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DEAR MISS MANNERS: How do I respond to some common shaming I get from people I know?

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For background, I am a female member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and have many dear friends who are members of other marginalized communities. My rights and the rights of the people I love are important to me.

Some people I know openly support politicians who want to strip rights away from me and from others I care deeply about. I do not ask people about their political, social, religious or moral beliefs, so I only learn this when they advertise them. They do this through social media posts, clothing items, lawn signs and offhand comments in conversation.

When I learn that an acquaintance supports stripping my rights away, I distance myself from them. Because of this, I’ve received some comments like, “It’s such a shame that you can’t even be friends with me because we disagree on politics,” or, “I don’t know how you can call yourself inclusive if you won’t even socialize with people who think differently than you.”

Miss Manners, I don’t see wanting women or members of the LGBTQIA+ community to have fewer rights as a “difference in politics.” It’s not a matter of supporting different tax plans. Nor is it just “thinking differently,” as if we preferred different ice cream flavors.

To me, it’s strange that people who think I deserve fewer rights also want to be my friend — and complain when I distance myself.

Is there a polite reply I can give when I get yet another scolding comment about how I can’t put these “differences” aside? I unfortunately run into this frequently.

GENTLE READER: Your observation that there is no sense in offering friendship to someone who would strip you of basic rights is, of course, logical.

From a manners perspective, however, it matters little whether the people who are doing this are incapable of understanding that — or whether you have failed to recognize that you are being made light of, if not actively taunted.

Either way, we are where too many societies have been before: divided on fundamental questions and perpetually angry.

The question is how to be these people’s opponent without coming to blows. To that, the general answer is little different than how one deals with an irate customer at work: Be civil, be reserved and put as much distance — mental and physical — between you and them as possible after the workday, or event, is complete.

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DEAR MISS MANNERS: How many “verys” is too many? My wife has a habit of using “very” to such excess that it becomes annoying. For example, “She has a very, very, very loud voice” or “His shoes are very, very, very, very ugly.” Am I being very critical?

GENTLE READER: Very. While Miss Manners personally agrees that even one “very” is a burden, you will have to negotiate an acceptable number directly with your wife.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Here are the top stories for Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. Get the weather forecast for today here.

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Miss Manners: I’m so disgusted by begging that I don’t tip anyone, anywhere

The proposal to eliminate Florida property taxes has sparked debate over how schools, public safety and infrastructure would be funded. But a bigger issue is at stake: local control.

Property taxes are one of the few tools cities and counties have to address their needs. Whether fixing a fire station, improving parks or hiring deputies, these decisions are made by people who understand their communities.

Eliminating this revenue source would shift power from local governments to Tallahassee, forcing cities to compete for state funding and undermining the long-standing principle of home rule.

Tax relief sounds appealing, but weakening local authority is too high a price. Before moving forward, Floridians deserve a clear explanation of how this proposal would preserve — not diminish — the ability of communities to govern themselves.

David Rosenof, Parkland

The writer is a former Parkland city commissioner and former President of the Broward League of Cities. 

Cameron Kasky and Israel

Young Jewish activist Cameron Kasky, a Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting survivor, is running for office (from Manhattan). He boasts of his Hebrew School inspiration that ending American-made weapons slaughtering children must now be his goal by condemning Israel’s genocide.

Larry French/Getty Images for SiriusXMCameron Kasky in 2018, a month after the Parkland shooting.

Either he missed classes or misconstrued what he heard, or he would have learned that Israel’s response was to a slaughter of 1,200 innocent young Israeli Jews and hostage-taking of 250 many of whom were murdered. starved, beaten and sexually abused.

The surprise attack by Hamas was led by Yahya Sinwar, who proclaimed “casualties were necessary to achieve victory.” It required fighting in Hamas tunnels under schools, hospitals and homes in order to create causalities, despite reasonable efforts by Israel to minimize them.

Kasky should return to Hebrew School.

Seymour Brotman, Delray Beach

Drilling platforms in Palm Beach?

With regard to Trump’s desire to drill for oil no matter the consequences to our air and life, a reader suggested setting up drilling towers off Palm Beach near Mar-a-Lago.

Since Trump has been guilty of cheating by inflating and deflating the value of his property depending on his financial needs at any given time, I suggest Palm Beach County relieve him of the land and put it to a similar use that it’s getting now, while discouraging people who would own and operate those drilling platforms.

Tracy Anton, Hollywood

Editor’s Note: New drilling in Florida would not be off the Atlantic Coast but in a newly designated South-Central Gulf region, according to the AP. Mar-a-Lago is safe from drilling platforms.

Give Trump a break

Amazing. It seems every letter to the editor is a complaint against Trump.

Not a single person thanks Trump for finally closing the border or doing something against the terrorists who bring deadly drugs into the U.S. I can’t recall anyone complaining when the incompetent Joe Biden had inflation at a 40-year high.

This paper’s one-sided editorial board is going to be the reason you go out of business.

When Democrats rigged the redistricting maps, we didn’t hear a peep out of you. When Nancy Pelosi scammed us on her insider trading scheme, there wasn’t a peep out of anyone.

This paper is only good for wrapping fish, because they stink equally.

Michael Olmstead, Deerfield Beach

Deranged and blinded

I recently had a rather long exchange with a friend whose politics place him a bit more to the right than I am to the left. At some point, he said I had “TDS,” Trump Derangement Syndrome.

I didn’t take kindly to being told I was deranged. So I told him he was BBB (not Build Back Better, but Blinded By Bull***t). He then apologized for his “deranged” comment, to his credit.

Robert Bialer, Palm Beach Gardens

_____________________________________________________________________________

Please submit a letter to the editor by email to letterstotheeditor@sunsentinel.com or fill out the online form below. Letters may be up to 200 words and must be signed with your email address, city of residence and daytime phone number for verification. Letters will be edited for clarity and length. 

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Today is Wednesday, Dec. 10, the 344th day of 2025. There are 21 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 10, 2007, former Vice President Al Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with a call to confront human-caused climate change and stop waging war on the environment.

Also on this date:

In 1861, the Confederacy admitted Kentucky as it recognized a pro-Southern shadow state government that was acting without the authority of the pro-Union government in Frankfort.

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In 1898, a treaty was signed in Paris officially ending the Spanish-American War.

In 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to win a Nobel Prize, winning the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to negotiate peace in the Russo-Japanese War.

In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. received his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, saying he accepted it “with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind.”

In 1967, singer Otis Redding, 26, and six others were killed when their plane crashed into a Wisconsin lake; trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the group the Bar-Kays, was the only survivor.

In 1994, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to advance the Middle East peace process.

In 2021, a two-day outbreak of tornadoes in the U.S. Midwest and South killed more than 90 people across five states, including 77 in Kentucky. The National Weather Service recorded more than 40 twisters Dec. 10 and Dec. 11.

In 2022, Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals by beating Portugal 1-0.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Fionnula Flanagan is 84.
• Actor-singer Gloria Loring is 79.
• Republican Sen. John Boozman of Arkansas is 75.
• Actor Susan Dey is 73.
• Jazz musician Diane Schuur is 72.
• Actor-director Kenneth Branagh (BRAH’-nah) is 65.
• Actor Nia Peeples is 64.
• TV chef Bobby Flay is 61.
• Rock musician Meg White (The White Stripes) is 51.
• Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui is 50.
• Actor Raven-Symone is 40.
• Actor/singer Teyana Taylor is 35.
• Actor Kiki Layne is 34.
• Cyclist Jonas Vingegaard is 29.

