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Category: News
August 21, 2025
News
Politics

Several Trump White House Aides Are Leaving For K Street Lobbying Gigs.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: Several senior White House aides are leaving for lobbying jobs.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Harrison Fields, Trent Morse, Bo Hines, and May Davis Mailman, among others.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The announcements were made in August 2025 in Washington, D.C.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “The demand for these folks is so high that business and folks are looking for a sherpa for this administration,” said Ivan Adler, known as the “Lobbyist Hunter.”

🎯IMPACT: The moves highlight ongoing concerns about the revolving door between government and lobbying.

IN FULL

Several senior Trump administration officials have recently left the White House for roles in Washington’s influence industry, raising fresh concerns about ethics and the revolving door between government and lobbying.

On Wednesday, CGCN Group, a prominent Republican lobbying firm, announced it had hired Harrison Fields, formerly the White House’s principal deputy press secretary. Just a day earlier, Trent Morse, a deputy assistant to the President and deputy director of the Office of Presidential Personnel, confirmed he is leaving to launch his own lobbying firm, partnering with the Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck firm.

The departures come amid growing demand from businesses and organizations seeking help navigating the Trump administration’s policymaking. “The demand for these folks is so high that business and folks are looking for a sherpa for this administration, just because it’s so different,” said Ivan Adler, a veteran D.C. headhunter known as the “Lobbyist Hunter.”

Fields and Morse are not the only ones making the jump. Earlier this month, longtime Trump adviser May Davis Mailman left to start her own government affairs firm. Meanwhile, Bo Hines recently stepped down as executive director of the White House’s crypto council and joined digital asset giant Tether to advise on U.S. crypto policy.

Despite federally mandated one-year cooling-off periods preventing Fields and Morse from lobbying the White House or working for foreign entities directly, they are still permitted to lobby Congress and advise others seeking influence.

Kedric Payne, head of ethics at the Campaign Legal Center, called White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles’s public praise of Morse “a commercial for him. It’s great for business.”

Wiles, a former lobbyist who worked with Morse at multiple firms before, was blunt in her endorsement of Morse’s value as a lobbyist. “Nobody is better able to [guide clients] than Morse,” she said, citing his knowledge across virtually every department due to his role vetting over 3,000 administration hires.

Fields, in a statement, said he leaves the White House “with a heart full of incredible memories,” and looks forward to continuing to support the “MAGA movement” in a new role.

While such moves are common near midterms, the speed and volume of early exits from Trump’s White House have drawn attention. Adler noted, “Trump staffers can command top dollar.”

Image by AgnosticPreachersKid.

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Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
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August 21, 2025
Immigration
News

Trump Has Sealed a Deal to Mass Deport Migrants to This African Country:

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: President Donald J. Trump secured a deportation deal with Uganda, allowing the U.S. to send illegal immigrants to the East African nation.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. State Department, and Ugandan officials.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The agreement was confirmed by Uganda on Thursday, with similar deals involving other nations taking place over the past year.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “The U.S. State Department continues to work with international partners to manage illegal immigration.” – U.S. State Department.

🎯IMPACT: The deal is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand deportations and manage migration more effectively.

IN FULL

President Donald J. Trump has finalized a significant new immigration agreement with Uganda, allowing the United States to deport certain illegal aliens to the East African nation. Under this arrangement, third-country nationals who are denied asylum in the U.S. but cannot be easily returned to their countries of origin can be resettled in Uganda instead.

Uganda currently accommodates nearly two million refugees, mainly from neighboring conflict zones such as South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its government has described the deal with the U.S. as “a temporary arrangement with conditions, including that individuals with criminal records and unaccompanied minors will not be accepted,” per Foreign Affairs Ministry official Vincent Bagiire Waiswa.

Comparable arrangements have already been made with countries like Honduras, Paraguay, and Rwanda. Panama and Costa Rica have also joined similar efforts, accepting migrants from Africa and Asia. Several highly violent migrants have already been deported to the small African kingdom of Swaziland, or Eswatini, pending final removal to their countries of origin. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has also made a deal with the U.S. to host criminal migrants at his CECOT super-prison.

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the federal government’s authority to deport migrants to third countries without requiring hearings about potential risks they may face upon relocation.

Since President Trump began his second term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has seen a sharp rise in enforcement actions. ICE arrests have doubled, and for several months running, deportations have topped 10,000 per month.

Image by B722N.

