DeSantis: ‘Alligator Alcatraz' will be ‘ready for business' when Trump visits
'I think by tomorrow, it'll be ready for business,' DeSantis said during a press conference in Wildwood, Fla., on Monday.
DeSantis, who confirmed that Trump would be in attendance at the facility's official opening on Tuesday, noted that he spoke with Trump over the weekend.
'He's very excited about doing it,' the governor said.
DeSantis and Trump went head-to-head in the 2024 Republican presidential primary before the governor dropped out and backed the president.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Monday that Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who Trump has endorsed for Florida governor ahead of 2026, will also be in attendance, along with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
DeSantis is term limited and cannot seek a third consecutive term as governor, though his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, has been floated as a potential candidate.
The site includes soft-sided holding units for hundreds of detainees through a partnership in which the federal government will provide the funding. The Florida Division of Emergency Management has overseen its build-out and management. Additional holding units will be added through next month, under the agreement.
The facility is expected to cost about $450 million per year, which will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Shelter and Services Program that was used to house asylum-seekers during the Biden administration.
DeSantis's administration has sought to partner with the Trump administration on the issue of immigration. Earlier this year, DeSantis called for a special state legislative session to implement Trump's immigration agenda.
'Florida should not be the only one in this fight,' the governor said on Monday. 'We literally are doing what the voters who elected all of us have been demanding for many, many years
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
26 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump–Putin meeting, retail sales, consumer data: What to Watch
Market Domination Overtime host Josh Lipton takes a look at the top stories for investors to watch on Friday, Aug. 15. President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be meeting in Alaska for the US–Russia summit around 3:30 p.m. The two leaders are expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and the possibility of peace agreements. Trade between the US and Russia will also be a topic of discussion. US retail sales data for July will be posted in the morning. Economists are expecting in Core retail sales to slow by 0.3% from the previous month. August preliminary consumer sentiment will also be out in the morning, as economists anticipate a slight uptick to 62% from July's 61.7%. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Domination Overtime. Time now for to watch that would be Friday, August 15th. We're gonna start off on geopolitics. It's been a busy week of inflation data, but now all eyes turning to Alaska for President Trump's summit with President Putin. It is the first face-to-face meeting between US president and Russian counterpart since President Biden met with Putin in June 2021. And the summit could have implications for the war in Ukraine as well as the oil markets. And moving over to the economy, US retail sales data for July, that is coming out on Friday. Commer forecasting total retail sales to hold steady at 0.6%, while core retail sales slow to 0.3% on a month over month basis. The new data signaling that consumers are still spending overall, but underlying spending momentum is softening. And speaking of the consumer, we're going to be getting consumer sentiment data for August on Friday. That number's expected to tick up slightly to 62, giving us more insight into the health of the consumer and signaling that they're feeling slightly more optimistic about the economy.
Politico
29 minutes ago
- Politico
Don't knock RFK Jr.'s presidential bid just yet
TAN, RESTED AND READY — Not even a year has passed since Donald Trump's election, but the invisible primary for 2028 is already underway. Potential candidates in both parties are making appearances in the early presidential primary states, recalibrating their positions in advance of running and building their fundraising operations. None of it seems to have generated as much chatter in Washington as the groundwork being laid by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who appears to be eyeing another presidential bid. At first, the prospect of a Kennedy campaign seems outlandish. His considerable personal baggage, polarizing views and habit of trafficking in conspiracy theories might seem to be disqualifying. He's never won election to any office. If he ran as a Republican, his party credentials would be suspect — and he'd likely be running in a primary field loaded with experienced heavyweights. Yet that's the precise profile Donald Trump carried into the 2016 primary when he cut through a crowded and accomplished Republican presidential field like a buzzsaw. And RFK Jr. would be a far more formidable candidate in 2028 than in 2024, when his campaign fell apart. As HHS secretary, he has built a portfolio marked by bashing regulatory agencies, the media, mainstream medicine, and taking on foes like Big Pharma, Big Ag, Big Food, and the baby formula industry. By honing an anti-establishment message, RFK Jr. is gaining traction in an increasingly populist Republican Party. Parts of his MAHA agenda are already resonating in state capitals — particularly, but not exclusively, in red states. It's why even if he doesn't really rate in the constellation of MAGA stars — Kennedy exists in his own adjacent universe, which he oversees from his perch as secretary of Health and Human Services — he has just enough celebrity, name recognition and appeal to elements of Trump's winning 