Latest news with #SpectrumNews
CNN
5 days ago
- CNN
Spectrum says fiber optic outage in LA area ‘caused by a criminal act of vandalism'
Internet and cable provider Spectrum has reported outages in Los Angeles are 'caused by a criminal act of vandalism,' according to a company post Sunday on X. The most common user issues have been total blackouts, landline and internet problems, and no signal. The outage has affected neighborhoods surrounding Los Angeles, such as North Hollywood, as well as in the Orange County cities of Anaheim and Santa Ana. More than 25,000 Spectrum users in the Los Angeles area reported issues on which tracks outages. Users self-report to DownDetector, so it may not represent the full scale of outages. Users began reporting issues to DownDetector at 3 a.m. Pacific Time, with more reports spiking around 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Spectrum acknowledged customer concerns at 2:13 p.m. PT in a post on X, saying, 'We are currently working on a Fiber cut affecting the Los Angeles area. We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Thank you.' Spectrum did not immmediately responded to CNN's request for comment. Customers in Kansas City experienced a similar outage last month, when Spectrum reported two fiber cuts — one that the company credited to a criminal act of vandalism and another caused by a third-party network, which should have provided backup to the Spectrum network, according to local reports. Spectrum had offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the alleged vandals. Spectrum operates in 41 states and serves more than 57 million homes, according to the company's website.
Politico
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Early insights into the ‘26 governor's race
IN MEMORIAM — Today marks nine years since 49 people were killed and 53 more were injured at the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando. Gov. RON DESANTIS ordered flags to be flown at half-staff and in a statement called the attack 'a horrific act of terrorism.' For the first time starting Wednesday, survivors and families of loved ones who were lost have been able to walk through the building before it gets demolished, Spectrum News reports. A remembrance ceremony will take place at 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Orlando. (Livestream.) Good morning and welcome to Thursday. A new poll provides a super-early glimpse into the 2026 governor's race, one week after former Rep. DAVID JOLLY filed to run as a Democrat. Other candidates could still get into the contest; the primary won't happen until August 2026. But for now, President DONALD TRUMP-endorsed Rep. BYRON DONALDS is the only major candidate on the Republican side to file to run. That's why the poll, from Victory Insights, compared both candidates to see where they stand. The result? Donalds leads Jolly by 5.4 percent among 600 likely Florida voters. Donalds' lead was unsurprising, given the state has now turned red as far as active voter registrations are concerned. But Jolly took the report as good news. 'This election is about change versus more of the same,' he told Playbook. 'We are building a coalition to attack the affordability crisis and bring generational change. I'm not surprised polls are now reflecting that. I feel very good about this race.' While this poll's margin appears to be narrow, considering Gov. RON DESANTIS won his reelection by 19 points in 2022 and President DONALD TRUMP won the state by 13 points, Victory Insights' senior pollster BEN GALBRAITH told Playbook he expects whoever the Republican nominee is to carry the race by double digits. That's thanks to how much undecided voters lean Republican in the state — 17 points. Should those votes break for Donalds, he said, then his margin of victory would be closer to 11 points. As of now, the poll found about one-third of voters haven't decided who they'll support because they don't know Donalds or Jolly. That means both candidates have an opportunity to reintroduce themselves to Florida — or to define each other in the many months until the 2026 general election, should each wind up being their party's nominee. The Donalds campaign's chief strategist, RYAN SMITH, predicted Donalds would be Florida's next governor 'because he is the proven conservative fighter endorsed by President Trump.' Galbraith also wrote in his analysis that because 43 percent of Florida Republicans define themselves as 'MAGA' through support for Trump, they'd be likely to go with his pick. The polling did not evaluate support for state Sen. JASON PIZZO, who recently dropped his Democratic registration and plans to run for governor as an independent. As far as the cash contest, Donalds is way ahead. He raised more than $12 million in the five weeks after announcing his run for governor, first quarter