A federal court injunction blocked South Dakota’s ban on advertising abortion pills after a nonprofit legal challenge. The ruling established that restricting truthful medical information violates First Amendment protections regarding free speech and viewpoint neutrality. This legal dispute highlights a growing national conflict as states attempt to restrict telehealth services and out-of-state prescription access despite federal approval of medication abortion procedures.
Florida & Beyond, and All Opinions
Florida Department Of Health Warns Against Prescribing Psychotropic Medications To Children And Teens
Florida health officials issued new guidelines discouraging doctors from prescribing psychotropic medications to children aged five to 17 for conditions like anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Aligning with federal Make America Healthy Again priorities, the state recommends therapy and behavioral intervention as primary treatments. Medical organizations like the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry are opposed.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 28, 2026
The Palm Coast City Council talks budget, the School Board has a trio of meetings, including the setting of its tentative property ax rate over which it has no control, Ric Diez, Michiko Kakutani on postmodernism.
Resurgence of Measles Signals Dangerous Decline in Public Health
Falling vaccination rates have triggered a dangerous measles resurgence across the United States. The trend threatens the nation’s 25-year elimination status and imposes massive economic burdens on the healthcare system. Measles serves as a critical proxy for overall public health capacity. Declining trust in government agencies and eroding herd immunity signal a systemic vulnerability. These cracks in our public health defense complicate efforts to manage future infectious disease threats effectively.
Trump Species Act Rollback Threatens More than 100 Florida Animals, Including Panthers and Manatees
More than 100 Florida species, including panthers, manatees and sea turtles, could inch closer to extinction under a set of changes to the Endangered Species Act the Trump administration rolled out this month that would force regulators to disregard damage to critical habitats. Millions of acres of Florida land would also become easier to develop if the federal rule changes survive court challenges.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 27, 2026
The Bunnell City Commission meets, Mme de Sévigné on the relative length of lives, Mozart’s variations, the president finds himself a new rallying cry, Kamel Daoud on dying at 100.
Why Democrats Are Clueless About Losing the Working Class
It is an open question whether reformist Democrats are really interested in understanding working-class voters on their own terms. Because working-class voters, as they tell us themselves, are not simply waiting to be activated by the right program, the right messenger, the right phrase. “Fight the oligarchy” probably isn’t going to do it.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 26, 2026
2026 PBA South Region Palm Coast Open at Palm Coast Lanes, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, Gemini takes us on an odiferous tour of the Tour de France peloton, Red Smith’s Bike Ride.
America’s Promise of Religious Freedom Has Long Clashed with Prejudice
American history demonstrates a persistent tension between constitutional guarantees of religious liberty and acts of exclusion. Early state laws often restricted civic participation to Protestants. Over time, shifting attitudes and legal changes fostered a more inclusive “Judeo-Christian” and eventually multicultural identity. Modern incidents of arson and political rhetoric suggest that the founding promise of universal religious protection remains a contested ideal.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 25, 2026
Bowling: 2026 PBA South Region Palm Coast Open qualifying at Palm Coast Lanes, Gamble Jam, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.
Say What? Florida Surgeon General Suggests Measle Outbreak Could Be Tied to Abortion Opposition
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo suggested Friday that opposition to abortion could have helped fuel a measles outbreak in Florida since many cases are tied to a private Roman Catholic college where students may be opposed to the vaccine.
The Government Is Ramping Up Mass Surveillance with AI Tools
The U.S. government now purchases massive quantities of your information from commercial data brokers. The information is not subject to the same restrictions as information it collects directly. The federal government is also ramping up its abilities to directly collect data through partnerships with private tech companies. These surveillance tech partnerships are becoming entrenched, domestically and abroad, as advances in AI take surveillance to unprecedented levels.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 24, 2026
Heat index values as high as 105 today, the Scenic A1A Pride Committee meets, Acoustic Jam Circle At The Community Center In The Hammock, how two cartoonists see the Saudi nukes deal.