ORLANDO — At the outset Tuesday night, it was as if the Heat already had passage booked to Las Vegas for the final two rounds of the NBA Cup.

A 15-0 lead can do that.

Not so fast . . . as Vegas baby turned into Vegas maybe and then, ultimately, leaving Las Vegas.

In the end, Erik Spoelstra’s team crapped out, snake eyes of a lost opportunity the ultimate result of a 117-108 loss to the Orlando Magic at Kia Center.

So on to the NBA Cup and the Vegas Strip for the Magic, and back to the regular season for the Heat.

“There was something to really play for right now,” Spoelstra said. “We had all wrapped our minds around it. We’re all still kind of shocked about it.

“We just weren’t able to get the job done.”

With all of an early 16-point lead lost by the midpoint of the second period, and with the Magic later pushing to that margin in the fourth quarter, the Heat now get a multi-day reset instead of an additional payday, after falling to 0-3 this season against their intrastate rival.

“We have an opportunity to do something we hadn’t before,” center Bam Adebayo said, and we let it slip away.”

So, now, idle until a home game on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors at Kaseya Center, which has been added to the schedule to compensate for not advancing in the Cup.

Having made it to the in-season tournament’s knockout round for the first time in the event’s three years, Heat players each received a $53,093 NBA Cup bonus just for stepping on the court Tuesday night.

But now it is the Magic cashing in, upping their individual Cup bonuses to $106,187, with the opportunity to lift that further by advancing Saturday to the Cup final, where the bonus for championship players rises to $530,933 per player.

For the Heat, the reality of a four-game losing streak, a 14-11 record, with extra time now on the practice court.

The Heat got 21 points from Norman Powell and 21 from Tyler Herro, as well as 19 apiece from Adebayo and Andrew Wiggins.

But it wasn’t enough to offset the 37 points of Magic forward Desmond Bane, who did it while playing through foul trouble.

“Once he got going,” Spoelstra said, “then he became a handful.”

Five Degrees of Heat from Tuesday night’s NBA Cup game:

1. Game flow: The Heat busted out to a 15-0 lead that then moved to 18-2, before closing the opening period up 30-17.

The Magic then came back to take a three-point read in the second period, before the Heat went into halftime up 57-56.

“An early lead at the beginning is nothing,” Spoelstra said. “You have to complete quarters and possessions all the way through. So they were able to work their way through it, as it often happens. And they had a huge second quarter. That could have kept things a little bit different if we could have gotten a few more stops.”

The Magic then pushed their lead to seven in the third period and went into the fourth up 89-83.

From there, the Magic went up 16 early in the fourth, and held on from there.

“We were trading baskets when we were down a couple digits,” Spoelstra said. “And you need to put together three, four, five stops in a row to be able to change it. And we just weren’t able to do it.”

2. All present (at outset): Every eligible player on the Heat roster was available at the outset, the only absentee being Terry Rozier, who is on NBA leave in light of the FBI’s gambling investigation.

That necessitated several adjustments for Spoelstra, including moving Kel’el Ware out of the starting lineup to accommodate the returns of Herro and Davion Mitchell.

With a starting lineup of Adebayo, Herro, Powell, Mitchell and Wiggins, Spoelstra then went with a first four off the bench of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Ware, Pelle Larsson and Simone Fontecchio.

That had Dru Smith initially out of the mix, after not practicing Monday and being on the injury report earlier in the day Tuesday with a left hip contusion.

Again out of the rotation was Nikola Jovic.

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3. Larsson lost: However, the Heat then lost Larsson in the second period with a sprained left ankle, which was after Larsson returned from a one-game absence due to tightness in his right hip flexor.

Larsson wound up going 10 minutes, with two points and two rebounds. X-rays on the ankle were negative, with an MRI scheduled for Wednesday.

That had Smith checking in for the first time at the midpoint of the third period.

Shuffled out of the second-half rotation was Fontecchio after his 0-for-5 first half on his 30th birthday.

4. Herro harm: Herro was back after missing the previous two games with a toe contusion, scoring nine points in his opening seven minutes stint, before asking out.

With the performance, Herro extended his career-best streak of games with 20 or more points to 16, dating to last season.

However, he was not his typical 3-point threat, at 0 for 6 from beyond the arc, still one 3-pointer shy of joining Duncan Robinson as the only players with 1,000 or more with the Heat.

“It’s going to be a work in progress,” Herro said.

With the loss, the Heat are now 2-2 in games when Herro and Powell both are available.

“I think it’s just going to continue to take time,” Powell said.

5. What next?: With the loss, the Heat will fill out their regular-season schedule with that Monday night game against the Toronto Raptors, which will return them to an even split of 41 home games and 41 road games.

It will be the first of two games against the Raptors at Kaseya Center in a span of nine days, with the Raptors also to visit on Dec. 23.

“There’s always a silver lining,” Spoelstra said of the break in the schedule. “We’ll be able to get a couple of days of just rest.”

The New York Knicks defeated the Raptors 117-101 Tuesday night in the other Cup Eastern Conference quarterfinal. Had the Raptors won, the Heat would have played Sunday in New York and only have had 40 home games this season.

ORLANDO — Observations and other notes of interest from Tuesday night’s 117-108 NBA Cup loss to the Orlando Magic:

– Yes, this was a different look for the NBA Cup.

– That’s because the Magic’s Cup court was damaged in storage, so the regular-season court was utilized.

– But in his pregame comments, Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said the Cup matters very much within the NBA, no matter any outside skepticism.

– “The guys want to win, they want to get to Vegas, they want the money,” he said of the cash bonus for players that crests at over $500,000 per player for winning the title. “They want to have the bragging rights throughout the year. That’s a big thing. No other way to put it. That’s how each team that’s in it looks. ”

– He added, “You know, you see the commercials, you see the advertisements, you see the guys talking about it. They want to win it and there’s no other way to look at it. … That’s the competitive edge that these guys have.”

– And, yes, the money.

– “No matter what they get with their contract, you have the incentive on the back end of getting to Vegas and having the chance to have the bragging rights of winning something big,” Mosley said. “You want to go after it.”

– Similar sentiment had been offered by the Heat in preceding days.

– With the Magic the ones who from the midpoint of the opening period simply did more to cash in.

– With Tyler Herro and Davion Mitchell back, the Heat opened with a lineup of Herro, Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Norman Powell.

– The Heat entered 2-1 when starting that group.

– The shift again had Kel’el Ware shuffled back to the bench, his ninth appearance as a reserve this season.

– Of having Herro alongside Powell for just the third time this season, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said it is needed.

– “If you’ve noticed,” he said pregame, “The last few games our offense hasn’t been that good.”

– As for his roster back to full health, Spoelstra said, “It’s a good thing.”

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– “The guys that have been working back from injury, they’ve been very dedicated behind the scenes,” Spoelstra said. “So you deal with whatever you have to deal with during the NBA season.”

– Which includes fewer minutes than some might expect.

– “The best teams, there is a level of sacrifice to connect to,” Spoelstra said. “But also it’s a long season. Everybody’s going to get their opportunities.”

– The Magic, without sidelined Franz Wagner, opened with a lineup of  Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, Desmond Bane, Paolo Banchero and Wendell Carter Jr.

