Maxwell: Did you know Trump's latest judicial nemesis is from Orlando?
We have a lot of ground to cover today. So we're using a theme: "Did you know?"
For starters, did you know that the judge who just forced President Donald Trump to back off his plans to take over the Kennedy Center is from Orlando?
At least he spent his formative years here. Judge Christopher "Casey" Cooper attended Trinity Preparatory School, where he also played basketball before going to Yale University and then Stanford Law School.
In fact, Trinity Prep counts Cooper, who was unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate after being nominated by Barack Obama, as one of the school’s "distinguished alumni."
Cooper is certainly distinguished among judges in that his ruling seemed to throw Trump for a loop. Usually, when the president gets a judicial ruling he dislikes, he immediately vows to fight. In this case Trump sounded more defeatist, if still very aggrieved.
In a lengthy post on Truth Social, Trump said he was ready to “transfer this failing Institution” back to Congress while stating his belief that “There has never been a President of the United States who has been treated so unfairly by the Courts …."
For his part, Judge Cooper said in his ruling that the law creating and naming the venerable performing arts complex was quite clear: "Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it."
Divided Dems
Did you know Jerry Demings used a rolling billboard to troll David Jolly in Orlando last week?
Republican Byron Donalds may be getting most of the attention (and money) in this year's race for governor. And Jolly may be a bigger statewide name among the Democrats. But Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings isn't rolling over.
Last week, Demings greeted his primary opponent with a truck sign meant to taunt Jolly and remind voters of the former Republican’s changing stances. The sign on wheels said: "In Congress, ‘principled conservative' David Jolly led the effort to defund Planned Parenthood."
The claim is true. In fact, in one of his previous campaigns - back when he was a Republican - Jolly and his campaign boasted about being a leader in the charge to defund the agency.
Jolly says his position has since evolved, saying he now supports a woman's right to choose before fetal viability. But Demings wants Democrats to know he's been one of them all along.
Redefining DeSantis
Speaking of gubernatorial issues, did you know Ron DeSantis is trying to cultivate a new, warmer personality where he seems more approachable?
Why now? Well, he’s about to be termed out of the governor’s office and looking for a new gig.
DeSantis’ problem is that, while he’s been quite popular in Florida, he has struggled to connect with voters nationally. In fact, his failed presidential campaign was partially defined by his awkward interactions with everyday Americans. (So much so that an opponent trolled him at the Iowa State Fair with a plane banner that carried advice DeSantis reportedly got from one of his own campaign advisers: "Be likable, Ron!")
DeSantis had a similar likability problem back when he was in Congress, as NBC News recapped in a piece that simply began: "House Republicans say DeSantis had no friends in Congress."
Well, he’s apparently trying to change that up. DeSantis’ social media feed - historically a place where DeSantis primarily scolded others and promoted himself - is now sprinkled with hot takes on everything from sports (Lou Gehrig was a "legendary player and a great man") to food ("Are Florida’s best donuts found in Panama City?").
Politico says it's all part of an effort to “recraft his national image,” noting that DeSantis also launched a social-media video series called "Diners, Drive-ins & DeSantis" and recently sat down for a cover-story interview with Cigar Aficianado.
I'm not sure many people who’ve actually watched DeSantis in action for the past eight years are going to suddenly start buying a softer side of Ron. But with an eviction from the Governor's Mansion looming, it's pretty clear he and his team think he needs to start doing something different.
What the Florida?
Finally, did you know a woman with no right hand was recently arrested in Florida for … wait for it … using her right hand?
The story out of Palm Beach County went national for its nuttiness. A sheriff's deputy tells 36-year-old Kathleen Thomas that he’s sure he saw her driving while holding her cell phone in her right hand. Thomas then shows the deputy that she has no right hand. (She was born without one.) He then asks her to raise her hand to swear she's telling the truth … which she does. He writes her a ticket anyway.
After the story - and bodycam video - went viral, the sheriff's office dropped the charge.
It's an admittedly goofy story. But it's also a serious reminder about the value of body cameras - and how disturbing it is when major departments, like the Florida Highway Patrol, choose not to use them. In 2026, when virtually everything is recorded, the only reason for a law enforcement agency to eschew video evidence is when it doesn’t want the full story told.
As for Thomas, she tried to take things in stride, saying the most surreal moment of the stop was when the officer asked her to swear "hand to God" that she hadn't been using her device and insisted she not use her handless arm to do so. "He did not recognize that as a sufficient hand to raise to God,” Thomas told CBS News. “Which is ironic, considering that’s who gave it to me.”
Maxwell: Florida Highway Patrol lacks body cameras, a rarity in 2025
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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 12:38 PM.