Sunrise

Sunrise

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Sunrise episodes

  • Little threat?

    Florida’s Department of Health reported 117 new fatalities from COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the state capital to 10,186.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — The state added more than 4,500 new coronavirus cases, increasing the statewide total to more than 588,000. And there are more than 5,000 COVID-19 patients in Florida hospitals.

    — Lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Department of Education spend an entire day defending the state’s order forcing most schools to reopen by the end of August. Their medical expert says COVID-19 isn’t much of a threat in schools. The trial wraps up today.

    — President Donald Trump’s former advisor and campaign manager Steve Bannon has been indicted on conspiracy charges — and the case began in Florida (of course).

    — The state unemployment office will be releasing the jobless rate for June today. While it won’t show up on this report, the feds say unemployment filings from Florida are on the rise.

    — Good news for Florida honeybees and for anyone suffering from entomophobia: reports of Giant Asian “Murder” Hornets in the Sunshine State are wrong.

    — A deep dive into a new campaign to convince voters to say “no” on Florida’s Amendment 2 in November. So what does it take to destroy Florida’s economy? Would you believe an increase in the minimum wage?

    — Checking-in with two Florida Women who are trying to top Florida Man.

    22 min
  • Another grim milestone

    Florida hits another grim milestone. The state Department of Health reported 174 added fatalities from COVID-19 Wednesday, increasing Florida’s statewide death toll to 10,106.

    Also, on today's Sunburn:

    — Florida also added 4,115 new coronavirus cases Wednesday to push the statewide total to more than 584.000. And more than 53,000 COVID-19 patients are now hospitalized in the Sunshine State. But Gov. Ron DeSantis says it’s an improvement.

    — COVID-19 is getting all the attention now, but DeSantis would also like you to be aware of other problems that have dropped out of the headlines: like mental illness and opioid overdoses.

    — James Lis of Orlando has spent more than 20 years teaching, but he’s going to resign if he is forced back into the classroom tomorrow. Lis was among the witnesses in a civil trial where the teacher’s union is challenging the state’s order forcing schools to reopen.

    — A deep dive into the aftermath of Florida’s pandemic primary. Gov. DeSantis says everything went smoothly and voting rights advocates agree.

    — But Brad Ashwell with All Voting is Local says the November election won’t be as easy unless the state makes changes.

    — Checking-in with a Florida Man accused of making repeated visits to his 7-year-old neighbor’s window — wearing nothing at all.

    21 min
  • Post-primary

    Florida’s primaries are over and it’s on to November. Two Sunrise regulars — Peter Schorsch and Steve Vancore — will talk about Tuesday’s results. We’ll also hear from Florida’s chief elections officer, who says the primary went well.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — The death toll from COVID-19 is approaching the 10,000 mark. Florida’s Department of Health reported another 216 fatalities Tuesday, bringing the statewide death toll to 9,893; 96 of those new fatalities were in nursing homes or long-term care facilities.

    — Officials also confirmed almost 4,000 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday… increasing the statewide total to almost 580,000. And there are nearly 5,500 COVID-19 patients in Florida hospitals right now.

    — The voting rights of former felons are about to be decided by a federal appeals court in Atlanta … where the governor is appealing a decision that says Florida’s plan for restoring voting rights amounts to an illegal pay-to-vote scheme.

    — The timing couldn’t have been better because the case was heard on the same day Floridians voted in the primary.

    — And the latest with a Florida Woman who lost her job as a cop because her Twitter bio proclaimed she was a member of the KKK.

    20 min
  • Low point

    Florida’s Department of Health reported relatively good news — there were only 2,678 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. That’s the lowest number of cases in a day since the middle of June; 576,000 Floridians have been infected so far during the pandemic.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — The state is reporting 87 more fatalities Monday, bringing the coronavirus death toll to 9,647. And Gov. Ron DeSantis says the key indicators are headed in the right direction.

    — But those trends may be in jeopardy now that schools are welcoming kids back to the classroom. New cases have been linked to the reopening of schools in several counties; Professor Sarah Matthews says more closings are inevitable.

    — Andrew Spar with the Florida Education Association will discuss the specter of COVID-19 in the classroom, along with the micromanaging by education commissioner Richard Corcoran.

    — It’s primary day in Florida, and polls are open until 7 p.m. If you requested a vote-by-mail ballot and haven’t mailed it yet, make sure you drop it at the nearest elections office in person if you want it to count. The U.S. Postal Service is having all sorts of problems and Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Shultz says it’s all because of Donald Trump.

    — And checking-in with two Florida Men, who are having problems with Florida Women.

    23 min
  • Positive trend

    Florida’s Department of Health reports 3,579 new cases of coronavirus — the lowest number of new cases reported in a single day since June.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — The state also reported on Sunday 107 new fatalities from COVID-19. That brings Florida’s death toll to at least 9, 587 and at this rate, the number will exceed 10,000 in just a few days.

    — While casualties mount, the reopening of public schools continues; as does the lawsuit filed by the teachers’ union that accuses Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran of violating the state constitution in his rush to reopen.

    — Tomorrow is primary day, but more than 2.5 million of us have already cast a ballot, including 2 million who voted by mail. But there are just as many mail-in ballots that have yet to be returned.

    — The Democratic National Convention starts today — virtually, of course — and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried gets a chance to shine as one of the keynote speakers.

    — Former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson has been keeping a low profile since his narrow loss to Rick Scott almost 2 years ago. But he’s come out of retirement to defend Social Security and to tell reporters he actually misses them. On Sunrise, Nelson talks about Social Security and predicts seniors will turn on Donald Trump.

    — And the latest with Florida Man, who crashed into an unmarked car that contained a deputy and his K-9 partner.

