The Florida legislature allowed Governor Ron DeSantis to run for the US presidency or vice-presidential position without giving up his current position.
State legislation required anyone in an elected office to leave it if they ran for a higher office.
The Florida House of Representatives approved the legal amendments, on Friday, by 76 votes to 34, after the local Senate approved them by 28 votes to 12.
And the legal amendments that have been approved exempt the governor of the state from the need to leave office in order to run for the positions of US President or Vice President.
It is believed that Ron DeSantis is considered one of the politicians most likely to be a candidate for the Republican Party to run in the 2024 elections, along with former US President Donald Trump.
DeSantis has not yet officially announced his campaign, but is expected to do so in May.
Its intensity increased to an alarming degree, Why does hate speech in America target Muslim children?
The events of September 11, 2001 marked the beginning of a new era for Muslims in the United States. Shortly after the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, many Muslims, as well as other Arab Americans, became targets of anger and racism in the United States.
More than two decades after these incidents, the phenomenon of Islamophobia continues to haunt Muslims in the United States, and witnessed an increase in intensity during Trump's presidential term, in which he said he would ban Muslims from entering this country. He said he believes Islam hates us, according to an earlier ABC News report .
With the rise of anti-Muslim hate speech in the United States in recent years, unfortunately, children have become a major target of this hate. Muslim children, in schools in particular, are exposed to various forms of discrimination, harassment and even violence because of their religion.
The United Nations defines hate speech as “any form of communication, oral, written or behavioral, that attacks or uses derogatory or discriminatory language with reference to a person or group on the basis of identity, in other words, on the basis of religion, ethnicity, nationality, race or colour.” ancestry, gender, or other determinant of identity. It is an act that is classified as a criminal offense in the United States.
High rates of hate
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) released a report covering civil rights complaint incidents nationwide by Muslim Americans in 2022 that found that there was a 23% decrease, while complaints about school incidents increased by 63%.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency about the findings of this report, Cory Saylor, chair of research and advocacy at the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said this is the first recorded decrease in civil rights complaints by Muslim Americans since they began tracking this data in 1995.
Saylor said that the American people still do not embrace Muslims as part of society, adding that the portrayal of Muslims in the media after the US Supreme Court dropped the Roe v. Wade case on abortion in 2022, and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 is evidence of this.
Hate speech infiltrates schools and banks
Civil complaints of hate speech from school incidents increased by 63% in 2022. Which prompted Corey Saylor to say “We are incredibly concerned about bullying or Islamophobic material in classroom teaching. So while we are pleased to see government-type cases decrease Unfortunately, children seem to be one of the main targets."
He stressed that despite some negative examples, there is positive news for Muslims in education and sports. Saylor noted that government officials in Ohio and Maryland have passed laws to protect athletes who wear headscarves because of their religious beliefs.
Saylor drew attention to the fact that there is still an upward trend in anti-Muslim actions in education and banking despite the decrease in total complaints by 23%, adding that financial institutions open and close bank accounts based on religious beliefs, which has made banking transactions a great challenge for Muslims.
He pointed to a survey conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding last March, which revealed that 27% of Muslims in the United States experience difficulties with financial institutions.
Why did children become prime targets?
The reasons behind this phenomenon are complex, but some key factors can help explain why children are the primary target of anti-Muslim hatred in the United States. Here are the most prominent ones, according to experts :
First, children are seen as easy targets for bullying and hate groups. They are vulnerable and often lack the social and emotional skills to defend themselves against harassment and discrimination. This makes them an easy target for those who want to spread hatred and divide society.
Second, Muslim children are often visible minorities, which makes them more visible and vulnerable to discrimination. According to the Pew Research Center, Muslims make up only about 1% of the US population. This means that Muslim children are often the only ones in their schools or neighborhoods who wear a headscarf or other traditional clothing, speak Arabic or a language other than English, or follow different religious practices. This view can make them targets of discrimination, particularly in societies where there is little understanding or acceptance of diversity.
Third, the media has played an important role in perpetuating anti-Muslim stereotypes and prejudices, which can affect how people understand and treat Muslim children. For example, media coverage of terrorist attacks often associates Islam and Muslims with violence and terrorism, which creates a negative perception of Muslims in the minds of some Americans, including children.
Fourth, the current political climate in the United States has created an environment in which anti-Muslim hatred can flourish. Political leaders have often used anti-Muslim rhetoric to appeal to their base, and some have even proposed policies targeting Muslims on the basis of their faith. This can create a sense of fear and mistrust towards Muslims in general, including Muslim children.
Lockheed Martin receives additional orders from the Pentagon to purchase F-35 fighter jets
The US Department of Defense announced that it has ordered 126 fifth-generation fighter aircraft, "F-35", from "Lockheed Martin" to meet its own needs and supplies to allied countries at a value of $ 7.8 billion.
According to the Pentagon statement, as part of the implementation of the previously concluded contract option, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics was awarded a contract to produce 81 F-35A, 26 F-35B and 19 F-35C versions.
The statement indicated that 77 aircraft were requested for four branches of the US Army, the US Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps, and the allied countries "Finland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Japan, Belgium, Denmark, and Britain."
In another statement, the Pentagon indicated that Lockheed Martin received an additional $ 615.9 million for the production of HIMARS missiles, according to the Pentagon.
The US Department of Defense said: "Lockheed Martin has received an addition to the contract worth $615.96 million for the production of HIMARS missiles." The statement added that the contract is expected to be executed by June 2026.
US ground forces ground their flights after 12 people were killed in a helicopter crash
The US military announced that it has temporarily grounded US Air Force fighter jets, after 12 people were killed in a helicopter crash.
And the ground forces said in a statement today: "The decision was made to keep all army pilots on the ground ... until they complete the necessary training," noting that only pilots participating in "critical missions" are excluded.
"During this suspension, we will focus on safety protocols and training to ensure that pilots and other crew members have the knowledge, training and awareness necessary to safely carry out their assigned missions," said Army Chief of Staff James McConville.
This week, two AH-64 Apache attack helicopters crashed in Alaska, killing three people.
And in March, nine soldiers were killed when two UH-60 Black Hawks from the 101st Airborne Division crashed in Kentucky.
Kim Jong Un's sister : The Washington-Seoul declaration will endanger the security of the region and the world
Kim Yo Jong, a senior official in the Central Committee of the North Korean Workers' Party, the sister of the Republic's leader, Kim Jong Un, warned that the joint declaration by Washington and Seoul would endanger international security.
The North Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim Yo Jong as saying that Washington's announcement "will only lead to greater danger to the security of Northeast Asia and the entire world, and this is an unwelcome act."
This came in response to the Washington Declaration adopted by the United States and South Korea during the visit of South Korean President Yoon Sok Yol to Washington.
The declaration provides for the formation of an advisory group specialized in nuclear planning issues, strengthening deterrence, and developing plans to respond to "risks to the nuclear non-proliferation regime" by North Korea.
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