Despite legal challenge, Florida college votes again to transfer land for Trump presidential library

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By KATE PAYNE, Associated Press

The board of the South Florida college that’s giving away a valuable piece of property for Donald Trump’s future presidential library revoted to transfer the land on Tuesday.

The board of Miami Dade College faces a lawsuit filed by a local activist and a trial set for August over allegations it violated the state’s open government law when it first voted to gift the parcel. The lawsuit said the board failed to provide sufficient notice for its special meeting on Sept. 23, when it voted to give up the nearly 3-acre property in downtown Miami. A judge has temporarily blocked the college from formally transferring the land, while the lawsuit plays out.

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The site is a developer’s dream and is valued at more than $67 million, according to a 2025 assessment by the Miami-Dade County property appraiser. One real estate expert wagered that the parcel — one of the last undeveloped lots on an iconic stretch of palm tree-lined Biscayne Boulevard — could sell for hundreds of millions of dollars more.

On Tuesday, the board held a new meeting at its campus in Hialeah, a predominantly Cuban American and Republican-leaning suburb of Miami. Dozens of students, professors, alumni and local officials packed the meeting to weigh in on the land transfer, an opportunity some felt they were denied when the board initially voted on the matter.

An agenda released ahead of the September meeting simply stated the board would consider conveying property to a state fund overseen by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet, but provided no details on which piece of property was being considered or why. Unlike the majority of the board’s other meetings, neither the September vote nor Tuesday’s redo were livestreamed.

A week after the initial vote, DeSantis and other top GOP officials voted to transfer the land again, effectively putting the property under the control of the Trump family when they deeded it to the foundation for Trump’s library. That foundation is led by three trustees: Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump’s husband; Michael Boulos; and the president’s attorney James Kiley.

Kate Payne is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Trump says he doesn’t want Somali immigrants in the US, urges them to go back to their homeland and fix it

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump during a lengthy Cabinet meeting on Tuesday said he did not want Somali immigrants in the United States, saying residents of the war-ravaged eastern African country are too reliant on U.S. social safety net and add little to America.

The president’s comment came days after his administration announced they are halting all asylum decisions following the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington. The suspect in last week’s incident is originally from Afghanistan but Trump has used the moment to raise questions about immigrants from other nations, including Somalia.

“They contribute nothing. The welfare is like 88% or something. They contribute nothing. I don’t want them in our country,” He said. “Their country is no good for a reason. Your country stinks and we don’t want them in our country.”

This is a developing story; check back for updates.

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Man charged in National Guard shooting pleads not guilty during court appearance from hospital bed

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By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A man accused of shooting two National Guard troops near the White House pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to first-degree murder and assault charges.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot, made his initial court appearance by video from a hospital bed.

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His attorney entered a not guilty plea on his behalf on the charges stemming from the Nov. 26 shooting that killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and wounded Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.

Beckstrom and Wolfe were deployed with the West Virginia National Guard for Trump’s law-enforcement surge in the nation’s capital, which has flooded the city with federal agents and troops since August.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office in Washington, D.C., charged him with murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.

Authorities were investigating a possible motive for what they described as an ambush-style attack.

Hegseth cites ‘fog of war’ in defending follow-on strike in scrutinized attack on alleged drug boat

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cited the “fog of war” in defending a follow-up strike on an alleged drug-carrying boat in the Caribbean Sea earlier this year.

During Tuesday’s cabinet meeting at the White House, Hegseth said that he did not see that there were survivors in the water when the second strike was ordered and launched in early September, saying that “the thing was on fire” and citing the “fog of war” in defending the strike. Hegseth also said he “didn’t stick around” for the remainder of the mission following the first strike, and said that the admiral in charge had “made the right call” in ordering it, which he “had complete authority to do.”

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The Washington Post first reported that Hegseth issued a verbal order for the second strike that killed survivors on the boat. On Monday, the White House said that Navy Vice Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley acted “within his authority and the law” when he ordered the second strike.

Lawmakers have announced congressional reviews of the U.S. military strikes against vessels suspected of smuggling drugs, and Bradley is expected to provide a classified briefing Thursday to lawmakers overseeing the military. Asked if he supported the second strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea in September, President Donald Trump said he “didn’t know anything” and “still haven’t gotten a lot of information because I rely on Pete,” referencing Hegseth.