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Florida state representative Joe Casello dies after heart attack

Florida state representative Joe Casello dies after heart attack

"We are so sorry to say that Representative Joe Casello has passed away surrounded by his loving family and girlfriend, following a heart attack," the Florida House Democratic Caucus said in a social media post announcing his death. "The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to all who have offered their love and support during this difficult time."
Nikki Fried, chairwoman of the Florida Democratic Party, said he would be "deeply missed."
More politics news: Trump approval rating drops in new poll; more Americans oppose immigration policies
Remembering Rep. Joe Casello
A private ceremony will be held in the family's home state of Massachusetts, the caucus said, and a public memorial service will be announced in the coming weeks.
Casello was a firefighter for 33 years in Worcester, Massachusetts, before moving to Palm Beach County. His first entry into politics was in 2013, when he became a city commissioner in Boynton Beach. Last November, he was reelected to a fourth term in the state House by a double-digit margin. He had filed papers to run for the Palm Beach County Commission in November 2026.
Gov. Ron DeSantis will need to call a special election to fill Casello's seat, according to Florida state law.
Casello was taken off life support the morning of July 18, after he was taken to regional hospital about two weeks ago after complaining of chest pains, the Palm Beach Post reported.
State Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, was a close friend, and told the Palm Beach Post he and his wife visited Casello for about half an hour on July 17.
"He was very lucid," Caruso said. "I asked him if there was anything I could do for him. He said: 'See if you could get a fire truck named after me.'"
"My life has always been about public service and meeting the needs of my community," Casello said in a statement released July 17, a day before his passing. "Serving as both a firefighter for 33 years and an elected official for 13 years has been the greatest honor of my life. Representing the people -- through times of unity and division, triumph and challenge -- has been a privilege I will always cherish."
Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @KathrynPlmr.
Mike Diamond is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at mdiamond@pbpost.com.
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TikTok will go dark in US without Chinese approval of sale deal, Lutnick says
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TikTok will go dark in US without Chinese approval of sale deal, Lutnick says

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I don't identify with my country's values anymore. Is this ‘citizenship insecurity'?
I don't identify with my country's values anymore. Is this ‘citizenship insecurity'?

The Guardian

time3 hours ago

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I don't identify with my country's values anymore. Is this ‘citizenship insecurity'?

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The stated reason for termination: a new NIH policy declaring that research programs connected to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are 'antithetical to scientific inquiry'. (Some demographics' pain no longer counts to those in power, apparently.) Indeed, this is another part of citizenship insecurity today: the economic pressures on scholars as federal funding has been haphazardly cut in the sciences and other disciplines. A number of these academics are internationally born, which adds an additional layer of uncertainty. 'The fear is always there,' he says of his current life. 'I carry my US passport now everywhere I go, just in case.' Of course, the woes of American citizens experiencing insecurity like Hincapie-Castillo do not even compare to the threat against non-citizens: it is as if many of us are nesting dolls of uncertainty. By 1 June, 51,302 people were in Ice detention. As of 13 July , the number had ticked up to 56,816. 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For decades, many of us have witnessed enormous political endeavors we did not approve of, from the war in Iraq to the war in Vietnam. This included the 'forever wars', which were attacks on much we valued about our country, all at once, but it also included phenomena that presage and accompany those wars: torture, military occupation and Islamophobia at home. As a journalist focused on income inequality and economic insecurity, I did not buy into the 'American dream' mythos. Editing big stories about economic inequality in this country day in, day out, I have been shown over and over that the notion of pulling yourself by your bootstraps is a fantasy. I have interviewed people who did everything 'right' – saving money, pursuing higher education, working 40 hours a week – and still live from paycheck to paycheck, unable to buy a home or to even recognize a clear life trajectory. 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I interviewed a Jewish faith leader who is originally from Israel, has an American passport but is also in the middle of obtaining her Portuguese citizenship (she is Sephardic, meaning her ancestors are from the Iberian peninsula). She wants to remain anonymous in part to protect her child, who is transgender, and expanding her options for citizenship feels more urgent than ever. She is also applying, she says, because the current American political situation plays 'into centuries-old insecurity of the Jewish people'. For her, citizenship insecurity has been compounded by what she calls 'the state of violence of the country [Israel] I come from'. The sense of instability is not confined to one place – it echoes across borders. It is not just about mobility or paperwork – it is about protection, about having somewhere for her child to go if things get worse. Melissa Aronczyk, a media studies professor at Rutgers University and author of Branding the Nation: the Global Business of National Identity, comes from Canada. She has been thinking of returning home 'incessantly' since January. 'There is a cabal of Canadians in the US where that's a central topic right now,' she says. In conversations in a Facebook group for her fellow expats living in the US, trying to get their kids into Canadian universities has become a far more insistent theme as of late. 'Canadian American parents getting their kids to apply to Canadian rather than American universities was once a tuition move,' says Aronczyk. Now, she says it's also political as well. Aronczyk, like many of the people I spoke to, is quick to acknowledge her relative privilege. We know we are lucky, even, in being able to consider second citizenships. 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Mexico City is cracking down on digital nomads – here's how
Mexico City is cracking down on digital nomads – here's how

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