reports showed. More recent filings show his political committee got a $1 million check from GOP megadonor RICHARD UIHLEIN, the president of packing supply giant Uline. Earlier this month the Winklevoss twins (of Facebook fame, now in crypto) gave him $250,000 apiece. Jolly's fundraising shows he has raised a low-six-figures total toward his political committee, Florida 2026. Most donations were lower than $1,000. His largest contribution was $100,000 from BARBARA STIEFEL, a Coral Gables philanthropist and pharmaceutical heiress. He also received $25,000 from Charles R. Wall Trust in Colorado, $10,000 from Democratic donor LAURIE SCHECTER and art designer CARLOS ANDRADE. MITCHELL BERGER, a major Democratic party fundraiser and prominent Fort Lauderdale attorney who represented former Vice President Al Gore in the post-2000 election Florida lawsuits, contributed $5,000. FLORIDIAN GETS BOOTED AT DNC — The Democratic National Committee removed DAVID HOGG as vice chair Wednesday evening amid his threats to primary incumbents he called 'ineffective,' POLITICO's Elena Schneider reports. The party removed him through virtual vote because of a procedural complaint, and though Hogg, 25, had the opportunity to run for the seat again starting today, he said he wouldn't be doing so and would instead focus on his political action committee, Leaders We Deserve. Hogg became a nationally known figure after the mass shooting in Parkland, working at March for Our Lives to successfully push for new gun restrictions in Florida. His removal from the position gives Florida Democrats less clout within the national party at a time when they've been trying to claw their way back to relevance, urging national donors not to give up on investing here. The Florida Democratic Party had opposed efforts to remove Hogg in May, saying the party had been in 'desperate need of young, innovative leadership' and that the party should honor the vote tally in support of Hogg. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... OH LÁ LÁ! Au revoir, Tallahassee budget meetings (which ended up not happening on Wednesday). DeSantis is traveling to France next week on an international trade and business mission right around the time legislators say they want to wrap up the budget. The governor will also be attending the Paris Air Show. DeSantis' office said in a statement that the mission would 'highlight Florida's status as a global hub for aerospace, aviation defense and emerging technologies' and promote new partnerships. Among those joining are state Commerce Secretary ALEX KELLY, Transportation Secretary JARED PERDUE, Secretary of State CORD BYRD and Space Florida President ROB LONG. DeSantis is following in former Gov. RICK SCOTT's tradition of attending the air show and doing trade meetings. Asked about the cost of the trip, EMILY HETHERINGTON of the state Commerce Department said private businesses and institutions like universities would pay their own way. 'SelectFlorida does extensive legwork before each trade mission to gather as many sponsorships as possible to offset costs and minimize the impact to taxpayers,' she said. 'In return, we expect the mission to produce enormous investments and jobs brought to Florida that far exceed costs. Additionally, the showcasing Florida companies generate significant returns that are brought back to the state of Florida.' The governor's last global trip was to Italy in November, and his office hasn't supplied POLITICO with requested records from that mission. They included a request for documents detailing expenses, the cost of a private concert featuring ANDREA BOCELLI and the cost of the charter jet the governor used. PARKS WHISTLEBLOWER IS BACK, SEEKING $50K IN DAMAGES — 'The fired state employee who leaked plans to develop nine Florida state parks with golf courses, hotels and other amenities claims in a new lawsuit that Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration retaliated against him,' reports Max Chenes of the Tampa Bay Times. 'Whistleblower James Gaddis alleges in a lawsuit that he received 'disparate treatment and retaliation' from DeSantis, the former head of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Shawn Hamilton, and the agency's human resources director, Jake Vick, after he released information on the secret plans.' IN THE WORKS — 'Florida could be poised to make it easier for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities to maintain their Medicaid services,' reports Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix. 