It's back to work for most of us today after having an extraordinary four-day break as we get roll through this summer of 2013. Locally it was a pretty quiet time, with the biggest news taking place overseas with the ouster of the Prime Minister in Egypt right before the 4th of July.
So is every coup the same? If you want to be consistent, as John McCain vows, the U.S. should suspend the money we give Egypt, since we don't generally support a military taking control over a democratically elected government. Then again, the U.S. sort of loses its leverage if they use that ultimate sanction.
But where is the U.S. in all of this? Secretary of State John Kerry has spending a lot of time in the Middle East lately, but his focus has been on the Israelis and Palestinians. Where has the US been in all of this? McCain argued yesterday that Egypt is another example of a weak Obama foreign policy.
The House of Representatives is ready to take up immigration, or are they? Idaho Republican Representative Raul Labrador went on Meet The Press to spout GOP talking points on why the Senate's immigration bill is bad, points that conservative NY Times columnist David Brooks blasted in a discussion yesterday.
Tampa wasn't totally quiet over the four-day holiday. On the 4th of July well over 100 activists marched in a deserted downtown, protesting the government's spying on Americans, based on the recent revelations made by NSA contractor Edward Snowden.
The campaign for the August 27 primary election in St. Petersburg is fully underway now. Right before the holiday, all of the various Democrats on the ballot appeared at a campaign event covered by our Terence Smith.
And will GOP Congressman Dennis Ross support a bill in the House that calls for expanding background checks for guns? He told constituents at a town hall meeting last week in Brandon he will seriously consider such legislation.