– Jaime Jaquez Jr. again was first off the Heat bench.

– Ware and Pelle Larsson then followed, with 4:29 left in the opening period.

– With Simone Fontecchio making it nine deep.

– This was the last of three regular-season games in the matchup in Orlando this season, with two to follow in Miami, on Jan. 28 and March 14.

– The teams also met twice in the preseason.

– “We feel like we’ve played ’em nine times already this season,” Mosley said.

By SETH BORENSTEIN

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has removed any mention of fossil fuels — the main driver of global warming — from its popular online page explaining the causes of climate change. Now it only mentions natural phenomena, even though scientists calculate that nearly all of the warming is due to human activity.

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Sometime in the past few days or weeks, EPA altered some but not all of its climate change webpages, de-emphasizing and even deleting references to the burning of coal, oil and natural gas, which scientists say is the overwhelming cause of climate change. The website’s causes of climate page mentions changes in Earth’s orbit, solar activity, Earth’s reflectivity, volcanoes and natural carbon dioxide changes, but not the burning of fossil fuels. Seven scientists and three former EPA officials tell The Associated Press that this is misleading and harmful.

“Now it is completely wrong,” said University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain, who also noted that impacts, risks and indicators of climate change on the EPA site are now broken links. “This was a tool that I know for a fact that a lot of educators used and a lot of people. It was actually one of the best designed easy access climate change information websites for the U.S.”

Earlier this year, the Trump Administration removed the national climate assessment from government websites.

“It is outrageous that our government is hiding information and lying,” said former Obama National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief and Oregon State oceanographer Jane Lubchenco. “People have a right to know the truth about the things that affect their health and safety, and the government has a responsibility to tell the truth.”

An October version of the same EPA page, saved by the internet Wayback Machine, said: “Since the Industrial Revolution, human activities have released large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which has changed the earth’s climate. Natural processes, such as changes in the sun’s energy and volcanic eruptions, also affect the Earth’s climate. However, they do not explain the warming that we have observed over the last century.”

That now reads: “Natural processes are always influencing the earth’s climate and can explain climate changes prior to the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s. However, recent climate changes cannot be explained by natural causes alone.”

“Unlike the previous administration, the Trump EPA is focused on protecting human health and the environment while Powering the Great American Comeback, not left-wing political agendas,” said Brigit Hirsch, EPA spokesperson, in an email. “As such, this agency no longer takes marching orders from the climate cult. Plus, for all the pearl-clutchers out there, the website is archived and available to the public.”

Clicking on “explore climate change resources” on the EPA archived website leads to an error message that says: “This XML file does not appear to have any style information associated with it.”

Former Republican Governor Christie Todd Whitman, who was EPA administrator under George W. Bush, said, “You can refuse to talk about it, but it doesn’t make it go away. And we’re seeing it. Everybody’s seeing it.”

“We look ridiculous, quite frankly,” Whitman told The Associated Press in an interview. “The rest of the world understands this is happening and they’re taking steps… And we’re just going backwards. We’re knocking ourselves back into the Stone Age.”

Democratic EPA chief Gina McCarthy blasted current EPA chief Lee Zeldin, calling him “a wolf in sheep’s clothing, actively spiking any attempt to protect our health, well-being and precious natural resources.”

Nearly 100% of the warming the world is now experiencing is from human activity, and without that, the Earth would be cooling and dropping in temperatures until the Industrial Revolution, Swain and other scientists said. The EPA listed natural causes “might be causing a very tiny amount of warming or cooling at the moment,” he said.

Marcia McNutt, a geophysicist and president of the National Academy of Sciences, said that there is consensus among experts from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, or NASEM, on the causes of climate change.

“Numerous NASEM reports from the nation’s leading scientists confirm that the climate is changing as a result of human activities,” McNutt said. “Even the EPA acknowledges that natural causes cannot explain the current changes in climate. It is important that the public be presented with all of the facts.”

Former EPA climate advisor Jeremy Symons, now a senior advisor for Environmental Protection Network of former EPA officials, said: “Ignoring fossil fuel pollution as the driving force behind the climate changes we have seen in our lifetime is like pretending cigarettes don’t cause lung cancer.”

Michael Phillis contributed to this report.

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and MIKE STOBBE

It’s normal for parents, or anyone, to have questions about vaccinations — but what happens if your pediatrician urges a shot that’s under attack by the Trump administration?

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That’s getting more likely: The nation’s leading doctors groups are in an unprecedented standoff with federal health officials who have attacked long-used, lifesaving vaccines.

The revolt by pediatricians, obstetricians, family physicians, infectious disease experts and internists came to a head when an advisory panel handpicked by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged an end to routine newborn vaccination against hepatitis B, a virus that can cause liver failure or liver cancer.

That vaccine saves lives, helped child infections plummet and has been given safely to tens of millions of children in the U.S. alone, say the American Academy of Pediatrics and other doctors groups that vowed Tuesday to keep recommending it.

But that’s not the only difference. That Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices now is examining possible changes to the entire childhood vaccination schedule, questioning certain ingredients and how many doses youngsters receive.

Pushing back, the American Academy of Pediatrics has issued its own recommendations for youngsters. Other medical groups — plus some city and state public health departments that have banded together — also are issuing their own advice on certain vaccines, which largely mirrors pre-2025 federal guidance.

“We owe our patients a consistent message informed by evidence and lived experience, not messages biased by political imperative,” Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, told reporters Tuesday.

But Nahass acknowledged the inevitable consumer confusion, recounting a relative calling him last weekend for advice about hepatitis B vaccination for her new grandbaby.

“Most Americans don’t have a Cousin Ronnie to call. They are left alone with fear and mistrust,” he said, urging parents to talk with their doctors about vaccines.

New guidelines without new data concern doctors

Hepatitis B isn’t the only vaccine challenge. Kennedy’s health department recently changed a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage to contradict the longtime scientific conclusion that vaccines don’t cause autism. Federal agencies also moved to restrict COVID-19 vaccinations this fall, and are planning policy changes that could restrict future flu and coronavirus shots.

But when it comes to vaccine advice, “for decades, ACIP was the gold standard,” said Dr. Jake Scott, an infectious disease physician and Stanford University researcher.

The panel once routinely enlisted specialists in specific diseases for long deliberations of the latest science and safety data, resulting in recommendations typically adopted not only by the CDC but by the medical field at large, he said.

FILE – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a news conference at the Hubert Humphrey Building Auditorium in Washington, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, file)

Last week’s meeting of Kennedy’s panel, which includes vaccine skeptics, marked a radical departure. CDC specialists weren’t allowed to present data on hepatitis B, the childhood vaccine schedule or questions about vaccine ingredients. Few of the committee members have public health experience, and some expressed confusion about the panel’s proposals.

At one point, a doctor called in to say the panel was misrepresenting her study’s findings. And the panel’s chairman wondered why one dose of yellow fever vaccine protected him during a trip to Africa when U.S. children get three doses of hepatitis B vaccine. The hepatitis B vaccine is designed to protect children for life from a virus they can encounter anywhere, not just on a trip abroad. And other scientists noted it was carefully studied for years to prove the three-dose course offers decades of immunity — evidence that a single dose simply doesn’t have.

“If they’ve got new data, I’m all for it — let’s see it and have a conversation,” said Dr. Kelly Gebo, an infectious disease specialist and public health dean at George Washington University, who watched for that. “I did not see any new data,” so she’s not changing her vaccine advice.

