NASA gets new temporary administrator.
NASA has a new acting interim administrator. President Trump yesterday named Sean Duffy, Department of Transportation Secretary, to replace Janet Petro as NASA head. Duffy will also continue as Transportation Secretary. He was a reality TV star and ESPN commentator before entering politics. Officials at NASA were caught unaware by the announcement on Wednesday evening. They had been expecting Petro to remain in place until a permanent replacement is named. But some felt Petro, former Kennedy Space Center Director, did not have the political sway necessary to influence President Trump.
Meanwhile, Jared Isaacman, who was nominated by Trump as NASA Administrator and then removed from consideration, posted on social media that selecting Sean Duffy was a good move.
Florida marijuana amendment passes 600,000.
Over 600,000 signatures have been collected in the effort to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida. The political action committee, Smart & Safe Florida, needs more than 880,000 valid signatures. This is the second time organizers have tried to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot to permit recreational pot. Last time they got enough signatures to get the proposed change on the ballot, but did not receive the required 60% approval by voters.
In related news, a federal judge has blocked a key part of a new Florida law that imposed additional restrictions on the state’s ballot-initiative process. The judge said a ban on non-Florida residents and non-U.S. citizens collecting and delivering petitions “imposes a severe burden on political expression.”
Supreme Court won’t revive aggressive Florida immigration law.
The US Supreme Court yesterday refused to allow the state of Florida to make it a crime for people who are living in the U.S. illegally to enter the state. The nation’s highest court shot down Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's request that it remove a temporary block on enforcement of Florida's illegal immigrant law. The court's decision came two days after the U.S. Department of Justice asked an appellate court to lift the block on the law.
Updated forecast for hurricane season.
Colorado State University on Wednesday released its updated forecast for the Atlantic hurricane season. The latest outlook now calls for 16 named storms, eight hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. The update keeps the season with above average activity.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration's proposed NOAA budget would close a dozen government research labs, including the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory. It creates the Hurricane Analysis and Forecast System model that NOAA uses. A former director warned that shutting down the lab would result in a 20%-40% loss of hurricane forecasting accuracy.
Fewer Canadians considering a stay in Florida.
Living in Florida has long been enticing for Canadians, but a new analysis shows fewer of them are considering it as a destination. According to data compiled by RedFin, the number of Canadians looking for a home in major Florida cities has dropped by up to 30%. Some Canadians’ waning interest in Florida homes coincides with them growing disillusioned with the United States. Tourism figures also have illustrated this change.