Trump’s Antifa Terrorism Threat Does Not Exist
The Trump administration anti-terrorism campaign is targeting a phantom threat. Antifa represents a decentralized ideology rather than a structured organization with central leadership or funding. Executive orders and pressuring foreign allies risks civil liberties, chills lawful speech, and distracts vital intelligence resources from genuinely lethal global terrorist networks possessing documented command structures and destructive intent.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 23, 2026
The Flagler Beach City Commission meets, the trouble with Joe Manchin and his killing of the center, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park.
Most Americans Broadly Support Public Education for the Undocumented
When confronted with the statement, “I believe all children, regardless of immigration status, should have the right to public education,” 75.5% of all Americans agreed with the statement. Among Hispanics and Latinos, nearly 86.9% supported the policy, along with 86.7% of African Americans, 77.7% of Asians Asian Americans and 69.9% of non-Hispanic white people. In each income bracket, there was over 70% of support for free public education for all.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Joint County Commission-Flagler Beach City Commission meeting on beach renourishment, the Flagler County-Palm Coast Affordable Housing Advisory Committee meets, a few words from William Shirer’s Berlin Diary of 1941 and Hannah Arendt on American imperialism.
Trump Wants Greenbacks To Be His Personal Vanity Plates
Efforts by the Trump administration to place President Donald Trump’s image and signature on United States coins and banknotes mark a significant departure from American tradition. Global currency data shows that featuring a sitting head of state on money remains an attribute almost entirely unique to hereditary monarchies.
Florida Disaster Fund Spent More on Immigration than All 2025 Missions Combined
The DeSantis administration spent nearly two-thirds of Florida’s emergency fund last fiscal year on fighting illegal immigration, dwarfing spending for severe weather, international rescues, and other emergency missions for which the fund was created.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
The first day of the penalty phase of Jermaine Williams’s trial begins, the Palm Coast City Council meets, a World Cup recap with a bow to that halftime show.
Fox News, Home of Conspiracy Theories
Research shows that white Americans who identified as Republican, who are conservatives and who have negative views of people from other racial backgrounds are all more likely to express support for key tenets of the racist great replacement theory. Clear evidence shows that white Americans who watch Fox News are also more likely to agree with the conspiracy theory.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 20, 2026
The three-member East Flagler Mosquito Control District Board meets, Republicans’ identity crises through the ages, Robert Ingersoll on Democrats, Saint levant’s Sabah el Ward.
Franco’s Fascist Regime’s Lessons for Today’s America
Comparisons between Trump’s and Hitler’s fascist regime are becoming common, but it may be even more fitting to compare the present moment to a less-remembered but longer-lasting fascist regime: that of Francisco Franco, dictator of Spain from 1936 until his death in 1975.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday, July 19, 2026
Story Time on the Farm at the Florida Agriculture, a happy 75th for Bob Cuff–or as happy as the torturing gods allow–and a few words from Thomas Mann’s story time about those condemned to buy the farm.
The Demise of Experimental Liberal Colleges
Hampshire College announced its upcoming closure in December 2026 due to insurmountable debt and declining enrollment numbers. The decision reflects a broader trend of consolidation in higher education where wealthy, traditional institutions thrive. Experimental schools focused on student-led learning struggle against a growing preference for transactional, vocational degrees. The loss of such institutions diminishes the diversity of creative educational paths available to students.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 18, 2026
Chess Meet-Up At the Flagler Beach Public Library, Democratic Women’s Club meeting, the Saturday Flagler Beach Farmers Market, wrapping up a grim week.
DeSantis’ Latest Death Warrants Slate Two Executions on the Same Day, a First For Florida in 62 Years
James Aren Duckett, 68, and Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, are scheduled to be executed on June 28. Occhicone will be the oldest inmate killed by the state since modern records of executions have been kept starting in 1924. The last time Florida executed two inmates on the same day was on May 12, 1964.