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August 21, 2025
News

White House Tours Halted for Trump Ballroom Construction.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: Tours of the White House have been postponed indefinitely as construction begins on a new $200 million ballroom.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, White House staff, and the general public who had booked tours.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Construction begins September 1, 2025, on the White House East Wing.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Beginning on September 1st, 2025, the White House will be undergoing extensive renovations. As a result, all tours of the White House are postponed indefinitely,” reads a statement on the website of Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA).

🎯IMPACT: Disappointment among visitors and criticism from some Democrats over the indefinite postponement of tours.

IN FULL

The White House has indefinitely suspended tours as construction begins on September 1 on a new $200 million ballroom funded by President Donald J. Trump. The new ballroom will be built on the East Wing of the White House grounds, between the Executive Residence and the Treasury Department’s main headquarters.

Visitors who had booked tours have received cancellation notices. It remains unclear when public access will resume. “Beginning on September 1st, 2025, the White House will be undergoing extensive renovations,” a statement on the website of Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) reads. “As a result, all tours of the White House are postponed indefinitely.”

Some members of Congress, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), have criticized the decision. “Seriously? School trips. Families. All shut out indefinitely for the building of a ballroom?” Klobuchar wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Other social media users also expressed frustration.

The White House Press Secretary has not provided a timeline for when tours might resume. In the meantime, some have suggested alternative attractions in Washington, D.C., such as monuments and museums, which remain accessible to the public. “I was super excited for the White House tour during our trip and it turned out to be a bit underwhelming,” one social media user commented, advising others to explore the People’s House and other landmarks instead.

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August 21, 2025
Crime

Serial Sex Offender Opts for Castration in Plea Deal.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A Louisiana man has been sentenced to surgical and chemical castration after pleading guilty to the attempted rape of a seven-year-old girl.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Thomas Allen McCartney, a 37-year-old “Tier Three” sex offender with a history of child sex abuse.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The plea deal was accepted on Tuesday in Louisiana, following a February 2023 attack.

💬KEY QUOTE: “This is a horrific crime that never should have happened. Thomas McCartney is a predator that needs to be locked away from others in our community.” – Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright.

🎯IMPACT: Louisiana is the first state to allow surgical castration for certain child sex offenders under a law signed by Governor Jeff Landry (R).

IN FULL

Thomas Allen McCartney, a 37-year-old Tier Three sex offender, has been sentenced to both surgical and chemical castration after pleading guilty to the attempted rape of a seven-year-old girl. The punishment was part of a plea deal for attempted first-degree rape of a child under the age of 13, according to reports. McCartney will also serve 40 years in prison.

The case stems from a February 2023 incident when a mother discovered McCartney sexually abusing her daughter. He fled the scene armed with a firearm and was later apprehended at a Houston hotel before being extradited back to Louisiana. McCartney has a history of child sex abuse, including convictions for attempted aggravated rape and other offenses dating back to 2006.

The sentencing comes under a new Louisiana law, signed by Governor Jeff Landry (R), which allows judges to order surgical castration for certain sex offenders against children. The law went into effect on August 1, 2024, and aims to deter such crimes. The procedure involves the removal of the testicles to stop the production of sex hormones, while chemical castration uses medication to lower testosterone and further reduce sex drive.

Vernon Parish District Attorney Terry Lambright condemned McCartney, stating, “This is a horrific crime that never should have happened. Thomas McCartney is a predator that needs to be locked away from others in our community.”

Image by RichardBH.

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August 21, 2025
NatSec
News

State Dept Fires Iranian-American Embassy Staffer Branded a ‘Jihadi’ by Laura Loomer.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A State Department press officer was terminated over his handling of Trump administration policy statements involving Israel and Gaza.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Shahed Ghoreishi, U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem officials, Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s aides, and investigative reporter Laura Loomer.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The termination occurred over the weekend, following incidents last week involving the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and the State Department in Washington, D.C.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The agency has zero tolerance for employees who commit misconduct by leaking or otherwise disclosing confidential deliberative emails or information.” – State Dept. spokesman Tommy Pigott

🎯IMPACT: The firing highlights the Trump administration’s strict enforcement of officials adhering to policy.

IN FULL

The State Department has dismissed Shahed Ghoreishi, a press officer responsible for shaping public messaging on Israel and Gaza. Ghoreishi, an Iranian-American contractor with the Bureau of Near East Affairs, came under scrutiny after drafting a media response that sparked backlash from the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.

