While you were sleeping, we compiled the biggest stories of the day in one place. Each story has a quick and easy summary, so you're prepared for whatever the day brings. Just click on the links if you want to know more!
1. Qualifying week begins ahead of Florida's high-stakes midterm elections
Ahead of Election Day, Florida's candidates have one last week to prove they’re in or out. It's the midterm qualifying week in Tallahassee.
The five-day window allows congressional, legislative or other state-level candidates a chance to submit their paperwork and prove to state election officials they qualify to be on the ballot.
Challengers are probable in all of Florida’s now 28 districts.
2. Jan. 6 panel hears Trump 'detached from reality' amid defeat
Donald Trump's closest campaign advisers, top government officials and even his family were dismantling his false claims of 2020 election fraud ahead of Jan. 6, but the defeated president seemed "detached from reality" and kept clinging to outlandish theories to stay in power, the committee investigating the Capitol attack was told Monday.
The witnesses, mostly Republicans and many testifying in prerecorded videos, described in blunt terms and sometimes exasperated detail how Trump refused to take the advice of those closest to him, including his family members. As the people around him splintered into a "team normal" headed by former campaign manager Bill Stepien and others led by Trump confidant Rudy Giuliani, the president chose his side.
On Monday an unrepentant Trump blasted the hearings in his familiar language as "ridiculous and treasonous" and repeated his election claims.
3. The S&P 500 in a bear market, Bitcoin plunges
Wall Street is back in the claws of a bear market as worries about inflation and higher interest rates overwhelm investors.
The Federal Reserve has signaled it will aggressively raise interest rates to try to control inflation, which is the highest in decades.
Throw in the war in Ukraine and a slowdown in China's economy, and investors have been forced to reconsider what they're willing to pay for a wide range of stocks, from high-flying tech companies to traditional automakers. Big swings have become commonplace and Monday was no exception.
The price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies also crumbled Monday, after a major cryptocurrency lender effectively failed and halted all withdrawals from its platform, citing “extreme market conditions.”
4. Teen died of blunt trauma in Orlando ride death
A Missouri teenager died of blunt force trauma after falling from a 430-foot Orlando drop-tower amusement park ride, according to an autopsy released Monday.
The report by the Orange County Medical Examiner's Office also ruled that 14-year-old Tyre Sampson's death in March was an accident. Sampson slipped out of his seat about halfway down the Free Fall ride located in a tourist area of Orlando.
An initial report by outside engineers hired by the Florida Department of Agriculture said sensors on the ride had been adjusted manually to double the size of the opening for restraints on two seats, resulting in Sampson not being properly secured.
5. Average price of gas reaches $5 gallon in Palm Beach County, AAA says
Palm Beach County became the first county in the state Monday to pay an average of $5 a gallon, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA).
The average price of gas in Florida now stands at $4.89, which is 12 cents lower than the national average of $5.01.
The most expensive market in Florida was the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton area where prices on average hit $5.01 a gallon.
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On This Day In History
On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress adopts a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be 13 alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union be 13 stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.” With new states, more stripes and stars were added. In 1818, Congress enacted a law stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that only stars be added to represent new states.
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