MIAMI, Florida, March 7 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida issued the following news release on March 6, 2025: * * * Florida House Subcommittee Passes Bill that Attacks the Citizen-Led Amendment Process House Bill 1205 raises concerns across voting rights organizations, including the ACLU of Florida TALLAHASSEE, FL - Today, the House Government Operations Subcommittee passed House Bill 1205 by Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka. HB 1205 would create major financial and legal   more

MIAMI, Florida, March 7 -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida issued the following news release on March 5, 2025: * * * Lawmakers and Civil Rights Organizations Announce Revised and Expanded Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Florida House Representative LaVon Bracy Davis (D-Orlando) and State Senator Tracie Davis (D-Jacksonville) announced today the filing of the Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Florida Voting Rights Act (HB 1409, SB 1582)  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * BILIRAKIS, MATSUI, THOMPSON, KLOBUCHAR, WICKER INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL LEGISLATION TO INCREASE CANCER PATIENT ACCESS TO MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Doris Matsui (D-CA), and Mike Thompson (D-CA), as well as U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to increase access to m  more

TAMPA, Florida, March 7 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida issued the following news release: * * * Brevard County Man Pleads Guilty To Distributing Fentanyl And Methamphetamine Orlando, Florida - Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Christopher Fitzgerald Spivey, Jr. (40, Melbourne) has pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution of controlled substances. By virtue of Spivey's prior serious violent felony conviction, he faces a min  more

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Florida, March 6 -- The U.S. Central Command issued the following news release: * * * CENTCOM Conducts Bomber Task Force Mission Mar. 6, 2025 Release Number 20250306-01 TAMPA, Fla. - On March 4, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted a Bomber Task Force Mission in the Middle East, strengthening partner interoperability and demonstrating force projection capabilities in the region. It was the third BTF mission in two weeks. A B-52H Stratofortress from RAF Fair  more

MIAMI, Florida, March 6 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release on March 5, 2025: * * * Colombian National Sentenced to Prison and Another Pleads Guilty for Roles in Conspiracy to Kidnap and Assault U.S. Army Soldiers in Colombia A Colombian national was sentenced and another pleaded guilty in separate hearings today in the Southern District of Florida for their respective roles in kidnapping and assaulting two members of  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 (TNSrep) -- The Congressional Research Service issued the following In Focus white paper (No. IF10675) on March 4, 2025, by military ground forces specialist Andrew Feickert: * * * Army Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs) What Is Security Force Assistance (SFA)? Security Force Assistance (SFA) is defined as "unified action to generate, employ, and sustain local, host-nation, or regional security forces in support of a legitimate authority." By definition "security  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * Congresswomen Cherfilus-McCormick Leads Letter Urging Trump Administration to Reverse Elimination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian Nationals Washington D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Co-Chair of the Haiti Caucus, led over 35 members of Congress in a letter that urges the Trump Administration to reverse its decision to eliminate Temporary  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Contracts for March 5, 2025 NAVY Systems Planning and Analysis Inc., Alexandria, Virginia, is being awarded a $98,585,373 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification (P00002) to a previously awarded and announced contract (N00030247002) for support services for Nuclear Sea-Launched Cruise Missile Weapons Surety, Policy, and Compliance. Tasks to be performed include systems engineering and system integration, test/fl  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Contracts for March 6, 2025 ARMY Vertex Aerospace LLC, Madison, Mississippi (W900KK-25-D-0021); Lockheed Martin Corp., Orlando, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0022); Cubic Defense Applications Inc., San Diego, California (W900KK-25-D-0023); Ravenswood Solutions Inc.,* Fremont, California (W900KK-25-D-0024); Cole Engineering Services Inc., Orlando, Florida (W900KK-25-D-0025); Skiftech LLC,* Orlando, Florida (W900KK-  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, issued the following news release: * * * Crapo Reintroduces Legislation to Preserve Idaho's 190th Fighter Squadron Washington, D.C. \--Since 1991, the U.S. Air Force fighter fleet has been severely reduced. U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and John Hickenlooper (D-Colorado) reintroduced the Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act, S. 873, to preserve U.S. Air Force (USAF) fighter force structure and prioritize the recapitalization  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation has released the following public communication dated Feb. 27, 2025, from the Florida Department of Transportation: * * * To: The Honorable Sean Duffy Secretary of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20590 RE: Federal Register - DOT docket Number DOT-OST-2025-0002 (Draft Designation of National Multimodal Freight Network and State Input Process) * * * Dear Secretary Duf  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Shares Story Of Illinois Researcher At USDA Fired During DOGE's Short-Sighted Purge Of Critical Government Employees March 06, 2025 In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin shared the story of Jeannie Klein-Gordon, an agricultural researcher that was fired from her position at the Peoria Ag Lab WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Illinois, issued the following news release: * * * Durbin Votes Against Todd Blanche To Be Deputy Attorney General March 05, 2025 Durbin: We need a Deputy Attorney General who will bring independent thinking and a commitment to the rule of law back to the Justice Department. Mr. Blanche is not that person. WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today voted against the n  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 (TNSFR) -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a final rule amending Standard Instrument Approach Procedures (SIAPs), Takeoff Minimums, and Obstacle Departure Procedures (ODPs) at multiple airports across the United States. The changes stem from updates to navigational criteria, the commissioning of new facilities, the emergence of new obstacles, and evolving air traffic requirements. By revising these procedures, the FAA aims to enhance the safety and effi  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Defense issued the following news: * * * Face of Defense: Canine Companion Helps Former Marine Heal Retired Marine Corps Chief Warrant Officer 3 Thomas J. Heaton's career encompassed over two decades of service, including nine deployments across various theaters of operations. Heaton, who served in both counterintelligence and human intelligence roles in the Marine Corps Special Operations Command, has seen and experienced more than most in his fi  more