'The latest round of budget negotiations between the House and Senate includes a proposal by the House to eliminate a requirement for people with IDD to annually be redetermined eligible for the health care safety net program for the poor, elderly, and disabled. If approved once, they would be presumptively eligible the rest of their lives unless they no longer qualify for Medicaid or their condition changes.' STATE FOSTER CARE WORKING WITH ICE — 'Florida child welfare authorities turned over a 17-year-old foster child to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, sparking intense criticism that the action could hinder efforts to protect children in the state's large immigrant communities,' report the Miami Herald's Carol Marbin Miller, Ana Ceballos and Syra Ortiz Blanes. 'The Honduran teen was removed from his Pensacola foster home Monday morning — in handcuffs and shackles — and transferred immediately into ICE custody. The boy and his mother had crossed the southwest border into the U.S. without permission, sources familiar with the case told the Miami Herald.' PENINSULA AND BEYOND PAYDAY REVEALED — 'The University of West Florida is offering Manny Diaz Jr. a $643,000 salary to serve as the school's interim president in a deal that would double what he earned as the state's education commissioner,' reports POLITICO's Andrew Atterbury. 'The former state lawmaker, under a contract the UWF Board of Trustees is considering Thursday, is slated to take over July 14 and serve for no more than a year — provided there is a successful presidential search.' The proposal is 'higher than the $323,989 pay afforded to the state's top K-12 education official. It also is about $107,000 higher than the base salary of previous President Martha Saunders, who resigned in May amid scrutiny by the DeSantis administration.' — 'Gang violence in Haiti has displaced nearly 1.3 million people. It's a new record,' reports Jacqueline Charles of the Miami Herald. — 'Separated from kids in Cuba and Haiti by Trump travel ban, parents plead for help,' by the Miami Herald's Nora Gámez Torres and Jacqueline Charles. — 'South Florida-based Silver Airways shuts down, stranding travelers,' reports David Lyons of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. ...HURRICANE HOLE... COMING TO AN END — 'Trump said on Tuesday he planned to start 'phasing out' the Federal Emergency Management Agency after the hurricane season and that states would receive less federal aid to respond to natural disasters,' Reuters' Nathan Layne reports. 'Trump also said he planned to distribute disaster relief funds directly from the president's office.' — 'Risky business: More insurers willing to back Florida property, but how healthy are they?' by Anne Geggis of the Palm Beach Post. CAMPAIGN MODE MIAMI MAYOR CANDIDATE — 'Emilio Gonzalez may seem to be an odd choice in preaching the MAGA gospel,' reports Stephen Dinan of The Washington Times. 'He worked in the George W. Bush administration running U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and then returned to Miami, where he served as CEO of Miami International Airport and city manager. 'Mr. Gonzalez emerged as a major critic of President Biden's immigration policy and became a founding member of Veterans for Trump, a bilingual surrogate for candidate Donald Trump. He was a transition team member for President-elect Trump and has just been named a senior fellow at the Trump-connected America First Policy Institute. Now, Mr. Gonzalez is pursuing a bid to become mayor of Miami. He said the city needs the kind of shake-up that Mr. Trump delivered to Washington.' TRUMPLANDIA AND THE SWAMP BIG BEAUTIFUL REIMBURSEMENT — 'Trump's Big Beautiful Bill sets aside $300 million during the next four years to compensate counties and municipalities that provide security for the president,' reports Mike Diamond of the Palm Beach Post. 'Palm Beach County will benefit if the U.S. Senate approves the bill and Trump signs it, which he has said he will do.' ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN THEY DREAMED A DREAM — Rep. RANDY FINE (R-Fla.) and state Sen. JOE GRUTERS (R-Sarasota) were among Trump's guests at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night to see 'Les Misérables.' — 'Florida man convicted of posing as flight attendant to score more than 100 free flights,' per Sergio Candido of CBS News Miami. BIRTHDAYS: Sally Bradshaw, Tallahassee bookstore owner and former chief of staff and campaign adviser to Jeb Bush ... state Rep. Kim Daniels ... Alex Castellanos of Purple Strategies ... former state Rep. Neil Combee ... Steve Bovo, former Hialeah mayor now at Corcoran Partners.
CNN
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
CNN affiliate video shows National Guard troops present in LA
Footage shot by CNN affiliate Spectrum News shows National Guard troops outside the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday morning. Hundreds of members of the California National Guard are deployed around the city following two consecutive days of protests over immigration enforcement action, the California governor's office said.
