logo
Ron DeSantis is heckled by unhinged screaming protester during Hulk Hogan tribute

Ron DeSantis is heckled by unhinged screaming protester during Hulk Hogan tribute

Daily Mail​5 days ago
A screaming heckler interrupted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he delivered a tribute to wrestling legend Hulk Hogan on Thursday.
As DeSantis eulogized Hogan, describing the fellow Floridian as a 'superhero' and a 'major icon for anybody in Gen X,' an unhinged man began shouting from the back of the room.
'Alligator Alcatraz - is that your f***ing legacy!?' the unidentified protester yelled.
De Santis told the man to 'stop' and 'get out of here' before the protester took another swipe at the governor.
'You bow to a f***ing pedophile. You're a f***ing pedohile' he yelled as security moved in to escort him out.
'F*** you all,' he added as security removed him.
DeSantis then picked up where he left off, recalling the time Hogan lifted 520-pound Andre the Giant off the ground during Wrestlemania III.
'I was really worried that he wasn't going to be able to, but he slammed Andre the Giant,' he said. 'That was a huge thing for kids in that era.'
The dramatic interruption came after Hogan, 71, suffered a fatal cardiac arrest at his home in Clearwater Beach.
Alligator Alcatraz, a migrant detention center in the Florida Everglades, has come under fierce criticism since it opened its doors on July 1 and began accepting inmates two days later.
It has sparked outrage over reports of poor conditions and the treatment of inmates.
President Donald Trump toured the facility on July 1 alongside DeSantis and Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, declaring: 'It might be as good as the real Alcatraz.'
Two weeks later, a group of Democrats were granted access to tour the newly constructed grounds, and lamented the tough conditions migrants housed there will face.
Florida Democrat Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz compared the facility to an internment camp and insisted 'there are really disturbing, vile conditions,' demanding the 'place be shut the hell down.'
Kevin Guthrie, from the Florida division of Emergency Management, dismissed democrats' concerns in an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox.
He said one critic 'had an infrared thermometer that they actually pointed at a lightbulb and it was 110C.'
Guthrie said he suggested they 'pull that down' to gauge the actual temperature, suggesting it was an attempt to make the facility appear hotter than it actually is.
One migrant being held at detention center described dozens of inmates being corralled inside cages at the mosquito-infested facility.
Juan Palma, 48, told NBC6 that the lights stay on around the clock, leaving him clueless as to the time of day.
The Cuban migrant said that he and 32 other people live in what he described as a cage and that they are only allowed to shower every three or four days.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Maxwell tells Trump: Free me and I'll tell all to Congress
Maxwell tells Trump: Free me and I'll tell all to Congress

Telegraph

time26 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Maxwell tells Trump: Free me and I'll tell all to Congress

Ghislaine Maxwell has said she will testify freely to Congress if Donald Trump frees her from jail. Lawyers for Maxwell, 63, agreed that she would appear before the House Oversight Committee, as long as she could see what questions they planned to ask her about her links to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, in advance. She also asked that she receive legal immunity for any future convictions. Her lawyer requested that Maxwell's questioning take place after the Supreme Court rules on her appeal for her 2021 sex trafficking conviction. Alternatively, her lawyer said, she would speak 'freely and openly' to Congress right now if the president grants her clemency. Maxwell was last week subpoenaed to answer questions before Congress about her late boyfriend, for whom she was convicted of sex trafficking underage girls, meaning she would have been forced to appear in the coming months, anyway. 'Our initial reaction was that Ms Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment rights and decline to testify at this time,' David Oscar Markus, her lawyer, said in a letter to James Comer, the committee's Republican chairman ,which was shared with The Telegraph. He added: 'After further reflection, we would like to find a way to cooperate with Congress if a fair and safe path forward can be established.' Mr Markus wrote that his client 'cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity'. He said that to 'prepare adequately for any congressional deposition – and to ensure accuracy and fairness – we would require the committee's questions in advance'. His letter continues: 'In the alternative, if Ms Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing – and eager – to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, DC, She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning.' Earlier this week, Mr Markus wrote to the Supreme Court urging it to look at Maxwell's 2021 conviction on sex trafficking charges, arguing that a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein dating from 2008 prevented her subsequent prosecution. 'Plea and non-prosecution agreements resolve nearly every federal case. They routinely include promises that extend to others – co-conspirators, family members, potential witnesses,' he wrote to the court. 'If those promises mean different things in different parts of the country, then trust in our system collapses.' The case of Epstein, who was found dead in his New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, has continued to reverberate after his death. It has presented a challenge for Mr Trump, who was elected to a second term with a promise to release any outstanding evidence from the case. Many of his supporters believed senior Democrats and other powerful people would be revealed to be at the heart of a child sex trafficking ring. When the Department of Justice announced earlier this month there was no client list and the FBI was recommending there be no further release of material, there was outcry among some. While the president was one of Epstein's many high-profile associates, who also included former president Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, Mr Trump has said he broke off contact with him 20 years ago. When the Wall Street Journal published what it said was a 'bawdy' note from Mr Trump to Epstein for his 50th birthday, he denied having done so and said he was suing the paper and its owner Rupert Murdoch. Last week, Todd Blanche, the deputy attorney general who was previously Mr Trump's private lawyer, interviewed Maxwell for more than nine hours. Amid reports that the daughter of newspaper baron Sir Robert Maxwell, was seeking a pardon, some of Epstein's victims said it would be an act of betrayal to give one. Asked about a potential pardon, Mr Trump told reporters in Scotland over the weekend: 'Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but I – nobody's approached me with it.'

