Published March 13, 2026 at 4:23 PM EDT

Congresswoman Kathy Castor 

U.S.-Israeli war with Iran continued this week causing a spike in oil and gasoline prices across the country. U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor represents the Tampa area in Congress as a Democrat. She is the top Democrat on the House Energy Subcommittee and joined us to discuss the ongoing war and its impact on Floridians.

Guest:

• U.S. Rep. Cathy Castor, D-14th District of Florida. 

Measles cases rise in Florida 

Over 100 cases of the measles have been reported so far this year in Florida. It has the third highest number of cases in the nation.

Most of the cases are in Collier County, in southwest Florida where there was an outbreak at Ava Maria University earlier this year.

The rise in cases comes as state lawmakers had been debating a “Medical Freedom” bill. That measure would have made it easier for parents to opt out of common vaccines for their children.

Guests:

• Kerry Sheridan, reporter at WUSF. 
• Dr. Shalika Katugaha, System Medical Director of Infectious Diseases at Baptist Health in Jacksonville. 

Legislative session ends without budget  

State lawmakers are set to wrap up the regular 2026 Legislative Session this week. But they’ll be back soon to finalize a spending plan. It’s the second year in a row the 60-day session has ended without a state budget.

Gov. Ron DeSantis has already called a special session in April to consider a mid-decade redistricting. And there may be another special session ahead to focus on property tax reforms.

Guest:

• Douglas Soule, ‘Your Florida’ state government reporter. 

Weekly news briefing  

State lawmakers passed a bill this week prohibiting cities and counties from funding or promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Opponents say the bill’s language is vague and could lead local governments from ending support of all kinds of events such as Oktoberfests and pride parades.

This week, the iconic sign outside the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando was taken down. The LGBTQ nightclub was the scene of the second deadliest mass shooting in the U.S. 49 people were killed by a gunman in 2016.

Robin Greenfield set a challenge for himself for a year: eat only what he forages off the land. He started in Maine in October and, as winter settled in, he came to Florida.