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Peter

@plawman.bsky.social

What murda?

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Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 3h ago

One thing I can say with absolute certainty: Cuomo would never have this level of moral clarity or spine

Plainclothes ICE agent with long gun looked like mass shooter, Mayor Mamdani says

The mayor said his administration would review ICE and NYPD actions surrounding Thursday’s shooting.

gothamist.com

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 16h ago

There’s just no way Apple system files should take up half of my iPhone’s storage

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 18h ago

“Thin” as in the air beneath Wile E. Coyote’s feet when he runs over the cliff

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 18h ago

The Justice Department’s antitrust investigation into five major television networks is the latest escalation yet of the Trump administration’s approach toward taking action against the news media — and rests on thin legal grounds, according to experts.

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 19h ago

Ovechkin can barely skate anymore and still somehow ends up standing wide open in front of the net for roughly half a period for that goal

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 20h ago

Seems like a big overpay for MHJ by the Texans

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 21h ago

glenn should take a fine after this one, jets didn't play great but browns were worse and got repeatedly gifted this game with horrendous officiating

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 23h ago

these jets-browns refs should be replaced at halftime, what an atrocity

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · yesterday

I’ve caught parts of a few games this year and between the incessant ads, ubiquitous gambling slop, and endless penalties, I don’t think I can remember as miserable and joyless season of football as this season so far

Timothy Burke @bubbaprog.xyz · yesterday

How to get $2 billion in taxpayer dollars the easy way: pay off the elected officials who vote on it

Tampa Bay Times
FLORIDA'S BEST NEWSPAPER
tampabay.com
★★★★ Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | $2.50
Rays group spends big on midterms
Campaign contributions came from members of the Tampa Bay Rays' ownership and companies they own.
BY NINA MOSKE AND
NICOLAS VILLAMIL
Times Staff Writers
Donors with ties to the Tampa
Bay Rays have given more than $5
million to candidates and political
committees across the state this
election cycle.
The contributions range from
$1,000 to $250,000 and come
from individuals or the busi
nesses they own who are part
of the Rays' sprawling ownership
group. They include more than
$1.9 million given to U.S. Rep.
Byron Donalds' bid for governor,
and tens of thousands of dollars to
city and county leaders who cast
votes on the team's $2.3 billion sta-
dium deal earlier this year.
Some of that money came weeks
before the Rays in August cleared
a massive hurdle for their Tampa
stadium project, winning approval
from both the Tampa City Coun-
cil and Hillsborough County Com-
mission. With those votes came
public money: Hillsborough
approved contributing at least
$796 million toward the stadium,
and Tampa pledged $80 million.
Led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, state
leaders backed the project and
offered financial support.
Still, the Rays will almost cer-
tainly seek further goodwill from
local and state leaders as they
work to build and maintain the
ballpark and cannot be certain
what backing they will receive
after this year's midterm elections.
From county commissioners up to
the governor's office, a crop of new
elected officials will take office in
the coming months.
The Tampa Bay Times parsed
through hundreds of donations
made by the team's owners and
their companies since the start
of 2025. The group is led by Jack-
sonville-based billionaire Pat-
rick Zalupski, Ohio businessman
Bill Cosgrove and Rays CEO Ken
Babby, the public face of the sta-
dium negotiations. They are sup-
ported by more than two dozen
limited partners, including a bevy
of business owners with long his-
tories supporting local candidates.
See RAYS, 7A

