MIAMI — Miami Congresswoman-elect María Elvira Salazar will be unable to attend a Sunday ceremony in Washington to swear in members of the new Congress after learning she has COVID-19 during an emergency trip to the hospital, her office announced Thursday morning.
Salazar, a Republican who last month defeated Democratic U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala in perhaps the most surprising congressional upset in the country, learned she had contracted the coronavirus overnight after she was admitted to Doctors Hospital with a heart arrhythmia, according to a press release issued Thursday.
Salazar was treated and released, according to her office. Salazar says she will now quarantine for at least 14 days, forcing her to miss a Jan. 3 ceremony in Washington to swear-in members of the 117th Congress.
"I am incredibly thankful to the tireless front-line medical workers in our community, who help so many people combating the COVID-19 pandemic," Salazar, 59, said in a statement. "I am in quarantine at home and getting better each day. I look forward to hitting the ground running for my community, once it is medically permissible."
Since the pandemic began, the Florida Department of Health has reported 295,936 cases of COVID-19 in Miami-Dade County, where, as in many places in the country, the number of positive cases is on the rise.
Other members of Miami's new congressional delegation have contracted COVID-19, including Congressman-elect Carlos Gimenez and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart. On Tuesday, Luke Letlow, an incoming Republican congressman from Louisiana, died of complications of COVID-19.
— Miami Herald
ATLANTA — Former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, 77, suffered what is being described as a minor stroke on Tuesday evening at his Atlanta home.
Lauren Claffey Tomlinson, who was Chambliss' press secretary in Washington and now is serving as the family spokeswoman, released this statement:
"On Tuesday, Sen. Chambliss suffered from a minor stroke and was quickly admitted to Grady Hospital for treatment. He is receiving excellent care at the renowned Marcus Stroke and Neuroscience Center.
"He is doing well, resting comfortably, and is looking forward to a full recovery. Saxby and his wife Julianne thank everyone for their well wishes and prayers during this time."
Chambliss, a Republican, was a U.S. House member from 1995 to 2003, and moved to the U.S. Senate after defeating Democratic incumbent Max Cleland in 2002. Chambliss retired from the Senate and politics in 2015. His Senate seat was filled by Republican David Perdue, who is now locked in a runoff with Democrat Jon Ossoff.
Chambliss is currently a partner with the DLA Piper law firm in Atlanta.
— The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — For refusing to wear a mask as a precaution against COVID-19, South Florida rapper Lil Pump has been banned from flying on JetBlue Airlines, according to media reports.
The 20-year-old rapper was on a flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles on Sunday when he “became verbally abusive with crew members after being asked multiple times and refusing to comply with JetBlue’s face covering policy,” airline spokesperson Derek Dombrowski told USA TODAY.
“His return reservation was canceled and he is no longer welcome to fly on JetBlue,” Dombrowski added.
Lil Pump, whose given name is Gazzy Garcia, is one of the bigger names to emerge from South Florida’s thriving hip-hop scene in recent years, with his most well-known track, “Gucci Gang,” reaching No. 3 on the Billboard charts.
Pump also made headlines when he appeared on stage in November with President Donald Trump in support of Trump’s reelection. Trump mistakenly introduced the rapper, who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat, as Lil Pimp.
He was also arrested in 2018 in Miami after driving his Rolls-Royce without a license.
— Sun Sentinel
HONG KONG — Hong Kong media mogul and democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who was released on bail from prison last week, will return to custody, Hong Kong's Supreme Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday.
The court ruled in favor of the prosecutor, who had requested a re-examination of the Supreme Court's decision to grant Lai bail.
The 73-year-old tycoon was charged with fraud in early December and shortly afterward with violating Hong Kong's security law. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.
After 20 days of pretrial detention, Lai left the prison under strict conditions on December 23, but was placed under house arrest. This decision has now been revised. His actual trial is scheduled to continue on April 16.
Lai founded pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily as well as media and publishing company Next Digital.
The Hong Kong judiciary is cracking down on democratic opposition in the territory. Most recently, the prominent activist Joshua Wong and two of his colleagues were sentenced to prison terms.
This week, a 19-year-old man was sentenced to four months in prison in Hong Kong for allegedly desecrating the Chinese flag. Another 10 Hong Kong residents were also sentenced to between seven months and three years in prison on Wednesday in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen for trying to flee to Taiwan.
The enactment of a new security law at the end of June in response to demonstrations in Hong Kong has met with sharp international criticism. It is directed against activities that Beijing sees as subversive, separatist, terrorist or conspiratorial.
—dpa
