Miami

A Democratic-backed super PAC has poured $2 million into ads attacking Florida Sen. Ashley Moody over her record on releasing Jeffrey Epstein's files, featuring survivor Marina Lacerda questioning Moody's priorities. The ad notes Moody joined other Republicans in blocking a September 2025 measure tied to the defense budget, but omits that the Senate later approved a standalone release bill by unanimous consent. The National Republican Senatorial Committee called the ads false and misleading, saying Moody ultimately supported transparency legislation. Epstein-related ads have run in 63 congressional races nationally, totaling $76 million.

With Election Day days away, Moody faces Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon, a democratic socialist who accuses Moody of refusing to debate and of involvement in misappropriating $10 million in Medicaid funds, which Moody denies. Moody has campaigned with gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds, branding Nixon a communist, a label Nixon rejects.

A federal magistrate judge in Miami ruled that President Trump must sit for a deposition with BBC lawyers by Dec. 11 or risk penalties, including possible dismissal of his $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the broadcaster. Trump had skipped a scheduled Oct. 16 deposition, citing other commitments, and proposed mid-January instead; BBC lawyers argued the delay was untenable given his central role in the case.

The suit stems from a 2024 BBC documentary that spliced portions of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech, which he claims misrepresented his remarks and amounted to election interference. The BBC has apologized for the edit but disputes any defamation. The hearing also addressed a BBC subpoena seeking testimony from former special counsel Jack Smith, which Trump's lawyers oppose. Discovery is scheduled to close Dec. 18.

Miami Township Fire-Rescue, which serves Yellow Springs and surrounding areas in Greene County, Ohio, is asking voters to approve a five-year, 0.8-mill property tax levy on the Nov. 3 ballot dedicated to capital equipment. If approved, it would cost $28 annually per $100,000 of appraised home value. Fire Chief Jim Cannell said much of the department's equipment is due for replacement, including turnout gear and a 16-year-old pumper truck, which now costs over $1 million to replace. The levy would free up existing operating funds for staffing and daily operations. Call volume is already up from last year, with over 1,000 runs through September, about 80% medical calls.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a state charge of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 95, tied to the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue planes by Cuban MiGs that killed four exiles. The charge builds on a federal indictment issued earlier this year accusing Castro, then Cuba's defense minister, of ordering Wasp Network spies to infiltrate the exile group and authorizing the attack. An arrest warrant aims to restrict Castro's travel to nations with U.S. extradition agreements, though officials acknowledge he is unlikely to face a Miami courtroom. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel dismissed the charges as politically motivated.

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has filed state charges of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder against former Cuban President Raúl Castro, 95, building on a federal indictment issued earlier this year. The charges stem from the February 1996 downing of two unarmed Brothers to the Rescue planes by Cuban MiGs over international waters, killing four Miami-based exiles. Prosecutors say Castro, then Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, authorized the attack after Cuban intelligence agents infiltrated the exile group. An arrest warrant will restrict Castro's travel, though officials concede he is unlikely to face a U.S. court. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel dismissed the case as political theater, linking it to broader U.S.-Cuba tensions amid Trump administration pressure on the island.

Florida's attorney general race pits Republican James Uthmeier, a former chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis seeking his first elected office, against Democrat José Javier Rodríguez, a Miami lawyer and former state senator. Uthmeier has faced scrutiny over the Hope Florida controversy, legal fights with institutions including the Catholic Church and The New York Times, and questions about campaign-connected contracts. Rodríguez, who lost a 2020 state Senate race amid an illegal "ghost candidate" scheme that led to criminal convictions, is campaigning as an anti-corruption reformer and has drawn a $5 million late infusion from the Democratic Attorney Generals Association. A win would make him the first Democrat elected attorney general in Florida since 2002.