Republicans have dropped Jim Jordan as their nominee for House speaker, setting them back to square one with no clear plan ahead.

Imagine it’s April 22, 2027, and we're 72 hours into a first-strike Chinese attack against Taiwan.

There has been a surge in guns being discovered at airport checkpoints.

Of the 33 law enforcement officers in South Florida who lost their lives in the line of duty over the past two years, three were killed by gunfire, one died in a car crash and another lost his life to a work-related injury.

Support in Central Florida is growing for the people of Cuba, calling for change in the communist country.

Florida has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, demanding cruises be allowed to begin sailing again from Florida’s ports.

Arizona on Saturday reported 4,136 additional known COVID-19 cases and 36 more deaths. The total number of coronavirus cases in Oregon has now surpassed 72,000 and the death toll stands at 896. ___CARSON CITY, Nev. — Nevada on Saturday reported nearly 3,000 additional known COVID-19 cases as related hospitalizations continued in large numbers. Seven-day rolling averages of daily new cases, daily deaths and COVID-19 testing positivity in Arizona all increased in the past two weeks. In Tokyo, daily cases have totaled more than 500 recently, raising alarm about a third wave of infections.

(AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois has risen above 12,000 deaths from COVID-19, while also surpassing the 700,000 mark for confirmed coronavirus infections. The Health Department said the situation constituted an “alert,” and said that nationwide, infections had risen by over 8% last week. Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech have asked the FDA to allow emergency use of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The state health department reported 5,704 new cases on Friday, putting the state at 3,476 deaths and 295,001 cases since March. ___TORONTO — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he expects more than half of Canadians to receive a COVID-19 vaccine by next September.

A couple walks along the beach during a downpour, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020, on Miami Beach, Florida's famed South Beach. A strengthening Tropical Storm Eta cut across Cuba on Sunday, and forecasters say it's likely to be a hurricane before hitting the Florida Keys Sunday night or Monday. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Elsewhere, forecasters announced that Subtropical Storm Theta, a record-breaking 29th named storm of the 2020 hurricane season, had formed far out in the northeast Atlantic by late Monday night. “Never seen this, never, not this deep,” said Anthony Lyas, who has lived in his now-waterlogged Fort Lauderdale neighborhood since 1996. It was the 28th named storm of a busy Atlantic hurricane season, tying the 2005 record for named storms. Eta was not done yet with Cuba, just 90 miles (140 kilometers) south of Florida, where the storm continued to swell rivers and flood coastal zones. ___Associated Press writers Cody Jackson in Fort Lauderdale, Tamara Lush in St. Petersburg, and Haleluya Hadero in Atlanta contributed to this report.

She soundly defeated Tipton, a co-chair of President Donald Trump’s Colorado reelection campaign, in the Republican primary in June. Republican state Sen. Stephanie Bice earned a reputation as a political moderate in her two terms in the Oklahoma Senate. ___11:20 p.m.Republican Maria Elvira Salazar has defeated Democrat Donna Shalala for a House seat in Florida. Republican Ronny Jackson has won a House seat in West Texas, where he moved after leaving the White House in 2018. The solidly Republican district is currently held by Mac Thornberry, one of six GOP congressmen in Texas retiring this year.

The Latest: Gimenez wins House seat over Mucarsel-PowellRepublican Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez has won a Florida seat in the U.S. House, defeating a single-term Democrat. The 41-year-old Democrat easily defeated Republican H. Wayne Clark in the heavily Democratic county. _____8:17 p.m.Republican Kat Cammack has won Florida’s U.S. House seat held by her former boss, retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho. _____7:22 p.m.Republican state Rep. Byron Donalds has been elected to the U.S. House seat now held by Florida Republican Francis Rooney. “I feel he’s just more level-headed.”______7 a.m.Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden have campaigned heavily in Florida, each hoping to win the prized battleground state’s 29 electoral votes.

