International

In Florida, right-wing mothers lead the ‘parents’ revolution’

Photo: Giorgio Viera / AFP

| By AFP | Léa Dauple |

A conservative group known as “Moms for Liberty” is triggering a minor earthquake in Florida school board elections, hoping the tremors will ripple across the entire United States.

The group demands that often-sleepy school boards wake up and yank “problematic” books from schools, and empower parents to have more say in public education.

“I am on the right side of history,” said Jacqueline Rosario, who is seeking re-election to a school board in Indian River County on Florida’s east coast.

Rosario warmly welcomed guests to a lounge in this charming seaside resort, speaking to them about a subject that distresses her: the “insane” education that young Americans get in public schools.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

“Moms for Liberty,” founded only last year in Florida but now claiming 100,000 members in 42 states, offers wholehearted endorsements of school board candidates like Rosario.

That support has turned school boards, historically apolitical elected bodies, into real powder kegs dealing with subjects such as gender, sexuality and racism in schools.

These days, hot-button culture and social issues ignite passions at the local level, not just the state and national levels.

Some heavyweight Republicans, like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a possible presidential candidate in 2024, have gotten involved in the humble school board battles.

Moms for Liberty publicly endorsed DeSantis, and he in turn endorsed candidates like Jacqueline Rosario.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

‘Pornographic’

Rosario has made a personal battle out of one of Moms for Liberty’s obsessions — “inappropriate” books.

As she explained the reasons for her anger, Rosario interrupted the interview.

“Can I read you a couple of excerpts?” she asked, warning that she might feel “weird” because some material “is so explicit.”

The candidate recites a sex scene from Margaret Atwood’s famous novel “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which also became a hit television series.

“That’s disgusting,” Rosario, a former English teacher, said of the work, her voice suddenly stern.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

She read an excerpt from another book, “Push”, which recounts in graphic detail the rape of a child by her father.

“There is absolutely no literary, scientific, political or any other value to this kind of reading, not for children,” Rosario said, adding that she would like such “obscene… pornographic” books to be replaced by others of “higher quality,” including ones offering vocational training.

“You’re opening up Pandora’s box for children who are supposed to preserve their innocence,” Rosario said.

She stated that she does not want to “ban or burn” such books, but only to get them out of the classroom — a message hammered home by Moms for Liberty.

Flags and popcorn

Later in the afternoon, Rosario campaigned at a small church in Vero Beach.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

The audience seemed to be behind her. Between a tray of cheese and a bowl of popcorn, Terri Privett, a 53-year-old who loves former president Donald Trump’s rallies, worries that “the left is indoctrinating our children with things that are just not American.”

During the reception, the song “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood played on a loop — interrupted, however, when all attendees stood to pledge allegiance to the flag.

Though he is not present, DeSantis’ influence is palpable. At the entrance, a lighted sign calls for people to vote for him to “save Florida.”

“Our governor is a champion for parental rights,” said Jennifer Pippin, head of the Indian River County chapter of Moms for Liberty, convinced that he will win re-election.

For this crowd, DeSantis’ military background and his image as a family man are strong reasons to like him.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

On a table festooned with small US flags is a list of candidates running in various local elections who espouse anti-abortion rights views. Flyers call on the citizenry to pull children from public schools.

Organizers have also brought two piles of books — around 150 they deem problematic — that Jennifer Pippin said contain scenes of “rape, incest” or even “oral sex.” Colorful post-it notes indicate the pages of the books with the material deemed questionable.

Love for DeSantis

Moms for Liberty has had a meteoric rise, a sign of the simmering culture wars across the United States.

“I think you’re going to see that American politics are going to be changing a lot because of this parent revolution,” said Tiffany Justice, one of the co-founders.

She predicts a bright political future for politicians like DeSantis who join up with groups seeking to empower parents over educators.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

DeSantis won hearts at the first Moms for Liberty national conference, where he gave a speech.

Moms for Liberty members “wished Ron DeSantis was their governor,” Justice said. “You could hear them say we can’t wait to vote for him for president of the United States.”

International

Three U.S. Executions Set for Same Day as Trump Pushes to Expand Death Penalty

The death penalty has been abolished in 23 of the 50 U.S. states, while three others —California, Oregon and Pennsylvania— currently have moratoriums in place.

