Noon Update: Mostly Sunny This Afternoon

By REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In the waning days of the Biden administration, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas defended his agency’s work to tamp down border-crossing numbers and argued against breaking apart the sprawling department in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press. President-elect Donald Trump, who promised an aggressive Day 1 effort to stop illegal immigration and remove people in the country illegally, has chosen South Dakota Gov.

TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Supreme Court on Monday said it will take up an appeal by a convicted felon who was one of 20 people accused by Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials in 2022 of registering and voting when they were ineligible. Justices issued an order agreeing to hear the appeal by Terry Hubbard, who went to the Supreme Court in October after the 4th District Court of Appeal ruled that charges against him should move forward. As is common, Monday’s order did not explain the justices’ reasons.

By Bob Haegele, Bankrate.com (TNS) Paying for financial advice can seem like a catch-22. After all, shelling out cash for financial advice can be difficult if you don’t have money to spend. As a result, you may find yourself looking for free financial advice. Perhaps you like to read blogs, or maybe you’re someone who goes down a YouTube rabbit hole, spending hours watching every video you can find that discusses finances. While there is a substantial amount of free financial advice online, what you will find isn’t always the best information.

By DAVID A. LIEB, Associated Press JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Within minutes of his inauguration Monday, new Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe unleashed a volley of orders targeting crime. The tone-setting move reflects a national trend. After a period of relaxed sentencing laws, a tough-on-crime approach is back in political favor in the U.

Gov. Ron DeSantis needs to work his way back into Donald Trump’s good graces. To do that, he will call the state Legislature into a special session on Jan. 27 to help Trump carry out “the largest deportation program in American history.” To that end, DeSantis needs new laws to force county sheriffs, including in blue counties such as Palm Beach and Broward, to join Trump’s racist, xenophobic crusade or suffer the consequences — including suspending sheriffs who won’t comply. “State and local officials in Florida must help the Trump administration enforce our nation’s immigration laws,” DeSantis told reporters at a rare press conference in the state Capitol Monday. Really?

UCF basketball aimed to kick off its 5-day, 2-game trip through Arizona on a high note but suffered a frustrating loss. The Knights, facing Arizona, fell 88-80 on late Saturday night, struggling again to find their rhythm on offense. UCF (11-4, 2-2 Big 12) never took the lead against the Wildcats, shooting less than 39% overall (30 of 78) and just 23% from beyond the arc (8 of 35).