Committee members argued that most babies’ risk of hepatitis B infection is very low and that earlier research on infant shot safety was inadequate.

Especially unusual was a presentation from a lawyer who voiced doubt about studies that proved benefits of multiple childhood vaccines and promoted discredited research pointing to harms.

Dr. Robert Malone chairs a meeting of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in Atlanta on Friday, Dec. 5, 2025 to consider changes in hepatitis B vaccine recommendations for infants. (AP Photo/Ben Gray)

“I don’t think at any point in the committee’s history, there was a 90-minute uninterrupted presentation by someone who wasn’t a physician, a scientist, or a public health expert on the topic — let alone someone who, who makes his living in vaccine litigation,” said Jason Schwartz, a vaccine policy expert at Yale University.

By abandoning data and the consensus of front-line doctors, the ACIP is “actively burning down the credibility that made its recommendations so powerful,” added Stanford’s Scott. “Most parents will still follow their pediatricians, and AAP is holding the line here. But the mixed messages are precisely what erode confidence over time.”

Parents already have a choice — they need solid guidance

Trump administration health officials say it’s important to restore choice to parents and to avoid mandates. That’s how the panel’s hepatitis B recommendation was framed — that parents who really want it could get their children vaccinated later.

Parents already have a choice, said Dr. Aaron Milstone of the American Academy of Pediatrics. The government makes population-wide recommendations while families and their doctors tailor choices to each person’s health needs.

But many doctors don’t — or can’t — do their own lengthy scientific review of vaccines and thus had relied on the ACIP and CDC information, Yale’s Schwartz noted.

They “rely on trusted expert voices to help navigate what is, even in the best of times, a complicated landscape regarding the evidence for vaccines and how best to use them,” he said.

That’s a role that the pediatricians and other doctors groups, plus those multistate collaborations, aim to fill with their own guidelines — while acknowledging it will be a huge task.

For now, “ask your questions, bring your concerns and let us talk about them,” said Dr. Sarah Nosal, of the American Academy of Family Physicians, urging anyone with vaccine questions to have an open conversation with their doctor.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By ISABEL DEBRE

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A passerby could hear the cacophony from miles away in the Argentine capital, the unmistakable sound of 2,397 dogs barking — and breaking the unofficial world record for the largest-ever gathering of golden retrievers.

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Excitement pulsed through Bosques de Palermo, a sprawling park in Buenos Aires, as golden retriever-owners from all over Argentina transformed the park’s grassy expanse into a sea of bright yellow fur.

Dog owners of all ages, their clothes covered in dog hair and stained with slobber, plopped down on picnic blankets with their beloved goldens to take in the surreal sight of so many other, exceptionally similar-looking ones. Children squealed with delight and giddily petted every dog that pranced about.

Families posed for pet selfies under the blazing Southern Hemisphere’s summer sun.

Sipping Argentina’s traditional yerba mate drink, attendees swapped fun facts about their favorite breed — such as goldens’ famed ability to sniff out low blood sugar and cancer — and shared stories of their retrievers comforting them throughout all of life’s ups and downs.

“Since we were children, she’s been a constant presence in our family. We’ve had vacations with her. We’ve done everything together,” said Nicolás Orellana, a 26-year-old wearing a T-shirt with a photo of a golden retriever on it. His family said they drove an hour and a half from their hometown in Buenos Aires province for the event.

“It’s a type of dog that’s known to create a special bond,” he said, kneeling to pet his contented-looking 13-year-old dog Luna.

Around them, fellow golden retrievers sniffed each other furiously, some decked out in costumes ranging from Argentine soccer jerseys and national flags to tutus and Star Wars bandanas.

Through the tsunami of tail-wagging and treat-giving, 10 dog-loving volunteers clad in yellow vests roved with clipboards to register each golden retriever in attendance.

• A man plays with his dog at a Palermo neighborhood park as people try to set a world record of most Golden Retrievers gathered in a park, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
• Golden Retrievers pose for a picture in a Palermo neighborhood park where people try to set a world record of most Golden Retrievers gathered in a park, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
• Golden Retrievers gather at a Palermo neighborhood park as people try to set a world record of most Golden Retrievers gathered in a park, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
• A girl offers a treat to a dog in a Palermo neighborhood park as people try to set a world record of most Golden Retrievers gathered in a park, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Show Caption1 of 4A man plays with his dog at a Palermo neighborhood park as people try to set a world record of most Golden Retrievers gathered in a park, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko) Expand

After hours of meticulous counting, the final number came in late Monday. With 2,397 golden retrievers recorded, the event’s organizer, Fausto Duperre, announced that Argentina had broken the informal world record set last year when an event in Vancouver drew 1,685 goldens.

“This is a historic event,” gushed Duperre, a 28-year-old Argentine actor who has become something of a golden retriever influencer on social media, where he regularly posts content about his 10-year-old golden named Oli.

“I’m truly grateful and happy, proud, excited and overjoyed all at once,” he added.

High hopes for a big group photo of the dogs alone on the field quickly faded as it became clear that no owner — nor dog — would withstand even a few moments of separation. Plus, there was the all-too-real fear of dogs getting lost among their thousands of furry counterparts. Owners yanked at leashes and wrangled with the most restive dogs to keep them close.

Some said they were expecting total chaos from Monday’s event but were surprised to report that it turned out to be easy and delightful — like the dogs themselves.

“I was afraid I would lose her, I was afraid she would fight, I was afraid another dog would attack her,” said Elena Deleo, 64, stroking her golden retriever Angie. “But no, they’re all affectionate, all gentle. … It’s just a very lovely experience.”

By JIM MUSTIAN and JUAN A. LOZANO

HOUSTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has withdrawn from an agreement with the city of Houston to curb illegal dumping in Black and Latino neighborhoods, part of the Trump administration’s broad dismantling of environmental justice initiatives.

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Federal authorities quietly ended the monitoring this year as they pulled the plug on a similar settlement over wastewater problems in rural Alabama, according to three former law enforcement officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the move wasn’t made public.

Without federal monitoring, advocates in Houston said city officials have become less responsive to residents afflicted by persistent dumping in the historically Black neighborhood of Trinity/Houston Gardens.

“We have nothing to fight with anymore,” resident Huey German-Wilson, who has spent years drawing attention to the problem, told The Associated Press during a tour of illegal dumping hotspots. “We’ve got a watered-down EPA. We’ve got no assistance from the DOJ. The city has no reason to respond to us, and we’re finding that they are truly ignoring us.”

The Justice Department declined to comment. Houston officials did not respond to requests for comment.

‘Rotting carcasses’

A DOJ investigation found in 2023 that the Houston neighborhood in question had been inundated by illegal dumping of trash, medical waste, mattresses and even dead bodies and “rotting carcasses” — a description local officials insisted was exaggerated.

Its settlement with the city called for three years of federal monitoring, public data reporting requirements and community outreach to impacted neighborhoods.

Former Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat who died this year after winning a U.S. House seat, had called the DOJ investigation “absurd, baseless and without merit,” though his administration later agreed to the federal monitoring. The city previously has pointed to its efforts to combat illegal dumping through One Clean Houston, a multimillion-dollar cleanup and enforcement initiative.