With Biden gone, and faced with indescribable famine, the Democratic consensus on Israel and Gaza shifts
With Biden gone, and faced with indescribable famine, the Democratic consensus on Israel and Gaza shifts

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

With Biden gone, and faced with indescribable famine, the Democratic consensus on Israel and Gaza shifts

The crisis in Gaza reached new horrific levels this week as the world's leading authority on famine and food security declared that mass starvation and death is imminent within the enclave unless Israeli forces begin allowing more aid into the Strip. In Washington, the mood among Democrats on the issue is dark. Having chained their party to support for Israel under the Biden administration, the party suffered a devastating defeat in 2024 and are now being forced to watch a resurgence on the progressive pro-Palestinian left. Despite breathless insistences to the contrary by center-left commentators, it's becoming increasingly clear that the base of the Democratic Party is shifting away from the pro-Israel consensus long upheld by the DC foreign policy establishment. It's not just the left, either; new polling shows a generational divide across all party lines on the issue of sympathy for support of Palestinian statehood and an end to the slaughter in Gaza. Few will say it openly, but no one is denying it on the left: there has been an earthquake within the party. The upstart victory of Zohran Mamdani in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor came amid a barrage of coverage from the mainstream media — including his hometown papers, the New York Times and New York Post — which often insinuated that Mamdani harbored anti-Semitic beliefs or falsely accused him of expressing them. It also rebuked the endorsements of aging Democratic would-be kingmakers Bill Clinton and James Clyburn, who issued late-game endorsements of New York's former governor, Andrew Cuomo. In a poll out Tuesday from the IMEU Policy Project conducted by Data for Progress, a clear portrait of the race emerges. Nearly eight in 10 New York mayoral primary voters said they believed Israel was committing a genocide in Gaza. Putting aside the mayoral race entirely for a moment — how does a candidate in the ideological vein of Joe Biden or Kamala Harris fare among an electorate like that? In the same poll, 63 percent of Democratic primary voters in the city supported what could easily be described as Mamdani's most hardline position on the matter of Israel-Palestine: his support for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu were he ever to visit the city. A lower figure than the number that are willing to assign the term 'genocide' to the conflict, but far from insignificant. A news article in the Jewish magazine Forward put the question plainly on Monday: 'After Mamdani and Gaza, are Democrats turning against Israel?' Democrats in New York and across the country are quickly waking up to the rapidly shifting ground beneath them. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a Democrat and vocal critic of his colleagues in the so-called 'Squad,' bluntly assessed that he could not win a Democratic primary for governor in the state after Mamdani's victory. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House Minority Leader, reportedly told allies that he doubts his ability to win the speakership with Mamdani in play. Kirsten Gillibrand, New York's junior US senator, issued a humbling apology to Mamdani after accusing him (falsely) of supporting 'jihad.' The efforts to dodge what could be a historic wave of primary challenges fueled by progressive rage over the next three years are hastily getting underway. Joe Biden's departure from the White House and Netanyahu's close alliance with Trump make criticizing Israel a much easier prospect for Democrats. The mass starvation and shocking killings of Palestinians at aid reception areas by Israeli troops have accelerated the criticism of Israel from Washington Democrats in the past week. In the Senate, a large coalition of Democrats led by Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is urging the Trump administration to publicly break with the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation and return to reliance on neutral international groups to provide aid. Van Hollen, who was a lonely voice for Palestinian suffering under the Biden administration, now has the backing of nearly half of his caucus. One unsurprising holdout was John Fetterman, the Pennsylvania senator and vocal supporter of Israel, including some of its most controversial war-fighting methods that have been denounced as war crimes by the International Criminal Court and others. Fetterman, up for reelection in 2028, has vultures circling him. Conor Lamb, his former primary opponent, is punching him relentlessly on social media and in a series of public appearances he's made at town hall-style events across the state. Lamb, who tweeted in support of destroying Hamas and supporting Israel after the October 7 attacks, lost out on endorsements from the progressive left that now despises Fetterman when they ran against each other in 2022. Another Pennsylvania congressman, a Democrat, tweeted (publicly!) that he hopes Fetterman doesn't run for president. This past week, Lamb tweeted that he hopes Pope Leo, the first American pontiff, 'continues to speak against starvation and barbarity in Gaza.' Members of the House are speaking out as well. Rep. Andre Carson, a Democrat from Indiana, came out in support of an arms embargo against Israel on Monday while accusing Netanyahu's government of 'starving' the population of Gaza. Others, including Madeleine Dean, demanded another ceasefire be hammered out. Torres attacked a Republican colleague for making repeated Islamophobic remarks about Rep. Ilhan Omar, and in an interview with Chuck Todd blasted Netanyahu for doing 'irreparable' harm to the relationship between Israel and the Democratic Party. Leadership is lagging behind but clearly feels the wind shifting: Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Jeffries released statements on Friday on the starvation, each condemning the crisis, neither one using the word 'Israel' at any point. Even Barack Obama, hesitant as he typically is to speak out on the issue of the day in his post-presidency, put out a statement seemingly critical of Israel, writing in part: 'There is no justification for keeping food and water away from civilian families.' The only Democrats who are being truly silent on the issue are tied directly to the former administration. Pete Buttigieg and Kamala Harris are widely seen as two of the most likely to contend for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination. Neither has issued a word about Gaza for months. Harris, also thought to be considering a run for governor of California, hasn't sat for a long-form interview this year. In the end it could be difficult to determine exactly how much of the stink attached to former Biden-world figures relates to Gaza, as opposed to the year(s?)-long coverup of the president's declining faculties. One thing is for certain: something shifted in the past week, something beyond just the fallout from election of a charismatic Muslim candidate in a prominent but isolated primary race.

