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U.S. Senate confirms Florida’s Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general • Florida Phoenix

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floridaphoenix.com – Ashley Murray – 2025-02-04 19:15:00

U.S. Senate confirms Florida’s Pam Bondi as U.S. attorney general

by Ashley Murray, Florida Phoenix
February 4, 2025

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Tuesday night confirmed Florida prosecutor Pam Bondi as the attorney general of the United States under President Donald Trump.

Senators voted 54-46 to install the former Florida attorney general at the top of the U.S. Justice Department, an agency Trump has in his crosshairs after federal prosecutions targeted his actions following his loss in the 2020 presidential election.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted in favor of Bondi’s confirmation.

Bondi easily gained the support of the Republican-led Senate Committee on the Judiciary, which put her on a glide path to confirmation. The panel split along party lines Wednesday to advance her to a full floor vote.

Grassley support

“I’m disappointed that none of my Democratic colleagues on the Judiciary Committee voted for Ms. Bondi, and I hope the full Senate takes a different approach,” Committee Chair Chuck Grassley of Iowa said on the floor Monday.

“If my colleagues won’t cross the aisle for this qualified nominee, they’ll show that they’re intent on opposing President Trump’s picks for purely partisan reasons,” Grassley said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday that Americans have “lost faith” in the Justice Department.

“Pam Bondi has promised to get the department back to its core mission: prosecuting crime and protecting Americans from threats to their safety and their freedoms,” the South Dakota Republican said Tuesday afternoon on the floor, accusing the department of political bias under former President Joe Biden.

‘Real concern’ from Whitehouse

Democrats spoke out against Bondi ahead of the confirmation vote, highlighting Bondi’s indirect response to Democratic committee members’ questions over who won the 2020 election.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said Tuesday that Bondi’s responses during her confirmation hearing were cause for “real concern.”

“She said a lot of the right things about independence of the department and rule of law. What I couldn’t get over was how things changed when she got to a topic that would have been sensitive to Donald Trump, something that would have gotten Donald Trump all twitchy,” Whitehouse said on the floor.

“She couldn’t say obvious things, things like,’ Did President Biden win the 2020 election?’ That’s an easy answer, ‘Yes, he did, sir or ma’am.’ Super simple. When she can’t say that, that’s a sign,” Whitehouse continued.

The former president faced charges for scheming to overturn the 2020 election results and for hoarding classified documents in his Florida estate. The Justice Department dropped the cases after Trump won the election, citing a long-term policy of not prosecuting sitting presidents.

Trump’s interim U.S. attorney in Florida’s Southern District last week dropped the classified documents case against Trump’s two co-defendants.

Trump has fired a round of Justice Department officials who were involved in prosecuting him as well as those involved in prosecutions of those charged after the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

On his first night in office, Trump granted clemency to all of the nearly 1,600 defendants charged in the attack.

Last updated 9:03 p.m., Feb. 4, 2025

Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.

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Turkish opposition party delegation meets with Kurdish leader in Iraq as part of PKK peace efforts

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www.news4jax.com – Qassim Abdul-Zahra And Çinar Kiper, Associated Press – 2025-02-16 07:43:00

SUMMARY: A Turkish opposition party delegation, led by Sirri Sureyya Onder and Pervin Buldan, visited Iraq’s Kurdish region to discuss peace efforts regarding the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). They met with Masoud Barzani, head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, who expressed support for the peace process. The delegation conveyed a message from Abdullah Ocalan, the imprisoned PKK leader. Despite Turkey’s crackdown on the opposition and ongoing conflict in Syria, the peace efforts could be key in securing parliamentary support for Turkish President Erdogan’s constitutional reforms. Kurdish groups in Syria also staged protests demanding Ocalan’s release.

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Rubio kicks off Mideast trip in Israel as Arab leaders reel from Trump’s Gaza proposal

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www.clickorlando.com – Matthew Lee, Associated Press – 2025-02-16 00:54:00

SUMMARY: Secretary of State Marco Rubio is initiating a Middle East tour in Israel amid backlash from Arab leaders over President Trump’s proposal to relocate the Palestinian population of Gaza. While Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu supports the plan, Arab nations are urging alternatives, fearing domestic unrest. The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains stable, but a March deadline looms for negotiations. Rubio indicated a need for Arab countries to confront Hamas, suggesting they send troops. He will meet with Netanyahu before visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, but will not engage with Egypt or Jordan, which reject mass displacement of Palestinians.

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St. Johns County community honors legacy of Creekside grad Trenton Stewart

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www.news4jax.com – Chris Will – 2025-02-15 17:55:00

SUMMARY: In St. Johns County, the community honors Trenton Stewart, a Stetson University freshman football player who tragically died in 2023 in a wrong-way crash. Stewart, 18, was killed by Ariel Monteagudo, who crashed into his SUV at 100 mph. Monteagudo was sentenced to 12 years in prison. To celebrate Stewart’s life and legacy, his family is hosting the second annual Green, Black, and White Gatsby Gala at the Renaissance Resort. The event raises funds for the Trenton Stewart Foundation, which provides scholarships to student-athletes, while also honoring Stewart’s impact and supporting young athletes.

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