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Will there be a Kamala Harris v. Donald Trump debate? Here’s what we know

Before President Joe Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him, Biden and former President Donald Trump had agreed to one final showdown. Then everything changed.

Now, the general public is left wondering: Will the previously scheduled presidential debate still go on? Will the public have an opportunity to watch Harris and Trump — who have already made public jabs at each other — go toe-to-toe on political positions on the national stage?

Here’s what we know — and what we don’t — about a presidential debate between Harris and Trump. Harris, who has quickly become the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not spoken about a debate yet, while Trump has seemed wishy-washy since Biden ended his reelection bid.

Trump expressed hesitancy in a series of Truth Social posts, remarking that he didn’t know who he’d be debating after Biden bowed out and calling for debates to be hosted by the right-leaning Fox News. The original debate was scheduled to be hosted by ABC.

DeSantis hints at future NIL legislation, has ‘talked to some other governors’

Gov. Ron DeSantis advocated for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) reform in college athletics during a press conference on Wednesday, calling for fair compensation for athletes and regulatory enhancements to the transfer portal system.

Though reiterating his support for NIL, DeSantis — who enacted one of the initial NIL bills to permit college athletes to earn income from their personal brand — contended that athletes deserve financial benefits if their name or image generates revenue.

DeSantis drew parallels between athletes and other students, such as musicians, who can freely monetize their talents, noting an inconsistency in the current framework.

“My view was, if they’re selling your jersey with your name on, and they’re making money off of you … you have a right,” DeSantis said, arguing that athletes should be able to recoup a portion of profits made off of their name or likeness. “How come someone could be in, like the band, and they could do a YouTube channel, make money, but just because you’re an athlete, you can’t?”

Florida schools see rise in ‘A’ grades, fewer ‘D’ and ‘F’ grades

Florida schools registered a 6-percentage point increase in the number of schools earning an “A” grade, while 81 fewer schools earned a “D” grade and 17 fewer schools received an “F” compared to the previous year.

64 percent of all schools (2,196 schools) earned an “A” or “B” grade, an improvement from 57 percent the year prior. Fewer than 4 percent of schools (113 schools) earned a “D” or “F” grade, down from 6 percent in 2023. Moreover, 1,761 schools (53 percent) either improved their grade or maintained an “A” grade, according to the Florida Department of Education.

In addition, the number of elementary schools earning an “A” grade increased by 4 percentage points over the previous year. Middle schools saw a 7-percentage point increase, high schools experienced a 10-percentage point increase, and combinated schools improved by 7 percentage points in “A” grade achievements.

“We have continued to raise the bar for providing students with a quality education that suits their individual needs, and these school grades are proof positive that our approach is working,” said Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz, Jr.

New Florida law protects consumers from one kind of moving scam. Here’s what to know.

Moving scams are rampant across Florida. But a new law that took effect this month aims to change that.

Nearly half of all moving scam-related complaints submitted to the Federal Department of Transportation in 2023 came out of Florida. The agency dubbed the state No. 1 in the country at risk of moving fraud that same year.

The new state law targets one kind of scam specifically: moving brokers. Sponsored by Sen. Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor, the law prevents brokers from presenting themselves as moving companies and providing inaccurate estimates to customers.

It requires all documents to be prepared by a moving company registered with the state, and for any estimate given to a customer to be signed as binding by that moving company. The bills passed unanimously in the Florida House and Senate and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it into law. The law officially took effect July 1.