TV News LIES

The University of Florida announced Friday that it had terminated all of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) related positions to comply with a new state law that bars state colleges from using state or federal money to fund the programs.

The rule, which the Florida Board of Education implemented in January, said strict regulations would be put on the Florida College System about the use of tax dollars to support DEI. The board said DEI programs are “programs that categorize individuals based on race or sex for the purpose of differential or preferential treatment.”

The University of Florida leadership said in a memo Friday it had closed its Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, eliminated DEI positions and administrative appoints and stopped DEI-focused contracts with third-party vendors.

University employees who lost their positions will receive the standard twelve weeks of severance pay and are encouraged to apply for “expedited consideration for different positions currently posted by the university.”

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I will leave it to others to discuss the precedents for Aaron Bushnell’s self-immolation outside the Israeli embassy in Washington, from Thích Quảng Đức to Norman Morrison to Mohamed Bouazizi to Irina Slavina to Wynn Alan Bruce. Yes, this has happened before.

The world has been a terrible place for too many for too long, and for that reason, the rare few most inclined to feel that terror, to breathe in its ashes, have found no other option but to set themselves on fire in protest. So that others may be forced to breathe in some of those ashes too.

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Texas law that would have allowed local police to arrest people suspected of being in the state illegally.

Senate Bill 4 was passed in late 2023 as part of a priority package of immigration and border security bills championed by Gov. Greg Abbott and far-right leaders. It would have also allowed local judges to order someone to return to Mexico, regardless of their nationality.

• Israeli forces fired on a crowd of Palestinians waiting for aid in Gaza City. At least 100 people were killed and hundreds more were injured, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qudra, a spokesperson for the enclave’s Health Ministry, said today. NBC News has not independently verified the reported death toll, and it’s not clear how many people were killed from gunfire or the ensuing panic

• The Israeli military said that civilians surrounded an aid truck, causing pushing and trampling, and that it was reviewing the incident. An Israeli government source said Israel Defense Forces troops responded with “live fire” after people surrounded trucks carrying humanitarian aid.

• President Joe Biden said he knew the incident would complicate cease-fire talks. Meanwhile, Biden held calls this morning with the emir of Qatar and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.

Florida workers would not be able to count on shade breaks or water on hot days under a Republican proposal to block cities and counties from requiring those protections.

The effort comes as many states — particularly Florida — experience more extremely hot days as the climate warms, writes Adam Aton. Last year, at least two farm workers died in South Florida amid extreme heat, including a 28-year-old on his first day harvesting vegetables.

Miami-Dade County has since proposed mandating 10-minute breaks in the shade every two hours for construction and farm workers. But a bill that advanced in a Florida state House committee last week would prevent the county from imposing the mandate, with Republicans arguing such protections would harm the state’s economy.