Here's a Local and State News update from Florida Today and WFIT, I'm Evan Niemczyk
The Pentagon has cut the number of "faith and belief" codes it uses to identify members of the military.
As WUSF's Daylina Miller reports, it largely affects pagan religions:
"The federal government cut more than two hundred religious affiliatio ns down to thirty one - keeping mostly Christian sects - and calling pagan faiths, atheists and Unitarian Universalists "other" or "no religions".
The Secretary of Defense says the changes won't affect chaplain services.
Largo resident Colin Nelson is a Marine Corps veteran...and a Wiccan priest.
He says the pagan community fought for military recognition - and only got the right to put sacred symbols on veteran headstones 20 years ago.
"I'm honestly scared that that's going to go away now... is that the next domino to fall, who knows, it could well be."
It's hard to quantify how many pagans serve in the military - but Pete Hegseth claims many of the codes were rarely used. Nelson says it's better to have more than you need...than to exclude anyone.
I'm Daylina Miller in Tampa."
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has announced a lawsuit against the social media platform TikTok. WFSU’s Tristan Wood reports he’s alleging the platform is violating a state law that limits children’s use of social media platforms.
"A state law that took effect in 2024 bans those under 14 from having their own accounts on social media, and requires those 14 to 15 to have parental permission. Uthmeier is alleging that TikTok has not followed requirements to keep children from using the platform.
“If you are a company and you want to choose profit over public safety, if you want to choose profit over our children, we will not tolerate it. So, TikTok is looking at potentially billions in damages. We look forward to seeing them in court. I hope that they will quickly resolve their issues and protect kids, but we're going to send a message out there: leave our little ones alone.”
Uthmeier has previously announced other lawsuits against large tech platforms, including a lawsuit against the social platform Snapchat under the same law, and civil and criminal investigations against OpenAI. For WFSU News, I’m Tristan Wood."
There's a lot of debate right now about debates.
WUSF's Douglas Soule reports there may not be one for the Republican governor's race, despite a crowded slate of candidates.
"The Republican Party of Florida says only Trump-endorsed U.S. Representative Byron Donalds qualifies for a debate.
Governor Ron DeSantis disagrees with the decision.
"It's counterproductive when you try to engineer an outcome, because you need a coalition of voters to do well, and this may be a tough cycle for Republicans."
Other notable candidates include state Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins, investor James Fishback and former Florida House Speaker Paul Renner. They all say there should be a debate.
Don't expect one on the Democratic side either. Its one top gubernatorial candidate is David Jolly after Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings left the race following a prostate cancer diagnosis.
I'm Douglas Soule, in Tallahassee."
For these stories and more visit WFIT.org and Floridatoday.com. I'm Evan Niemczyk