RAYS
continued from 1A
Money ahead
of stadium votes
Several Hillsborough
commissioners who are up
for election got money
from Rays-affiliated don-
ors in weeks leading up to an ini-
tial stadium vote in May.
The contributions
came from three local real
estate and construction compa-
nies owned by Rays limited
partners: Homes by West-
Bay LLC, Ripa & Associates
and Eisenhower Manage-
ment Inc., owned by Willy
Nunn, Chris LaFace and Jeff
Hills, respectively. All
three companies have contrib-
uted to local campaigns in
years past.
Commissioner Gwen
Myers received a combined
$25,000 from those compa-
nies on May 13, one week
before she cast an affirma-
tive vote on the nonbinding
stadium agreement.
Commissioner Harry
Cohen, who also supported
the stadium, got a com-
bined $13,000 through his
political committee in late
March. Cohen's commit-
ttee received $10,000 in late
September from Dan Doyle,
a member of the Rays' exec-
utive advisory board and
CEO of the office equipment
supplier DEX Imaging.
"If somebody that's tied
to the Rays gave to my cam-
paign, I don't know who
they are," Myers said in a
phone call. "They never
told me, 'I'm with the
Rays and I'm supporting
your campaign.'" Myers said she
is a sports fan who voted
to approve the stadium
because it was in Hillsbor-
ough County's best interest.
In a statement to the
Times, Cohen said he has
long backed bringing the
Rays to Tampa.
"I am grateful for support
from anyone who believes I
am doing a good job, includ-
ing people on both sides
of the stadium issue," he
said. "Every contribution
to my campaign is publicly
reported and fully trans-
parent. My position on the
$Tampa Bay Times | Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 7A
The Tampa Bay Rays' ownership group is led by Jacksonville-based billionaire Patrick Zalupski, center, Ohio-based businessman Bill Cosgrove,
left, and Rays CEO Ken Babby. Along with more than two dozen limited partners, the group has spent more than $4.7 million this election cycle.
(DIRK SHADD | Times)
Hillsborough commissioners Gwen Myers and Harry Cohen voted in favor of the Rays
stadium deal in August. (DIRK SHADD | Times)
Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds has received more than $1.85 million
from Rays-affiliated donors since the start of 2025. (CHRIS URSO | Times)
Florida
stadium is based on what
I believe is best for Tampa
and Hillsborough County."
Republican commis-
sioner Joshua Wostal, a
staunch stadium opponent,
got at least $44,000 from
companies associated with
Nunn, LaFace and Hills.
Most of those contributions
to his political commit-
tee and campaign account
came in late 2025 and early
2026. Wostal told the Times
he still has the support of
those donors, despite his
vocal criticism of the sta-
dium deal.
"Those folks have lived in
the community and done
business here for over two
decades and have dealt with
the frustrations of commis-
sioners lacking the will-
power to tackle growth
management," Wostal said.
"They know how fiscally
conservative I am, and that I
don't subsidize rich people."
Stacy Hahn, a Hillsbor-
ough school board mem-
ber running for County
Commission, topped the
three sitting commission-
ers in money collected from
Rays-affiliated donors. She
did not return two phone
calls or a text message seek-
ing comment.
Hahn, a Republican, won
her primary election
against District 5
commissioner Donna Car-
ron-Cepeda, a consistent
no vote on a stadium sub-
ject. She faces Democrat
Neil Manimala - who pre-
viously told the Times that
he believes "public dollars
should not subsidize billion-
aires" but that he supports
keeping the Rays in Tampa
- in November.
In addition to a combined
$40,000 to Hahn's political
committee from the three
local real estate and con-
struction firms, she received
$5,000 directly from Babby
In June. Babby, who recently
registered to vote in Tampa
after moving from Jackson-
ville, declined to comment for
this story.
Hahn also got $7,500
for Tampa Bay's Future,
a political committee that has
collected hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars from
Rays-affiliated donors since
It opened in June.
Money from the Rays
became a flashpoint in
Hahn's primary election,
when ads labeling the can-
didate "sellout Stacy Hahn"
circulated social media. Hahn,
who had no say in the sta-
dium agreement, told the
Times in August, "I was
offended by the thought
that the donation would buy
my vote."
Rays-backed
committee
Roughly half of the more
two dozen contributions
to Citizens for Tampa
Bay's Future came from
Rays minority owners or the
companies they own, total-
ing more than $300,000.
They include Babby, for-
mer pro-basketball player
Shane Battier and a com-
pany affiliated with billion-
aire dentist Rick Workman,
among other limited part-
ers.
The committee, reg-
istered to Fort Lauder-
dale lawyer Jason B. Blank,
gave money to two political
committees affiliated with
local politicians in addi-
tion to Hahn. Blank did
not respond to a message
or phone call seeking com-
ment.
Tampa City Council mem-
ber Luis Viera's political
committee got $15,000 in
July, weeks before he voted
to approve a final Rays sta-