The controversy began when Ghoreishi included language in response to an Associated Press (AP) inquiry stating that the U.S. “opposes the forced relocation of Palestinians in Gaza.” The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem reportedly rejected that line, prompting further internal reviews.

Additionally, Ghoreishi raised objections to the use of the term “Judea and Samaria” to describe the West Bank, language favored by some Israeli officials and supported by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee.

Ghoreishi complained that his firing raises questions about “whether our Israel-Palestine policy is about to get even worse—including an unwillingness to take any stand against ethnic cleansing,” adding: “The future looks bleak.”

Investigative reporter Laura Loomer has publicly accused Ghoreishi of ties to pro-Iran groups—which he denies—writing on social media, “While working at the State Department, Shahed [Ghoreishi] expressed anti-American, anti-Israel, anti-Trump, and anti-Rubio views, all while maintaining deep ties to jihadi Islamic groups like the National Iranian American Council (NIAC)—a group labeled as a mouthpiece for the Ayatollah and enablers of Iranian terrorism.”

“Every single Jihadi MUST be removed from the U.S. State Department as a matter of protecting our national security. There has been zero media on this because I doubt the State Department wants to draw attention to the fact that a jihadist pro-Iranian regime operative was working inside the Trump State Department for the last 7 months,” she added.

Deputy State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott stated, “The agency has zero tolerance for employees who commit misconduct by leaking or otherwise disclosing confidential deliberative emails or information.”

Ghoreishi’s removal comes amid a broader purge of officials deemed disloyal to President Donald J. Trump. Earlier this year, for instance, Trump dismissed General Timothy Haugh, the head of U.S. Cyber Command. “NSA Director Tim Haugh and his deputy Wendy Noble have been disloyal to President Trump. That is why they have been fired,” Loomer said of his removal on social media.

Reports suggest that multiple National Security Council staff members were also removed after failing informal “loyalty checks” tied to Loomer’s vetting. One U.S. official described the aftermath as a “bloodbath,” following Loomer’s delivery of a dossier on suspect staffers.

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August 21, 2025
Corruption
Crime

Lawsuit Alleges DC Police Misclassified Deaths to Skew Murder Stats.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A veteran Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer alleged that D.C. law enforcement misclassified apparent murders to deflate the district’s homicide numbers.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: MPD Sergeant Carlos Bundy, other whistleblowers, and D.C. police leaders.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Allegations span Bundy’s tenure in the MPD homicide unit (2010-2018) and beyond, with lawsuits ongoing in Washington, D.C.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: Sergeant Carlos Bundy, who served in the MPD’s homicide unit from 2010 to 2018, claims management “mis-categorized deaths as something other than a homicide in order to keep the District’s homicide numbers down.”

🎯IMPACT: The allegations raise further questions about the accuracy of D.C.’s crime statistics and the true state of public safety.

IN FULL

The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is being sued by a veteran of its homicide unit who alleges the capital city’s law enforcement leaders manipulated crime data by misclassifying murders as accidental deaths and suicides. Sergeant Carlos Bundy, who served in the MPD’s homicide unit from 2010 to 2018, claims management “mis-categorized deaths as something other than a homicide in order to keep the District’s homicide numbers down.”

Bundy further accuses senior MPD officials of retaliating against him after he brought these concerns to his superiors, denying him days off and lowering his evaluation scores.

Bundy’s allegations align with similar claims from other MPD officers who have stated that department leaders downgraded theft and aggravated assault cases to lesser offenses to manipulate crime rate statistics. In another case, former MPD Sergeant Charlotte Djossou settled a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit after accusing leadership of “distorting crime statistics” by reclassifying felonies as misdemeanors. The lawsuits lend credibility to President Donald J. Trump’s assertion that D.C. officials have used “Fake Crime numbers in order to create a false illusion of safety.”

The National Pulse reported on Wednesday that Gregg Pemberton, Chairman of the D.C. Police Union, accused top officials within the MPD of deliberately manipulating crime data in Washington, D.C. According to Pemberton, officers are often directed at crime scenes to either understate the severity of incidents or not document them at all, “They respond to the scenes of these violent crimes and, inevitably, you’ll have a captain, or a commander show up on the scene and advise them to take a report for a lesser offense.”

In addition, U.S. Attorney Jeanne Pirro and the Department of Justice (DOJ) have initiated an investigation into the falsification of crime data. One MPD commander, Michael Pulliam, is already facing charges.