The nixing of the settlement, which was set to expire in June 2026, came as the Trump administration directed federal agencies to eliminate jobs and programs dedicated to environmental justice. It followed President Donald Trump’s sweeping executive order putting a stop to diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the U.S. government.

“The DOJ will no longer push ‘environmental justice’ as viewed through a distorting, DEI lens,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said in April when the Justice Department announced it was ending an agreement with Alabama over persistent wastewater issues in Lowndes County. “President Trump made it clear: Americans deserve a government committed to serving every individual with dignity and respect, and to expending taxpayer resources in accordance with the national interest, not arbitrary criteria.”

Lowndes County is a high-poverty area between Selma and Montgomery where a type of soil makes it difficult for traditional septic tanks to work. A federal investigation found the majority-Black community has long been exposed to raw sewage and lacked basic sanitation services as officials engaged in a pattern of inaction and neglect.

The Alabama agreement required the state to develop a public health and infrastructure improvement plan and stop prosecuting residents who lack the resources to install or repair wastewater systems. It was the result of the Justice Department’s first environmental justice investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal funds from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin in their federally funded programs and activities.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department announced it was changing its regulations under Title VI to require “proof of actual discrimination, rather than enforcing race- or sex-based quotas or assumptions.” The department said it was ending regulations that “required recipients of federal funding to make decisions based on race.”

‘It’s never-ending’

In Houston, illegal dumping has been a hot-button issue for years. It drew the DOJ’s attention after Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonprofit law firm that advocates for low-income populations, filed a complaint about city response times lagging considerably for pickups in Black and Latino neighborhoods compared with white communities.

• Huey German-Wilson, Trinity-Houston Community President, is interviewed near large piles of trash and debris littering a narrow roadway in the Trinity Gardens neighborhood in northwest Houston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi )
• A toilet lays among large piles of trash and debris littered on a narrow roadway in the TrinityGardens neighborhood in northwest Houston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi )
• Piles of trash fill the ditch across a construction site in the Trinity Gardens neighborhood in northwest Houston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi )

Show Caption1 of 3Huey German-Wilson, Trinity-Houston Community President, is interviewed near large piles of trash and debris littering a narrow roadway in the Trinity Gardens neighborhood in northwest Houston, Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Lekan Oyekanmi ) Expand

During the first year of federal monitoring, the city picked up illegal dumping much faster, rolled out new vehicles and added workers, said German-Wilson, president of the Trinity/Houston Gardens Super Neighborhood, a community group.

“We could email everybody,” she said, “and they were listening very intently to see what they could do differently.”

This year, the city has received thousands of complaints about illegal dumping, according to data it publishes online, a backlog that was on display last week when an AP reporter walked past piles of trash and debris, including mattresses, construction waste, a toilet, mulch, wooden pieces of a fence and a car bumper. Some of the piles began as long uncollected leaves and tree branches.

“We also find animals dumped in the midst of all of this,” German-Wilson said. “It’s never-ending.”

Other environmental justice advocates said ending the Alabama and Houston settlements was short-sighted.

“What I find appalling about this administration’s position is these people have not gone out into the community to see how folks are impacted,” said Catherine Coleman Flowers, an activist who filed the civil rights complaint that prompted the Alabama investigation.

“The message they’re sending is they really don’t understand what they’re doing. There are Americans across the board suffering from these issues.”

Mustian reported from New York.

On President Trump’s behalf, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shamelessly ordered the killings of non-combatant and presumably foreign civilians.

We likely will never learn the identities of those who occupied all of those small boats operating in Caribbean and Eastern Pacific waters, but the count so far totals 83 dead. None of the boats was operating near U.S. territory. The administration’s justification is as phony as a three-dollar bill. These killings were illegal murders.

Most informed Americans realize we’re not at war with the sovereign nation of Venezuela, despite claims by Trump and Hegseth that we are. Moreover, the specific order to kill survivors of one of the strikes violated, at the very least, the laws of war and U.S. military regulations.

If the command to kill the two survivors was given by Adm. Frank Bradley, it was surely illegal. He should be court-martialed.

If the evidence proves that Hegseth ordered the illegal killings that Admiral Bradley should have disobeyed, then Hegseth should be fired by Trump (“You’re fired!”) or impeached by Republican senators who ignored multiple indicators of his unfitness and still recklessly confirmed him.

David Kahn, Boca Raton

Too dangerous at Defense

If there were any doubt about Hegseth’s gross ineptitude, his “fog of war” remark in explaining the shooting of survivors of a sunken ship made it all too clear.

“Fog of War,” as credited to Carl von Clausewitz in the early 19th century, referred to the overall confusion and frenzy found on the battlefield, not literal fog caused by our exploding weapons.

How dangerous that this Fox News talking head, who berated our generals for being overweight, knows so little but has his finger on the trigger that could send us to war.

Harvey Starin, Boca Raton

Justices, playing politics

President Trump pledged to deport all the dangerous people who illegally enter this country.

These people, who aren’t hard to find, work at jobs most Americans find beneath them. They are also easy to identify because they are dark-skinned. Having legal status and documents to prove that often means little to federal agents confronting them.

Racial profiling is illegal — or it was until this Supreme Court ruled that it wasn’t.

Why should any of us be surprised? The Supreme Court just upheld its tradition of being on the wrong side of discrimination. It seems like those renown justices on the court bend the law to adhere to the prevailing whims of the government. Something needs to be done about that.

Scott Shampaner, Coral Springs

A horrific bear hunt

The tragedy of the Florida bear hunt is that it is horrific and unnecessary.

As in the Western U.S. and suburban Orlando’s Seminole County, there are ways of peacefully living with these magnificent creatures. I don’t know what’s behind the cruel decisions of the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and why they persist, despite the public outcry. It would be nice to see behind the curtain as to why they don’t listen or transparently communicate their reasons.

They should consider taking the word “conservation” out of the FWC’s name.

Stuart Himmelstein, Lake Worth Beach

Trump and national harmony

Richard Klitzberg wrote a letter to the editor full of unsubstantiated assertions that concluded with the possibility of shredding the harmony the U.S. has known for 150 years.

I’m not sure of the 150 years part. Our nation is almost 250 years old and the Civil War ended 160 years ago. But I think I figured it out. The 150 years of harmony in question fits nicely between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Trump’s first term.

I have to agree with Mr. Klitzberg: Trump and harmony cannot possibly co-exist.

Bob Chaban, Boynton Beach

Please submit a letter to the editor by email to letterstotheeditor@sunsentinel.com or fill out the online form below. Letters may be up to 200 words and must be signed with your email address, city of residence and daytime phone number for verification. Letters will be edited for clarity and length. 

 

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Here are the top stories for Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Get the weather forecast for today here.

SUBSCRIBE NOW: Get our free Morning Update email. Sign up here.

The 10 South Florida restaurants we’re sad closed in 2025

Broward School Board supports closing seven of nine proposed schools

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DeSantis declares Muslim civil rights group a terrorist organization

Boca Raton firms up the ballot language for downtown redevelopment project

Cold case inquiries hampered after genealogy site revisits terms of use

Defense says convicted killer’s intellectual disability should halt Florida execution next week

Miss Manners: I don’t want to be stuck at a party with women who don’t like me

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 9, the 343rd day of 2025. There are 22 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 9, 1965, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first animated TV special featuring characters from the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, premiered on CBS.

Also on this date:

In 1979, scientists certified the global eradication of smallpox, a disease which killed an estimated 300 million people in the 20th century.