dium agreement. His com-
mittee got another $20,000
from the group in late Sep-
tember, according to its lat-
est financial reports.
A committee associated
with council chairperson
Alan Clendenin, who helped
lead the city's push for the
basketball team, also got
$10,000 in July.
"Since the beginning,
I have been transparent
about my support for cre-
ating a pathway to getting
the Rays to Tampa because
it is in the best interest of
our community," Viera, who
is running for state House,
said in a written statement.
"That also meant working
with community partners
on a deal that prioritized
public safety, skilled trade
apprenticeships, and other
critical issues that serve to
better our city."
Clendenin, in a phone
call, said he had never heard
of Citizens for Tampa Bay's
Future and that he does
not track the money flow-
ing into the committee affil-
iated with his own cam-
paigns. Tampa's next munic-
ipal election is in 2027 and
Clendenin has not yet filed
for reelection.
Still, he said, "It's impos-
sible to buy somebody's
vote at the level that we're
talking about."
"If somebody's giving mil-
lions of dollars to somebody
if it's a flat in Paris and a
Monet hanging over the
fireplace, then maybe, yeah,"
he said. "But across all lev-
els of politics, he said, indi-
viduals and companies give
money to the candidates
they feel align with their
interests.
"It's not about swaying
votes," he said. "It's about
supporting candidates that
already support their objec-
tives."
If elected, Donalds would
follow a baseball-loving gov-
ernor who embraced the
ballpark, offering state sup-
port for the redevelopment
of Hillsborough College's
Dale Mabry campus. Sev-
eral Rays owners previously
backed DeSantis, who will
run for governor, then
went on, he said. "Because then
what, you're going to be
doing stadium deals all over
the state? I don't think that's
appropriate."
Tampa Council chairperson Alan Clendenin pushed for
the Rays to move to Tampa. (JEFFREY WOO | Times)
since July 2025. Buckhorn
is a Democrat running in a
nonpartisan race.
In February, Buck-
hofn got one of the larg-
est Rays-affiliated contri-
butions to any candidate
or committee this election
cycle: $200,000 from Ayon
Capital LLC, an investment
firm founded by minority
owner Siód Pagidipati. He
has received a dozen other
donations from Rays own-
ers and their businesses,
including $50,000 each
from Doyle and Dream
Finders Homes, the home-
building company owned by
Zalupski.
In a statement to the
Times in September, Buck-
horn said, "I'm proud to
have earned support from
hundreds of residents
across Tampa, including
Rays ownership."
Buckhorn appears to be
the only Tampa mayoral
candidate to receive money
from Rays-affiliated sources.
Opponent Bill Carlson, a
Tampa City Council mem-
ber who twice voted in favor
of the stadium after express-
ing initial opposition, said
August that he refused an
offered donation from the
team. Lynn Hurtak, another
council member and may-
oral candidate, said neither
the Rays nor any associated
company have given money
to her campaign. Hurtak
Donalds, the GOP nom-
ine for governor, was the
biggest beneficiary.
He received more than
$1.9 million from Rays-af-
iliated sources, accounting
for more than a third of the
group's spending this elec-
tion cycle. Eisenhower Man-
agement Inc. gave a com-
bined $500,000 to Donalds'
political committee across
three donations; Ripa &
Associates gave more than
$300,000; Dream Finders
Homes gave $200,000.
Donalds' stance on
the proposed stadium is
unclear. A spokesperson
did not respond to two mes-
sages seeking comment.
At a July news con-
ference, Florida Politics
reporters, Donalds said deci-
sions about the ballpark
were best left to county
leaders. "I don't think that's
something that you want
the Governor weighing in
on," he said. "Because then
what, you're going to be
doing stadium deals all over
the state? I don't think that's
appropriate."
If elected, Donalds would
follow a baseball-loving gov-
ernor who embraced the
ballpark, offering state sup-
port for the redevelopment
of Hillsborough College's
Dale Mabry campus. Sev-
eral Rays owners previously
backed DeSantis, who will
run for governor, then
went on, he said. "Because then
what, you're going to be
doing stadium deals all over
the state? I don't think that's
appropriate."
Rays money in
mayors races
Former two-term Tampa
Mayor Bob Buckhorn got
the most support of any
local candidate from Rays
owners.
Buckhorn, who is seeking
a return to the office in 2027,
has received $411,000 from
donors with ties to the Rays
Millions to state
GOP candidates
While the Rays'
partners
sands of dollars to local can-
didates, their spending on
Republican candidates and
committees in state races
since the start of 2025.
Republican candidates and
committees in state races
Across the state.
A slate of candidates near
and far benefited, from for-
mer state Rep. Josie Tom-
kow and state Sen. Danny
Burgess to Attorney General
James Uthmeier and Chief
Financial Officer Blaise
Ingoglia.
Contact Nina Morabito at
contact Nina Morabito at
nmorabito@tampabay.com.
contact Nicolas Villamiel at
nvillamiel@tampabay.com.

