Florida executes man convicted of 1982 murder, 29th US execution this year
Kayle Bates was sentenced to death in 1983 for the murder of Janet Renee White, 24, who worked at an insurance company in Lynn Haven, Florida.
White was attacked at her office by Bates after she returned from lunch and stabbed to death in nearby woods.
Bates was executed at 6:17 pm (2217 GMT) at the Florida State Prison, according to officials.
There have been 29 executions in the United States in 2025, the most since 2014, when a total of 35 inmates were also put to death.
Twenty-four of this year's executions have been carried out by lethal injection, two by firing squad and three by nitrogen hypoxia, which involves pumping nitrogen gas into a face mask, causing the prisoner to suffocate.
The use of nitrogen gas as a method of capital punishment has been denounced by United Nations experts as cruel and inhumane.
Florida has carried out the most executions in 2025 with 10.
The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 US states, while three others—California, Oregon and Pennsylvania—have moratoriums in place.
President Donald Trump is a proponent of capital punishment, and on his first day in office called for an expansion of its use 'for the vilest crimes.' — AFP
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Free Malaysia Today
an hour ago
- Free Malaysia Today
US budget deficit to be US$1tril higher over next decade, says watchdog
The new estimate from the committee for a responsible federal budget includes the budget effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and US tariffs. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : US federal budget deficits will be nearly US$1 trillion higher over the next decade than projected in January by the congressional budget office (CBO) as a result of tax and spending legislation and tariffs, a budget watchdog said today. The committee for a responsible federal budget's (CRFB) latest forecasts show a cumulative deficit of US$22.7 trillion from fiscal 2026 to 2035, compared to the CBO's January forecast of US$21.8 trillion, which was based on laws and policies that were in place before US President Donald Trump took office in January. The CBO, Congress's non-partisan budget referee agency, said on Monday that it will not issue its customary mid-year budget update this year and will issue its next 10-year budget and economic outlook in early 2026, offering no explanation for the move. The CRFB, which advocates for deficit reduction, projected a US$1.7 trillion deficit in fiscal 2025 or 5.6% of GDP, down slightly from US$1.83 trillion in 2024 and the CBO's 2025 projection of US$1.87 trillion in January. However, it said deficits steadily rise over the decade, reaching US$2.6 trillion or 5.9% of GDP by 2035. The new CRFB estimates include the budget effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act tax and spending bill, as well as Trump's tariffs that are currently in place. However, like CBO, they do not include the dynamic economic effects on growth from these changes, a forecasting rule that has drawn criticism from the Trump administration. The group projects the tax cut and spending bill to increase deficits, including interest, by US$4.6 trillion through 2035, adding another year to the CBO's US$4.1 trillion cost estimate through 2034. However, CRFB estimates that this will be offset by US$3.4 trillion worth of extra import duty revenue over the next decade due to Trump's new tariffs that are currently in place. 'New rules restricting eligibility for health insurance subsidies will reduce deficits by another US$100 billion through 2035, and Congress' rescission of prior funding to foreign aid, public broadcasting and other programmes would save another US$100 billion if sustained over a decade,' CRFB said. Net interest payments on the national debt will total US$14 trillion over the decade, CRFB projected, rising from nearly US$1 trillion or 3.2% of GDP in 2025 to US$1.8 trillion or 4.1% of GDP in 2035. Tariff challenge The forecasts are based on legislative and tariff changes since January but keep CBO's economic forecasts unchanged. Under an alternative scenario forecast by CRFB, the budget picture looks far worse, boosting deficits nearly US$7 trillion higher than the CBO baseline. This scenario would see a significant part of Trump's tariffs canceled if the court of international trade's ruling against many of Trump's new tariffs is upheld, cutting US$2.4 trillion from revenues over a decade. The alternative scenario also assumes extension of a number of temporary tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including tax breaks on overtime, tips, Social Security income and car loan interest, higher state and local tax deduction allowances and full expensing of factory investments, adding US$1.7 trillion to deficits over 10 years. CRFB's alternative scenario also ditches the CBO's projection of a decline in 10-year US treasury yields over the decade to about 3.8%. 'If that interest rate stays at the current level of about 4.3%, interest costs would grow by about US$1.6 trillion through 2035,' CRFB said. The total 2035 debt-to-GDP ratio would grow from 118% in the CBO January baseline to 120% under the CRFB's projected baseline scenario and 134% under the CRFB's alternative scenario.
