Florida's attorney general targets a restaurant over an LGBTQ Pride event
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier claimed in a statement Tuesday that the event at the Kilted Mermaid in Vero Beach had 'adult, sexualized performers in front of children." His office on Tuesday did not respond to repeated inquiries asking which laws may have been violated.
The subpoena issued earlier this month asks for copies of guest lists, reservation logs, surveillance video and contracts identifying performers.
The owner of the Kilted Mermaid, Linda Moore, is vice mayor of Vero Beach, which is located on the Atlantic Coast, more than 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of West Palm Beach. Moore did not immediately respond to an email and phone call seeking comment.
Florida's Protection of Children Act, also known as 'the drag show ban,' was championed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. It sought to punish venues for allowing children into what it called 'adult live performances.' Though it did not mention drag shows specifically, the sponsor of the legislation said it was aimed at those performances.
Venues that violated the law faced fines and the possibility that their liquor licenses could be suspended or revoked. Individuals could be charged with a misdemeanor crime.
The law was challenged in 2023 by the Hamburger Mary's restaurant in Orlando which regularly hosted drag shows, including family-friendly performances. The restaurant claimed the Florida law violated First Amendment rights by chilling speech.
In May, a three-judge panel for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 to back a lower court's preliminary injunction that described Florida's law as overly broad and vaguely written. The case now returns to the Middle District of Florida for trial.
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USA Today
20 minutes ago
- USA Today
Epstein accomplice Maxwell angles for a Trump pardon. Would she lie to help him?
Doesn't it make sense to wonder if Maxwell is willing to lie to help herself, if that also helps Trump – an old friend, who was known for hanging around with Epstein? We don't know what Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted child sex trafficker and former paramour/accomplice to the dead pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, said during a pair of prison interviews July 24-25 with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. And we don't know how Maxwell, now serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for her despicable crimes, will respond to a subpoena issued July 23 by the Republican-controlled U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. But now seems like a good time to ask if anyone should believe anything Maxwell has to say about anything. Ghislaine Maxwell has a history of lying about Jeffrey Epstein Here's what we do know: Maxwell is in prison because she recruited girls under the age of 18, groomed them to be sexually abused by Epstein and then sometimes joined in. "The victims were as young as 14," according to the Department of Justice. Maxwell took these girls to the movies and on shopping trips. She asked them about school, while teaching them to submit to whatever Epstein desired. And then she denied all that. Here's another thing we know: The federal grand jury in New York that indicted her in July 2020 – during President Donald Trump's first term – called her a liar. That indictment included two counts of perjury for allegedly lying while testifying under oath in a civil court case about Epstein's sexual abuse of underage girls. Opinion: Republicans in Congress head home to angry voters. So much for summer break. The Department of Justice and Maxwell's lawyers mutually agreed to drop those perjury charges in 2022, soon after her conviction, if the court did not grant her a retrial. Prosecutors did that to help the victims whom Epstein and Maxwell abused avoid another public spectacle. But Maxwell's grand jury indictment cites her own words from that civil case – "I don't know what you're talking about" – as she denied the kinds of sexual abuse that the trial jury later convicted her for. It's not a stretch to think the trial jury would have convicted her for perjury, too, if those charges had not been spun off into a separate case. Why should we believe Maxwell now? So why believe what she has to say now, as she sits behind bars in a Florida prison with a projected release date of July 17, 2037? Doesn't it make more sense to wonder if Maxwell is willing to lie to help herself, if that also helps Trump, who was known for hanging around with Epstein, a politician who is again president and now is talking about how he has the power to pardon Maxwell? Trump, who once exploited conspiracy theories about Epstein's 2019 suicide in federal prison – also during his first term – for political