CNN
08-06-2025
- Politics
- CNN
CNN affiliate video shows National Guard troops present in LA
Footage shot by CNN affiliate Spectrum News shows National Guard troops outside the Federal Building in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday morning. Hundreds of members of the California National Guard are deployed around the city following two consecutive days of protests over immigration enforcement action, the California governor's office said.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gov. Stein is making the conservative case for FEMA
It's a classic Trump-era irony: The president's polarizing voice has triggered a burst of bipartisan agreement. When President Donald Trump floated the notion of scrapping FEMA entirely after Hurricane Helene, it sounded like the start of another bare-knuckle partisan fight. Instead, it sparked a rare consensus: FEMA is flawed, but it's also essential. Right now, the surprisingly high-profile defender of that notion is North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein. And in another ironic twist, the most liberal governor North Carolina has ever elected is sounding . . . conservative. Over the past two weeks, Stein has launched a media blitz to rescue FEMA from its own dysfunction — and from the president's crosshairs. He's appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, penned an op-ed in USA Today, lobbied Republican U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd and written directly to the Trump administration with proposed reforms. His argument is simple: Disaster response is a core function of the federal government, and it saves money and gets better results if states don't go it alone. 'It's about streamlining and reforming and improving FEMA, not eliminating it,' Stein said in a recent podcast interview with Spectrum News. That may not sound revolutionary, but in today's political climate, it's a noteworthy response. Where many Democrats, like former Gov. Roy Cooper, may have used Trump's comments to raise money or fire up the base, Stein is taking a different tack. He's responding thoughtfully, and with a message that Republicans might actually hear. FEMA makes for a convenient punching bag. After any disaster, emotions are raw as survivors try to make sense of their losses. When calls go to voicemail or a form gets rejected on a technicality, the natural response is anger. Police officers often talk about trying to give people grace because they recognize they're meeting everyone on the worst day of their life. FEMA workers are in the same position but may not always realize it, or be equipped to respond. That doesn't mean FEMA gets a pass, of course, and there were plenty of problems with its response to Hurricane Helene. Red tape kept people waiting for temporary housing. It took multiple calls from elected officials to get FEMA to extend hotel vouchers to keep people from being turned out into a snowstorm. North Carolina's own shortcomings made matters worse. An after-action report from the state's Emergency Management Division showed deep cracks in the response to Helene — unclear communications, insufficient coordination with counties and a lack of planning around debris and housing. FEMA may have failed in some areas, but so did the state. Still, it would've been easy — even expected — for Stein to point fingers or escalate the fight as President Trump continues down the path toward eliminating FEMA. Instead, he's lowering the temperature. Trump's proposal to eliminate FEMA might be a negotiation tactic rather than a policy plan. He's known for throwing rhetorical grenades to draw people to the table. Some see that as bluster, while others see leverage. Either way, if the goal is to force FEMA to improve, there's plenty of common ground. And Stein is proving to be an effective messenger. He's called for FEMA to be faster, more flexible, and less redundant. He wants a single application process, more upfront money for permanent repairs and greater use of block grants to give states more discretion. This isn't the burn-it-down approach of the MAGA right, nor is it a progressive defense of bureaucracy. It's something rarer these days: a sober, statesmanlike argument for targeted federal responsibility and reform. As a conservative, I've long believed in limiting federal power. I've written before that North Carolina should stop waiting on Washington and take control of its own future. So I sympathize with Trump's instinct to scrap FEMA entirely. There's philosophical merit to the idea. The federal government tries to do too much. State governments are more nimble, more accountable. Pushing power down is almost always the right move. But not in every case. President Reagan famously said the nine scariest words in the English language were: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.' And yet Reagan also signed the Stafford Act — the law that governs FEMA to this day. That law has real flaws, and some of them are exactly what we're grappling with now. That's another classic Trump-era irony. The liberal governor of North Carolina is defending FEMA with a Reaganesque argument, to preserve a program the Gipper helped create. I still believe in federalism. But on this one, Stein has convinced me. FEMA needs to stay.