The United States is set to carry out three executions on the same day, a rare occurrence that has not happened since 2010, according to the nonprofit Death Penalty Information Center.

President Donald Trump has sought to expand the use of capital punishment for what he describes as “the most heinous crimes.” In April, the Department of Justice proposed expanding execution methods to include firing squads, lethal gas and electrocution.

Tennessee is scheduled to execute Anthony Darrell Dugard Hines, 66, on Thursday. He was sentenced to death for the 1985 murder of a woman, according to local media.

In Oklahoma, Carlos Cuesta-Rodríguez, 70, is scheduled to be executed for a 2003 murder.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

Meanwhile, Alabama plans to execute Jeremy Williams, 42, who was sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl.

The United States carried out 47 executions in 2025, the highest number since 2009, when 52 executions were recorded.

Florida conducted the largest number of executions last year, with 19, followed by Alabama, South Carolina and Texas, with five each.

Of the executions carried out in 2025, 39 were conducted by lethal injection. Three were carried out by firing squad and five through nitrogen hypoxia, a method that involves forcing nitrogen gas into a face mask, depriving the prisoner of oxygen.

The United Nations has condemned nitrogen gas as a cruel and inhumane method of capital punishment.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

International

Colombia Earthquake Death Toll Reaches 265 as Rescue Teams Race Against Time

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Colombia on Monday, the strongest to hit the country this century, has so far left 265 people dead and around 3,500 injured.

In Cali, Pereira and other cities in western Colombia, rescue teams are working around the clock as they search for survivors. The first 72 hours following the earthquake will be reached at 7:34 a.m. local time (12:34 GMT), a critical window for rescue efforts as the chances of finding survivors generally decline significantly after that point.

Among those anxiously awaiting news is Valeria Cardona, a 26-year-old student searching for two of her cousins in Cali.

“We have some suspicions about their location, but there are no signs of life,” she said. “Hope is the last thing you lose, but we are anxious about receiving news we don’t want to hear.”

A team of members from the Topos Aztecas, the renowned Mexican volunteer rescue group, has also arrived in Cali to join the search. The rescuers had been working in neighboring Venezuela, where a double earthquake on June 24 left more than 6,000 people dead.

20260101_dengue_cubeta_728x90

“We all came from Venezuela, from La Guaira. The 41 days we spent working there made us stronger because we overcame hunger, pain and sleepless nights,” said Héctor Méndez, 80, president of Topos Aztecas.

Méndez encouraged those affected by the disaster not to lose hope and emphasized the commitment required from rescue teams during an emergency.

“Do not feel like victims. This is not an office or workshop schedule. This is real life, where the best part of the human spirit emerges. These are things of nature that happen,” he said.

International

German Authorities Investigate More Than 100 New Cases Against Convicted Nurse

German authorities announced Monday that they are investigating more than 100 additional cases involving a nurse who was sentenced to life in prison in November for the murder of 10 patients.

The man, who was 44 at the time of his conviction, worked in palliative care at a hospital in Würselen, near Aachen. He was also found guilty of 27 attempted murders.

Aachen prosecutors are now examining 121 new cases, a spokesperson for the office said.

Prosecutors leading the investigation are preparing a new indictment that could be filed next year. Nearly 40 bodies have so far been exhumed as part of the investigation, which covers alleged incidents dating back to September 2022.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in the city of Cologne are investigating 18 additional cases. According to a spokesperson, the oldest case dates back to 2010.

Before working at the Würselen hospital, the nurse is believed to have worked at a clinic in eastern Cologne, according to local media reports.

At the time of his November conviction, the court ruled that the severity of his crimes was particularly serious, a finding that would make it difficult for him to obtain early release after 15 years in prison.

Between December 2023 and May 2024, the nurse administered overdoses of sedatives or painkillers to terminally ill patients, most of them elderly, according to the indictment in the original case.

His alleged motive was to sedate patients who required care so that he could minimize his workload during night shifts, prosecutors said.

According to the indictment, the nurse worked «without enthusiasm» and «without motivation». When faced with patients requiring extensive care, he allegedly became «irritated» and showed a lack of empathy.

The case has revived painful memories in Germany of Niels Högel, a former nurse and serial killer who was sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2019 for the murders of at least 85 patients.