Sergeant Bundy’s lawsuit highlights specific instances where deaths were allegedly misclassified. For example, a November 2019 case involved a man struck in the head with a brick, which was ruled an accident despite an autopsy identifying it as a homicide. In another case from October 2020, a man beaten to death was classified as “undetermined” despite blunt force injuries confirmed in the autopsy. Bundy also cited a 2021 shooting where a homicide was captured on video but was not investigated, being labeled justifiable without an objective review.

Bundy further alleged that, in January 2021, a woman’s death showing evidence of strangulation was initially classified as “unknown cause” to avoid adding another homicide to open cases. An autopsy later confirmed it as a homicide, but Bundy argues that critical evidence was lost during the delay, leaving a murderer at large.

Image by Leodavidson.

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China Spying
August 21, 2025
Crime
NatSec

Navy Sailor Found Guilty of Spying for China.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A U.S. Navy sailor, Jinchao Wei, was convicted of espionage for selling Navy secrets to a Chinese intelligence officer in exchange for $12,000.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jinchao Wei, a machinist’s mate in the U.S. Navy, and a Chinese intelligence officer.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Wei was stationed at Naval Base San Diego and was arrested in August 2023. The trial concluded with a conviction on August 20, 2025.

💬KEY QUOTE: “The defendant’s actions represent an egregious betrayal of the trust placed in him as a member of the U.S. military.” – U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon

🎯IMPACT: The conviction highlights the ongoing threat posed by foreign intelligence efforts targeting U.S. military personnel.

IN FULL

Jinchao Wei, a 25-year-old United States Navy sailor stationed at Naval Base San Diego, was convicted on Wednesday by a federal jury of six charges, including espionage and unlawful export of defense-related technical data. Wei, who was arrested in August 2023, sold sensitive Navy information to a Chinese intelligence officer for a total of $12,000 over an 18-month period.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that Wei, aware of the espionage nature of his actions, communicated with the intelligence officer using encrypted messaging apps and provided detailed technical and operational information about U.S. Navy ships, including the U.S.S. Essex, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship. This information included manuals, photographs, and descriptions of the ship’s systems and defense capabilities, many of which were marked with export-control warnings.

Wei was recruited in February 2022 by a Chinese intelligence officer who initially posed as a naval enthusiast. Despite recognizing the suspicious nature of the contact, Wei transitioned his communications to encrypted platforms and began providing sensitive information. He even admitted during his post-arrest interview that his actions constituted espionage, stating, “I’m screwed.”

U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon emphasized the severity of Wei’s betrayal, stating, “By trading military secrets to the People’s Republic of China for cash, he jeopardized not only the lives of his fellow sailors but also the security of the entire nation and our allies.” The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), which led the investigation, stressed the lengths to which the Chinese government will go to undermine U.S. national security.

Wei is scheduled for sentencing on December 1, 2025. The charges carry severe penalties, including life in prison for the espionage counts.

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August 21, 2025
Immigration
Lawfare

Trump Can Deport 60,000 Migrants After Court Victory.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: A federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for over 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, President Donald J. Trump, District Judge Trina Thompson, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: The ruling was issued on Wednesday by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, overturning a lower court order from the Northern District of California.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary,” said DHS Secretary Noem.

🎯IMPACT: TPS protections for Honduran, Nicaraguan, and Nepalese migrants will now be revoked, affecting over 60,000.

IN FULL

A federal appeals court has upheld the Trump administration’s authority to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for more than 60,000 migrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal, reversing a lower court decision that had halted the administration’s attempt to cancel their protections and work permits.

The ruling came from a unanimous three-judge panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, consisting of Circuit Judges Michael Hawkins, Consuelo Callahan, and Eric Miller. Previously, Joe Biden-appointed Northern District of California Judge Trina Thompson had blocked the administration’s efforts, bizarrely alleging that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s decision was “motivated by racial animus” and a “discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population.”

TPS was granted to Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants after Hurricane Mitch in 1998 and to Nepalese migrants following a 2015 earthquake. Earlier this year, Secretary Noem announced the termination of TPS for these groups, arguing that the program was meant to be temporary and that the countries had sufficiently recovered from these disasters.

TPS protections for Nepalese migrants ended on August 5, while those for Honduran and Nicaraguan migrants are scheduled to expire in September. Noem also introduced incentives, including plane tickets and a $1,000 “exit bonus,” for migrants who choose to leave voluntarily.