TALLAHASSEE, Florida, March 5 -- Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis Call to Protect Patient Freedom and Permanently Ban mRNA Mandates in Florida TAMPA Fla.-- Today, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis called on the CDC to stop recommending the COVID-19 vaccine for children. Additionally, Governor Ron DeSantis and First Lady Casey DeSantis called on the Florida Legislature to make permanent   more

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, March 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of South Carolina issued the following news release: * * * Healthcare Providers and Laboratory Marketers Agree to Pay Over $1.9M to Settle Kickback Allegations COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Gerald Congdon, M.D., of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, Gbenga Aluko, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina, and Anup Banerjee, M.D., of Gastonia, North Carolina, and their medical practices, as well as Curis Healthcare Inc., of Chicag  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has released the following public communication dated Feb. 10, 2025, from Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers and the attorneys general from 22 other states: * * * To: Brandon L. Taylor, Director Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health Department of Health and Human Services 1101 Wootton Parkway, Suite 420 Rockville, MD 20852 * Dr. Tameka Owens, Acting Admini  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the following public communication dated Feb. 25, 2025, from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety: * * * To: Todd Richardson General Deputy Assistant Secretary Office of Policy Development and Research Department of Housing and Urban Development 451 7th Street SW, Room 8100 Washington, DC 20410 Re: Request for Information Regarding Resilience Measures and Insurance Coverage * * * Ge  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on March 6, 2025: * * * Health Care Providers and Laboratory Marketers Agree to Pay Over $1.9 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations Gerald Congdon, M.D., of Pawleys Island, South Carolina; Gbenga Aluko, M.D., of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Anup Banerjee, M.D., of Gastonia, North Carolina, and their medical practices; as well as Curis Healthcare Inc., of Chicago, Illinois, Omar Hussain, of South Miami,   more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Arizona, issued the following news release: * * * Kelly and Scott's Resolution Designating March 6 as National Slam the Scam Day Unanimously Passes Senate Today, Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rick Scott (R-FL), members of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, announced the designation of March 6, 2025, as National Slam the Scam Day following the unanimous Senate passage of their bipartisan resolution to raise awareness of scams targeting older Ameri  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Brian Mast, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * Mast Introduces Veterans Homecare Choice Act WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-21) introduced the Veterans Homecare Choice Act to ensure veterans have more options for the care that they receive. The legislation restore veterans' ability to receive homecare through nurse registries and be reimbursed by the VA, reversing restrictions imposed by the 2018 VA MISSION Act. "Veterans who wa  more

SAN ANTONIO, Texas, March 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas issued the following news release: * * * Mexican National Pleads Guilty, Faces 10 Years to Life in Federal Prison for Attempting to Smuggle Fentanyl and Cocaine into U.S. DEL RIO, Texas - A Mexican national pleaded guilty in a federal court in Del Rio to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, Federico De Los Rios Rios, of Durango, Mexico, attempted  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- NASA issued the following news release: * * * NASA Invites You to Share Excitement of Agency's SpaceX Crew-10 Launch A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov onboard, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA/Keegan Barber NASA invites the public to t  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released the following public communication on Feb. 26, 2025, from the Flagler Sportfishing Club: * * * The amendment proposed by NOAA and NMFS is severely out of touch with the realities on the ground. The science behind this proposal is flawed, and the agency has not taken into account the feedback from anglers and divers who are directly affected by the proposed closures. Reducing the   more

