It’s already been a week after midterm elections, but last weekend the secretary of Florida State announced a series of recounts for three races, including the U.S. Senate race between Bill Nelson and Rick Scott and the race for governor between Andrew Gillum and Ron DeSantis. The automatic recounts will take place because all of these races are within the narrow margin of 0.5 percent.
 
Meanwhile, MIREMS’ consultants collected some important stories from various ethnic media sources regarding the election outcomes, before the governor’s race recount became official.
 
While reporting DeSantis’ alleged victory over Gillum, Fort Lauderdale based weekly Spanish language newspaper El Sentinel named the Florida governor’s race “one of the most active electoral contests in the State of Florida.” The newspaper reported that voters in Florida decided to keep the state under Republican control, specifically under a close ally of President Donald Trump. The article focused a lot on the controversy in DeSantis' campaign, which featured racist comments, an FBI investigation and Trump as an ever-present force throughout. The Republicans' hard-line immigration policies, which include separating children from parents who crossed into the country illegally, helped galvanize liberal groups, but they also galvanized the Republican Party base.

Days before the midterm elections, ethnic media is making predictions about the outcomes of such heated races. According to MIREMS’ previous research, the minority vote is extremely important and powerful, and race and ethnicity are likely to make a big difference in 2018 election outcomes.
 
As one of the most diverse states and the nation’s largest swing state, Florida’s demographics are key to determining the winners. MIREMS’ media consultants have been closely monitoring various ethnic media sources to convey essential opinions and predictions from different cultural communities.
 
Spanish media, mainly El Nuevo Herald and Diario Las Americas, report that DeSantis and his campaign devoted most of his time to presenting Gillum as a radical socialist. Many voters see a strong connection to Trump as an asset for DeSantis and Florida. Both Democrats and Republicans know that the Latino community is key in this election, as 31 percent of the electorate is shared between Cubans and Puerto Ricans, and 38 percent is from other nationalities in Latin America. According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, 837,000 Hispanics have registered as Democrats in Florida, 527,000 as Republicans and 775,000 as independents. 
 
The New York based Russian language newspaper V Novom Svete named Florida one of the states that are “up for grabs,” where the chances of both candidates are approximately equal. It predicts that the Democrats may get a majority in the lower house, but the Senate will remain under Republican control. The Democrats have a much more difficult task than the Republicans: with a score of 50 to 50, they still will not have a majority, even if both independent senators support them. The Republican vice-president gives the Republicans a majority when there is a draw in the House. The newspaper reports that even though the lower house elections are much more complicated, the goal of the Democrats is still quite achievable. It states that in the eyes of many Americans, different parties controlling the two chambers is a blessing, a situation that forces lawmakers to seek compromises.
 
African American media sources, such as South Florida Times and Westside Gazette, mostly focused on the Amendment 4, reminding readers that one in 10 Floridians can’t vote because Florida is one of only four states where people with a previous felony conviction are permanently barred from voting. Under former Florida Governor Charlie Christ (Democrat), the Executive Clemency Board automatically restored rights of felons completing their sentences, who paid restitution with no pending charges. However, Governor Rick Scott’s Administration (Republican) eliminated those reforms. These newspapers believe that there is hope and state that Floridians can change the current situation with 60 percent of voters. Amendment 4 reached the ballot after more than 800,000 Floridians signed a citizen petition.
 
The Chicago Crusader named African Americans a “deciding voting block” in key races across the country, including Florida. However, forecasters also predict potential Black voter dropout, which is a serious issue.

Overall, more Americans are taking advantage of absentee and early voting this year, according to The New York Times. In 22 states and Washington, D.C., early voting counts have surpassed levels of the last midterms in 2014 and in some cases is nearing the total turnout seen four years ago. Florida is among those 22 states, advancing ballots cast in 2014 by 68 percent.

The Miami Herald reports that youth voter registration went up 41 percent in Florida after the Parkland shooting. Young voters, between the ages of 18 and 29, who make up 34.22 percent of voter registrations in Florida, could also tilt this year’s midterm elections in Florida. The Harvard Poll found younger voters favored Democrats over Republicans in the battle for Congress by a 66 to 32 percent margin.
 
MIREMS is following along with Florida’s tight race for governor as is most of the country. We’ll be sharing stories from the country’s Ethnic Media about the outcomes of the election. Stay tuned for more.