Trump Seesaws Strait Back to War
Renewed warfare between the United States and Iran threatens global energy corridors after a fragile ceasefire collapsed over waterway management disputes. Trump proposed shipping levies to counter Tehran’s unilateral transit tolls in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s uncertainties and political divisions in both nations prevent diplomatic progress, risking global economic recession and a prolonged war of attrition that neither side can easily win.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 17, 2026
Jermaine Williams Sr. trial Day Five, trial notes on witnessing one’s own murder act, the Flagler County Cultural Council meets, “Let those who wish to do so withdraw from the world,” writes Camus.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thursday, July 16, 2026
Opening arguments on Day 4 of the Jermaine Williams death penalty trial, Town of Marineland Commission Meeting, scenes from a courtroom, Sacha Baron Cohen’s Dictator, David Foster Wallace’s Neon.
Florida Kills Dennis Sochor, 74, for 1981 Murder of Patty Gifford, 29th Execution in Two Years
Dennis Michael Sochor was executed Tuesday evening for the death of 18-year-old Patricia “Patty” Gifford in Broward County 44 years ago, becoming the oldest person put to death by the state since executions were revived in 1977, and the 29th person the state has killed in two years. DeSantis has signed the warrant for the 30th.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Wednesday July 15, 2026
Heat index of 103, the Jermaine Williams trial enters day three, the Palm Coast Planning Board takes on the Westward expansion’s plans, Tale of Anushirvan, Exemplary King.
Restoring Voting Rights To Released Felons Could Provide A Decisive Two Percent Swing In Elections
Mass incarceration has created a massive “shadow electorate” of 20 million Americans with felony records. Due to legal barriers and decreased political trust, millions are unable or unwilling to vote. Research suggests this group skews Democratic, meaning disenfranchisement likely shifted the outcomes of the 2000 and 2016 presidential elections. Restoring these rights could create a decisive 2% swing in future competitive statewide races.
DeSantis’s Terrorist Designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations Is On Hold
Nearly two weeks after Gov. DeSantis announced a recommendation from the state’s chief’s chief of domestic security to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and Antifa domestic terrorist organizations, that recommendation has yet to go into effect, and there is no clear timetable when it will be, according to a filing in federal court on Monday.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Jermaine Williams Sr. trial day two, the Palm Coast City Council meets in workshop as does the School Board, France marks Bastille Day in a semifinal match with Spain.
Uses and Mis-Uses of National Memory From Bastille Day To July 4
France and the United States base their national identities on universal political principles rather than common ancestry. Both countries use their primary national holidays to periodically recreate and reinforce their foundational narratives. But political factions in both nations increasingly contest these celebrations to claim authority over the national identity, a growing conflict that reveals a very profound shift regarding exactly who can legitimately embody the nation today.
3 Groups Formed to Oppose Homestead Amendment So Far. None Formed to Support It.
Less than four months before Floridians vote on a proposal to phase out property taxes for homeowners, there’s no organized campaign seeking to move the measure past the 60% vote required for passage. Not even the Florida Chamber of Commerce, which has long opposed placing issues on Florida’s Constitution that could be solved through the legislative process.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Monday, July 13, 2026
Jury selection in the first day of the trial of Jermaine Williams Sr. begins. He faces the death penalty for the murder of his wife in Bunnell in 2024. The County Commission meets. Reflections on the death penalty.
A Rare Bipartisan Housing Bill Will Help But Won’t Solve Affordability Crisis
The Road to Housing Act recently became official law. The legislation focuses heavily on regulatory changes to address the national housing crisis. Reforms restrict institutional investors from purchasing standalone properties and reduce construction costs for builders. Housing policy experts warn these modest adjustments fail to resolve the fundamental affordability crisis because millions of Americans still lack sufficient income to secure housing in the current market.