WASHINGTON, March 7 (TNSFR) -- The Pistoia Alliance, Inc. has made adjustments to its membership, adding three new organizations while seeing the withdrawal of four existing members. The nonprofit alliance, which fosters collaboration in life sciences research and innovation, submitted its latest membership update on February 10, 2025, under the National Cooperative Research and Production Act of 1993. The newly added members include BLT Fisher of Palm Coast, Florida; Zuhlke of London, Unite  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * President Trump Endorses Salazar's TAKE IT DOWN Act During Presidential Address WASHINGTON, D.C. - Last night, President Trump endorsed H.R. 633 (link is external), the TAKE IT DOWN Act, during his address to Congress. You can see his remarks here (link is external). Rep. Salazar reintroduced (link is external) this bill in January and is leading the effort in the House of Representatives to get t  more

WASHINGTON, March 5 -- Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * Presidente Trump respalda la ley TAKE IT DOWN de la congresista Salazar durante discurso presidencial WASHINGTON, D.C. - Anoche, el presidente Trump respaldo el proyecto de ley H.R. 633 (link is external), la Ley TAKE IT DOWN, durante su discurso ante el Congreso. Puede ver sus comentarios aqui (link is external). La representante Salazar volvio a presentar (link is external) este proyecto de ley   more

MIAMI, Florida, March 6 -- The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Markenzy Lapointe, issued the following news release: * * * Public Servants Plead Guilty to Covid-19 Relief Fraud MIAMI - Angelo Stephen, a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Correctional Officer, and George Arestuche, a Miami-Dade County Aviation Department employee, have pled guilty to federal charges in separate federal cases for defrauding Covid-19 pandemic relief programs. Stephen pled guilty this week befo  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Florida, issued the following news release on March 6, 2025: * * * Reps. Kat Cammack & Doris Matsui Introduce The DIGITAL Applications Act WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Reps. Kat Cammack and Doris Matsui introduced the Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions and Legacy Applications Act (DIGITAL Applications Act). The bill establishes online portals for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of a Form 299 for communications use au  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Sen. Rick Scott, R-Florida, issued the following news release: * * * Sen. Rick Scott Leads Legislation to Extradite Fugitives Harbored in Communist Cuba WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Rick Scott and Senator Ted Cruz announced the introduction of the Frank Connor and Trooper Werner Foerster Justice Act to demand the immediate extradition to the U.S. of convicted felons Joanne Chesimard, who remains on the FBI's list of Most Wanted Terrorists, and William "Guillermo" M  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- The U.S. State Department issued the following transcript of an interview on March 5, 2025, by Secretary Marco Rubio with Sean Hannity of Fox News: * * * QUESTION: Here with the very latest, our Secretary of State Marco Rubio is with us. Mr. Secretary, good to have you. Thank you for being with us. SECRETARY RUBIO: Thank you. Thank you. QUESTION: You were in the room last Friday. It was somewhat surreal, and I said on Friday and I think I've been proven correct that h  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- Rep. Judy Chu, D-California, issued the following news release: * * * To Assist Victims of Federally-Declared Disasters Get Back into the Workforce, Rep. Chu & Bipartisan Coalition Introduce the HIRE CREDIT Act WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Reps. Judy Chu (CA-28-D), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30-D), Chuck Edwards (NC-11-R), and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23-D) introduced bipartisan tax legislation--the HIRE CREDIT Act --aimed at helping victims of federally-designated disasters like th  more

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Jill Tokuda, D-Hawaii, issued the following news release on March 6, 2025: * * * Tokuda Leads Colleagues in Opposing Proposed Cuts to HUD Disaster Recovery Office Washington, D.C. -- Today, U.S. Representative Jill N. Tokuda (HI-02) led 47 of her colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to reconsider proposed cuts to its Office of Community Planning and Development, which administers the Community Development Block Grant Disas  more

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, March 6 -- The office of the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico issued the following news release: * * * U.S. Attorney's Office Secures Sentencing in Alien Smuggling Case ALBUQUERQUE - A Florida man was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, following a dramatic high-speed pursuit and arrest in southern New Mexico. There is no parole in the federal system. According to court documents, on the night of Jul  more

WASHINGTON, March 6 -- NASA issued the following news release: * * * What You Need to Know about NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 Mission The official portrait of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 members with (from left) Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov of Roscosmos; Pilot Nicole Ayers and Commander Anne McClain, both NASA astronauts; and Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). NASA/Bill Stafford/Helen Arase Vargas Four crew members are preparing to launch to the Intern  more