'Love Won:' Inside the Donna Deegan Victory
Also: When is Gov. Ron DeSantis entering the GOP race? Then: A woman is sentenced to prison for killing her rapist. Plus: Ted Cruz vs. Dylan Mulvaney. And: Survivor, but with kids, and it's real.
Thanks for rising up with me on this getaway Thursday, May 18, 2023. I say, “getaway” because my BFF Melody Maia Monet and I are jetting off to Los Angeles for the weekend, on a hush-hush top secret mission, as well as to have some fun. Plus, we’ll be honoring picket lines and joining members of the Writers Guild and other unions in walking at least one of them! Follow us with the hashtag #MaDinLA (Maia and Dawn in L.A.)!
On this day in 1896, the U.S. Supreme Court proved it made mistakes: In issuing the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, the High Court legalized racial discrimination with its ill-conceived “separate but equal” decision.
That stood until May 17, 1954, when the Supreme Court issued the unanimous decision known as Brown v. Board of Education, ruling that racial segregation in schools was unconstitutional.
Mount St. Helens erupted on this day in 1980.
And one million protesters took to the streets of Beijing starting on this day in 1989, an uprising in support of freedom that was brutally quashed by the Chinese government and military just two weeks later.
Here Now the News
FLORIDA WOMAN SHOCKS GOP: As RiseUP reported last night, Democrat Donna Deegan became the first woman to be elected mayor of Jacksonville, Florida — winning a runoff against Republican Daniel Davis, a former state legislator who had the backing of Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“Love won today!” said Deegan Wednesday, choking back tears. “As much as I wanted to win this race for the people of Jacksonville, I wanted love to win.” —News4Jax
Deegan won 52% of the vote, a stunning upset. —The Daily Beast
Jacksonville is a longtime GOP stronghold and, before Tuesday, stood as the largest city in the country to have a Republican mayor.
The last time the city had a Democrat in the mayor’s office was 2015.
Deegan’s win Tuesday night in the state’s biggest city is giving the party — which doesn’t hold a single statewide office — a glimmer of hope heading into 2024. —Politico
Democrats say Deegan’s win is both a repudiation of DeSantis and a sign that all is not lost for them in the Sunshine state.
“Just when people thought they had Jacksonville figured out, the voters have confounded expectations,” said Chris Hand, a government law attorney who served as chief of staff to former Jacksonville Democratic Mayor Alvin Brown. "Donna Deegan’s win is historic, not just because of who she is but also because of how she won: by running a positive campaign and building a coalition of Democrats, No Party Affiliation Voters and even some Republicans.” —NBC News
Deegan's victory also reflects the changing political landscape in Duval County, said Rick Mullaney, director of the Public Policy Institute at Jacksonville University. "For those who think this is a deep red county, I think they may be misreading the demographics and they're misreading some of the voting trends," Mullaney told the Florida Times-Union.
WHO IS DONNA DEEGAN? A closer look at the Jacksonville native, marathon runner and former TV news anchor who survived breast cancer and launched a foundation from Jacksonville.com
Deegan told her former TV station First Coast News she plans to "throw open the blinds and let the sunshine in" with intentional transparency in Jacksonville's government. She said she will make an effort to create more diversity, allowing residents to feel included in Jacksonville's government. Deegan is only the second Democrat in three decades to be elected mayor.
Republicans still hold 14 of 19 seats on Jacksonville’s City Council plus the office of sheriff, tax collector and supervisor of elections.
TRUMP CAUGHT IN YET ANOTHER LIE: The National Archives has informed former President Donald Trump that it is set to hand over to special counsel Jack Smith 16 records that show Trump and his top advisers had knowledge of the correct declassification process while he was president. —CNN
FBI PUNISHES 3 AGENTS FOR JAN. 6 RELATED ACCUSATIONS: The bureau has revoked the security clearances of three agents who either took part in the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, or later expressed views about it that placed into question their “allegiance to the United States.”
At least two of the three agents are scheduled to testify today to a House panel investigating what Republicans contend is the “weaponization” of federal agencies against conservatives. —The New York Times
SOUTH CAROLINA LAWMAKERS PASS SIX-WEEK ABORTION BAN: The Hill
VIRGINIA IS THE ONLY SOUTHERN STATE LEFT WHERE ABORTION IS STILL LEGAL: WVTF
WHY A FEDERAL COURT’S DECISION ON ABORTION PILLS MAY HINGE ON AN 1873 LAW, THE COMSTOCK ACT: Washington Post
PEOPLE ARE STILL TALKING ABOUT HARRY AND MEGHAN’S PAPARAZZI CHASE THROUGH MIDTOWN MANHATTAN: CNN
YOUR MANY, MANY QUESTIONS ANSWERED: Slate
MEXICAN WOMAN SENTENCED TO PRISON FOR KILLING HER RAPIST: Roxana Ruiz, who killed a man defending herself when he attacked and raped her in 2021, was sentenced in Mexico City on Tuesday to more than six years in prison, a decision her lawyer called "discriminatory" and vowed to appeal.