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In 1990, Solidarity founder Lech Wałęsa (lek vah-WEN’-sah) won Poland’s first free presidential election since 1926.

In 1992, the first U.S. Marines made a predawn beach landing in Somalia in support of Operation Restore Hope; they were met by hundreds of reporters awaiting their arrival.

In 2006, the space shuttle Discovery launched on a mission to add to and rewire the International Space Station.

In 2013, scientists revealed that NASA’s Curiosity rover had uncovered signs of an ancient freshwater lake on Mars.

In 2019, an island volcano off New Zealand’s coast called Whakaari, or White Island, erupted, killing 22 tourists and guides and seriously injuring several others. Most of the 47 people on the island were U.S. and Australian cruise ship passengers on a walking tour with the guides.

In 2021, a cargo truck jammed with migrants crashed in southern Mexico, killing at least 53 people and injuring dozens more.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Actor Judi Dench is 91.
• Actor Beau Bridges is 84.
• World Golf Hall of Famer Tom Kite is 76.
• Actor John Malkovich is 72.
• Singer Donny Osmond is 68.
• Actor Felicity Huffman is 63.
• Empress Masako of Japan is 62.
• Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is 59.
• Rock singer-musician Jakob Dylan (Wallflowers) is 56.
• Actor Simon Helberg is 45.
• Olympic gymnastics gold medalist McKayla Maroney is 30.
• Actor Nico Parker is 21.

STARKE, Fla. (AP) — A man convicted of stabbing a woman to death during a home invasion robbery more than 30 years ago is scheduled to be executed Tuesday evening in Florida.

Mark Allen Geralds, 58, is set to receive a lethal injection starting at 6 p.m. at Florida State Prison near Starke. Geralds was convicted of murder, armed robbery, burglary and stealing a car and was sentenced to death in 1990. The Florida Supreme Court later vacated the sentence but affirmed the conviction, and Geralds was resentenced to death in 1992.

It would be Florida’s 18th death sentence carried out in 2025, further extending the state record for total executions in a single year.

According to court records, Tressa Pettibone’s 8-year-old son found his mother beaten and stabbed to death on the kitchen floor of their Panama City home in February 1989. Geralds was a carpenter who had previously done remodeling work at the home.

Geralds ran into Pettibone and her children at a shopping mall about a week before the killing, and Pettibone mentioned that her husband was away on business. Geralds later approached Pettibone’s son at the video arcade and asked when the boy’s father would return and what time he and his sister left for and returned from school each day, according to court records.

Investigators found that Geralds pawned jewelry with traces of Pettibone’s blood on it, and plastic ties used to bind Pettibone matched ties found in Geralds’ car.

After a death warrant was signed last month and his execution date set, Geralds told a judge he did not wish to pursue any further appeals. The judge signed off on that decision.

A total of 44 men have died by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., and a handful of executions are scheduled for the rest of the year.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court restored the death penalty in 1976, the highest previous annual total of Florida executions was eight in 2014. Florida has executed more people than any other state this year. Another execution is planned for next week in the state under death warrants signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Frank Athen Walls, 58, is scheduled for Florida’s 19th execution this year on Dec. 18. He was convicted of fatally shooting a man and woman during a home invasion robbery and later confessing to three other killings.

Florida’s lethal injections are carried out with a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the state Department of Corrections.

By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON

MIAMI (AP) — A candidate backed by President Donald Trump and one supported by national Democratic figures face off Tuesday to be the next Miami mayor, in this sun-kissed city shaped by immigrants where both major parties are watching for a glimpse into their standing ahead of next year’s midterms, particularly among Hispanic voters.

If elected, Eileen Higgins would become the first Democrat to lead the city of 487,000 in nearly three decades. A win by Emilio Gonzalez could help calm the GOP as it seeks to maintain a grip in Miami and show its strength in a Hispanic-majority place.

The Miami mayoral runoff — one of the final electoral battles before the 2026 midterms — comes on the heels of Trump’s influence in shifting the city’s political landscape markedly to the right. That has made Higgins’ candidacy a test for Democratic prospects in Florida and among Latinos in other places.

Big-name Florida Republicans such as Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Rick Scott have weighed in for Gonzalez, the former city manager, in the otherwise nonpartisan race. Well-known Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, have joined the campaign trail to help Higgins, a Democrat who served on the county commission before winning a runoff spot last month.

A Democratic victory would add to the party’s momentum heading into a midterm election following successes in November’s elections and a closer-than-expected loss in a special election last week for a Tennessee congressional district that Trump won by double digits last year. The Miami contest is in an area that has increasingly shifted toward Republicans and the site where Trump intends to build his presidential library.

Higgins has proudly identified as “La Gringa,” a term Spanish speakers use for white Americans, but she also speaks Spanish and has represented the Cuban enclave of Little Havana as part of a district that leans conservative. Higgins has focused her campaign on local issues such as the cost of housing, but has also mentioned national ones, including the arrest of immigrants under the Trump administration in a city with sizable Hispanic and foreign-born populations.

Meanwhile, Gonzalez has campaigned on repealing Miami’s homestead property tax and streamlining permits for businesses. A former director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under Republican President George W. Bush, he said during a debate that he supported immigration arrests against those who committed crimes. When pressed that most of those arrested had not committed violent offenses, he said it was “a federal issue.”

Miami is Florida’s second-most populous city, behind Jacksonville, and considered the epicenter of the state’s diverse culture. It’s part of Miami-Dade County, which Trump flipped last year, handily defeating Democrat Kamala Harris after losing the county to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. He had lost by 30 percentage points here to Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday designated one of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy groups in the U.S. a “foreign terrorist organization,” following a similar step by Texas last month.

The directive against the Council on American-Islamic Relations comes in an executive order DeSantis posted on the social media site X. It also gives the same label to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. government.

The order instructs Florida agencies to prevent the two groups and those who have provided them material support from receiving contracts, employment and funds from a state executive or cabinet agency.

In an emailed statement, CAIR and its Florida chapter said the organization plans to sue DeSantis in response to what it called an “unconstitutional” and “defamatory” proclamation.

Founded in 1994, CAIR has 25 chapters around the country.

CAIR last month asked a federal judge to strike down Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s proclamation, saying in a lawsuit that it was “not only contrary to the United States Constitution, but finds no support in any Texas law.”

The Muslim Brotherhood was established in Egypt nearly a century ago and has branches around the world. Its leaders say it renounced violence decades ago and seeks to set up Islamic rule through elections and other peaceful means. Critics, including autocratic governments across the Middle East region, view it as a threat.

By MATTHEW DALY and JENNIFER McDERMOTT, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday struck down President Donald Trump’s executive order blocking wind energy projects, saying the effort to halt virtually all leasing of wind farms on federal lands and waters was “arbitrary and capricious” and violates U.S. law.

Judge Patti Saris of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts vacated Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order blocking wind energy projects and declared it unlawful.

Saris ruled in favor of a coalition of state attorneys general from 17 states and Washington, D.C., led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, that challenged Trump’s Day One order that paused leasing and permitting for wind energy projects.

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Trump has been hostile to renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, and prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell hailed the ruling as a victory for green jobs and renewable energy.

“Massachusetts has invested hundreds of millions of dollars into offshore wind, and today, we successfully protected those important investments from the Trump administration’s unlawful order,” Campbell said in a statement.