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Zelensky says ready for bilateral meeting with Putin to end war
President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to reporters in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, after meeting Donald Trump. (AP pic) WASHINGTON : Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he was willing to meet directly with his Russian counterpart to end the war. Speaking to reporters after talks with US President Donald Trump and several European leaders at the White House, Zelensky said he was ready for what would be his first face-to-face with Vladimir Putin since Moscow's invasion nearly three and a half years ago. 'I confirmed – and all European leaders supported me – that we are ready for a bilateral meeting with Putin,' Zelensky said following the summit. Zelensky has come under increasing pressure to cede territory to end the grinding war, as Russia makes a series of advances. Ahead of the White House meeting, Trump had pushed Ukraine to give up Crimea and abandon its goal of joining Nato – both key demands made by Putin. But Zelensky stressed he had been able to present a clearer picture of the battlelines to Trump, who he met in a one-on-one in the Oval Office. 'This was the best of our meetings,' Zelensky said, according to a statement put out by his office. 'I was able to show many things, even on the map, to all American colleagues regarding the situation on the battlefield.' Rather than concessions from Ukraine, the summit focused on arranging security guarantees in the event of a peace deal, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters afterwards. Trump said the guarantees 'would be provided by the various European Countries (in) coordination with the United States of America.' Zelensky added that 'it is important that the United States of America gives a clear signal that it will be among the countries that will assist, coordinate and also be participants in security guarantees for Ukraine.' Zelensky said those plans would be 'formalised in some way in the next week or ten days.'
Free Malaysia Today
5 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Nasdaq tumbles, European shares rise on Ukraine peace efforts
Declines in Nvidia and other major artificial intelligence stocks dragged the S&P 500 down 0.6% and the Nasdaq down 1.5%. (AP pic) NEW YORK : Wall Street stocks fell, European equities rose and oil edged down on Tuesday as traders assessed the previous day's White House talks on the war in Ukraine, and looked ahead to a key meeting of central bankers. US President Donald Trump said he hoped Russia's Vladimir Putin would move forward on ending the war in Ukraine but conceded the Kremlin leader may not want to make a deal. On Monday, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the US would help guarantee Ukraine's security in any agreement to end Russia's war there, though the extent of any assistance was not immediately clear. Declines in Nvidia and other heavyweight artificial intelligence stocks pulled the S&P 500 down 0.6% and the Nasdaq down 1.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended roughly flat after briefly touching an all-time high. Europe's broad STOXX600 index rose 0.7%, outperforming Asian stocks, which fell slightly. Europe's gains were capped by declines in defence names, with the STOXX Europe Total Market Aerospace & Defense index down 2.6%, as traders saw the talks as a chance to take profit in the sector after a strong run. With any breakthrough in talks, 'I think European stocks are likely the biggest winners, and within that framework, I think industrial companies, construction for rebuilding materials, and financial companies,' said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Investment Management. Losers could include shares in energy and defence after their recent gains, he said. Energy markets were also assessing the chance of an end of the war in Ukraine, and oil prices fell on speculation that progress in the talks could lead to the lifting of sanctions on Russian crude, boosting supply. The moves were not dramatic though, and some analysts said developments were unlikely to jolt oil and gas markets significantly. Brent crude futures were down 57 cents at US$66.06 a barrel, with U.S. crude down 77 cents at US$62.65. Eyes on the Fed The other main event for markets this week is the Federal Reserve's Aug 21-23 Jackson Hole symposium, where chair Jerome Powell is due to speak on the economic outlook and the US central bank's policy framework. His remarks will be closely watched as the Fed grapples with sticky inflation and signs of slowing growth. Futures markets imply at least two 25 basis point rate cuts this year, reflecting a view that the Fed will not view inflation as a long-term problem. 'There's an anxiety about Powell's comments at Jackson Hole,' said Ross Mayfield, investment strategist at Baird Private Wealth Management. 'Some investors fear the Fed is going to be a bit behind the curve and higher interest rates have a big impact on growth stocks.' Trump has been pressuring the Fed to cut rates dramatically, and has publicly speculated about replacing Powell before his term ends next year. 'The question is to what degree is the Fed happy to ignore the inflation data because they think it is distorted by tariffs,' said Ian Samson, portfolio manager at Fidelity International. 'If you look out one year, you're not going to have Powell as Fed chair, there are a couple of governors to replace, so the balance is clearly going towards people who are willing to look through tariffs, and thus continue to lower interest rates.' Such a scenario would likely bode well for equities, help shorter-dated government bonds, and weigh on the dollar, though the impact for longer-dated bonds is less clear, said Samson, adding that he was largely avoiding the long end of the US yield curve. The S&P 500 will end 2025 just below current near-record levels, reflecting tempered optimism amid ongoing concerns over the economic impact of Trump's global tariffs and uncertainty surrounding Fed's rate cuts, according to a new Reuters poll. Longer-dated yields have been rising worldwide in recent months. German and British 30-year yields have tested multi-decade highs, and the latter rose sharply late on Monday. Bond markets were calmer on Tuesday. US, German and British government bond yields all fell across their respective curves, with the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield down 3 basis points at 4.31%. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against a basket of currencies including the yen and the euro, was last up 0.15% on the day. Gold dipped 0.4% to US$3,317.71 an ounce.