— District 3: Republican Kat Cammack has won Florida’s U.S. House seat held by her former boss, retiring Florida Republican Rep. Ted Yoho. He defeated Democrat Donna Deegan, a former television news anchor who has worked to raise money for breast cancer research and to help patients. — District 15: Republican Scott Franklin has won Florida Rep. Ross Spano’s seat in the U.S. House. Deutch was first elected in 2010 and represents a firmly Democratic district that includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties. A supermajority of Florida voters approved the amendment to the Florida Constitution that will raise Florida’s minimum wage from the current $8.56 an hour to $15 an hour by 2026.

LIV owner David Grutman poses for a photograph at the nightclub, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020, in Miami Beach, Fla. LIV, one of Miami's most glamorous, star-studded nightclubs sits empty and quiet these days, a casualty of both the coronavirus outbreak and a power struggle between state and local government over how to contain the scourge. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

The parties at the club are so legendary they have inspired lyrics from Drake, Kanye West and Rick Ross. Today, LIV sits quiet and empty — a casualty not just of the coronavirus outbreak but of a power struggle between state and local government over how to contain the scourge. “I cried real tears,” the 46-year-old Grutman said of his last visit to the shuttered club and nightlife's seemingly bygone era. Grutman has fielded countless calls from DJs begging to be the first when the club reopens. Others have asked to host Zoom parties from LIV, but Grutman just isn't into it.

WASHINGTON – Billionaire former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg is donating $500,000 to juice Democratic turnout in Miami-Dade County, a place where the party must bank a massive number of votes if it hopes to win the pivotal swing state of Florida. The money will be used to register Miami-Dade voters and knock on doors. In a statement, Bloomberg highlighted the importance of Miami-Dade County. “As one of the most diverse counties in Florida, Miami-Dade County is a particularly important county for a Democratic victory in Florida,” he said. “I’m glad to support the Miami-Dade Democratic Executive Committee’s work to directly reach voters and urge them to cast their ballots."

Ron DeSantis lifted limits on indoor seating at restaurants, saying they can operate at 100% in municipalities with no restrictions and that other local governments can't restrict indoor seating by more than 50%. Greg Abbott’s orders, and restaurants can hold up to 75% of their capacity, while face covers are required throughout the state. Though Florida’s governor generally wears a mask when arriving at public appearances and has allowed municipalities to impose mask rules, he has declined to impose a statewide mandate. Gimenez has been consulting with attorneys and staff on what rules local governments could continue to enforce without violating new state orders. Store managers told him some customers have been defying their mask rules after DeSantis’ new order and he hasn’t seen any local enforcement in the past week.

MIAMI – Gov. Ron DeSantis will be in Miami Friday afternoon to host a news conference about an unknown topic. A news release from his office provided no details about the nature of the conference. Jeanette Nuñez, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools Alberto Carvalho will also be present at the event. Use the media player at the top of this story to watch the news conference live.

Other students have been kicked out of residence halls and suspended for not following public health directives, said Dr. Julio Frenk, the university's president. The university's dashboard says 156 people have tested positive in the university system. In response, everyone who tested positive was moved into isolation, and those who were potentially exposed to the virus have been ordered to stay in their rooms. Similar challenges are being addressed at other colleges in Florida, where the Department of Public Health reported 4,545 COVID-19 hospitalizations Tuesday, along with about 2,600 new virus cases. The county mayor said he was meeting university officials to discuss other measures to make sure students follow public health rules.

MIAMI The Miami Dolphins will allow up to 13,000 socially distancing fans to attend their home opener against the Buffalo Bills on Sept. 20, a decision supported by state and local political leaders. Crowd size will be about 20 percent of the stadium's 65,326-seat capacity, with the limitation imposed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Ron DeSantis and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez were scheduled to attend a news conference Monday at the stadium to discuss the decision. Fans and stadium employees will be required to wear masks when not eating or drinking. There will be staggered gate entry, with entry times listed on game tickets, and upgraded metal detectors for faster processing.

The Florida Education Association hopes a judge will delay the reopening of schools for in-person instruction. The labor union filed an emergency hearing on Aug. 3 to block reopening brick and mortar schools while a lawsuit against the state is pending. On July 20, the Florida Education Association filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis, Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez, the Florida Department of Education and the Florida Board of Education. A special virtual meeting is scheduled for Aug. 5, at 1 p.m ahead of schools reopening.

