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Just a question: I've heard Judge Nelson asked G Zimmerman directly if he planned on testifying at two different times during this farce of a "trial". Was the jury present during either of these interrogations? The way it was done was highly inappropriate, if not the questions themselves. But if the jury heard this, that would be highly prejudicial, from the Judge. Astounding.

SANFORD, Fla. (AP) - In an unmistakable setback for George Zimmerman, the jury at the neighborhood watch captain's second-degree murder trial was given the option Thursday of convicting him on the lesser charge of manslaughter in the shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin.

In presiding over the trial of George Zimmerman, who is accused of murdering Trayvon Martin, Judge Debra Nelson has made some awful rulings — none worse than failing to direct a verdict of acquittal on the preposterous second-degree “depraved mind” murder charge . The state’s evidence that Zimmerman had the necessary criminal intent is non-existent, much less sufficient to meet the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. Compelling evidence, moreover, establishes that Zimmerman acted in self-defense, a claim the state has not come close to refuting. (See Andrew Branca’s comprehensive summary here.) Wednesday morning provided a snapshot of Judge Nelson’s style:...

With just two weeks remaining before his trial, George Zimmerman's attorneys returned to court this morning for an important pre-trial hearing. Circuit Judge Debra S. Nelson has been be asked to decide a long list of issues, things that will determine how the trial plays out and what jurors will see and hear.

(Reuters) - A small Georgia town on Monday passed a law requiring the head of each household to own a gun as a way to keep crime down.

A Georgia town has passed a law requiring its citizens to own a gun and ammunition — a measure one councilman says is similar to putting a security sign in your front yard to deter criminals. The ordinance in the town of Nelson, population 1,300, contains no penalties, has exemptions for felons and the mentally ill and allows anyone to opt out. Town leaders said they wanted to make a point about gun rights. The law requires the head of every household to own a gun and ammo to “provide for the emergency management of the city” and “provide for...

Actor Larry Hagman, notorious and beloved as 'Dallas' villain J.R. Ewing, dies From staff reports Larry Hagman, the North Texas native who played the conniving and mischievous J.R. Ewing on the TV show Dallas, died Friday at a Dallas hospital. He was 81. Mr. Hagman died at 4:20 p.m. Friday at Medical City Dallas Hospital from complications of his recent battle with cancer, members of his family said.

The first and only debate between Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson and Republican challenger Rep. Connie Mack IV Wednesday came across almost like the old school-yard taunt, "I know you are, but what am I?" Both candidates accused each other of lying about the other's records, both used the "there you go again" line made famous three decades ago by President Ronald Reagan and both strayed from the subject of questions to take shots at the other.

-PPP's newest Florida Senate poll finds Bill Nelson continuing to expand his lead. He's at 46% to 37% for Connie Mack IV. Three weeks ago Nelson led by 7 points and in early July he had been ahead by only 2. Nelson's still not popular. Only 34% of voters approve of him to 41% who disapprove. But he lucked out with an extremely weak opponent. Only 30% of voters have a favorable opinion of Mack to 44% with a negative one. Mack's numbers are a particularly dreadful 22/53 spread with independents, and he trails Nelson by 22 points with them...

emocratic incumbent Bill Nelson still leads Republican Connie Mack in Florida's hotly contested U.S. Senate race. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Sunshine State finds Nelson with 47% support to Mack’s 40%. Five percent (5%) prefer some other candidate, while eight percent (8%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) The latest findings show no change from mid-August. Florida remains Leans Democrat in the Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power rankings. Nelson was first elected to the Senate in 2006 to fill the seat vacated by Mack’s father. President Obama has now moved...

Jerry Nelson, a master of voices and puppetering who voiced Muppets including Count von Count during more than 40 years with "Sesame Street," has died. He was 78. Also a musician and actor, he took part in dozens of Muppet projects, from the 1971 TV movie "Tales From Muppetland: The Frog Prince," to 1979's "The Muppet Movie," to the 1980s series "Fraggle Rock," to last year's "The Muppets." Nelson joined "Sesame Street," which debuted in 1969, early in the show's run. He soon took on major characters including The Count, Mr. Snuffleupagus, and Sherlock Hemlock. "The cast and crew of...