Landmark Housing Bill Becomes Law Without Trump’s Signature
President Donald Trump said Friday morning he would not sign federal legislation aimed at lowering the cost of housing, but the bipartisan package became law at 12:01 a.m. Saturday anyway.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Sunday July 12, 2026
Clay Jones on Trump’s flying bribe of a 747 he can’t even fly, heat index values as high as 107, Palm Coast Farmers’ Market at European Village, if you can brave the heat, Eudora Welty’s “Powerhouse” tribute to Fats Waller.
Pulling a Trump, Convicted Felon and Extremist Marine LePen Will Run for French Presidency
Marine Le Pen has confirmed she intends to run in next year’s presidential election in France, despite her appeal against a conviction for embezzlement of EU funds being rejected. This may well prove to be a missed opportunity for RN to fight the election under the leadership of Le Pen’s deputy, the youthful and charismatic Jordan Bardella. Bardella was slated to run if Le Pen had been barred from the election.
29th Inmate to Be Executed in 19 Months in Florida Wants DeSantis to Attend His Killing
Dennis Michael Sochor, convicted of strangling an 18-year-old woman he met at a New Year’s celebration in a Broward County bar 44 years ago, is scheduled to die by lethal injection Tuesday at Florida State Prison. His last wish? To have Gov. Ron DeSantis personally observe his execution up close and personal.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Saturday, July 11, 2026
American Association of University Women (AAUW) monthly meeting, Gamble Jam, Second Saturday Plant Sale at Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, AI errors, Bowie is afraid of Americans.
Justice Jackson’s Birthright Citizenship Opinion Was Grounded in Black History, Thomas’s In Distortion
The Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship in Trump v. Barbara, invalidating an executive order targeting children of undocumented immigrants. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson issued a historic concurrence highlighting the intellectual scaffolding built by Black Americans through historic colored conventions. Her inclusive originalist interpretation directly challenged Justice Clarence Thomas’ narrow historical narrative, reframing the Fourteenth Amendment as a collective achievement born of Black patriotic resistance.
Florida Intentionally Keeping SNAP Error Rate High to Slash Eligibility and Reduce Beneficiaries, Democrats Say
If Florida doesn’t lower its SNAP error rates, the state could have to pay as much as $1 billion to continue to participate in the federal food security program. Florida Democratic Party Chair Chair Nikki Fried says the high error rate might not be due to mundane mistakes but rather a tactic to limit participation in the federal benefit, formally called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Friday, July 10, 2026
The Flagler Democratic Party’s Janet Sullivan on Free For All, Coffee and Conversation with Palm Coast City Manager Michael McGlothlin, Food Truck Friday at the Farm, Agriculture Museum, a Declaration of the Rights of Trees.
The Bayeux Tapestry’s Norman Propaganda Silenced Voices of Grief and Resistance Now Uncovered
The Bayeux Tapestry celebrates the Norman Conquest of 1066 from the perspective of the victors, but contemporary English documents preserve the story of the side of the conquered. The Life of King Edward conveys the silent trauma and grief of the English ruling class as later Anglo-Saxon Chronicles explicitly condemned Norman oppression. These native sources prove history belongs to more than just winning armies’ propaganda.
Florida Pastors Call on Elected Officials Reinstate Temporary Protected Status For Haitian Immigrants After Ruling
Florida pastors are urging elected officials to reinstate Temporary Protected Status for Haitians following a Supreme Court ruling allowing the federal government to end the program. Led by the Reverend Doctor RB Holmes_Jr., the faith leaders called on state and federal lawmakers to protect the 93,000 Haitian TPS holders currently working across Florida and establish a clear pathway toward permanent American citizenship.
The Daily Cartoon and Live Briefing: Thelonious Monk Teddy Roosevelt LBJ
Northeast Florida Regional Council Board of Directors Meeting, the Flagler Beach City Commission meets, Model Yacht Club Races at the Pond in Palm Coast’s Central Park, Teddy Roosevelt at the National Wholesale Grocers’ Association.





















