In South Korea, prosecutors arrested the elderly leader of a secretive religious sect linked to more than 5,200 of the country's approximately 14,300 confirmed cases. But it will continue to allow several international carriers from the United States, Europe and the Middle East to operate special flights to evacuate stranded nationals. The country is not permitting general travel to and from the countries, which include the United States and Brazil. A scientist advising the British government on the coronavirus pandemic says pubs in England may have to be closed to allow schools to reopen in September. The debate over school openings came as Dr. Anthony Fauci dismissed a tweet by President Donald Trump claiming the U.S. global lead in coronavirus cases is because of increased testing.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. Florida health officials have reported 179 new deaths from the coronavirus, bringing the states total to more than 7,000. With five more deaths, the total confirmed deaths in Italy reached more than 35,000 on Saturday. ___MIAMI Hurricane Isaias is heading toward the Florida coast, where officials say they were closing coronavirus testing centers and navigating safety measures for evacuation facilities. Health authorities say the number of confirmed coronavirus cases has increased on the French mainland in recent weeks. ___TOKYO Japans capital recorded 472 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, the third straight day of record numbers.

MIAMI Hurricane Isaias imminent arrival forced the closure of some outdoor coronavirus testing sites Friday even as the state reached a new daily high in deaths. Hurricane watches and storm warnings were in effect in many areas of Floridas east coast, prompting residents to buy sandbags and board up their homes. Isaias was forecast to strengthen Friday while moving near or over the Bahamas and was expected to approach South Florida on Saturday or Sunday. Its a challenge, but these are some of the things you have to think about in the age of COVID-19 and now a hurricane," Gimenez said. A storm warning which means a storm is expected is in effect in South Florida.

TALLAHASSEE With the start of the fall semester just weeks away, the Florida Education Association has filed a lawsuit against the governor and other state leaders claiming that reopening schools in August will create an unsafe environment due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ron DeSantis, Florida Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez as defendants. The governor needs to accept the reality of the situation here in Florida, where the virus is surging out of control. Teachers and parents want our schools to meet that basic standard.The lawsuit points out that schools were closed in mid-March when Florida had around 300 documented COVID-19 cases. The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have expressed support for the lawsuit.

MIAMI Miami-Dade County plans to start aggressively enforcing rules designed to combat the rapidly spreading coronavirus as Florida reported more than 11,000 new cases on Friday adding to a caseload that is straining the state's hospitals. Were going to put a heck of a lot of people out there, Mayor Carlos Gimenez told commissioners during a Zoom meeting. The state Department of Health on Friday reported 11,466 new cases of the coronavirus, raising Florida's pandemic total to more than 327,000. In Miami-Dade County, which is Florida's most populous and the current epicenter of the outbreak, there were more than 2,442 coronavirus cases on Friday, according to Floridas Department of Health. Gimenez said it's time for repercussions for people who choose to disobey the rules, the Miami Herald reported.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida's largest county is again severely limiting its restaurants and fully closing gyms and other indoor venues weeks after they reopened because a spike in coronavirus cases is creating a shortage of intensive care unit beds at its hospitals. Bars are already closed statewide and restaurants were limited to 50% capacity indoors. During that time, the county's daily rate for confirmed cases skyrocketed from about 300 a day to more than 2,000. Miami-Dade County now has more than 1,600 hospitalized coronavirus patients, double what it had two weeks ago. A month ago, the state was averaging about 1,500 new confirmed coronavirus cases a day.