benefit, is now trapped in a quagmire of his own making. He and the people he appointed to run the Department of Justice tried to back out of a promise to release documents about Epstein's crimes, infuriating his MAGA base and prompting a bipartisan call from Congress for more transparency. So it's worth a close look at what Trump has said over the years about Maxwell, whom he socialized with in New York and Palm Beach, along with Epstein. Trump, speaking at the White House in July 2020, just 19 days after the horrible allegations were made public in Maxwell's indictment, was asked if she might "turn in powerful men" while seeking leniency in court. Trump pretended that he didn't know much about Maxwell case while twice saying "I wish her well." Opinion: MAGA is realizing Trump lies. How can they trust anything he says on Epstein? Trump's kind regards for an accused child sex trafficker drew bipartisan rebukes from Congress. That didn't stop him from offering the same sentiment two weeks later, again offering good wishes for Maxwell in an HBO interview. Will Trump's administation protect, believe Maxwell? Five years later, Trump is still playing dumb about Maxwell – and hoping his supporters play dumb as well – as he openly floats talk of a pardon while also claiming to be out of loop in a scandal that is consuming his presidency. Trump on July 25 noted that he has the power to pardon Maxwell while also claiming "it's something I have not thought about." Three days later, on a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump repeated that he has the power to pardon Maxwell, while adding that "nobody's approached me with it. Nobody's asked me about it.' Well, check your social media feed, Mr. President, because Maxwell's lawyer, the same guy who sat with her for two full days of interviews by the Department of Justice, filed an appeal of her conviction on July 28 with the U.S. Supreme Court while making a direct appeal in a social media post aimed at you. Attorney David Oscar Markus, posting on X, wrote, "We are appealing not only to the Supreme Court but to the President himself to recognize how profoundly unjust it is to scapegoat Ghislaine Maxwell for Epstein's crimes." The appeal is based on the theory that a 2007 plea agreement that won Epstein a lenient prison sentence for soliciting minors for prostitution should have also protected Maxwell from prosecution. If Maxwell is going to win some kind of protection right now, Trump is her best bet. But this scandal has metastasized for the president, and the very people he wishes to quiet down will certainly raise another ruckus if he pardons her. This is what passes for bipartisanship now: People on the left, right and center of the political spectrum are all wondering at once why anyone would believe anything Maxwell has to say. Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here.
New York Post
20 minutes ago
- New York Post
Sen. John Kennedy weighs in on Park Ave skyscraper shooting: ‘We don't need more gun control, we need more idiot control'
Sen. John Kennedy dismissed the idea of tightening up gun laws — instead suggesting that the city brings back the stop-and-frisk tactic to combat gun violence. The Louisiana Republican weighed in on the discourse shortly after a crazed gunman stormed a Midtown skyscraper before killing a brave NYPD officer and three others Monday. Appearing on Fox News, Kennedy said that 'all you can do in a time like this is be sorry' for the victims, before anticipating that some of his colleagues will be advocating for increased gun control measures as a result of the massacre. Advertisement 7 Sen. John Kennedy suggested that New York City brings back the stop-and-frisk tactic to combat gun violence. Fox News 'On Capitol Hill, probably beginning in the morning, there'll be the inevitable call by some of my colleagues for more gun control laws,' Kennedy (R-La.) said on Sean Hannity's show Monday. 'We've got hundreds of gun control laws, Sean. Maybe thousands. We don't need more gun control, we need more idiot control, and I don't know exactly how to do that.' Advertisement The shooter, identified as Las Vegas resident Shane Tamura stormed into the 44-story building — which headquarters Blackstone and the NFL — armed with a rifle and opened fire at around 6:30 p.m. during the evening rush. The 27-year-old unleashed his rampage after setting foot in the lobby before ultimately turning the gun on himself. 7 'We don't need more gun control, we need more idiot control,' Kennedy said. James Keivom 7 On Monday, a crazed gunman stormed a Midtown skyscraper before killing a brave NYPD officer and three others. Obtained by NY Post Advertisement 7 The shooter stormed into the 44-story building — which headquarters Blackstone and the NFL — armed with a rifle and opened fire at around 6:30 p.m. Christopher Sadowski 'I don't want to hear anyone feeling sorry for this guy who did this,' Kennedy said of the shooter. 