Morning Headlines For Friday

The Tampa Bay Lightning will face the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The first game in the best of seven series is tonight in Pittsburgh at 8 o’clock. The first home game in Tampa will be next week Wednesday at the Amalie Arena.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — A week after House Speaker Paul Ryan said he wasn’t ready to back Donald Trump, Ryan is now calling the presumptive Republican presidential nominee “very warm and genuine.” The two men met privately yesterday to iron out their differences, and they now
say they’re “totally committed” to working together.

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MIAMI (AP) — Bidding in an online auction for the pistol former neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman used to kill Trayvon Martin ha gone over 65 million dollars this morning, though it was unclear if they were serious bids. (An account by a user identified at “Racist McShootface has been deleted.) The website for United Gun Group began hosting the auction Thursday after another website, GunBroker.com, took down the auction. Hours later, United Gun Group tweeted that it would post Zimmerman’s ad.

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MIAMI (AP) — The public has until midnight today to weigh in on a plan to release genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida to combat the Zika virus. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether the biotech firm Oxitec should test its lab-bred mosquitoes near Key West. Roughly 1,300 comments posted online are split over what’s more frightening: birth defects linked to the Zika virus or corporate influence over the government.

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The ACLU filed the Title IX complaint with the U.S. Department of Education against Marion County Public Schools. The complaint comes after the school board passed the resolution 4-1 last month after a parent claimed that his son’s rights were being violated because he didn’t like sharing the Vanguard High School bathroom with another student that was born female but now identifies as male. The ACLU’s complaint says a transgender student was suspended several days later for using the men’s restroom at school, despite having done so for years.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration says it wants to clarify the expectations of public schools when it comes to the rights of transgender students. The departments of Education and Justice are releasing a directive today, reminding school districts that they are obligated to treat transgender students in a way that matches their gender identity. The directive says that includes their access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

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Hillsborough County, FL — At approximately 1:10 am, the victim, David Allen Smith was involved in altercation with an unidentified black male at the Tiaga Nightclub located at 10315 Causeway Blvd in Brandon. The altercation escalated and moved outside where Smith was shot at least once. The suspect then fled in an unknown make and model gray vehicle. Smith was taken to a hospital where he died a short time after arrival. Detectives continue to search for the suspect and the investigation is ongoing.

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LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. (AP) — Authorities say two Tampa Bay area toddlers died in separate drowning incidents and two mothers were arrested on charges of child neglect. 27-year-old Roxann Potts was arrested for the April 27 death of her son, Clayton Foskey, who got out through an unlocked door and drowned in a pond about 150 yards from the house. In a separate incident, 26-year-old Selina Ann Warner was arrested after her son Justice Ray climbed out of his crib April 20 and ended up in a pond next door. In both cases, neighbors says the boys had previously been found wandering alone.

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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Seminole Tribe of Florida, owner of Florida’s largest casinos, wants a federal judge to block the publication of information related to a trial that could upend their businesses and seal a key deposition until it can be redacted. Attorneys for the tribe filed an emergency motion this week asking to seal a deposition of the chief executive officer of the company that runs the Seminole casinos in the state.

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden might be taking sides in Florida’s Democratic Senate primary, but unlike Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, he’s not getting nasty about it. Biden campaigned with U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy in Orlando on Thursday but refused to say anything bad about his opponent, Congressman Alan Grayson. Biden said Grayson is “a fine guy,” but he endorsed Murphy because he thinks he’ll work better with Republicans. The statement came the day after Grayson and Reid quarreled at a closed-door event. Reid has asked Grayson to drop out of the race and has said Grayson has no moral compass, is disgraceful and that he has a low opinion of him. Murphy and Grayson are seeking the seat Republican Marco Rubio decided to give up in his unsuccessful bid for the presidency.

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ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Four days of inspirational performances and stories have come to end as the Invictus Games wrap up their stay at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports with its Closing Ceremony. Last night was punctuated with a spectacular concert including performances from top acts such as Grammy-nominated and Florida native Flo Rida, pop star Rachel Platten, former “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips and The Voice Season 9 winner Jordan Smith. But the night belonged to the 454 wounded or sick military members and veterans who came together from 14 counties to compete in 10 Paralympic-style sports during the second annual Invictus Games. Prince Harry, who created the Invictus Games as a way to inspire and uplift wounded and sick military members, was on hand to wrap up the night.