Some North Carolina Democratic lawmakers break from party to pass Republican priorities
Some North Carolina Democratic lawmakers break from party to pass Republican priorities

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

Some North Carolina Democratic lawmakers break from party to pass Republican priorities

North Carolina Republican lawmakers on Tuesday overrode several vetoes by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, getting just enough votes from Stein's own party to enact some laws while falling short on others. The votes were key tests for Republican General Assembly leaders since they narrowly lost their veto-proof majority following last fall's elections. Both chambers enacted eight of 14 vetoed measures to further their conservative agenda, including laws that target transgender rights, allow firearms on private school property and eliminate an interim greenhouse gas reduction mandate. The GOP is one seat shy in the House of overcoming vetoes at will. Lawmakers were able to convince anywhere from one to three House Democrats to override on some measures. 'It depends on what the issue is, but on most issues, we're going to have a working supermajority,' House Speaker Destin Hall told reporters after session. Democratic leaders managed to keep intact other vetoes issued by Stein, meaning GOP goals to let adults carry concealed handguns without a permit and eliminate DEI initiatives are derailed for now. Republicans "didn't override them all. I mean, we might come back and override them if they have the numbers," Democratic Rep. Pricey Harrison said after Tuesday's session. 'It's a heck of a way to do policy.' Possible Democratic victory on transgender bill ends in defeat House Democrats weren't able to uphold the governor's veto on a bill targeting transgender people when one of their party members broke ranks. The legislation initially ran as a bipartisan measure curbing sexual exploitation of women and minors on pornography websites. But several contentious provisions were tacked on later, such as recognizing only two sexes and preventing state-funded gender transition procedures for prisoners. Freshman Democratic Rep. Dante Pittman voted for the measure in June but on Tuesday sided with Stein's veto instead. Another Democrat, Rep. Nasif Majeed, sided with Republicans to override Stein's veto. 'I had some moral issues about that and I had to lean on my values,' Majeed told reporters of the bill after the vote. DEI bills blocked for now In one of their biggest victories, Democrats blocked three bills that would have restricted diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the state by staying unified in their opposition. Two of the bills would bar certain 'divisive concepts' and 'discriminatory practices' related to race and identity in K-12 schools, public universities and community colleges. The third bill would ban state agencies from implementing diversity, equity and inclusion programs or utilizing DEI in hiring practices. Hall told reporters he expects the chamber will overcome the remaining vetoes, such as the DEI bills, at some point. 'If people are out and the numbers are there, we're going to vote to override,' Hall said. Mixed results on guns and immigration Republican lawmakers fervently prioritized legislation on guns and immigration this session, but in some cases, they couldn't complete that agenda Tuesday. A vetoed bill allowing permitless concealed carry for eligible people over the age of 18 wasn't heard in the House. That bill already faced an uphill battle after two Republicans voted against it with Democrats last month. House Republicans also failed to call a vote on vetoed legislation that would require several state law enforcement agencies to engage in the Trump administration's immigration crackdown by formally cooperating with federal agents. Other legislation on guns and immigration followed the pathway to becoming law. A bill that allows certain people to carry firearms onto private school property with administrative permission passed with support of a Democrat. Another Democrat's support also pushed through a separate immigration measure expanding the offenses that would require a local sheriff to check a detained person's legal status in the country. Interim greenhouse gas mandate gets repealed Enough Democrats joined Republicans in overriding Stein's veto of legislation that largely addressed activities of Duke Energy, the state's dominant electric utility. The new law in part repeals a portion of a bipartisan 2021 law that told electric regulators to work toward reducing carbon dioxide output 70% from 2005 levels by 2030. A directive in the 2021 law to meet a carbon neutrality standard by 2050 is still in place. Republicans said the 70% reduction mandate was unnecessary and if eliminated would moderate electricity rate increases required to meet the 2050 standard by allowing use of less expensive power sources. Stein and environmental groups opposed the measure, saying that eliminating the 2030 standard and other provisions will result in higher consumer rates by having utilities rely more more on natural gas to generate electricity.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store