'I believe there's objective evil in this world, and we saw it today. I'm just sorry.' Kennedy also floated the idea of bringing back the stop-and-frisk policy. 'The other thing that, frankly, New York's going to have to face, is the issue of whether we should bring back more aggressive stop and frisk, which is a perfectly legal law enforcement tactic,' he added. Advertisement NYC Midtown shooting timeline NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch provided a timeline of events leading up to Monday's mass shooting: Reports of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue started coming in at around 6:28 p.m. The shooter, Shane Tamura, 27, was seen on surveillance footage getting out of a double parked black BMW between 51st and 52nd Street, with an M4 rifle. He then walks towards the skyscraper, enters the lobby and turns right, where he shot police officer Didarul Islam, 36, dead. Tamura then gunned down a woman cowering behind a pillar in the lobby, as he sprayed more bullets and walked toward the elevator bank — where he shot dead a security guard crouching at his desk. One more man reported being shot and injured in the lobby. He was in critical but stable condition. The gunman allowed a woman to walk out of the elevators unharmed, before heading up to the 33rd floor, where building owner Rudin Properties' offices are located, 'and begins to walk the floor, firing as he traveled.' One man was shot and killed on that floor. 'He then proceeds down a hallway and shoots himself in the chest,' ending his rampage. It's unclear how long the mayhem lasted. Tisch posted on X at 7:52 p.m.: 'the scene has been contained and the lone shooter has been neutralized.' Elsewhere, Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) spoke out about the 'tragic and horrifying' mass shooting. 'The murder of a brave New York City police officer and several innocent civilians is tragic and horrifying,' the House Minority Leader said in a statement. 7 Kennedy said that 'all you can do in a time like this is be sorry' for the victims. Fox News 7 The 27-year-old unleashed his rampage after setting foot in the lobby before ultimately turning the gun on himself. James Keivom 7 Front cover of the New York Post on July 29, 2025. 'We mourn their loss and stand with their families during this time of need. Our prayers and gratitude are also with those heroic law enforcement officers and first responders who put their lives on the line and selflessly rushed to the scene to save others.' 'Mass shootings are a plague. The gun violence epidemic continues to afflict our country and now has shattered lives in our great City. The time has come for decisive action,' Jeffries added.
The Hill
20 minutes ago
- The Hill
India says 3 militants behind Kashmir shooting that sparked tensions with Pakistan have been killed
NEW DELHI (AP) — India's home minister said Tuesday that three suspected militants who were killed in a gunfight in disputed Kashmir a day earlier were responsible for the gun massacre in the region that led to a military clash between India and Pakistan earlier this year. Amit Shah said the three men were Pakistani nationals who were killed in a joint operation by the military, paramilitary and police Monday on the outskirts of Kashmir's main city of Srinagar. Shah made the remarks in India's lower house of the parliament, and The Associated Press couldn't independently verify the details. Shah said the bodies of the men were identified by people who had provided food and shelter to them before they carried out the massacre in April. He cited a forensic report and said the rifle cartridges found at Monday's gunbattle site matched those used during the attack. The April gun massacre killed 26 people, mostly Hindu tourists. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation. It led to tit-for-tat military strikes by India and Pakistan that brought the nuclear-armed rivals to the brink of their third war over the region. Dozens of people were killed on both sides until a ceasefire was reached on May 10 after U.S. mediation. The four-day fighting between the nuclear-armed rivals was their worst in decades. Before the April gun massacre in the Kashmiri resort town of Pahalgam, fighting had largely ebbed in the region's Kashmir Valley, the heartland of anti-India rebellion and mainly shifted to mountainous areas of Jammu in the last few years. India and Pakistan each administer part of Kashmir, but both claim the Himalayan territory in its entirety. Militants in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir have been fighting New Delhi's rule since 1989. India describes militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies it. Many Muslim Kashmiris support the rebels' goal of uniting the territory, either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict.