The ruling spurred anger from experts and feminist groups who said it speaks to the depth of gender-based violence and Mexico's poor record of bringing perpetrators of sexual violence to justice. "It would be a bad precedent if this sentence were to hold. It's sending the message to women that, you know what, the law says you can defend yourself, but only to a point," said Ángel Carrera, her defense lawyer. "He raped you, but you don't have the right to do anything." —CBS News
Politicukoos
LAURA INGRAHAM IS STILL AT FOX… SOMEWHERE. “Reports based on various tweets by left wing activists are wildly inaccurate — Laura Ingraham, the top-rated woman in cable news, is now and will continue to be a prominent host and integral part of the Fox News lineup.” That statement from Fox News, in response to Twitter rumors, however, does not address whether she will remain in her 10 p.m. E.T. time period in the midst of a shakeup of the network’s prime time lineup. —Deadline
TED CRUZ VS. ANHEUSER-BUSCH OVER (YEP) DYLAN MULVANEY: The Republican U.S. Senator from Texas and fellow Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, wrote a joint letter to Anheuser-Busch CEO and Beer Institute Chairman Brendan Whitworth. They’re asking him and the Beer Institute's Code Compliance Review Board to open an investigation to review the company's marketing partnership with the trans influencer over concerns the company "violated the Beer Institute's Advertising/Marketing Code and Buying Guidelines prohibiting marketing to individuals younger than the legal drinking age." Really? No, really. —Newsweek
DODGERS CAVE TO PRESSURE FROM SEN. MARCO RUBIO AND CATHOLICS: Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida issued a statement Monday that condemned the Los Angeles Dodgers Major League Baseball franchise for a scheduled “Community Hero Award” to be given to the L.A. Chapter of The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence drag group during Pride month in June. He was joined in his criticism by the anti-LGBTQ+ activist Bill Donohue of the Catholic League. On Wednesday, the Dodgers issued a statement and tweeted that it would remove the drag group from its list of honorees. —Los Angeles Blade
CHALLENGER FOR KENTUCKY’S DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR IS STATE’S FIRST BLACK ATTORNEY GENERAL, DANIEL CAMERON: NBC News
LATIN-AMERICAN TRUCK DRIVERS PROTEST DeSANTIS IMMIGRATION CRACKDOWN: Tallahassee Democrat
REPORTS SAY FLA. GOV. RON DeSANTIS WILL ENTER GOP RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE NEXT WEEK: CNN, Fox News and CBS News
OMGnews
FOUR CHILDREN FOUND ALIVE IN JUNGLE 16 DAYS AFTER PLANE CRASH: The 13-year-old, nine-year-old, four year-old and an 11-month-old baby are the only survivors of the crash of their Cessna 206 light aircraft. —BBC
They had been flying with their mother and other adults from Araracuara, deep in the Amazon jungle in southern Colombia, to San José del Guaviare, when the pilot reported engine trouble.
The plane disappeared the morning of May 1.
The children were reportedly found by indigenous people deep in the rainforest. Search parties are still working to locate them.
MORE AMERICANS ARE SWITCHING RELIGIONS: Axios looks at why.
PRESLEY FAMILY FINANCIAL DISPUTE SETTLED: Wall Street Journal
WNBA COACH SUSPENDED FOR ANTI-PREGNANCY COMMENTS: NYT
CHECK OUT THIS INCREDIBLE BEATLEMANIA EXHIBIT: CBS News
WHO IS A SCAB? KEN JENNINGS OF JEOPARDY! FOR CROSSING WRITERS GUILD PICKET LINE —Yahoo
JIMMY FALLON’S TONIGHT SHOW WRITERS PLACED ON UNPAID LEAVE DURING STRIKE: Vulture
TransWorld
THERE’S A LOT TO TELL, AND NONE OF IT IS GOOD: Catch up on the latest with last night’s edition of RiseUP by clicking here.
Just for Fun
BROADWAY SMASHUP: My kids’ high school music teacher is Brett Boles, who is not only an award-winning musical theater composer, lyricist, book writer, and musical director, but he’s also a TikTok star! He’s also collaborated with Randy Rainbow! Late last year, Boles announced he would launch The M Tea Songwriting Studio this Spring. Click here for just a sample of his amazing talent!
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You can find Boles and The M Tea on TikTok @brettboles, on Instagram @thebrettboles, and on YouTube @themteaseries, as well as on Facebook @themteafb. For personal song requests, you can find him on Cameo at cameo.com/themtea
Star Trek Corner
PETITION TO DEMAND PARAMOUNT LAUNCH STAR TREK LEGACY REACHES 50,000! —The Wrap
HOW TO VIEW EVERY SEASON OF EVERY STAR TREK SERIES: Click here to subscribe to Paramount+
That’s all for today! I’ll be back Sunday night with the post-L.A. edition of Bedtime Stories. Until then… May your news be good news!
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