Mitt Romney Thinks Rick Scott's Urine Test Laws are "an Excellent Idea"

​Should we just star calling him Governor Pee Cup? Because Rick Scott is now forever identified with spearheading laws that required people receiving welfare to take drug tests. Never mind the fact that the policy ended up costing the state money, or that the rate of positive tests was extremely l ... More >>

Mitt Romney is racist

"We're Screwed": Florida Republicans Punished with Crappy Convention Hotel Rooms and Loss of VIP Passes

​For the second time in the row, Florida politicians decided to ignore the rules of the Republican National Committee and moved ahead with their plan for an early primary. Like 2008, this means that Florida Republicans will lose half of their delegates at the national convention, but this time aro ... More >>

Politics, Pandering, and Punch Lines

Alberto Carvalho: Miracle Man

Republican State Rep Charles Van Zant Wants Doctors to Go to Jail for Abortion

​After passing four different bills last year placing restrictions on abortion, is the Republican dominated Florida legislature ready to totally ban abortion in Florida? House Republican Charles Van Zant hopes so. He's once again introducing his "Florida for Life" bill that would almost completely ... More >>

FIU Applicant Sues State of Florida Over Immigration Issue

via gopanthersrentals.com​FIU boasts that its student body "reflects the vibrant diversity of South Florida." But students like Wendy Ruiz need not apply.Ruiz, an honor student at Miami Dade College, tried to fill out the online application last year but got stuck on a question about her parents, ... More >>

Republican Univision Debate: Fear, Not Rubio, the Driving Factor

Five Republican candidates -- iincluding Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry -- have pulled out of a Univision debate in January. Why? Allegedly it is because of a comment the head of the blockbuster Spanish language channel's made to Florida Sen Marco Rubio's people attempting to blackmail him ... More >>

Overanxious Florida Republicans May Ensure Obama Win

​A Florida commission appointed by Republicans will likely vote today to move up the state's Republican primary election to January 31.Though party muckety-mucks are still working on a compromise that could delay the election until February 21, the decision will probably create chaos.Given last we ... More >>

Charles Hankerson, Former Miami Northwestern High Principal, Embroiled In Grade Changing Scandal

​A Miami-Dade Public Schools principal credited with turning around a storied inner city high school's academic performance is under investigation for illegally changing student grades. The allegation against Charles Hankerson is the latest black eye for Miami Northwestern High School, which earli ... More >>

Rick Scott Pays Just $360-a-year For His Taxpayer-Subsidized Health Insurance

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the average health plan costs an American family $13,770 in premiums a year. Governor Rick Scott pays just $360 to insure himself and his wife thanks to a state Government plan he's enrolled in. Yep. the average American pays 38.25 percent more for their he ... More >>

Miami-Dade Officer Allegedly Calls Man "Fucking Immigrant," Arrests Him On Trumped Up Charges

​A Miami-Dade Police officer is accused of arresting a Guatemalan man on trumped up charges and calling him a "fucking immigrant" after asking where the man was from. Cases like this sure don't help those in favor of bringing Arizona-style immigration laws to Florida and claim that they wouldn't l ... More >>

Florida's Attempt at Arizona-Style Immigration Bill is Likely Dead

​It generated one of the most controversial and heated debates of the legislative session and is a key agenda item for Governor Rick Scott, but it seems likely that conservatives' efforts to pass an Arizona-style immigration bill in Florida is dead, despite the fact both houses are controlled by R ... More >>

Florida Senate Passes First Round of Anti-Abortion Bills

​The major issue of the 2010 election was the economy, and Florida voters chose to further entrench Republican power in Tallahassee. Of course, you can't put a bunch of Republicans in a legislative chamber and not expect them to pass a bunch of anti-abortion, anti-woman legislation. It's just what ... More >>

Miami Teacher Jennie Smith Slams Obama for Sharing Stage with Jeb Bush

​During President Obama's quick trip to Miami on Friday he stopped by Miami Central High School to deliver remarks on education reform and notably shared the stage with Florida's former Republican Gov. Jeb Bush. Afterward, he held a 14-member round table on education, though only one teacher was i ... More >>

Obama Cordially Greets Jeb and Scott But Fails to Land Man-Hug

​Used to be when the president came to Florida, it was customary for our governor to man-hug him, but with Charlie Crist out of office, that tradition is long gone. During his quick day trip in Miami today, President Obama met both Gov. Rick Scott and former Gov. Jeb Bush and had cordial interacti ... More >>

Governor Rick Scott Really Understands Blacks. Really!!

​Uncle Luke, the man whose booty-shaking madness once made the U.S. Supreme Court stand up for free speech, gets as nasty as he wants to be for Miami New Times. This week, Luke addresses Gov. Rick Scott's alienation from African Americans.Last week, Good Ole Gov. Ricky tried to explain to a group ... More >>

Alex Sink Runs Controversial Last Minute Ad on Miami Spanish Radio

Rick Scott first made waves in the Republican Primary by introducing the idea of Arizona-style immigration laws into the Florida campaign. Moving to the extreme right proved successful in the primary, but as he moved into the general election his campaign conveniently seems to have lessened its emph ... More >>

Florida immigration bill would give white folks a pass

Abortion Fights Crime?