Brad Johnson @climatebrad.hillheat.com · 2d ago

My god. A Virginia data center ran backup diesel generators full blast for 24 hours, creating a giant cloud of toxic smoke that choked its human neighbors. The government claimed there was nothing they could do.

Virginia Data Center Ran Diesel Generators for 24 Hours. Residents Fled Their Homes

Virginia data center diesel generators ran nearly 24 hours during a Code Red alert, leaving neighbors with no regulatory recourse under current state permits.

gadgetreview.com

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

Schaefer is so so good

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

Has a single one of the Harper’s letter grifters taken a public stand against the most rabidly anti-speech movement in American history?

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 2d ago

Breaking News: The Justice Department is investigating whether major TV networks violated federal antitrust laws when they briefly suspended pool coverage of President Trump, according to people with knowledge of the department’s action.

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

Months after his Iran capitulation, Trump surrenders to Putin

Trump says Ukraine should get a new president as he blames Zelenskyy for US diesel prices — The Associated Press

Former President Donald Trump says Ukraine needs a new leader, suggesting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hasn't done enough to end the war with Russia.

apple.news

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

Florida is playing awful now but really don’t understand how ripping a helmet off in front of the official isn’t an easy flag

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

the thing about Kennedy is that his folksy shtick is a bullshit act, he’s a conniving and intentional right-wing bigot and always has been

Taniel@taniel.bsky.social · 2d ago

El-Sayed’s response to Kennedy:

El-Sayed: “That’s rich coming from someone who wears his bed sheets out at night.”

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

there's a reason trump has to take cognitive tests so often, and it's not because he's mentally fit

derek guy@dieworkwear.bsky.social · 2d ago

good lord how can anyone be this whiny; are you not ashamed

Donald Trump writes on Truth Social: "This is the woman who received the Nobel Peace Prize over the Great United States of America, whose Representative, ME, settled eight Wars, and many other things. I know nothing about this woman, and neither does anyone else! In fact, to the best of my knowledge, no one ever heard of her other than the fact that she, very obviously, hates Israel. I don’t know what the woman has done. I settled 8 Wars, with letters being sent from every President and Prime Minister from the countries that I helped to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, and I’m about to settle, or win, two more, Iran and, Russia/Ukraine. They’re both happening at breakneck speed but, forget them, it’s the 8 that I’ve already settled, any one of which, in particular, Pakistan and India, would be far more than necessary to win the Nobel Prize. In actuality, I should have won 8 Nobel Peace Prizes, not just 1. The 8 Wars are:"

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

sellers doesn't look like a top 15 pick, but man is the gators defense awful sumrall has to recruit a new secondary

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

If you're any rational person, what would separate armed ICE militants who approach and surround your car in plainclothes with weapons drawn from any other dangerous attacker? What rational person in this situation wouldn't try to flee to safety from such a violent ambush?

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick@reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 3d ago

The NYPD just released surveillance video of the ICE shooting (which occurred off camera). Two men in civilian clothes run up to a car with guns drawn. One second later, one man begins smashing the butt of his gun into the driver’s side window. The driver appears to panic and hit the gas.