2024 coalition that he can't be easily dismissed. Those same coalition politics that boosted Trump's White House comeback bid also may have blurred traditional primary lanes ahead of 2028. RFK Jr.'s road trips to red states draw robust crowds. He already polls better than many of his prospective Republican rivals, especially among the youth vote. While Vice President JD Vance leads most polls by a wide margin, RFK ranked fourth after Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis in a June Emerson College poll. But in the spring 2025 Yale Youth Poll — which surveys both young American voters and the general population — Kennedy trailed only Vance among Republican voters. He also had the highest net favorability ratings after Vance among voters aged 18-29 and the general population. A June Economist/YouGov poll found RFK with a 70 percent job approval rating among Republicans. Polling this far out doesn't have much predictive value. But what's clear is that HHS is providing a useful platform for RFK Jr. that could not only fuel a campaign launch, but also carve out discrete parts of the core MAGA constituency for him. He has an army of online healthy-living influencers proselytizing for him, can tap into the energy of the anti-vax movement and wields a ready-made slogan — Make America Healthy Again — that's a friendly derivative of MAGA. RFK 2028 sounds far-fetched, no doubt. Kennedy did, after all, begin his political adventure running for president as a Democrat, then as an independent, before dropping out and endorsing Trump. But MAGA happily embraces converts — another recent Democratic contender for president, Tulsi Gabbard, is now a Trump stalwart ensconced in a cabinet-level position as director of national intelligence. RFK Jr.'s fate in a prospective Republican primary bid would be heavily reliant on remaining in Trump's good graces. And he'd likely be up against others with greater claims on the MAGA imprimatur — most notably Vance. But in an era of tremendous political disruption, where the major parties are inverting, traditional coalitions are fractured and longstanding campaign assumptions and traditions are being turned upside down, almost nothing can be ruled out anymore. Before writing off Kennedy, ask yourself a question: Is there anyone who thinks Trump wouldn't throw his vice president under the bus if it suited his political needs or whims at the time? Welcome to POLITICO Nightly. Reach out with news, tips and ideas at nightly@ Or contact tonight's author at cmahtesian@ or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @PoliticoCharlie. What'd I Miss? — AI launches across the government: Federal employees will soon be able to try out popular artificial intelligence tools — part of a controversial Trump administration effort to automate more of the government. The U.S. General Services Administration said this morning it will launch USAi, a secure platform designed to let employees experiment with popular AI models made by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and Meta. The website is framed as a way to advance the Trump administration's broader AI Action Plan and to deliver 'a competitive advantage to the American people,' GSA Deputy Administrator Stephen Ehikian said in a statement. — DC police to increase cooperation with immigration enforcement amid Trump crackdown: Officers in Washington's Metropolitan Police Department can now assist federal immigration authorities, Police Chief Pamela A. Smith wrote in an order today, a turning point for the liberal-leaning city government that comes as President Donald Trump continues to flex federal control over the city. The district's officers will be empowered to share information with immigration agencies about people at traffic stops and to transport agency employees and their detainees, per the order. Since 2020, police in the District have been bound by a sanctuary city law that has prohibited broad cooperation with federal immigration authorities. But Mayor Muriel Bowser has proposed a repeal of the law, and White House Border Czar Tom Homan on Wednesday declared DC was 'not going to be a sanctuary city.' — Texas Democrats signal they are poised to end redistricting walkout: Texas Democrats gave their clearest signal yet today that they will soon return to the Lone Star state, after decamping to stop the passage of a redrawn congressional map that adds five new GOP-leaning seats. A statement from the state House Democratic Caucus said that the lawmakers will return on two conditions, both of which are expected this week. First, that the Texas Legislature ends its first special session on Friday, and second that California lawmakers introduce their expected proposal that could offset the GOP gains in Texas. — Trump cold-called Norwegian minister to ask about Nobel Peace Prize: President Donald Trump called Norway's Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg out of the blue last month to discuss trade tariffs — as well as his bid to win the Nobel Peace Prize. The call was first reported by Norwegian newspaper Dagens Næringsliv on Thursday and was later confirmed to POLITICO by a government official in Oslo. This was not the first time Trump had raised the prize in discussions with Stoltenberg, Dagens Næringsliv noted. 