“This critical victory also preserves well-paying green jobs and access to reliable, affordable energy that will help Massachusetts meet our clean energy and climate goals,″ she added.

The coalition that opposed Trump’s order argued that Trump doesn’t have the authority to halt project permitting, and that doing so jeopardizes the states’ economies, energy mix, public health and climate goals.

The government argued that the states’ claims amount to nothing more than a policy disagreement over preferences for wind versus fossil fuel energy development that is outside the federal court’s jurisdiction. Justice Department lawyer Michael Robertson said in court that the wind order paused permitting, but didn’t halt it, while Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reviews the environmental impact of wind projects.

A previous judge in the case allowed it to proceed against Burgum, but dismissed an action against Trump and other Cabinet secretaries. Judge William Young allowed the states to proceed with claims that blocking permits for wind energy projects violates the Administrative Procedure Act, which outlines a detailed process for enacting regulations, but not the Constitution.

Wind is the United States’ largest source of renewable energy, providing about 10% of the electricity generated in the nation, according to the American Clean Power Association. The coalition includes Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington state and Washington, D.C.

The Interior Department and the White House didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, but the White House previously accused the Democratic attorneys general of using lawfare to stop the president’s energy agenda.

Marguerite Wells, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy New York, said wind energy is a key component of powering the nation’s electric grid.

Wind “is currently one of the most cost-effective ways to generate power and is being used successfully not only in the United States, but across the world,” she said. “With this ruling behind us, projects can now be judged on their merits. We thank the attorneys general who helped us get this case over the finish line.”

Kit Kennedy of the Natural Resources Defense Council called the decision a win for consumers, union workers, U.S. businesses, clean air and the climate.

“From the beginning of its time in office, the Trump administration put a halt to the wind energy projects that are needed to keep utility bills in check and the grid reliable,” Kennedy said.

The wind order “has been a devastating blow to workers, electricity customers, and the reliability of the power grid,” she said, adding that the Trump administration “should use this (ruling) as a wake-up call, stop its illegal actions and get out of the way of the expansion of renewable energy.”

General Daily Insight for December 09, 2025

Small choices shape a bigger, braver day. The radiant Sun receives a smooth lunar trine, so we start optimistic and ready to share ideas without forcing anything. As the emotional Moon harmonizes with fiery Mars at 7:06 pm EST, courage blends with care, so action feels warm, purposeful, and kind. As the day winds down, we can follow sparks toward one doable step that protects relationships while advancing plans we truly believe in. Choose heartfelt effort — kindness moves us toward our goals.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

You’re looking for a playful, brave outlet. The intuitive Moon lights your 5th House of Romance and Creativity, forming a smooth trine to ambitious Mars in your 9th House of Exploration. Your courage pairs with curiosity, so inviting someone to hang out or tackle a project with you suddenly feels easy and enjoyable. If a mentor cheers you on, let their faith steady your nerves. Patience keeps the fun from burning out too fast. Let joy lead, and momentum will follow soon enough.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Comfort grows when you tidy your space. Your 4th House of Home and Family glows as the nurturing Moon forms a trine with action-oriented Mars in your 8th House of Shared Resources. A simple chore chat with someone you live with — or even a friend who can give helpful tips — feels supportive, because everyone wants to feel relaxed at home. Move slowly as you declutter a drawer or tackle an overdue repair. Steady steps protect boundaries and keep your generous heart relaxed. Choose calm progress so safety can bloom again.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Conversations flow when curiosity leads the way. Words gain warmth as the sensitive Moon forms a harmonious trine to passionate Mars, lighting your 3rd House of Communication and your 7th House of Partnerships. A chat with a nearby friend could spark a plan — your quick mind hears both needs and possibilities. Frame the invitation clearly, and leave space to listen. A shared schedule or simple boundary makes cooperation smoother for everyone. Speak kindly, and check facts to build trust.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Security grows when you honor your needs. The protective Moon energizes your 2nd House of Money and Self-Worth through a flowing trine to warrior Mars in your 6th House of Daily Work today. You may have an opportunity negotiate a better rate for yourself in a professional realm. Feeling valued helps you care for others without resentment, and your steady tone keeps the talk constructive. Tend your body with a good meal and a calm walk, letting steady routines anchor you.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Your presence naturally rallies people around you. Authentic expression feels natural as the instinctive Moon in Leo brightens your 1st House of Self and forms a trine to decisive Mars, supporting brave, generous leadership. Share a sincere compliment — your warmth with others makes teamwork feel safe and fun. Your playful flair turns ordinary meetings into warm, creative moments. Dress in something that feels like you, then smile into the room and watch doors open. Lead with kindness so your influence truly lands.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

Quiet helps you hear what truly matters. Your 12th House of Solitude and Closure features the tender Moon today, in a supportive trine with energetic Mars in your 4th House of Home. A brief nap restores focus, and a small home repair can soothe your thoughtful mind and bring you a sense of relief. Tidy one small area at home, and you will feel your inner critic soften. A gentle boundary around your phone helps your nervous system loosen up.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Friends seem ready to meet you halfway. Teamwork flows as the affectionate Moon makes a trine with driven Mars, activating your 11th House of Social Networks and your 3rd House of Communication. A group chat turns cooperative when you balance viewpoints and invite concrete next steps. Share one specific ask and a timeline you know you can honor. If one person dominates, name the goal and ask for short updates. Your calm tone keeps the air clear and sets a strong example.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Your steady focus quietly shifts the room. The reflective Moon crowns your 10th House of Career, forming a supportive trine with bold Mars in your 2nd House of Money. You may need lead a meeting or propose an adapted timeline — you have a way of seeing what’s essential and what’s wasteful. Negotiate calmly for resources, and let grounded facts carry your point. Your firmness earns respect, Scorpio. A small win with pay or genuine praise builds long-term confidence today.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

New horizons call with a friendly smile. Your 9th House of Travel brightens as the Moon forms a trine to vigorous Mars in Sagittarius, activating your 1st House of Self. Share a belief with care — your enthusiasm can come on strong, but a little moderation keeps people engaged. A little consideration for others makes the adventure sustainable. A truly helpful guide may appear when you ask clear questions and stay faithful to what you want. Share your joy gently so others can come along.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Serious plans feel easier with some much-needed support. Healing honesty flows as the compassionate Moon activates your 8th House of Shared Resources and trines motivated Mars in your 12th House of Rest and Release. You might discuss a joint expense and how you plan to pay for it. Sincerity helps you transform a sticky topic into workable steps today. Give yourself space afterward to breathe and sit in silence, taking time to integrate what changed for you. Quiet care today lays bricks for durable trust.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

Friendship works best with playful flexibility. Your 7th House of One-on-One Bonds brightens as the caring Moon trines go-getter Mars in your 11th House of Collaborations. In any relationship shape, an honest talk about expectations and time can refresh the connection. Plan a small joint errand, and let shared laughter loosen any old tension before you sort out the practical details. If plans shift suddenly, stay curious and suggest an adjustment that suits both schedules. Stay open to compromise — friends are worth the trouble.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Small routines bring waves of peace. The comforting Moon highlights your 6th House of Daily Work, creating a supportive trine with assertive Mars in your 10th House of Public Life. You may streamline your to-do list. A new structure frees your imagination for projects that matter. If a boss contacts you about a surprise assignment, reply promptly and ask for details. Stretch your body and hydrate to support steady, reliable focus today. Tend to the small details as a favor to future you.

