Federal court halts Florida’s drag ban, calling it attempt to ‘suppress the speech’ rights of performers
A federal court temporarily halted Florida’s controversial restrictions on drag performances, warning the law was overbroad and could risk infringing on free speech rights. The SB1438 law, signed in May by Republican governor Ron DeSantis, is “dangerously susceptible to standardless, overbroad enforcement which could sweep up substantial protected speech,” US judge Gregory Presnell wrote in his ruling. Far from a neutral attempt to protect children, as its backers have sometimes claimed, the law is an admitted attempt to “specifically suppress the speech of drag queen performers,” Judge Presnell wrote. The governor’s office told Reuters the ruling was “dead wrong.” “Of course it’s constitutional to prevent the sexualization of children by limiting access to adult live performances,” spokesperson Jeremy Redfern said. The suit against the state comes from Hamburger Mary’s, a restaurant chain that features family-friendly drag performances. An Orlando franchise of the restaurant filed suit in May. It claimed the law, which levies criminal penalties at food establishment for admitting children to an “adult live performance,” would “explicitly restrict or chill speech and expression protected by the First Amendment.” “This bill has nothing to do with children, and everything to do with the continued oppression of the LGBTQ+ community,” Hamburger Mary’s Orlando wrote in a Facebook post. Florida governor Ron DeSantis has made limiting the rights of LGBTQ+ people a key part of his agenda, signing bills that restrict gender-affirming care, protections for trans people in schools, and access to youth education on gender and sexuality. This month, courts struck down a Florida rule and statute banning Medicaid payments for transgender healthcare, and partially blocked a state law banning people under 18 from getting gender-affirming medicine. Earlier this month, a federal judge in Tennessee declared the state’s drag ban to be “unconstitutionally vague and substantially overbroad.” “There is no question that obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment,” Judge Thomas Parker wrote. “But there is a difference between material that is ‘obscene’ in the vernacular, and material that is ‘obscene’ under the law.” “Simply put, no majority of the Supreme Court has held that sexually explicit — but not obscene — speech receives less protection than political, artistic, or scientific speech.” Read More Trump faces questions about whether he'll drag down the Republican Party after his indictments Group with Nazi flags protest outside Florida children’s museum days after similar stunt at Disney World Here are the restrictions on transgender people that are moving forward in US states Florida's law targeting drag shows is on hold under federal judge's order Evangelical leader hopes conference is 'testosterone booster shot' for anti-abortion 2024 candidates Trump, DeSantis interviews show Fox influence on GOP field still strong despite troubled year
1970-01-01 08:00
JPMorgan cuts nearly 40 investment bankers in US - source
By Nupur Anand NEW YORK JPMorgan Chase & Co is cutting nearly 40 investment bankers in the U.S.,
1970-01-01 08:00
Inter Miami confirm signing of free agent Sergio Busquets
Sergio Busquets is set to join Inter Miami on a free transfer, reuniting with former FC Barcelona Lionel Messi. The 34-year-old will join on a Designated Player contract, 90min understands.
1970-01-01 08:00
Online gamblers raked in thousands on bets against the Titanic sub crew’s survival
Online gamblers bet hundreds of thousands of dollars on whether the submarine that went missing on a recent expedition to the Titanic, in what online critics called a “dystopian” use of digital finance. Since Wednesday, people wagered at least $300,000 on the fate of the vehicle using the crypto platform Polymarket, Mother Jones reports. On the site, betters buy and sell shares on the outcomes of events using cryptocurrency, and can redeem their shares for $1 each if their guesses are correct. Follow the latest updates on the missing Titanic submarine here “For the purposes of this market, the vessel need not have been rescued or physically recovered to be considered ‘found,’” reads the description page for the submarine bets. “If pieces are located, but not the cabin which contains the vessel’s passengers, that will not suffice for this market to resolve to ‘Yes.’” One user, asking only to be identified by his first name, Rich, told Mother Jones he made around $3,250 betting. He argued what he was doing was morally defensible because unlike the regular stock market, it had no impact on the fate of the entity being wagered upon. “My answer would be that markets are fundamentally immoral. There’s no ethical consumption under capitalism,” Rich said. Others weren’t so sure. Social media users racked up thousands of likes criticising such gamblers. “Actually insane,” one commenter wrote. “Imagine making money off of if someone is gonna die or not.” Polymarket defended its offerings on the submarine, arguing that it was a neutral way of calculating the likelihood of a rescue. “If the families were privy to Polymarket, they could use the market as a way to obtain the real-time, unbiased probability of the submarine being recovered,” the company said in an email to Gizmodo. “That is a far more valuable service to them than sensationalist media coverage: with our markets at least they understand the true probabilities.” Bookmakers take bets on nearly everything, from sports to sex tapes, but the industry does have some lines regarding poor taste. According to Betting Gods, a gambling industry tip site, most major bookmakers refused to take bets regarding the death of Queen Elizabeth. “Major bookmakers won’t bet on the Queen dying as it would offend most of its regular customers. Whether they all agree with Britain having a royal family or not, most people would prefer to bet on a variety of other things such as sports,” the site wrote in an article. “When asked the question of why bookmakers won’t bet on what age the queen will die, the spokespeople of all the major bookmakers were unanimous in saying that it was important that people understand where the parameters of bad taste bets can’t be crossed.” Read More US launches prosecutions of Chinese companies on charges of trafficking fentanyl ingredients Titanic sub latest - Coast Guard makes stunning admission about ‘explosion’ when submersible lost contact OceanGate CEO said he was ‘personally insulted’ by ‘baseless cries’ about Titanic sub’s deadly safety flaws Federal court halts ‘suppressive’ Florida drag ban Florida's law targeting drag shows is on hold under federal judge's order Recovery could cost millions as Coast Guard stunningly admits submersible ‘explosion’
1970-01-01 08:00
NBC ‘Dateline’: Who killed Andrea Cincotta? Son Kevin Cincotta says ‘justice was denied’ even though Bobby Joe Leonard got life
Andrea Cincotta was found murdered in her Virginia home, leading her son Kevin down a dark and twisted path for justice
1970-01-01 08:00
In losing Titan, St John's mulls a familiar tragedy
"Joy and sorrow were always communal rights in small maritime communities," said one Newfoundlander.
1970-01-01 08:00
Chelsea reject third Man Utd bid for Mason Mount
Manchester United have had a third bid worth £55m for Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount rejected.
1970-01-01 08:00
Yankees: Nestor Cortes nearer to return but wait for Aaron Judge drags on
The New York Yankees are torn between positive injury updates and crippling uncertainty. The AL East standings are an absolute bloodbath right now. The New York Yankees are 8-9 in the month of June and are subsequently only a half-game up on Toronto for third place in what's shaping up to b...
1970-01-01 08:00
Where is Kevin Cincotta now? NBC 'Dateline's new episode explores the murder of Andrea Cincotta
The complicated timeline of Andrea Cincotta's murder mystery will be unpacked again on 'NBC Dateline' with Kevin Cincotta
1970-01-01 08:00
Petrobras Is Said to Plan First Dollar Bond Sale Since 2021
Brazil’s state-controlled oil producer Petroleo Brasileiro SA is readying to return to global debt markets with a benchmark
1970-01-01 08:00
Twitter Hacker Gets Five Years in Prison for Breaching Accounts of Top US Leaders
A British man was sentenced to five years in prison for his involvement in a social media hack
1970-01-01 08:00
Michigan high school shooter showing 'sporadic, disturbing behavior' in county jail, prosecutors say
Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley has recently exhibited "sporadic disturbing behavior" in jail, prosecutors have said.
1970-01-01 08:00