'It is true that President Trump called me a few days before his conversation with Prime Minister Støre. Several of the president's staff members also participated in the conversation, including Treasury Secretary Bessent and Trade Representative Greer,' Stoltenberg, the former NATO secretary-general, told POLITICO in a comment. — Florida to use shuttered prison as 2nd immigration detention center after 'Alligator Alcatraz': Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Thursday that the state will open a second immigration detention center inside a now-shuttered state prison in North Florida as the fate of its first such facility in the Everglades lies in the hands of a federal judge. Florida plans to spend up to $6 million to stand up Baker Correctional Institution — which is 15 minutes away from an airport in Lake City — to hold more than 1,300 people awaiting deportation. Baker was 'temporarily closed' amid ongoing staffing problems in the state prison system. AROUND THE WORLD AFGHANS STRANDED IN PAKISTAN — Pakistani police have reportedly arrested hundreds of Afghans in Pakistan slated for resettlement to Germany, deporting some to Afghanistan. This follows suspension of a German government program that provided refuge to people deemed particularly vulnerable under Taliban rule. Around 400 Afghans awaiting resettlement to Germany in Pakistan have been arrested in recent weeks, and several dozen of them have been deported to their home country, according to a report by German newspaper Welt — which, like POLITICO, is owned by Axel Springer. The German government effectively suspended a resettlement program for vulnerable Afghans after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz came to power with a vow to drastically curtail the influx of asylum-seekers into the country. That decision stranded some 2,200 Afghans in Pakistan — among them women's rights activists and LGBTQ+ people who face oppression under Taliban rule. FIGHTING BACK — Allies fed up with Donald Trump's latest round of punishing tariffs and spending demands are hitting the president where it hurts — his favorite fighter jet. Spain, in the wake of a row with Washington over NATO's new 5 percent defense spending goal, ditched its multibillion-dollar purchase of the stealthy F-35 fighter jet. Switzerland, reeling from steep U.S. tariffs, is facing increasing pressure across the political spectrum to drop plans for its own F-35 war planes. And India, frustrated at higher U.S. prices on its goods, has reportedly decided to pause efforts to buy American combat vehicles. The moves — all made in the past two weeks — show the potential consequences of Trump's economic actions as they reverberate through allied capitals, forcing governments to reassess their defense ties with the United States. They also reinforce American industry fears that this new form of protectionism will spark retaliation, jeopardize arms sales and chip away at America's dominance as the globe's top defense supplier. Nightly Number RADAR SWEEP THE FEATHER DETECTIVE — Roxie Laybourne, an ornithologist at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, could identify the species of bird any feather came from. In 1972, she was called to 'the chicken capital of Maine' to testify as an expert witness at a murder trial after the victim was found covered in feathers. The trial was the first of many in which Laybourne lent her expertise to prosecute murderers, poachers, and even a member of the Ku Klux Klan. Chris Sweeney reports on how Laybourne solved the case and created the field of forensic ornithology in an excerpt of his book in Boston Globe Magazine. Parting Image Jacqueline Munis contributed to this newsletter. Did someone forward this email to you? Sign up here.
CBS News
29 minutes ago
- CBS News
Federal building housing DHS and ICE in NYC evacuated following report of suspicious powder
The building at 26 Federal Plaza in Lower Manhattan was evacuated on Thursday afternoon following reports of a suspicious white powder. The FDNY said a call came in just before 4 p.m. saying the powder was reported found on the ninth floor. A hazmat unit was dispatched to the scene to investigate. The building at 26 Federal Plaza is home to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the city's U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office, among other agencies. Mayor Eric Adams addressed the situation on social media. "New Yorkers, I have been preliminarily briefed on the matter unfolding at 26 Federal Plaza where envelopes containing white powder were discovered. I want to also reassure you that there are no known injuries at this time," Adams wrote. "While we await test results from our federal partners, @FDNY Hazmat teams are on the ground to ensure the safety of everyone inside and outside of the building." Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry said the investigation is ongoing and for the public to "please avoid the area and follow official channels for verified updates." The building at 26 Federal Plaza has been the scene of numerous detainments by ICE agents following routine immigration hearings. It has also been the site of several protests, alleging immigrants are being held in deplorable conditions. DHS maintains the building is not a detention center and says allegations of overcrowding or poor conditions are "categorically false." "It is a processing center where illegal aliens are briefly processed to be transferred to an ICE detention facility," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a recent statement to CBS News New York. "All detainees are provided with proper meals, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. As we arrest and remove criminal illegal aliens and public safety threats from the U.S., ICE has worked diligently to obtain greater necessary detention space while avoiding overcrowding." A federal judge on Tuesday said he would block the Trump administration from using the building to hold immigrants facing deportation unless it reduces the number of detainees and improves conditions at the site, including by providing sleeping mats and hygiene products. U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan issued the temporary restraining order after holding a hearing earlier Tuesday. A government lawyer conceded in court that those detained by ICE at the facility did not have access to certain services, including sleeping mats, in-person legal visits, medication and more than two meals per day. Please stay with CBS News New York for more on this developing story.
