* Republican Rep. Mark Meadows of North Caroline, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, a prominent member of the Judiciary Committee and an uber-staunch Trump ally, has, alas, local ties. Meadows grew up in Brandon and earned an Associate of Arts degree from USF in 1980. Fortunately, he no longer resides in the same state as Matt Gaetz.
*Nice piece the other day in the Tampa Bay Times on the U.S. citizen naturalization ceremony in Tampa that included the British-born Florida Orchestra conductor Michael Francis among the 62 immigrants–from Iran to Venezuela– who took the Oath of Allegiance. We needed a story like this. One that reminds us of our diversity and our welcoming appeal as an opportunity magnet for those who want to come here for the right reasons. It was a feel-good moment of local and national pride, one that we don’t experience enough of these days.