Politics
Iraq calls for expulsion of US troops over deadly airstrike
Published
6 years agoon
BAGHDAD (AP) — The blowback over the U.S. killing of a top Iranian general mounted Sunday as Iraq’s Parliament called for the expulsion of American troops from the country — a move that could allow a resurgence of the Islamic State group.
Lawmakers approved a resolution asking the Iraqi government to end the agreement under which Washington sent forces more than four years ago to help fight IS. The bill is nonbinding and subject to approval by the Iraqi government but has the backing of the outgoing prime minister.
The vote was another sign of the backlash from the U.S. airstrike Friday that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a number of top Iraqi officials at the Baghdad airport. Soleimani was the architect of Iran’s proxy wars across the Mideast and was blamed for the deaths of hundreds of Americans in roadside bombings and other attacks.
Amid threats of vengeance from Iran, the U.S.-led military coalition in Iraq said Sunday it is putting the battle against IS militants on hold to focus on protecting its own troops and bases.
In a strong speech before lawmakers in Parliament, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said that after the killing of Soleimani, the government has two choices: End the presence of foreign troops in Iraq or restrict their mission to training Iraqi forces. He called for “urgent measures” to remove foreign forces — including the estimated 5,200 U.S. troops.
Asked shortly before the parliamentary vote whether the U.S. would comply with an Iraqi government request for American troops to leave, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not answer directly, saying the U.S. was watching the situation.
But the added: “It is the United States that is prepared to help the Iraqi people get what it is they deserve and continue our mission there to take down terrorism from ISIS and others in the region.”
Abdul-Mahdi resigned last year in response to the anti-government protests that have engulfed Baghdad and the mostly Shiite southern provinces. Political factions have been unable to agree on a new prime minister, and Abdul-Mahdi continues in a caretaker capacity. Experts said such a government is not legally authorized to sign such a law.
Pentagon officials have said the Iraqi government does not have to give one year’s notice to expel American troops, as was required under a previous U.S.-Iraqi agreement.
The death of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in the drone attack has especially drawn the ire of Iraqi officials, who considered the airstrike an infringement of Iraqi sovereignty. Al-Muhandis was deputy commander of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shiite paramilitaries folded under the Iraqi military.
American forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011 but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the government to help battle IS after it seized vast areas in the north and west of the country, including Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul. A U.S.-led coalition provided crucial air support as Iraqi forces regrouped and drove IS out in a costly three-year campaign.
A pullout of U.S. troops could could cripple the fight against the Islamic State and allow it to make a comeback. Militants affiliated with IS routinely carry out attacks in northern and western Iraq, hiding out in rugged desert and mountainous areas. Iraqi forces rely on the U.S. for logistics and weapons.
An American withdrawal could also enable Iran to deepen its influence in Iraq, a majority Shiiite country like Iran.
U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Fox News that the parliamentary vote is “a bit concerning.”
“The Iranian government is trying to basically take over Iraq’s political system. Iran is bribing Iraqi politicians. To the Iraqi people, do not allow your politicians to turn Iraq into a proxy of Iran,” the South Carolina Republican said.
The attack that killed Soleimani has dramatically escalated regional tensions and raised fears of outright war.
Because of the dangers, the U.S.-led military coalition said it it is suspending the training of Iraqi forces and other operations in support of the battle against ISIS.
Also, the leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group vowed to end the U.S. military’s presence in the Middle East, saying U.S. bases, warships and soldiers are now fair targets.
“The suicide attackers who forced the Americans to leave from our region in the past are still here and their numbers have increased,” Nasrallah said. It was not clear which suicide bombings Nasrallah was referring to. But a 1983 attack on a U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 241 U.S. servicemen and led President Ronald Reagan to withdraw all American forces from the country.
“When American troops return in coffins, when they come vertically and return horizontally to the United States of America, then Trump and his administration will know that they lost the region and will lose the elections,” Nasrallah said.
He added that U.S. civilians in the region should not be targeted because attacking them would play into President Donald Trump’s hands.
Nasrallah spoke from an undisclosed location, and his speech was played on large screens for thousands of Shiite followers in southern Beirut, interrupted by chants of “Death to America!” The comments were Nasrallah’s first since Soleimani’s killing.
The majority of about 180 legislators present in Parliament voted in favor of the troop-removal resolution. It was backed by most Shiite members of Parliament, who hold a majority of seats. Many Sunni and Kurdish legislators did not show up for the session, apparently because they oppose abolishing the deal.
“The government should work on ending the presence of all foreign forces,” Parliament Speaker Mohamed a-Halbousi said after the vote.
Killing Iran’s most powerful general — a step Abdul-Mahdi called a “political assassination” — marked a turning point in U.S. Mideast policy by elevating a conflict that had previously been more of a shadow war, and by putting in doubt the Pentagon’s ability to keep troops in Iraq.
More broadly, the killing appears to have lessened chances that Trump will achieve the central goal of his “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran: to compel its leaders to negotiate a new, broader nuclear deal.
The administration also faces troubling questions about the legality of the Soleimani killing, its failure to consult Congress in advance, and the prospect of plunging America into a new Mideast war.
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Florida
Central Florida Lawmakers Challenge DeSantis Redistricting Map as Lawsuits Mount
Published
5 days agoon
May 6, 2026By
Willie DavidORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — The Central Florida Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials held a press conference on the steps of Orlando City Hall, criticizing a new congressional map signed into law by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Speakers included U.S. Congressman Maxwell Frost, State Senator Lavon Bracy-Davis, State Representative Bruce Antone, Orange County Clerk of Courts Tiffany Moore Russell, representatives from Equal Ground, and the Central Florida Urban League. Officials argued the map weakens minority representation and follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that scaled back key protections under the Voting Rights Act.