DHS data indicates that about 51,000 Hondurans, 7,200 Nepalis, and 2,900 Nicaraguans are currently enrolled in TPS without permanent green-card status. This ruling underscores the temporary nature of TPS and signals a significant change in immigration policy.

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August 21, 2025
Immigration

The U.S. Immigrant Population Has Declined for the First Time in DECADES.

PULSE POINTS

âť“WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. immigrant population appears to have decreased by 1.4 million people in the first six months of 2025, according to Pew Research Center.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Pew Research Center, President Donald J. Trump, and the former Biden government.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Data from January to June 2025, across the United States.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change,” said Jeffrey Passel, Pew Research Center’s senior demographer.

🎯IMPACT: Immigration policy changes and enforcement measures appear to have contributed to the decline, with potential positive effects on America’s demographic stability and social cohesion.

IN FULL

The United States’ immigrant population dropped from 53.3 million in January 2025 to 51.9 million by June, marking the first significant decline since the 1960s. This data comes from the Pew Research Center, which noted that the reduction is reflected in the labor force, where over 750,000 workers were lost since January.

Jeffrey Passel, Pew’s senior demographer, highlighted the significance of this shift, stressing: “The data we are looking at represented a dramatic change.” Under the former Biden government, foreign workers outpaced native-born Americans in terms of post-pandemic recovery in the U.S. labor market. While the decline in immigrant labor could result in some short-term economic turbulence, most labor economists expect the number of native-born American workers to increase, especially as those who stopped looking for work altogether re-enter the workforce pool.

Notably, the decline is attributed to immigration enforcement policies implemented by President Donald J. Trump, including heightened arrests, detentions, and visa scrutiny. These measures aim to reverse the mass immigration policies implemented by former President Joe Biden, which saw American-born labor replaced with cheap, foreign workers and an unprecedented flood of illegal immigration.

The data also found that the illegal immigrant population reached a record 14 million in 2023—though others estimate it could have reached higher than 20 million—but has now begun to decline. This group includes individuals without legal status and those with temporary deportation protections, such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) or Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Despite the overall decline in immigrants, the United States remains home to more foreigners than any other nation—although countries like Canada and the United Arabe Emirates (UAE) have higher proportions of migrants in their populations. Pew reported that the share of immigrants in the U.S. population fell slightly from 15.8 percent in January to 15.4 percent in June.

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August 21, 2025
Culture
News

DeSantis Honors Jimmy Buffett with Governor’s Medal.

PULSE POINTS

❓WHAT HAPPENED: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) posthumously awarded five Floridians, including tropical rock legend Jimmy Buffett and former politicians, with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Ron DeSantis, Jimmy Buffett, Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Bob Graham, Buddy MacKay, and John Thrasher.

đź“ŤWHEN & WHERE: Florida on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

đź’¬KEY QUOTE: “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.” — Ron DeSantis

🎯IMPACT: Recognition of significant contributions to Florida in politics, music, and culture.

IN FULL

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) posthumously honored five notable Floridians with the Governor’s Medal of Freedom, one of the state’s highest accolades. Among the recipients were singer-songwriter and tropical rock legend Jimmy Buffett, along with former Republican and Democratic politicians.

“I’m proud to recognize the legacies of these great Floridians,” DeSantis said, adding, “Our state is better for their contributions, and we’re proud they called Florida home. They have each earned the honor of being awarded the Governor’s Medal of Freedom.”

The honorees included Jimmy Buffett, known for his hits like “Margaritaville” and “Cheeseburger in Paradise,” as well as his successful business ventures under the “Margaritaville” brand. Buffett passed away on September 1, 2023 at the age of 76, battling Merkel-cell carcinoma—a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer. The governor’s office noted, “His legacy continues to influence music and culture in Florida’s coastal communities.”

Outside his impact on American music history, Buffett was known for working to raise money for the victims of hurricanes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the Caribbean, as well as his concerts for the United Service Organizations (USO)—a charitable group that supports members of the U.S. military. In 2022, while undergoing cancer treatment, Buffett performed for American troops stationed at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.

Also recognized was Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R), a Cuban-American politician who strongly advocated for a free Cuba and fought against communism. Former Democratic Governor and U.S. Senator Bob Graham was honored for his work on education, environmental conservation, and national security. Buddy MacKay, Florida’s last Democratic governor, was acknowledged for his extensive public service, including serving as U.S. Special Envoy for the Americas. John Thrasher, a former Republican Florida House Speaker and Vietnam War veteran, was also honored.

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