Polish source Dziennik Zwiazkowy from Chicago reports: 

Beer has always brought people closer to each other, but it can even save a life - as a beer truck driver found out when he saw a man from Chicago, ready to jump from a bridge in Minnesota. When they saw the man, two truck drivers called 911, and one of them named Kwame Anderson started to talk to the man, who refused any form of help until the driver offered him to talk about his problems over a six-pack of Coors Light - the beer brand he was delivering. The Saint Paul police congratulated Anderson on the heroic attitude that saved the Chicago’s man life - with the help of beer. (21/08/2018)

African American source from Baton Rouge, Louisiana reports:

Coca-Cola has teamed up with theme park operator Merlin Entertainments to launch a new breed of reverse vending machine, which offers discounts in exchange for plastic bottles over the summer. It is hoped the tech will incentivise families to recycle after the soft drink giant commissioned research that established 64% of Britons would recycle while out and about if rewarded for their good deed. Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola Great Britain, said: “This is just one of the actions that we’re taking to play our part in achieving a World Without Waste. We buy more recycled plastic in the UK than any other company and we are in the process of doubling the recycled plastic in all our bottles from 25 per cent to 50 per cent by 2020. "We’re also running television campaigns encouraging people to recycle, putting clear recycling messages across all of our packs and we’re supportive of new interventions, such as deposit return schemes, to see if they improve recycling rates.” Last year Coca-Cola launched its sustainable packaging strategy, which led to clearer on-pack recycling messaging on its bottles. (25/07/2018)

Alejandro A. Tagliavini writes for Miami's El Nuevo Herald:

The author says that the war on drugs was similar to the inquisition and wars of the last century, saying that capitalism was a driving force and that 200,000 have died in Mexico alone in the war on drugs. As Canada legalizes Cannabis, cannabis companies like Tilray have shot up in the stock exchange. The multinationals of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages have great interest in these cannabis companies, such as Constellation Brands - manufacturer of Corona beer - which ended up paying $3,8 billion for 38 percent of Canopy Growth. Coca-Cola and Diageo are evaluating cannabis investments. Peter Thiel, founder of PayPal and owner of Tilray, invested in a factory of cupcakes made with cannabis, Goodship, and in cosmetics made with the same ingredient, Marley Natural. This boom is happening despite recreational consumption being prohibited - except in states like California. There is a conviction that this restriction will be lifted. Canada is legalizing marijuana use in October, following the steps of Uruguay. There are great expectations that the US will be next. Many specialists affirm categorically that cannabis produces very serious side-effects, so that we shouldn't encourage its consumption but minimize it and monitor those people who consume it. And for this nothing worse than war, nothing worse than the violence that always ends up aggravating things, making it clear that it is not necessary for the authorities to be effective. Quoting the winner of the Second World War, the Vatican is still alive and has great authority in the world, while the USSR and the Berlin Wall have disappeared without war. In the future, the war "against drugs" will probably be seen as the inquisition of the 20th century. (02/10/2018)

South Asian source from Los Angeles Siliconeer reports:

Cola reported higher profits Wednesday following a stronger soda performance in its home North American market, where it recently enacted price increases due partly to US tariffs on aluminum. Net profit at the soda giant jumped 69 percent to $2.3 billion following lower tax expenses. Revenues fell 12 percent following the sale of bottling assets to franchisees. Results were boosted in North America after Coca-Cola revamped its Coke Zero brand and introduced new flavors of Diet Coke, as well as smaller package sizes of soda and other beverages. The moves were in response to eroding consumer demand for conventional carbonated drinks due to health and obesity concerns in the US and other markets. “Consumers are buying more beverages but they are buying it because of diversity,” chief executive James Quincey said on a conference call. (25/07/2018)

El Diario, a Spanish source from New York reports:

Coca-Cola is not recommended for children. If Coca-Cola is harmful for an adult, it can be even worse for a child. Any pediatrician, dental care worker and anyone with common sense knows that the drink can cause serious damage to a child's body. Still, sodas are part of the daily diet of thousands of families around the world and some babies even drink pop or sugary drinks in their bottle. The pharmacist Niraj Naik, known for contributions on nutrition on 'The Renegade Pharmacist,' described the effects of a can of Coca-Cola on the body. In the first 10 minutes, the body gets ten teaspoons of sugar, 100% of the daily requirement for an adult. So much sugar makes it more likely a child will become obese. The aspartame in the sugar-free version is also potentially harmful to children under 3. After 20 minutes, the sugar rush causes a spike in insulin, which can contribute to insulin resistance. At 40 minutes, the caffeine causes a higher blood pressure and heart rate. At 45 minutes, the body produces dopamine, which produces effects similar to heroine. At 60 minutes, the phosphoric acid combines with magnesium, zinc and calcium in the intestines, which leeches minerals out of the body and can cause bones and teeth to become weaker in a child. After an hour, the sugar low can make the person irritable. (13/08/2018)