Republican Congressman Connie Mack draws his highest level of support yet against incumbent Democrat Bill Nelson in Florida’s 2012 U.S. Senate race. A new Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Mack earning 46% of the vote to Nelson’s 37%. Seven percent (7%) prefer some other candidate, and 10% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) The numbers were flipped back in April when Nelson held a 47% to 36% lead over Mack. At that time, Mack still had heavy competition for the GOP nomination and was being heavily criticized for a lackluster campaign. The contest...

The November election between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Connie Mack in Florida is set to be a close race, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Sen. Bill Nelson edges Rep. Connie Mack, 43 to 39 percent, in the Sunshine State contest for Nelson’s Senate seat, a new Quinnipiac poll says. “The projected November election between U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and Mack looks like it could go down to the wire,” said Peter A. Brown, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. Nelson has gained the slight edge since being tied with Mack in a May 24 poll....

Senate Democrats balk at ending Bush-era tax rates for wealthyBy Alexander Bolton - 06/19/12 05:00 AM ET A growing number of Senate Democrats are signaling they are not prepared to raise taxes on anyone in the weak economy unless Congress approves a grand bargain to reduce the deficit. At least seven Democratic senators have declined to rule out supporting a temporary extension of the Bush-era income tax rates, breaking with party leaders who have called for letting the rates expire for people earning more than $1 million per year. That gives Senate Republicans a chance to push a temporary extension...

The Democrats have picked a curious and potentially very costly fight this election year. President Obama came into office promising Big Labor that its agenda is his agenda, and he wasted little time using the National Labor Relations Board to make good on that promise. That board is supposed to be a fair arbiter of labor disputes, but the president packed the NLRB with Big Labor activists, and the board tried to ram a union-favoring “ambush rule” through to implementation. The rule would slash the amount of time employees and employers have to consider unionization in non-unionized work places from...

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson called for corporate tax reform Wednesday night in a speech to the Florida Council of 100 in Washington. Gov. Rick Scott is scheduled to meet today with the group, which was formed by former Gov. Farris Bryant in 1961 to provide advice on Florida issues from a business perspective. While not offering specifics, Nelson seemed to suggest an overhaul in which rates would be lowered in exchange for closing loopholes and eliminating tax breaks. He said he’s been talking with Republican Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, who’s been mentioned as a potential Mitt Romney running mate.

Laywers for Sen. Bill Nelson have written to Florida TV stations asking them not to air an ad that includes a false claim about Medicare cuts. From a news release: In the wake of the recent Citizens United case, in which the Supreme Court allowed unlimited and undisclosed corporate money to be spent on such ads, TV stations have a greater responsibility to protect the public from the spread of false and deceptive information, Kendall Coffey, a lawyer for Nelson wrote in a letter to the stations today. “On behalf of our client, we respectfully insist that you take this...

Republican Congressman Connie Mack now posts a seven-point lead over Democratic Senator Bill Nelson in Florida’s U.S. Senate race, and the incumbent remains just ahead of his other two potential GOP rivals. The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Florida shows Mack with 43% support to Nelson’s 36%. Five percent (5%) like another candidate in the race, and a sizable 16% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) A month ago, Mack and Nelson were tied at 41% apiece. Last November, Mack, a congressman from the Fort Myers/Naples area of the state, led 43% to...

TAMPA -- Two Democratic U.S. senators on Friday accused Florida's Republican-led Legislature of plotting to deny citizens their most basic and inalienable right: the right to vote. Florida Sen. Bill Nelson and Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin rendered that verdict after listening to two hours of testimony at Tampa's George E. Edgecomb Courthouse. Durbin came to town as chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights to investigate whether the state law denies voters their constitutional rights. Republican legislators passed the law last year, saying it would prevent voter fraud and save county election supervisors...

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