    23 min
  • Survivor

    Gov. Ron DeSantis hosted a roundtable discussion to talk about one person who survived COVID-19 thanks to convalescent plasma from her son-in-law.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — While he concentrated on the good news, the Governor did NOT mention the 9,046 fatalities caused by COVID-19 in Florida so far — or the 148 new cases added to the list Thursday.

    — As fatalities rise in the state prison system, Democrats in the Florida Legislature renew their call for the state to release nonviolent inmates who have almost finished their sentences and are facing the greatest threat from coronavirus.

    — The state teachers’ union and the DeSantis’ legal team square off as a Tallahassee judge takes up the lawsuit challenging the state’s school reopening order. The state is trying to short circuit the lawsuit by asking the judge to toss it without holding a trial.

    — State officials go to bat for Florida’s agriculture industry as the U.S. Trade Representative holds a public hearing about the damage to Florida seasonal growers — first by NAFTA, and now by the USMCA trade deal.

    — Checking-in with Florida Man, a county sheriff who is ordering his deputies not to wear masks in the office or on patrol.

    25 min
  • Early voting

    The Florida Department of Health is reporting 213 new COVID-19 fatalities in the state.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — Early voting is underway in most of Florida — but not everywhere. Voting rights advocates say that’s a problem and they’re asking the Gov. Ron DeSantis to make it easier for people to vote early during the November election.

    — The COVID-19 crisis is hitting veterans hard, and Florida is No. 3 in the nation for the number of residents who are vets. Sunrise looks into the problem with the woman who quite literally wrote the book on health care for vets.

    — The Public Service Commission nominating council has selected four finalists for a seat on the Public Service Commission. Three of them are state lawmakers, the 4th is already on the PSC and wants another four-year term.

    — Checking-in with a Florida Man who hit the wrong car after running a red light in Seffner.

    21 min
  • Good & bad

    Most of Florida’s COVID-19 numbers are looking better — except the most important one. The Florida Department of Health reported another 276 fatalities from COVID-19. That’s a new record for the most fatalities reported in a single day. Florida’s death toll has now reached 8,685.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — Officials in Hillsborough County are pushing back after the Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran rejected their plan to start the new school year online, and reopen classrooms later in September.

    — South Florida lawmakers are calling on Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Donald Trump to produce a more aggressive response to the COVID-19 crisis.

    — Former Vice President Joe Biden has selected California Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. Orlando Congresswoman Val Demings says it was an incredible honor for her to make the shortlist of candidates and even though she wasn’t selected, Demings says seeing a Black woman nominated for the first time reaffirms her faith that in America, there is a place for every person to succeed no matter who they are or where they come from.

    — A deep dive into the politics of playing ball. Trump says postponing or canceling the 2020 college football season would be a "tragic mistake." And, by the most amazing coincidence, that was the topic as the Governor held a roundtable discussion at the indoor practice field of the FSU football team.

    — The latest with Florida Man, who for some reason decided to drop his pants and rub one out in front of a security camera monitored in real-time.

    24 min
  • Some good news!

    There’s good news to share on the COVID-19 crisis. Florida is reporting almost 4,200 new cases of coronavirus for Monday — the lowest since June 23.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — The Florida Department of Health also reported Monday another 91 fatalities from COVID-19, raising the death toll to 8, 408. Almost half those deaths — more than 4,000 — were in the past 30 days.

    — Gov. Ron DeSantis is facing some tough questions after the Hillsborough County School Board voted to start the school year with remote learning only, holding off on reopening classrooms for another month. The state responded by threatening to withhold money and DeSantis claims kids are safer in school than they are at home.

    — And even as they threaten to withhold funding, the Governor and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran insist they are giving local schools all the flexibility they need … on the condition that they reopen.

    — As Congress and the President try to figure out the next move on a new COVID-19 stimulus bill, 200,000 Floridians are still waiting for the first check to arrive. Americans who are married to — or are the children of — undocumented immigrants didn’t get that $1,200 payment that helped the rest of us cope with the crisis.

    — A conversation with activist Rep. Anna Eskamani. The Orlando Democrat has been a thorn in the side of the Florida GOP, now she’s going after three of her fellow Democrats in the Florida House.

    — Checking-in with Florida Man, who is accused of attacking his Lyft driver because he didn’t like the plastic shield in his car designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

    27 min
  • Big gamble

    Gov. Ron DeSantis’ big gamble is underway — public schools are beginning to reopen amid the worst pandemic in a century. And if county health officials don’t think it's safe, too bad. The Governor has tossed them out of the decision loop.

    Also, on today’s Sunrise:

    — Smaller school districts have the dubious distinction of being first for reopening, serving as a test run for the rest.

    — Remember how DeSantis berated the media for focusing on the number of new COVID-19 cases? He insisted hospital and ICU admissions were a better indicator of how the state is doing. Florida just set a record over the past week, with 3,355 people hospitalized for COVID-19. It might be time for the Governor to find a new metric.

    — Florida Department of Health reported 77 more fatalities Sunday, bringing the state’s death toll to 8,315, including more than 1,100 in the past week alone. The total number of infections in Florida since the start of the pandemic is now almost 533,000. But DeSantis is saying it would actually be a good time to hold a convention in a Florida hotel.

    — Sunrise speaks with some of the people on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle in Miami-Dade, including a nurse, a teacher, and a construction worker. They want Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott to stop playing political games and approve the coronavirus stimulus package known as the “HEROES Act.”

    — They’re also tired of hearing wealthy politicians (like Scott) say $600 a week is too much for people who lost their jobs and their health insurance because of the pandemic.

    — And the latest with Florida Man, who is accused of felony assault with a Slurpee.

    20 min

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