‘This can be a deadly game’: Local sheriffs warn of ‘Senior Assassin’ after student shot by FDLE agent while playing
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – State Attorney Melissa Nelson, local sheriffs and other Northeast Florida law enforcement leaders held a news conference Thursday to warn parents and students of the potentially deadly consequences of the “Senior Assassin” game being played by high school seniors.
The news conference came after an off-duty Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) agent shot an 18-year-old Bishop Kenny High School standout football player in the arm on Wednesday while the student was playing “Senior Assassin” in Nassau County, according to officials.
Nelson, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper and Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key attended Thursday’s news conference.
“I know they want to play games to have fun, but this can be a deadly game in the right situation. So thankfully in this case, it wasn’t, but who knows it may be the next time,” Leeper said.
Press play above to re-watch the news conference
According to the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting involving the student and the FDLE agent happened around 6 a.m. on Purple Martin Drive in Yulee when the FDLE agent noticed “three people prowling outside their residence in the dark.”
“These types of games may seem innocent, but when you have young people sneaking around in the dark and carrying objects that could be mistaken for weapons, you’re creating a potentially deadly situation,” Leeper said Wednesday.
According to Nelson, high school seniors across Northeast Florida and the country are currently playing the game, which involves groups using water guns to “shoot each other” until the last man or team is left standing.
“Play occurs off school campus and often pervades the boundaries of private property, including yards, driveways, garages and cars and the water guns often look like real firearms, certainly in the dark. It sometimes can involve masks, camouflage and other gear intended to obscure identity, and while intended to be really a simple and fun game, these tactics can obviously create a dangerous environment with potentially fatal consequences,” Nelson said.
Nelson added that this year, “play in our area has recently begun” and is scheduled to start next week in some schools.
Judge denies Democrat-led effort to block Musk, DOGE access
The Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency wins big in court. And President Donald Trump issues an executive order to make in vitro fertilization more accessible and affordable. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025.
Judge denies Democrat-led effort to block Musk, DOGE access
A federal judge has blocked an attempt by 14 states to deny Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing data systems or making personnel decisions at seven federal agencies. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan said the “possibility” that DOGE could harm the states is “not enough” to halt its activities.
Chutkan, who presided over President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference criminal case before he was reelected, said the group of Democratic attorneys general that brought the lawsuit “legitimately call into question what appears to be the unchecked authority of an unelected individual and an entity that was not created by congress and over which it has no oversight,” but added they had not linked any of DOGE’s actions to any “imminent harm” in their states.
The court filing described Musk as a White House employee serving as a “senior advisor to the president,” not an employee of DOGE. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reinforced that position when asked by reporters on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
“President Trump is the ultimate decision-maker for this entire administration,” Leavitt said. “Elon Musk, just like everybody else across the federal government, works at the direction of President Trump.”
She added, “DOGE does not have statutory authority. We’ve been very clear about that. Again, DOGE is advising these agencies. It’s ultimately up to the discretion of these secretaries to make these hirings and these firings.”
Leavitt said Trump’s cabinet members ultimately have the power to fire federal employees; DOGE just makes recommendations.
Late last week, a different U.S. district judge also rejected a request to block DOGE from accessing the records of three government agencies.
Trump signs executive order aimed at advancing IVF treatments
Trump signed another executive order to fulfill one of his campaign promises. The order directs the assistant to the president for domestic policy to provide Trump with a list of policy recommendations within 90 days to protect access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and “aggressively reducing out-of-pocket and health plan costs for IVF treatment.”
Straight Arrow News reporter Lauren Taylor looks at how this could impact thousands of American families here.
IVF became a big issue during the 2024 presidential campaign after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos are children, and those who destroy or damage them, including IVF providers, could be held liable for wrongful death. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey later signed a bill giving civil and criminal immunity to providers and patients.
Barbara Collura, President and CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, said the White House action looks extremely promising.
Without Ukraine, US and Russia agree to work toward ending war
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, continuing his tour of the Middle East. On Tuesday, he met with Russian officials in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. After that meeting, Rubio said the U.S. and Russia had agreed to start working toward ending the war and improving their diplomatic and economic ties.
Rep. Tim Burchett Predicts DOGE Investigations Will Lead to ‘Red Faces in Congress’ Before CNN Cuts Interview
February 18, 2025 Tom Pappert
U.S. Representative Tim Burchett (R-TN-02) predicted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) investigations into waste, fraud, and abuse in the government’s finances will result in “red faces in Congress” during a testy Tuesday interview with CNN.
Burchett made the remarks after he was repeatedly questioned by CNN’s Pam Brown regarding the data provided to members of DOGE, the presidential commission run by Elon Musk and ordered by President Donald Trump to find and help eliminate government waste and fraudulent spending.
“First of all, Elon Musk, when he owned PayPal, never had a breach in security,” said Burchett, adding that it takes him up to six months to receive a response when questioning the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on behalf of constituents.
“The IRS has hundreds of different groups that have access to this stuff, and yet no one’s complained about that,” said Burchett.
Burchett was then asked by Brown if he is concerned about DOGE members, who are political appointees of the Trump administration, receiving access to government systems typically reserved to career federal bureaucrats.
“The only reason you’d have questions is if you’re doing something crooked, and you’re going to see lots of Congressmen with red faces when they follow this paper trail back to members of Congress, ma’am. That’s the bottom line,” Burchett told the host.
In response to a remark about the age of the DOGE workers, which is reportedly staffed largely by individuals in their early 20s, Burchett pointed to a rifle displayed in his office.
“You’re attacking their youth?” He questioned, before adding, “That’s a Japanese rifle. My dad was 20 or 21 years old when he killed the people that carried that. You all don’t question the fact that these 20 or 22 year old people are the ones that fight our dadgum wars.”
CNN ultimately cut the interview short not long after Burchett referenced Sam Brinton, the Biden administration nuclear expert who was arrested and accused of stealing luggage belonging to female passengers at airports.
In a post to the social media platform X after the CNN appearance, Burchett wrote, “Follow the money.”
The General Assembly today:
The House has canceled all ther committee meetings until noon; according to the website, the Senate committees will meet all day starting at 9:30am.
Tennessee Attorney General Joins Coalition in Urging the U.S. Senate to Pass the HALT Fentanyl Act
February 17, 2025 Kaitlin Housler
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is among a coalition of state attorneys general calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the HALT Fentanyl Act.
The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act – or the HALT Fentanyl Act – would permanently place fentanyl-related substances, known as fentanyl analogues, as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.
A schedule I controlled substance is a “drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.”
The bill passed the House earlier this month by a 312-108 vote.
(Note: I am very happy to report ALL the TN Congressional representatives voted AYE except Ogles who didn't vote.)
Skrmetti joined 24 other state attorneys general in sending a letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) requesting that the Senate take up and pass the bill “as soon as possible.”
The attorneys general said the passage of the HALT Fentanyl Act would provide law enforcement with the “tools needed to prosecute the sale and use of illicit fentanyl analogues.”
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