By AAMER MADHANI, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday justified the U.S. military’s decision to fire a second missile in a heavily scrutinized attack on a boat in the Caribbean Sea by claiming that two suspected drug smugglers were trying to right the vessel after it had capsized in the initial strike.

Trump also backtracked on whether he was open to releasing the video footage of the second strike. Last week, Trump told reporters he saw “no problem” in releasing the footage, but on Monday he said he would leave the decision to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The Republican administration is facing calls from Democratic lawmakers to release footage of the Sept. 2 operation in the Caribbean Sea, which killed nine people aboard the boat in an initial strike and then two more who managed to survive.

“They were trying to return the boat back to where it could float, and we didn’t want to see that because that boat was loaded up with drugs,” Trump said on Monday.

When asked by a reporter about his comments last week suggesting he was open to releasing footage of the second strike, Trump denied that was his position and bitterly attacked the reporter as “obnoxious” and “terrible.”

“Whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is OK with me,” Trump said.

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Trump, however, last Wednesday in an exchange with reporters about the strike footage said: “Whatever they have we’d certainly release.”

The Sept. 2 operation was the first in what has become a monthslong series of American strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean that the administration says are targeting drug smugglers working on behalf of cartels, including some controlled by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. At least 87 people have been killed in 22 known strikes.

Trump has broadly justified the campaign as necessary for his administration to stem the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into the United States. He claims the U.S. is in armed conflict with narco-terrorists.

Hegseth said in a Fox News interview Saturday at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California that officials were reviewing the video, but he did not commit to releasing it. “Whatever we were to decide to release, we’d have to be very responsible” about it,” Hegseth said.

The Pentagon on Monday did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of Hegseth’s review or confirm Trump’s assertion that the suspects appeared to be trying to turn over the vessel before the second strike was fired.

On Capitol Hill, lawmakers are demanding that the Pentagon hand over “unedited video of strikes” against drug cartels to Congress, threatening to withhold a quarter of Hegseth’s travel budget if it doesn’t. The provision is included in the $900 billion defense bill the House is expected to vote on later this week.

Over the weekend, Sen. Tom Cotton, the Republican who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he would not oppose public release of the footage.

But Cotton, among the top lawmakers on national security committees who were briefed by the Navy admiral commanding those strikes, is splitting with Democrats over whether military personnel acted lawfully in carrying out the second strike to kill the two survivors.

“It’s not gruesome. I didn’t find it distressing or disturbing,” he said, explaining why he does not have a problem with releasing all the footage. “It looks like any number of dozens of strikes we’ve seen on jeeps and pickup trucks in the Middle East over the years.”

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the video “was profoundly shaking.” And Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said it “did not appear that these two survivors were in any position to continue the fight.” Both Himes and Smith, who spoke separately on Sunday talk shows, have viewed the video.

The classified sessions on Capitol Hill came after a report that Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley had ordered the follow-on attack to comply with Hegseth’s demands.

Bradley told lawmakers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, but a video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions. Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.

AP writers Konstantin Toropin, Ben Finley and Bill Barrow contributed reporting.

Seven Broward schools will likely be on the chopping block next school year, as the district faces a dire budget year that officials say is only getting worse.

Superintendent Howard Hepburn told the School Board on Tuesday that the district is facing a $94.7 million shortfall, about $33 million more than earlier this year, as district enrollment continues to plummet.

He said the district is implementing a hiring freeze and eliminating most travel, as well as curbing overtime. Hepburn also said he expects to cut 1,000 positions before next school year. The district has lost about 20,000 students in the past five years.

“These steps are difficult but they are necessary to ensure we remain financially responsible and continue delivering high-quality education to our students,” Hepburn told the School Board at the start of Monday’s workshop. “This budget reality makes something very clear: It is now more critical than ever that we right-size our district and remain in control of our future.”

In addition to budget challenges, the district also is trying to reduce its footprint and find new uses for schools to try to stave off “Schools of Hope,” which are special charter schools that are allowed under a new state law to operate rent-free on district campuses.

Board members plan to make final decisions in January. Superintendent Howard Hepburn plans to issue his formal recommendations on Friday, which he said after the meeting will largely mirror the proposals supported Monday by the School Board:

— Close Sunshine Elementary in Miramar and move students to nearby Fairway Elementary.

— Close Panther Run Elementary in Pembroke Pines and move those students to Chapel Trail Elementary.

— Close Palm Cove Elementary in Pembroke Pines and move those students to Pines Lakes Elementary.

— Close Plantation Middle and move those students to Plantation High, which would become a 6-12 school.

—  Close North Fork Elementary in Fort Lauderdale. Most board members supported a proposal to send all those students to Walker Elementary or to split them between four schools.

— Close Bair Middle in Sunrise, with students attending Westpine Middle.

— Close Seagull Alternative High School in Fort Lauderdale and move those students to Whiddon Rogers Education Center.

Two schools that had been proposed for closure appeared to get at least a temporary reprieve after Monday’s meeting.

Most board members are supporting a proposal for Glades Middle, championed by Rebecca Thompson, who represents the Miramar school, to convert it into a K-8. Hepburn told reporters after the meeting that the K-8 school may take a couple of years to implement, and the district may close at least one more elementary school in the next couple of years if the district moves forward with this plan.

It’s unclear whether the district would move forward with a proposal to add a new branch of Sheridan Technical College, which had been suggested for the Glades Middle campus.

The School Board plans to allow Walter C. Young Middle in Pembroke Pines to operate for another couple of years. The school is owned by the city of Pembroke Pines, and a lease says the property reverts back to the city in 2037. Thompson proposed delaying closure for two years in order to implement a transition plan. She has proposed converting Charles Flanagan High, also in Pembroke Pines, into a 6-12 school.

The school closure plan is more aggressive than one supported by a district-appointed boundary committee, which only supported closing four schools: Sunshine, Palm Cove, North Fork and Plantation Middle. The committee wasn’t asked to consider Seagull since the proposal didn’t require any boundary changes.

The proposals were all discussed in a series of community meetings, where attendees were largely opposed to closing schools in their own neighborhoods.

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“I know the decision that we face ultimately in January will be challenging, and for many families, it will be heartbreaking,” Thompson said. “However, I do believe that there’s an opportunity for us to come out on the other side stronger than ever.”

Broward County School Board member Allen Zeman speaks during a workshop at school district's headquarters in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Dec. 8, 2025. He said the School Board should have already closed dozens of schools, based on enrollment declines, but has only closed one in recent years. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Most board members did not favor a proposal from Board member Allen Zeman to consider at least five more schools to close, including Forest Glen Middle in Coral Springs. Forest Glen was on an initial list of possible closures, but the School Board removed the school from its list in early October, after Board member Lori Alhadeff, who represents the school, said it is far less underenrolled than many other middle schools in the county.

Zeman said the School Board should have already closed dozens of schools, based on enrollment declines, but has only closed one in recent years, Broward Estates in Lauderhill, which was converted into an early learning center this year.

“We cannot continue to spend money on buildings that we could spend on the students we have or the students we want to win back,” Zeman told the board.

But several board members said putting Forest Glen back into consideration would erode trust in the district.

“I think it is completely disingenuous to the entire community,” Alhadeff said. “We’ve gone through these community meetings. I get that we need to save money, and there’s a process to do that. But you lose public trust when you just make these decisions off the top of your head.”