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

Titanic captain takes credit for unilaterally slightly turning ship after ramming it directly into iceberg

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d ago

White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia on Fox & Friends: "People need to start giving him credit for his multifaceted approach and how he's trying to bring down prices almost unilaterally all by himself"

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 2d ago

Absolutely no reason or excuse for Tisch to read out Oscar Belgal’s rap sheet. It has zero to do with a criminal ICE militant pouring shots into his car. What a disgrace. Mamdani keeping Tisch was always triangulation at best.

elias isquith @eliasisquith.blog · 3d ago

i think it’s also about ossoff wanting to write the narrative of his victory preemptively. he doesn’t want the story to be that he won because of inflation. he wants it to be that he won because he went scorched earth against MAGA bigotry.

Micah@rincewind.run · 3d ago

the debate last night was the perfect example he's winning that race, he was winning that debate, but he had no interest in letting up on Rogers and kept grinding his face in all of his awful behavior the whole time Jane described it as "going for 2 up 60" and that's the energy we need

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 3d ago

As a parent of a less than one-year-old infant boy, this is really terrifying.

T. Greg Doucette@gregdoucette.bsky.social · 3d ago

::low whistle:: apple.news/AbOgHERrCRnG...

Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 3d ago

Status reports that ABC News deleted that explosive story about the Trump kids getting billions in federal contracts for their companies. ABC hasn't explained why they nuked the story, even as Trump has crowed about its deletion, sparking a firestorm behind scenes. www.status.news/p/david-elli...

Adam Serwer @adamserwer.bsky.social · 4d ago

I think people should listen to what the administration trying to bring back spectacle lynchings, race riots, and middle passage-esque deportation voyages are trying to tell you about themselves. bsky.app/profile/bren...

Brendan Nyhan@brendannyhan.bsky.social · 4d ago

The news just since I left work: -A planned livestream of an execution by firing squad -Trump basically trying to incite a pogrom against Somalis Nothing mysterious or complicated about what's happening.

Andy Craig @andycraig.bsky.social · 4d ago

It is remarkable how many Dems in competitive races are not doing the squishy bipartisanship tapioca routine and are instead just letting rip with these guys are a bunch of evil goddamned nazis who want to take all your rights and are also corrupt as fuck. It’s reading the room, I suppose.

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 4d ago

Armed militants affiliated with the MAGA white nationalist group shot a man in his car during ongoing violence against civilians

ICE agent shot man in NYC's Marble Hill, officials say

Mayor Zohran Mamdani says early reports indicate agents surrounded a man and a 5-year-old child in a car before firing.

gothamist.com

Peter @plawman.bsky.social · 4d ago

fake news

NBC News@nbcnews.com · 4d ago

A surprising new study finds that people who sleep near their dogs don’t experience disrupted sleep. If anything, the University of Toronto researchers discovered, we humans are the ones disturbing our dogs’ sleep.

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 5d ago

When you offer a bare bones, factual description of what Guilfoyle has been up to, it sounds absolutely insane. But here we are: America's government under the Trumps. People of Greece, if you are listening, we are sorry. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/stop-paper...

Here is what happened: the former girlfriend of the President’s son asked an aspiring Republican politician for $100,000 to settle her credit card bill right before her Senate confirmation for an Ambassadorship, which she seems to have been awarded as a break-up present from the Trump family. (The son has since married, with the celebrations partially financed by a Russian oligarch with ties to Putin). She had previously received $300,000 from the donor for what seem to be largely unfulfilled promises of political favors.

As Ambassador to Greece, she has been pushing other countries to do business with an oil-and-gas lobbyist who has been attending her official meetings, and suggesting that the US could bring down the Greek government any time they wanted.

Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 7d ago

Judge Gary Brown, a Trump appointee in New York, rebukes ICE for arresting two people erroneously — including a U.S. citizen — and later claiming "mistaken identity." "ICE agents falsified official records," he says. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 6d ago

interesting that conservatives were militantly “we must reward hustle” when the target was affirmative action at elite universities and now, when faced with the success of south asians and other groups, it is “i think we are too meritocratic”

Schrödinger's Sneetch Belly@rtodkelly.bsky.social · 6d ago

It's absolutely bonkers to me that this image led directly to this tweet.