Ronald Reagan immigration amnesty 25 years later

Today, amnesty is a dirty word. So what happened to the immigrants given a fresh start by Reagan in 1986?

Argentina Becomes First Latin American Country to Approve Gay Marriage

​After a heated debate that lasted until 4 a.m. in the morning, Argentina is set to become the first country in Latin America to recognize same-sex marriage. The Senate approved the measure following the foot steps of the lower house, and President Cristina Fernandez is certain to sign the measure ... More >>

Even Marco Rubio and Bill McCollum Don't Like Arizona's Immigration Laws

​Last night, The Daily Show pointed out that even Tom Tancredo, one of the most zealous anti-immigration politicians and the man who called Miami a "third-world" country, didn't approve of Arizona's harsh new immigration laws. Now two of Florida's own uber-conservatives, who happen to be the front ... More >>

Mitt Romney Will Endorse Marco Rubio, Hopefully Won't Quote Castro While Doing So

​Ol' Mittens Romney will endorse Marco Rubio. The once, and probably future, presidential candidate was sitting on the sidelines of the Senate primary between Rubio and Gov. Charlie Crist, but has decided to side with Rubio after Crist vetoed an unpopular, but conservative-backed education bill.&n ... More >>

Is Jeb Bush Still in Charge of Florida?

​Jeb Bush left office four years ago, but Associated Press writer Martin Merzer thinks he may still be in charge of the state -- or at the very least still the most influential voice in the governing Republican party."He's become a legislative Wizard of Oz -- thunder and lightning and pulling the ... More >>

Obama Critic Rick Scott to Run for Governor, and Boy, Does He Have an Interesting Past

​Richard L. Scott, a businessman who lives in Naples, has thrown his hat into the ring for the Republican's gubernatorial nomination against Attorney General Bill McCollum and state Sen. Paula Dockery. Don't know anything about him? Here's some fun facts:He hates President Obama's health care refo ... More >>

Miami-Dade Ranked 11th Healthiest County in Florida; #1 in Category That Takes Risky Sexy, Drinking into Account

​Well, here's something slightly counter-intuitive. Miami-Dade county is apparently the 11th healthiest out of Florida's 67 counties. What's more is that we ranked the healthiest in the state in "Health Behaviors," a category that takes into account smoking, binge drinking and risky sex.CountyHeal ... More >>

Governor Race: McCollum Leads Sink by 10 Points

​Hot on the heels of his announcement that he'd file a lawsuit if any health care legislation passes in Washington that would force people to buy insurance, Attorney General Bill McCollum finds himself with a 10 point lead in the Governor's race.According to a new poll from Quinnipiac, R ... More >>

Dick Armey Sending Army of Dicks After Bill Nelson over Health Care

​Dick Armey, the former Republican House majorty leader who's not currently making an ass out of himself on Dancing with the Stars, was in Palm Beach Gardens today speaking to teabaggers, um, Tea Party activists. According to the Palm Beach Post, Armey told the crowd of conservative acti ... More >>

Prominent Florida Doctor Latest Racist Idiot Caught Making Obama Jokes Online

 It's really sad that there are so many high-profile Republicans out there sending out racist jokes about our president on their email that I've kind of got sick of reading about them anymore. It's just depressing. So, I've seen this picture about a million times today online, and finally decid ... More >>

Kendrick Meek Opposes Using Federal Funds to Pay for Abortions

Rep. Kendrick Meek has joined a small group of house Democrats asking that any health-care reforms not lead to federal funding of abortion, according to the Washington Post. The possibility of taxpayer money being used to pay for abortions is becoming a hot-button issue in the health-care reform ... More >>

Miami-Dade Unveils Affordable Health Care

via Moriza's flickrHot off news that Miami has, by some metrics, the highest health care costs in the nation, the county unveiled plans for a new affordable health care plan that they're not only calling "cutting edge," but a possible model for nationwide reform. Dubbed Miami-Dade Blu ... More >>

On Day 99, Obama Hires HIV Czar

A quick followup of sorts to our post Monday highlighting the Obama administration's inaction on HIV/AIDS during his first 100 days in office. Yesterday it was announced the president has chosen Dr. Eric Goosby to head PEPFAR. Goosby served in the Clinton administration as deputy director of the Nat ... More >>

News Roundup

Charlie Crist remembered he's a Republican and is introducing tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts! [Herald]U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is ordering the deportation of 30,000 Cubans. [NBC6]Daequan Cook is the best three-point shooter in the history of the entire world, and for that he was awarde ... More >>

How Many Tabacaleros Does it Take to Write a Declaration of Independence?

DeFede: Deconstructing Alex

He billed himself as a reformer, but a close look at Alex Penelas's record reveals a politician more in tune with ambition than innovation

His Sister's Keeper

Is Darrin McGillis a noble crusader for his late sister's kids, or a courtroom junkie who thrives on drama? Both, actually.

Calypso Carnival

Brash and bawdy, playful and provocative, an exotic art form gets a local showcase the Miami Calypso Show

The Old School of Power

He has been enormously influential for 34 years, yet Pat Tornillo -- politically astute leader of Dade's teachers' union -- remains a mystery to most