Florida National News has learned that three lawsuits have been filed seeking to block the newly approved congressional map following the redistricting process. The map is widely viewed as an effort to expand Republican representation in Florida’s congressional delegation ahead of upcoming elections.
IMPACT ON BLACK REPRESENTATION
Leaders warned the redistricting plan could significantly reduce the influence of Black voters in Central Florida and across the state. They argued that dismantling historically minority-access districts undermines decades of progress in equitable representation.
LEGAL CHALLENGES UNDERWAY
At least three lawsuits have been filed challenging the legality of the new map. Civil rights advocates contend the redistricting plan violates federal protections and could further erode voting rights following the Supreme Court’s recent decision.
FUTURE OF BLACK CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP
Elected officials and advocacy groups expressed concern about the long-term effects on Black congressional representation. They emphasized the need for continued legal action and community engagement to protect fair representation in future elections.
Florida
DeSantis’ New Florida Congressional Map Could Spark Lawsuits, Legislative Showdown, and Statewide Protests
Published
2 weeks agoon
April 27, 2026TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — Governor Ron DeSantis unveiled a proposed congressional redistricting map that could significantly reshape Florida’s representation in the U.S. House ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The proposal, released Monday, outlines districts that could favor Republicans in 24 seats, compared to four Democratic-leaning districts. Currently, Florida’s congressional delegation includes 20 Republicans and seven Democrats, with one vacant seat.
REDISTRICTING PROPOSAL & POLITICAL IMPACT
The governor said the new map reflects Florida’s population changes and fulfills his commitment to mid-decade redistricting. Lawmakers have been called into a special legislative session to consider the proposal.
The map appears to eliminate four Democratic-held seats, including a Tampa-area district represented by U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, an Osceola County district held by U.S. Rep. Darren Soto—the first Puerto Rican elected to Congress from Florida—and a Palm Beach-Broward district that could displace U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz.
The proposal also affects a majority-Black voting district spanning Palm Beach and Broward counties, previously represented by former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, raising concerns about the future of minority representation.
Supporters, including Evan Power, say the map could better align districts with voter distribution. Critics, including Nikki Fried, have called the proposal unconstitutional gerrymandering. Florida law prohibits partisan gerrymandering, setting up potential legal challenges.
Rep. Tray McCurdy, D-Orlando and Rep. Angie Nixon, D-Jacksonville sit on the Florida Seal in protest as debate stops on Senate Bill 2-C: Establishing the Congressional Districts of the State in the House of Representatives Thursday, April 21, 2022 at the Capitol in Tallahassee, Fla. Rep. Daisy Morales, D-Orlando, joins the protest, holding a sign. The session was halted on the protest. (AP Photo/Phil Sears)
LOOKING BACK: 2022 PROTESTS OVER REDISTRICTING
The current debate mirrors tensions from 2022, when Democratic lawmakers staged a sit-in protest on the Florida House floor in opposition to a previous congressional map backed by DeSantis.
Lawmakers including Yvonne Hinson, Angie Nixon, Travaris McCurdy, Felicia Robinson, and Daisy Morales participated in the protest, temporarily halting legislative proceedings.
Morales, a member of the Congressional Redistricting Subcommittee and the only Hispanic lawmaker involved in the sit-in, strongly criticized the map at the time.
“Our democracy is being attacked. The governor eliminating two Black congressional seats is a power grab and it’s wrong,” Morales said in a written statement. “Stripping seats from Black representation is the same as saying the Black voice—the Black vote—doesn’t matter.”
She also warned about potential impacts on Hispanic representation:
“With this map passing, I’m deeply concerned it could target the only Puerto Rican representing Florida in Congress, Darren Soto, to benefit partisan interests. We don’t want to disenfranchise the 1.2 million Puerto Ricans in Florida.”
WHAT COMES NEXT IN 2026
As lawmakers prepare to debate the new proposal, Democrats are expected to push back through legal challenges, legislative opposition, and public advocacy.
The outcome of Florida’s redistricting battle could play a pivotal role in shaping control of the U.S. House and influence the national political landscape heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
Politics
Gov. Ron DeSantis Orders Flags at Half-Staff for Slain Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy M. Metayer Bowen
Published
4 weeks agoon
April 16, 2026TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (FNN) — Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff in honor of Coral Springs Vice Mayor Nancy M. Metayer Bowen, who was killed April 1 in what authorities describe as a domestic violence incident.
The directive calls for U.S. and Florida state flags to be lowered from sunrise to sunset Friday, April 17, 2026, at the State Capitol in Tallahassee and at all local and state buildings, installations and grounds throughout Coral Springs.
According to Coral Springs Police, officers conducted a wellness check at Metayer Bowen’s home after city staff raised concerns when she missed scheduled meetings and could not be reached. Responding officers found her deceased inside the residence.
Investigators said the killing appears to be a domestic violence incident. Her husband, Stephen Bowen, was later taken into custody and faces charges of premeditated murder and tampering with evidence. The case remains under active investigation.
State and local leaders say the half-staff order honors Metayer Bowen’s service and legacy in the Coral Springs community, where she was recognized for her leadership and commitment to public service.
What We Know About Her Death
Police say Metayer Bowen was killed April 1 at her Coral Springs home. Officers discovered her body during a wellness check prompted by her unexplained absence from official duties and lack of communication.
Husband Arrested, Faces Charges
Authorities arrested her husband, Stephen Bowen, who now faces premeditated murder and evidence-tampering charges. Investigators have identified the case as an apparent domestic violence incident.
State Honors Her Legacy
Gov. DeSantis ordered flags lowered across key government buildings in Tallahassee and Coral Springs, recognizing Metayer Bowen’s public service and the impact of her loss on the community.