(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, File)JOHANNESBURG South Africa has announced another record daily number of confirmed coronavirus cases with 9,064, as Africas most developed country shows signs of strain in coping with the pandemic. The African continent overall has more than 433,000 confirmed virus cases. Gavin Newsom is warning local elected officials that they risk losing state funding if they dont enforce health orders as the coronavirus pandemic worsens. The tribe reported 64 new confirmed coronavirus cases Friday and two more deaths. The holiday beach closures began Friday from Los Angeles County northward through Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

A new county order also closes casinos, strip clubs, movie theaters, the zoo and other entertainment venues a month after they were allowed to reopen. Florida reported 341 new hospital admissions of COVID-19 patients on Friday, the biggest daily jump since the pandemic began. The county's latest statistics showed more than 1,400 COVID patients in Miami hospitals, including 306 in intensive care, occupying about 73% of the ICU beds that would be otherwise available. Florida's health department releases a daily cumulative tally of new hospitalizations of people who test positive for the virus, but doesn't provide statewide numbers of COVID-19 patients currently in hospitals, ICU beds or on ventilators. Statewide, about 20% of ICU beds are currently available, though some hospitals have additional capacity that can be turned into ICU units if need be.

On Friday, Florida reported 9,488 new confirmed cases and 67 deaths, a day after setting a new daily record with more than 10,000 cases. That means every generation - everyone of us, no exceptions.The latest county statistics show more than 1,300 COVID patients in Miami hospitals. Of those, 281 are in intensive-care beds, occupying about 63% of the ICU beds that would be otherwise available. The state releases daily reports on available ICU beds, statewide, by county and by individual hospital -- but those numbers dont include how many are occupied by COVID-19 patients. Statewide, about 20% of ICU beds are currently available, though some hospitals have additional capacity that can be turned into ICU units if need be.

The count of new confirmed infections, provided by Johns Hopkins University, eclipsed the previous high of 36,400, set on April 24, during one of the deadliest stretches. Newly reported cases per day have risen on average about 60% over the past two weeks, according to an Associated Press analysis. The virus is blamed for about 125,000 deaths and nearly 2.5 million confirmed infections nationwide, by Johns Hopkins' count. Republican Gov. For the second time in a week, Tennessee reported its biggest one-day jump in confirmed infections, with more than 1,400, but Republican Gov.

Both tribal casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, closed since March 17, opened despite opposition from Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has been constrained when dealing with the sovereign tribal nations that own two of the world's largest casinos. In Florida, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez took to social media after the tribal casino Miccosulkee Resort & Gaming reopened early. That same tribe resisted pleas from state and local officials in late March to close entirely, as other tribal casinos, restaurants, movie theaters, parks and beaches had. As of Tuesday, the American Gaming Association website identified 280 tribal casinos that have so far reopened, while 244 remained closed.

Also in Fort Lauderdale, the state attorney's office fired a prosecutor Monday for calling demonstrators animals" at the zoo in a quickly deleted Facebook post. Maglione said Pohorence's actions will be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement before an internal investigation is conducted. But he said Pohorence's actions could have added to what was going on," and he commended Officer Krystle Smith who pushed Pohorence away from the woman. Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said he felt the Pohorences actions were offensive, and hes happy the department has suspended him. ___Associated Press reporters Adriana Gomez Licon in Miami; Freida Frisaro Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida; Tamara Lush in Tampa, Florida; and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee contributed to this report.

Police officers in Orlando used tear gas on demonstrators who temporarily blocked Interstate 4 in downtown Orlando on Sunday night. Elsewhere, officers in Fort Lauderdale used tear gas near a parking garage to break up what was a largely civil demonstration. A nightly curfew was issued in Miami-Dade County, Florida's most populous county, and Mayor Carlos Gimenez said he would postpone the reopening of the county's beaches until the curfew order is lifted. Curfews also were issued for localities including Orlando, Tampa, and Leon County, where a pickup truck drove through a crowd of protesters Saturday in Floridas capital of Tallahassee. In Miami, four officers were injured and 17 police vehicles were vandalized, including some that were set on fire.

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Trucks equipped with blowers are driving through South Beach to spray pesticides that kill mosquito larvae. Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control began driving the trucks through the 1.5-square-mile infection zone early Tuesday. The county also plans to begin aerial spraying of an insecticide called Naled over South Beach. Some Miami Beach residents and elected officials oppose using Naled because of toxicity concerns. Gimenez says state and federal health officials assure county officials that it's safe.